White Bear Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
White Bear Wildlife Management Area is 196 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Pope County, near Starbuck, inside Deer Permit Area 273. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game for it. Hunters registered 1,013 deer in DPA 273 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 areasNational wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areasWhite Bear WMACounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 196 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Pope County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 273 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Starbuck |
| DNR area office | Fergus Falls |
| Nearest towns | Lowry (4 mi), Starbuck (4 mi) and Farwell (6 mi) |
What is White Bear WMA like?
This WMA has a mixture of cover, including restored native grasses, woody cover plantings, emergent wetlands, and open water areas. Managed to maintain and improve native grass, wildflowers, woody cover, and emergent wetlands.
This WMA has excellent restored prairie cover. This is a good place to view wetland birds. Blooming wild flowers are especially abundant in the western portion of the unit. Concentrations of monarch butterflies are attracted to patches of blazing star in late summer.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on White Bear WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game for White Bear WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on White Bear WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around White Bear WMA?
White Bear WMA lies in Deer Permit Area 273. The DNR registered 1,013 deer in DPA 273 in 2025, against 978 in 2024.
| DPA | White Bear WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 273 | 196 | 1,013 | 978 | 968 |
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 White Bear WMA?
From Starbuck, go 3 miles N on SH 114 then 3 miles W on CSAH 24 then 1/2 mile N on TWP RD.
Nearest towns: Lowry (4 miles), Starbuck (4 miles), Farwell (6 miles) and Long Beach (7 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MN 28, MN 55, MN 29 and MN 114.
What other public land is near White Bear WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Lowry WMA: 252 acres, 1.8 miles away
- Wade WMA: 84 acres, 2.1 miles away
- New Prairie WMA: 59 acres, 2.6 miles away
- Van Luik WMA: 48 acres, 2.8 miles away
- Nora WMA: 270 acres, 4.2 miles away
- Farwell WMA: 173 acres, 4.8 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of White Bear WMA
Counting White Bear WMA itself, 1,260 of the 24,709 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (5.1%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 777 |
| State wildlife management areas | 483 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is White Bear WMA?
In Pope County, near Starbuck. The DNR's directions: From Starbuck, go 3 miles N on SH 114 then 3 miles W on CSAH 24 then 1/2 mile N on TWP RD.
Which deer permit area is White Bear WMA in?
Deer Permit Area 273. Its bag limit and firearms dates apply.
How much public land is around White Bear WMA?
1,260 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, White Bear WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 6 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Lowry WMA (1.8 miles).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, White Bear 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.