Hunting Prairie Dunes Wildlife Management Area, Minnesota public land

Prairie Dunes WMA at a glance for hunters

You get 1,082 acres at Prairie Dunes WMA, which lies in Norman County. By size it ranks 5th of the 15 wildlife management areas we list in Norman County. DPA 265 sets the deer limit here: 3-deer limit this year.

The managing office is Detroit Lakes (DNR Wildlife), detroitlakes.wildlife@state.mn.us.

What the DNR page says about it: Prairie Dunes WMA is a brand new WMA acquired in December 2017. DNR Wildlife purchased Tracts 1 (Section 19) and 15 (Section 29), and Pheasants Forever and the MN Prairie Chicken Society acquired and donated to the State Tract 16 (Sections 32 & 33). Management emphasis is currently focused on restoring dozens of drained wetlands and planting native grasses and forbs in the uplands. Cattle were used on Tract 1 in 2019 to help interseed native grasses and forbs into the old grassland areas. A small food plot is maintained for the abundant deer and turkeys that winter on the WMA and surrounding lands. Habitat management strategies that may be used to improve the land for wildlife include prescribed burns, water level manipulation, grazing, and timber harvest. A diverse mix of wildlife can be found on the WMA, including deer, bear, turkey, prairie chicken, ruffed grouse, and a variety of …

Listed game: deer, black bear, small game, ruffed grouse and woodcock, waterfowl, wild turkey, mourning dove.

• 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.

Prairie Dunes WMA nearest towns and help

Fuel and food: Gary lies 4.4 mi from Prairie Dunes WMA. For more services, Ada (1,696) is 14 mi out. DNR's nearest town for this unit: Gary. Nearest DNR desk: Thief River Falls Area Wildlife Office, 47 mi.

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.