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WMA · DPA 264
Hunting on New Maine Wildlife Management Area in 2026-27
Wildlife management area hunting in Marshall County: rules, season dates, parking and nearby public land.
Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
Getting to New Maine Wildlife Management Area
Parking, trailheads and gates near New Maine Wildlife Management Area
- Parking areaParking · 0.8 mi from the centreDirections
Parking, trailhead and gate locations come from OpenStreetMap contributors. Roads into public land can be gated or seasonal; check with the managing agency before you go.
The record behind New Maine WMA, summed up
The mapped area of New Maine WMA is 2,667 acres, in Marshall County. Marshall County has 28 wildlife management areas on our list; this one is the 11th largest. Deer rules come from DPA 264, a 3-deer limit area in 2026.
Karlstad is the DNR wildlife area office for New Maine WMA (karlstad.wildlife@state.mn.us).
Species named: deer, black bear, small game, ruffed grouse and woodcock.
- White-tailed Deer
- Black Bear
- Eastern Cottontail
- Gray Squirrel
- Snowshoe Hare
- Ruffed Grouse
- American Woodcock
From the agency record (Minnesota Department of Natural Resources); checked October 28, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around New Maine Wildlife Management Area
New Maine WMA regulations in short
Read these before a first trip to New Maine 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 264 dates for New Maine WMA
For 2026, DNR made DPA 264 3-deer limit; its firearms deer season is the 200-series window. Up to 3 deer can come out of DPA 264 this season, using bonus permits for the extra antlerless deer.
| 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 264; testing is optional. Check the special WMA regulations for DPA 264. DPA 264 takes in 672 square miles. Part of Marshall, Roseau, Kittson and Pennington falls in DPA 264.
From the DNR 2026 deer season map and the 2026-2027 regulations booklet; checked October 28, 2026.
Hunting seasons at New Maine WMA
22 season windows for 13 species reach New Maine WMA, filtered by its game species list.
| Game | Season | Area | From | To | Open now? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | Archery | DPA 264 | Sep 19, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | |
| Deer | Youth deer | DPA 264 | Oct 15, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | |
| Deer | Firearms, 200 series | DPA 264 | 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 area 12 | 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 | |
| Take-a-Kid | Take-a-Kid | Statewide | Sep 26, 2026 | Sep 27, 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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.
New Maine WMA directions and parking
The DNR route text for each subunit of New Maine WMA, with 1 mapped lot.
| Unit | Size | Closest town | Hunting | Parking spots | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Maine WMA | 2,667 | Middle River | Open | 1 | DNR |
- New Maine WMA: From Middle River, go 5 miles W on CSAH 6 Wheelchair access is limited to the adjacent roads.
DNR WMA detail pages (Compass feature records); checked October 28, 2026.
Other places to hunt near New Maine WMA
The closest other public land to New Maine WMA is East Park WMA, 4.9 mi to the northwest; the table lists 8 neighbors with 17,743 acres between them.
| Name | Type | Size (ac) | Deer area | Away | Bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Park WMA | WMA | 10,427 | 264 | 4.9 mi | northwest |
| Huntly WMA | WMA | 6,506 | 264 | 5.7 mi | northeast |
| Spruce Valley WMA | WMA | 81 | 264 | 5.8 mi | southeast |
| West Valley WMA | WMA | 247 | 264 | 6.2 mi | west |
| Adolf Elseth Memorial WMA | WMA | 44 | 264 | 9.3 mi | southwest |
| Alces WMA | WMA | 75 | 264 | 9.3 mi | west |
| Cedar II WMA | WMA | 163 | 208 | 9.6 mi | east |
| New Folden WMA | WMA | 200 | 264 | 9.6 mi | south |
Points: DNR WMA detail page map point (Compass feature_detail). Straight-line distances. Statewide public land map.
Towns and offices around New Maine WMA
The town nearest New Maine WMA is Newfolden at 5.5 mi. DNR names Middle River as the nearest town on its unit page. Karlstad Area Wildlife Office (Karlstad) is the closest DNR office, 15 mi off.
| Community | County | Residents | Straight line | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newfolden | Marshall | 343 | 5.5 mi | south |
| Middle River | Marshall | 294 | 5.7 mi | east |
| Strandquist | Marshall | 68 | 8.4 mi | northwest |
| Strathcona | Roseau | 28 | 10 mi | northeast |
| Holt | Marshall | 87 | 10 mi | southeast |
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.
New Maine WMA area deer harvest by year
DPA 264 totals, which include all the land around New Maine WMA: 1,995 deer in 2025 against 2,007 in 2024.
| Year | Bucks | Does, fawns | All deer | Per sq mi |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,046 | 949 | 1,995 | 2.98 |
| 2024 | 1,103 | 904 | 2,007 | 3.00 |
| 2023 | 852 | 918 | 1,770 | 2.65 |
| 2022 | 793 | 828 | 1,621 | 2.42 |
| 2021 | 982 | 854 | 1,836 | 2.74 |
| 2020 | 925 | 953 | 1,878 | 2.81 |
| 2019 | 904 | 867 | 1,771 | 2.65 |
| 2018 | 852 | 913 | 1,765 | 2.64 |
| 2017 | 886 | 990 | 1,876 | 2.80 |
DNR 2025 deer harvest report; earlier years from the DNR yearly reports. Checked October 28, 2026.
The county setting of New Maine WMA
Marshall County holds 36 public hunting records on this site; New Maine WMA is one of them. Bear permit area 12 covers part of Marshall County (12 (100 permits)). For turkey the county is in permit area 509. Marshall County includes elk zone 10. Wildlife office for Marshall County: Karlstad Area Wildlife Office.
County acres from DNR and federal GIS layers (counties.json); zones from the 2026-2027 booklet; checked October 28, 2026.
New Maine WMA: first legal light and last
Calculated for the exact spot of New Maine 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 | 7:06 a.m. | 7:32 p.m. | 6:36 a.m. | 8:02 p.m. | 7:32 p.m. |
| Sep 26, 2026 | Duck opener | 7:16 a.m. | 7:17 p.m. | 6:46 a.m. | 7:47 p.m. | 7:17 p.m. |
| Oct 10, 2026 | Pheasant opener | 7:36 a.m. | 6:48 p.m. | 7:06 a.m. | 7:18 p.m. | 6:48 p.m. |
| Nov 7, 2026 | Firearms deer opener | 7:19 a.m. | 4:59 p.m. | 6:49 a.m. | 5:29 p.m. | 4:59 p.m. |
| Nov 28, 2026 | Muzzleloader opener | 7:51 a.m. | 4:36 p.m. | 7:21 a.m. | 5:06 p.m. | 4:36 p.m. |
| Dec 31, 2026 | Archery close | 8:17 a.m. | 4:39 p.m. | 7:47 a.m. | 5:09 p.m. | 4:39 p.m. |
| Apr 14, 2027 | Spring turkey opener | 6:39 a.m. | 8:13 p.m. | 6:09 a.m. | 8:43 p.m. | 8:13 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.
New Maine Wildlife Management Area hunters: nearest gun clubs on file
Before a hunt on New Maine Wildlife Management Area, the closest range on file is Lock & Load Hunting Club, 5 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.
New Maine WMA and country like it, in photos
Straight answers on hunting New Maine WMA
Which office should I call about New Maine WMA?
The Karlstad office of Minnesota Department of Natural Resources runs New Maine WMA.
What are the CWD rules on New Maine WMA?
CWD status: DPA 264 is outside the CWD zones, with optional testing.
New Maine WMA: deer hours on opening day?
About 6:49 a.m. to 5:29 p.m. on opening day of firearms deer.
Any other public ground within a short drive of New Maine WMA?
Closest on the map: East Park WMA (4.9 mi), Huntly WMA (5.7 mi) and Spruce Valley WMA (5.8 mi).
Are permanent stands allowed on New Maine WMA?
No overnight gear on New Maine WMA: stands and blinds go home each day unless the northwest exception covers the unit.
Can I stay the night on New Maine WMA?
No, except designated sites or by permit.
New Maine WMA: is hunting allowed there?
Open to hunting in regular seasons, under the general WMA rules and any notes on the unit page.
Is New Maine WMA a big piece of land?
About 2,667 acres, per the agency GIS.
When does firearms deer season open on New Maine WMA?
Deer permit area 264; the 2026 designation is 3-deer limit. Firearms dates in that DPA are Nov 7 to Nov 15, 2026.
What game is on New Maine WMA?
The record for New Maine WMA lists deer, black bear, small game and ruffed grouse and woodcock.
What are the directions to New Maine WMA?
From Middle River, go 5 miles W on CSAH 6 1 mapped lot.
Other photos on this page: Joe Passe (CC BY-SA 2.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0); NPS Photo (Public domain).