Shypoke Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Shypoke Wildlife Management Area is 161 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Polk County, near Fertile, inside Deer Permit Area 256. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, ducks and geese and small game for it. Hunters registered 1,042 deer in DPA 256 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 areasState forest and other DNR landNational wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areasShypoke WMACounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 161 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Polk County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 256 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, ducks and geese and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Fertile |
| DNR area office | Thief River Falls |
| Nearest towns | Mentor (8 mi), Fertile (8 mi) and Beltrami (12 mi) |
What is Shypoke WMA like?
This WMA is a Red River prairie grassland landscape with scattered brush thickets. A ditch bisects the southern part of the unit from northeast to southwest. Prescribed fire is the primary management tool.
Shypoke shares a west and north border with the Glacial Ridge NWR. There are broad views out into the flat brush prairie. One can almost imagine the buffalo here. Spring opportunities include viewing prairie chickens and sharp-tailed grouse breeding displays and sandhill crane and waterfowl migration. Much of the unit is saturated grassland, so waterproof footwear is needed.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on Shypoke WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, ducks and geese and small game for Shypoke WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Shypoke WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around Shypoke WMA?
Shypoke WMA lies in Deer Permit Area 256. The DNR registered 1,042 deer in DPA 256 in 2025, against 1,033 in 2024.
| DPA | Shypoke WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 256 | 161 | 1,042 | 1,033 | 867 |
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 Shypoke WMA?
From Fertile, go 7 1/2 miles N on SH 32 then 1 mile W on TWP RD.
Access is good with a road on the south side.
Nearest towns: Mentor (8 miles), Fertile (8 miles), Beltrami (12 miles) and Erskine (13 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MN 32 and MN 102.
What other public land is near Shypoke WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Dugdale WMA: 960 acres, 0.7 miles away
- Trail WMA: 609 acres, 0.8 miles away
- Godfrey WMA: 145 acres, 1 mile away
- Maple Meadows WMA: 1,393 acres, 1.5 miles away
- Burnham WMA: 990 acres, 1.5 miles away
- Oak Ridge Marsh WMA: 56 acres, 2.8 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Shypoke WMA
Counting Shypoke WMA itself, 12,989 of the 23,001 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (56.5%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 8,002 |
| State wildlife management areas | 3,983 |
| State forest and other DNR land | 1,004 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Shypoke WMA?
In Polk County, near Fertile. The DNR's directions: From Fertile, go 7 1/2 miles N on SH 32 then 1 mile W on TWP RD.
Which deer permit area is Shypoke WMA in?
Deer Permit Area 256. Its bag limit and firearms dates apply.
How much public land is around Shypoke WMA?
12,989 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Shypoke WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 6 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Dugdale WMA (0.7 miles).
Get a Minnesota hunt plan when they open
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Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Minnesota included.
Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Shypoke 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.