Minnesota is a hunting paradise thanks to millions of acres of public hunting land. But finding a great place to hunt is often as challenging as the actual hunting itself.
Minnesota hunters are fortunate that the search is not nearly as difficult as it is in many states, where public land is rare. The most commonly hunted public lands in Minnesota are state wildlife management areas (WMAs), state forests, national forests and federal waterfowl production areas (WPAs).
- State lands
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Wildlife management areas (WMAs): Minnesota's 1,300 WMAs are wetlands, uplands, or woods owned and managed for wildlife by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Hunting is open to the public during regular seasons.
Hunter Walking Trails: Minnesota's primary grouse range features a number of hunter walking trails that wind their way through Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs), sometimes connecting with state forests and other public hunting lands. These trails, most of them with signs, provide comparatively easy access to areas where small game such as grouse and woodcock may abound.
Walk-In Access (WIA): The Walk-In Access program aims to provide new hunting opportunities on private land that already is enrolled in existing conservation programs.
State forests: The 3 million acres encompassed by Minnesota's 56 state forests hold game such as deer, bear, and ruffed grouse. Except in a few portions, state forests are open to hunting and trapping, during the appropriate season and with the correct license. They also are open to target, trap and recreational shooting except where prohibited by law, posted closed or designated as closed. Please check individual state maps for the most current information.
Ruffed Grouse Management Areas: Ruffed Grouse Management Areas are a great destination for the hunter looking to experience grouse and woodcock hunting. These areas are located in areas that have good potential for producing grouse and woodcock and are managed to promote suitable habitat conditions for these species.
State game refuges: Game refuges are scattered throughout the state and clearly marked by signage. Hunting and trapping is allowed in some refuges at some times. Use this page to find out which refuges may be open to hunting and trapping.
Scientific & Natural Areas: Hunting, trapping, and fishing are allowed during the appropriate season and with the correct license at many SNAs. Only specific types of hunting are allowed on selected sites to help achieve management goals. Consult hunting and fishing regulations carefully.
Forest Legacy Conservation Areas: The Minnesota Forest Legacy Program has acquired public hunting rights and other public recreation opportunities on nearly 6,400 acres of private forest lands in Cass, Crow Wing, and Itasca counties.
- Federal lands
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Waterfowl Production Areas: Most of these federally managed wetlands and surrounding uplands, known as WPAs, are open to hunting. For individual maps, click on a watershed management district office (WMD) and then click the "maps" link on the right side of the page. Scroll to the bottom of the WMD's maps page for a list of individual WPA maps.
National forests: The Chippewa and Superior national forests in northern Minnesota are open to public hunting. For more information about these areas check the Web sites: Chippewa National Forest and Superior National Forest .
National wildlife refuges: Portions of Minnesota's national wildlife refuges are open to hunting. Restrictions are noted in the back section of the DNR Hunting Regulations Handbook. Check individual refuge maps for the most up-to-date information about hunting.
- Other lands
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Detailed information about hunting on these lands can be found in county plat books and some online resources. Availability of information and maps vary so you'll have to do some digging on your own to explore these areas.
County land: Many northern counties manage state tax-forfeited lands. Mainly forested, these lands provide some excellent hunting opportunities. Check with your local county land department to see if it has a map of county lands open to hunting.
Industrial forest land: Potlatch, Blandin, Boise-Cascade, and several other large forest products companies own and manage lands that are open to public hunting. If the forested land is not posted, it is open to public hunting. In some areas, gates may be closed during certain times of the season, and that may be the case with other forest product companies. You can find a list of these lands on the forest legacy page.
Private property: All this public land notwithstanding, most of Minnesota is private property. And most hunters hunt on private land. Minnesota's trespass laws have been written to protect human life, livestock, and the rights of landowners. These laws, summarized in the DNR Hunting Regulations Handbook, require hunters to get permission to hunt agricultural land. Also, hunters can't hunt any posted private land unless they have written permission, and they can't hunt land if they've been told to leave.
Accessible places: Access is available in some areas.
- Search for wheelchair accessible wildlife management areas by checking the "wheelchair accessible" box using the WMA finder.
- Maps
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The easiest way to find out if land is public or private is to look on a detailed map. As important to hunting as ammunition, maps can tell who owns what parcels, where property lines begin and end, and sometimes the land topography. Among the most useful:
Recreation Compass: An interactive tool to find recreation opportunities in the state. Search by place name, Public Land Survey (PLS) and coordinates locations (GPS).
USGS National Map Viewer: They don't indicate property boundaries, but they do show practically everything else--including hill contours and even tiny streams. Available in atlas form in some bookstores or individually from the Minnesota Geological Survey in St. Paul. Phone: 612-626-2969. For additional online map resources from USGS check out the National Map home page
County plat books: These show who owns all parcels of land in each of the state's 87 counties. Available from county courthouses and some land abstracting firms. The cost varies from county to county.
DNR maps list: This searchable page compiles all the maps, interactive and downloadable, that DNR offers on its website.