📚 Public land hunting guides
Practical, no-fluff guides to hunting National Wildlife Refuges and Waterfowl Production Areas — written around the official 2026–2027 data used across this site.
How to Hunt National Wildlife Refuges: A Complete Guide
Step-by-step: find a refuge that allows your game, read hunt unit maps, get licenses and permits, and follow refuge-specific rules.
Read guide →Waterfowl Production Areas (WPAs) Explained
What WPAs are, why they're some of the best walk-in public land in the Prairie Pothole Region, and the difference between fee land and private easements.
Read guide →Hunt Unit Status: Open vs. Special Regulations vs. Closed
What each hunt-unit status in the national dataset means, and how to find the rules that apply.
Read guide →Refuge Hunting Permits: Types, Lotteries & How to Apply
Signed brochures, quota permits, special use permits and where to get them — online, kiosk, mail or visitor center.
Read guide →Legal Shooting Hours Explained: Sunrise, Sunset & Time Zones
How shooting light works for migratory birds and big game, and how to calculate it for your spot.
Read guide →Scouting Public Land with Satellite & Topo Maps
Use satellite imagery, USGS topo and KML/GPX downloads to e-scout refuges and WPAs before you go.
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