Spooner Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Spooner Wildlife Management Area is 359 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Lake of the Woods County, near Baudette, inside Deer Permit Area 105. 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 2,485 deer in DPA 105 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 landSpooner WMACounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 359 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Lake of the Woods County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 105 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Baudette |
| DNR area office | Baudette |
| Nearest towns | Baudette (3 mi), Williams (15 mi) and Roosevelt (22 mi) |
What is Spooner WMA like?
This unit consists of open bog, lowland brush and black spruce stands. Management activities on this WMA include prescribed burning to invigorate blueberries, accelerate green-up and to maintain openings in vegetation to benefit open land species.
White-tailed deer is the principal big game species found here. Most terrestrial furbearers common to Northwestern MN can be found here. Nongame species typical to northern forests and open, raised bogs can be found here. No special restrictions; normal WMA rules apply. Snipe, rail, woodcock, and grouse may be viewed and hunted here.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on Spooner WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, sharp-tailed grouse, bear and small game for Spooner WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Spooner WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around Spooner WMA?
Spooner WMA lies in Deer Permit Area 105. The DNR registered 2,485 deer in DPA 105 in 2025, against 2,165 in 2024.
| DPA | Spooner WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 105 | 359 | 2,485 | 2,165 | 2,545 |
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 Spooner WMA?
From Baudette, go 1 1/2 miles W on Hwy 11 then 2 miles S on Co 3.
There are no facilities here and no vehicle access. Wildlife can be viewed from County Road 3.
Nearest towns: Baudette (3 miles), Williams (15 miles) and Roosevelt (22 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MN 11.
What other public land is near Spooner WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Carp Swamp WMA: 15,272 acres, 1.5 miles away
- Graceton WMA: 10,713 acres, 4 miles away
- Silver Creek WMA: 460 acres, 6.8 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Spooner WMA
Counting Spooner WMA itself, 4,452 of the 24,564 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (18.1%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 2,226 |
| State forest and other DNR land | 2,226 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Spooner WMA?
In Lake of the Woods County, near Baudette. The DNR's directions: From Baudette, go 1 1/2 miles W on Hwy 11 then 2 miles S on Co 3.
Which deer permit area is Spooner WMA in?
Deer Permit Area 105. Its bag limit and firearms dates apply.
How much public land is around Spooner WMA?
4,452 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Spooner WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 3 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Carp Swamp WMA (1.5 miles).
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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, Spooner 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.