Sem Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Sem Wildlife Management Area is 2,838 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Marshall County, near Grygla, inside Deer Permit Areas 208 and 111. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game for it. Hunters registered 465 deer in DPA 208 in 2025.
Data updated October 2026. Area facts: the DNR's wildlife management area data, read 2026-10. Harvest: DNR Deer Harvest Reports, 2021 to 2025.
State wildlife management areasSem WMACounty lineHighway
| Size | 2,838 acres in 9 pieces |
|---|---|
| County | Marshall County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 208, DPA 111 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Grygla |
| DNR area office | Thief River Falls |
| Nearest towns | Goodridge (5 mi), Grygla (5 mi) and Thief River Falls (22 mi) |
What can you hunt on Sem WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game for Sem WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Sem WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around Sem WMA?
Sem WMA lies in 2 deer permit areas. The DNR registered 465 deer in DPA 208 in 2025, against 409 in 2024.
Harvest for the whole deer permit area, not the WMA alone: Minnesota DNR Deer Harvest Reports (2021 to 2025, 2025 report).
How do you get to Sem WMA?
From Grygla, go 5 1/2 miles S on CSAH 54.
Nearest towns: Goodridge (5 miles), Grygla (5 miles), Thief River Falls (22 miles) and Holt (23 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MN 1, MN 219 and MN 89.
What other public land is near Sem WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Carmelee WMA: 3,907 acres, next to it
- Willow-Run WMA: 3,564 acres, 0.5 miles away
- Espelie WMA: 3,644 acres, 0.7 miles away
- Reiner WMA: 121 acres, 1.7 miles away
- Moylan WMA: 1,715 acres, 2.3 miles away
- Wolf Trail WMA: 7,792 acres, 3 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Sem WMA
Counting Sem WMA itself, 11,918 of the 60,614 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (19.7%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 11,918 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Sem WMA?
In Marshall County, near Grygla. The DNR's directions: From Grygla, go 5 1/2 miles S on CSAH 54.
Which deer permit area is Sem WMA in?
DPA 208 (2,215 acres) and DPA 111 (622 acres). Each part follows its own permit area's bag limit.
How much public land is around Sem WMA?
11,918 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Sem WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 6 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Carmelee WMA (next to it).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Sem WMA; Minnesota DNR Wildlife Management Area boundaries, publicly accessible.
- Boundary and acres: the DNR's map layer above. Surrounding public land: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
- Deer harvest: Minnesota DNR Deer Harvest Reports (2021 to 2025, 2025 report).
FilledTag is not part of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Check the DNR's rules and posted signs before you go.