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WMA · DPA 298
Hunting on Mosquito Creek Wildlife Management Area in 2026-27
Wildlife management area hunting in Clearwater County: rules, season dates, parking and nearby public land.
Photo: Tony Webster (CC BY 2.0)
Getting to Mosquito Creek Wildlife Management Area
The record behind Mosquito Creek WMA, summed up
The mapped area of Mosquito Creek WMA is 747 acres, in Clearwater County. Clearwater County has 36 wildlife management areas on our list; this one is the 2nd largest. Deer rules come from DPA 298 (it also reaches DPA 684), an antlerless permit lottery area in 2026.
Park Rapids is the DNR wildlife area office for Mosquito Creek WMA (parkrapids.wildlife@state.mn.us). DNR records FmHA funding for Mosquito Creek WMA.
The WMA page says: This WMA is managed for forest and wetland wildlife. There are small wetlands and grassland areas for duck and nongame bird breeding and nesting. And small, scattered forest areas in central and south units. The north unit is heavily forested with aspen.
Species named: deer, black bear, small game, ruffed grouse and woodcock, waterfowl.
- White-tailed Deer
- Black Bear
- Eastern Cottontail
- Gray Squirrel
- Snowshoe Hare
- Ruffed Grouse
- American Woodcock
- Ducks
From the agency record (Minnesota Department of Natural Resources); checked October 28, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Mosquito Creek Wildlife Management Area
Mosquito Creek WMA regulations in short
Read these before a first trip to Mosquito Creek WMA; they come from the agency page.
| Item | Allowed? |
|---|---|
| Hunting, trapping | Regular seasons |
| Vehicles | Designated roads, lots |
| Target shooting | Not allowed |
| Guns in transit | Cased, unloaded |
| Camping | Designated or permit |
| Portable stands, blinds | Remove daily |
| Overnight stands, northwest | Nov 1-Dec 31 |
| Dogs | Leash Apr 16-Jul 14 |
| Drones | Not allowed |
| Gear left overnight | Not allowed |
Sources: record, agency rules; booklet: 2026-2027 Minnesota Hunting and Trapping Regulations. Checked October 28, 2026.
DPA 298 dates for Mosquito Creek WMA
For 2026, DNR made DPA 298 antlerless permit lottery and offered 250 antlerless permits by lottery; its firearms deer season is the 200-series window. The Sept. 10 lottery hands out the antlerless permits for DPA 298.
| Deer season | Opens | Closes | Today |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archery | Sep 19, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | |
| Youth deer | Oct 15, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | |
| Firearms, 200 series | Nov 7, 2026 | Nov 15, 2026 | |
| Muzzleloader | Nov 28, 2026 | Dec 13, 2026 |
No mandatory CWD sampling in DPA 298; testing is optional. DPA 298 takes in 677 square miles. Part of Becker, Mahnomen and Clearwater falls in DPA 298.
Other DPAs: DPA 684 (either-sex)
From the DNR 2026 deer season map and the 2026-2027 regulations booklet; checked October 28, 2026.
Hunting seasons at Mosquito Creek WMA
36 season windows for 19 species reach Mosquito Creek WMA, filtered by its game species list.
| Game | Season | Area | From | To | Open now? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | Archery | DPAs 298, 684 | Sep 19, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | |
| Deer | Youth deer | DPAs 298, 684 | Oct 15, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | |
| Deer | Firearms, 100 series | DPA 684 | Nov 7, 2026 | Nov 22, 2026 | |
| Deer | Firearms, 200 series | DPA 298 | Nov 7, 2026 | Nov 15, 2026 | |
| Deer | Muzzleloader | Statewide | Nov 28, 2026 | Dec 13, 2026 | |
| Black bear | No-quota area | No Quota Area | Sep 1, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Quota areas | Quota areas 41, 46 | Sep 1, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | |
| Ruffed, spruce grouse | Regular | Statewide | Sep 19, 2026 | Jan 3, 2027 | |
| Hungarian partridge | Regular | Statewide | Sep 19, 2026 | Jan 3, 2027 | |
| Woodcock | Regular | Statewide | Sep 19, 2026 | Nov 2, 2026 | |
| Rabbits, hares | Regular | Statewide | Sep 19, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Jackrabbit | Regular | Statewide | Sep 19, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Squirrels | Regular | Statewide | Sep 19, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Crow | Crow segment | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Oct 31, 2026 | |
| Canada goose | Early geese | Statewide | Sep 5, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | |
| Light geese | Early geese | Statewide | Sep 5, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | |
| Teal | Early teal season | Statewide | Sep 5, 2026 | Sep 9, 2026 | |
| Youth waterfowl | Youth days | Statewide | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 13, 2026 | |
| Ducks | Regular ducks | North Zone | Sep 26, 2026 | Nov 24, 2026 | |
| Ducks | Regular ducks | Central Zone | Sep 26, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 | |
| Geese | Regular geese | North Zone | Sep 26, 2026 | Dec 25, 2026 | |
| Geese | Regular geese | Central Zone | Sep 26, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 | |
| Take-a-Kid | Take-a-Kid | Statewide | Sep 26, 2026 | Sep 27, 2026 | |
| Ducks | Regular ducks | Central Zone | Oct 10, 2026 | Nov 29, 2026 | |
| Geese | Regular geese | Central Zone | Oct 10, 2026 | Dec 30, 2026 | |
| Raccoon, foxes | Hunting (north) | North furbearer zone | Oct 17, 2026 | Mar 15, 2027 | |
| Badger, opossum, weasels | Hunting (north) | North furbearer zone | Oct 17, 2026 | Mar 15, 2027 | |
| Ducks | Regular ducks | South Zone | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | |
| Geese | Regular geese | South Zone | Oct 17, 2026 | Jan 6, 2027 | |
| Raccoon, foxes | Hunting (south) | South furbearer zone | Oct 24, 2026 | Mar 15, 2027 | |
| Badger, opossum, weasels | Hunting (south) | South furbearer zone | Oct 24, 2026 | Mar 15, 2027 | |
| Bobcat | Hunt and trap (north) | North furbearer zone | Dec 12, 2026 | Jan 17, 2027 | |
| Crow | Crow segment | Statewide | Dec 15, 2026 | Jan 15, 2027 | |
| Bobcat | Hunt and trap (south) | South furbearer zone | Jan 2, 2027 | Jan 17, 2027 | |
| Light geese | Spring light goose | Statewide | Feb 18, 2027 | Apr 30, 2027 | |
| Crow | Crow segment | Statewide | Mar 1, 2027 | Mar 31, 2027 |
Blaze orange or pink is required during the firearms deer seasons, including for most small game hunters.
From the 2026-2027 Minnesota Hunting and Trapping Regulations booklet (Minnesota Department of Natural Resources); checked October 28, 2026. All Minnesota seasons.
Mosquito Creek WMA directions and parking
The DNR route text for each subunit of Mosquito Creek WMA, with 4 mapped lots.
| Unit | Size | Closest town | Hunting | Parking spots | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mosquito Creek WMA | 747 | Bagley | Open | 4 | DNR |
- Mosquito Creek WMA: From Bagley, go 6 miles South on SH 92 to County Road 31 W two miles to County Road 102 then S approximately 1/4 mile to parking area. There are three established parking lots on this unit.
DNR WMA detail pages (Compass feature records); checked October 28, 2026.
Other places to hunt near Mosquito Creek WMA
The closest other public land to Mosquito Creek WMA is Upper Rice WMA, 5.6 mi to the southeast; the table lists 8 neighbors with 43,187 acres between them.
| Name | Type | Size (ac) | Deer area | Away | Bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Rice WMA | WMA | 390 | 684 | 5.6 mi | southeast |
| Mud Lake WMA | WMA | 3.5 | 684 | 5.9 mi | east |
| Island Lake Fmha WMA | WMA | 213 | 210, 298 | 6.8 mi | northwest |
| Perch Lake WMA | WMA | 252 | 298 | 6.9 mi | southwest |
| Minnow Lake WMA | WMA | 7.7 | 210 | 7.4 mi | north |
| White Earth State Forest | State forest | 41,856 | 298, 684 | 8.2 mi | southwest |
| Daniel Lake WMA | WMA | 24 | 684 | 8.4 mi | northeast |
| Lower Rice WMA | WMA | 440 | 298 | 8.6 mi | south |
Points: DNR WMA detail page map point (Compass feature_detail). Straight-line distances. Statewide public land map.
Towns and offices around Mosquito Creek WMA
The town nearest Mosquito Creek WMA is Rice Lake at 5.9 mi. Bagley (1,304 in 2024) is the largest of these towns. DNR names Bagley as the nearest town on its unit page. Region 1 (Northwest) Headquarters (Bemidji) is the closest DNR office, 28 mi off.
| Community | County | Residents | Straight line | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rice Lake | Clearwater | – | 5.9 mi | southwest |
| Bagley | Clearwater | 1,304 | 6.4 mi | north |
| Ebro | Clearwater | – | 7.2 mi | northwest |
| South End | Clearwater | – | 8.1 mi | south |
| Pine Bend | Mahnomen | – | 8.5 mi | west |
Towns from the 2024 Census gazetteer and population estimates; offices and businesses from services.json (DNR and business listings, chain stores and license agents left out); straight-line miles. Checked October 28, 2026.
Mosquito Creek WMA area deer harvest by year
DPA 298 totals, which include all the land around Mosquito Creek WMA: 779 deer in 2025 against 671 in 2024.
| Year | Bucks | Does, fawns | All deer | Per sq mi |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 675 | 104 | 779 | 1.26 |
| 2024 | 581 | 90 | 671 | 1.09 |
| 2023 | 413 | 78 | 491 | 0.79 |
| 2022 | 393 | 147 | 540 | 0.87 |
| 2021 | 585 | 295 | 880 | 1.42 |
| 2020 | 526 | 343 | 869 | 1.41 |
| 2019 | 604 | 557 | 1,161 | 1.88 |
| 2018 | 645 | 653 | 1,298 | 2.10 |
| 2017 | 750 | 537 | 1,287 | 2.08 |
DNR 2025 deer harvest report; earlier years from the DNR yearly reports. Checked October 28, 2026.
The county setting of Mosquito Creek WMA
Clearwater County holds 42 public hunting records on this site; Mosquito Creek WMA is one of them. No deer feeding or attractants in Clearwater County (DNR ban). Bear permit area 46 and 41 covers part of Clearwater County (46 (950 permits) and 41 (250 permits)). For turkey the county is in permit area 509 and 507. Wildlife office for Clearwater County: Park Rapids Area Wildlife Office. Unlike Mosquito Creek WMA, Auganaush Creek Aquatic Management Area and Buckboard Creek Aquatic Management Area are shut to hunters.
County acres from DNR and federal GIS layers (counties.json); zones from the 2026-2027 booklet; checked October 28, 2026.
Mosquito Creek WMA: first legal light and last
Calculated for the exact spot of Mosquito Creek WMA, so the minutes differ a little from the county tables.
| Day | Hunt | First sun | Last sun | Start | Big game stop | Bird stop |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 19, 2026 | Archery and grouse opener | 7:03 a.m. | 7:28 p.m. | 6:33 a.m. | 7:58 p.m. | 7:28 p.m. |
| Sep 26, 2026 | Duck opener | 7:12 a.m. | 7:14 p.m. | 6:42 a.m. | 7:44 p.m. | 7:14 p.m. |
| Oct 10, 2026 | Pheasant opener | 7:31 a.m. | 6:46 p.m. | 7:01 a.m. | 7:16 p.m. | 6:46 p.m. |
| Nov 7, 2026 | Firearms deer opener | 7:13 a.m. | 4:58 p.m. | 6:43 a.m. | 5:28 p.m. | 4:58 p.m. |
| Nov 28, 2026 | Muzzleloader opener | 7:44 a.m. | 4:36 p.m. | 7:14 a.m. | 5:06 p.m. | 4:36 p.m. |
| Dec 31, 2026 | Archery close | 8:09 a.m. | 4:39 p.m. | 7:39 a.m. | 5:09 p.m. | 4:39 p.m. |
| Apr 14, 2027 | Spring turkey opener | 6:37 a.m. | 8:08 p.m. | 6:07 a.m. | 8:38 p.m. | 8:08 p.m. |
Spring turkey uses the bird column.
Hours rule from the DNR booklet shooting hours page; sun times calculated for the unit point (NOAA method, Central Time); checked October 28, 2026. Legal hours for every county.
Mosquito Creek Wildlife Management Area hunters: nearest gun clubs on file
Before a hunt on Mosquito Creek Wildlife Management Area, the closest range on file is Off Grid Armory, 13 miles off. Sight in elsewhere: the area rules bar target shooting.
From the operators’ pages and directory listings, checked October 28, 2026; target shooting rule from the DNR WMA rules.
Mosquito Creek WMA and country like it, in photos
Mosquito Creek WMA FAQ for 2026-27
Any other public ground within a short drive of Mosquito Creek WMA?
Closest on the map: Upper Rice WMA (5.6 mi), Mud Lake WMA (Clearwater County) (5.9 mi) and Island Lake Fmha WMA (6.8 mi).
Are permanent stands allowed on Mosquito Creek WMA?
No overnight gear on Mosquito Creek WMA: stands and blinds go home each day unless the northwest exception covers the unit.
Can I stay the night on Mosquito Creek WMA?
No, except designated sites or by permit.
Mosquito Creek WMA: is hunting allowed there?
Open to hunting in regular seasons, under the general WMA rules and any notes on the unit page.
Is Mosquito Creek WMA a big piece of land?
About 747 acres, per the agency GIS.
When does firearms deer season open on Mosquito Creek WMA?
Deer permit area 298; the 2026 designation is antlerless permit lottery. Firearms dates in that DPA are Nov 7 to Nov 15, 2026.
What game is on Mosquito Creek WMA?
The record for Mosquito Creek WMA lists deer, black bear, small game, ruffed grouse and woodcock and waterfowl.
What are the directions to Mosquito Creek WMA?
From Bagley, go 6 miles South on SH 92 to County Road 31 W two miles to County Road 102 then S approximately 1/4 mile to parking area. 4 mapped lots.
Which office should I call about Mosquito Creek WMA?
The Park Rapids office of Minnesota Department of Natural Resources runs Mosquito Creek WMA.
What are the CWD rules on Mosquito Creek WMA?
CWD status: DPA 298 is outside the CWD zones, with optional testing.
Mosquito Creek WMA: deer hours on opening day?
About 6:43 a.m. to 5:28 p.m. on opening day of firearms deer.
Other photos on this page: Tony Webster (CC BY 2.0); christinejwarner (CC BY 2.0); USFWS/Southeast (CC BY 2.0).