Spencer Brook Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Spencer Brook Wildlife Management Area is 310 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Isanti County, near Zimmerman, inside Deer Permit Area 227. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, mourning doves and small game for it. Hunters registered 4,198 deer in DPA 227 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 areasCounty, city and regional landSpencer Brook WMACounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 310 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Isanti County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 227 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, mourning doves and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Zimmerman |
| DNR area office | Cambridge |
| Nearest towns | Princeton (7 mi), Zimmerman (8 mi) and St. Francis (8 mi) |
What is Spencer Brook WMA like?
This WMA contains the Kelly Lake wetland with cattails, low land grass and brush. Management of this unit focuses on maintaining and improving the wetland and habitat for a diversity of native plants and wildlife.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on Spencer Brook WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, mourning doves and small game for Spencer Brook WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Spencer Brook WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around Spencer Brook WMA?
Spencer Brook WMA lies in Deer Permit Area 227. The DNR registered 4,198 deer in DPA 227 in 2025, against 3,893 in 2024.
| DPA | Spencer Brook WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 227 | 310 | 4,198 | 3,893 | 3,470 |
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 Spencer Brook WMA?
From Zimmerman, go 5.5 miles E on CSAH 8 to CSAH 7, then go 5.5 miles N to 305th Ave NW, then go 0.75 miles W to the WMA access.
Nearest towns: Princeton (7 miles), Zimmerman (8 miles), St. Francis (8 miles) and Isanti (10 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MN 47 and MN 95.
What other public land is near Spencer Brook WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Crooked Road WMA: 390 acres, 0.9 miles away
- Spectacle WMA: 505 acres, 2.9 miles away
- Vietnam Veterans WMA: 79 acres, 5.9 miles away
- Marget Lake WMA: 508 acres, 6.2 miles away
- Carl E. Bonnell WMA: 78 acres, 6.8 miles away
- Freemont WMA: 181 acres, 8.6 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Spencer Brook WMA
Counting Spencer Brook WMA itself, 723 of the 23,827 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (3%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 723 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Spencer Brook WMA?
In Isanti County, near Zimmerman. The DNR's directions: From Zimmerman, go 5.5 miles E on CSAH 8 to CSAH 7, then go 5.5 miles N to 305th Ave NW, then go 0.75 miles W to the WMA access.
Which deer permit area is Spencer Brook WMA in?
Deer Permit Area 227. Its bag limit and firearms dates apply.
How much public land is around Spencer Brook WMA?
723 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Spencer Brook WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 6 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Crooked Road WMA (0.9 miles).
Get a Minnesota hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Minnesota are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
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, Spencer Brook 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.