County guide · Montana · MT WPAs

Waterfowl Production Areas & Public Hunting Land in Lake County, MT

Lake County has 9 named Waterfowl Production Areas covering 3,669 acres of federally owned, walk-in public land. The largest is Crow WPA at 1,533 acres; the average tract is about 408 acres, and 1 are smaller than 80 acres.

WPAs here are managed by the Northwest Montana Wetland Management District-Lake County, which sets any district-specific rules (vehicle access, blinds, nontoxic shot, closed areas).

The county covers about 1,656 square miles and has roughly 31,134 residents. WPAs make up about 0.3% of its land area.

County mapAll 9 WPAsDownload KML
9named WPAs
3.7Kacres of WPA land
1,533largest WPA (ac)
4refuges & districts

Map of WPAs in Lake County

Gold outlines are fee-title Waterfowl Production Areas — federally owned public land. Land outside them is almost always private. Switch to satellite to check water conditions and cover, and click any tract for coordinates.

Loading interactive map…
Waterfowl Production Area (public)County lineRefuge / station Tip: switch to Satellite or USGS Topo in the layer menu · click the map for GPS coordinates
Take every tract with you:KML (Google Earth / onX)GPX waypoints

All Waterfowl Production Areas in Lake County

Largest WPAs (acres)
Crow WPA
1,533 ac
Duck Haven WPA
821 ac
Sandsmark WPA
419 ac
Cruz WPA
322 ac
Kickinghorse WPA
174 ac
Anderson WPA
163 ac
Montgomery WPA
84 ac
Herak WPA
84 ac
Johnson WPA
70 ac
How big are the tracts? (number of WPAs by acres)
<4040–80: 1140–8080–160: 2280–160160–320: 22160–320320+: 44320+
WPAAcresNearest townGPSGo
Crow WPA
1,482 deeded ac		 1,533 43 mi N of Missoula 47.48082, -114.19511 Map · Directions
Duck Haven WPA
786 deeded ac		 821 43 mi N of Missoula 47.48072, -114.10230 Map · Directions
Sandsmark WPA
255 deeded ac		 419 38 mi N of Missoula 47.41015, -114.15011 Map · Directions
Cruz WPA 322 30 mi SE of Kalispell 47.88135, -113.86062 Map · Directions
Kickinghorse WPA
169 deeded ac		 174 41 mi N of Missoula 47.46441, -114.09143 Map · Directions
Anderson WPA 163 43 mi N of Missoula 47.48255, -114.13695 Map · Directions
Montgomery WPA 84 39 mi N of Missoula 47.42641, -114.16620 Map · Directions
Herak WPA 84 38 mi N of Missoula 47.40106, -114.17152 Map · Directions
Johnson WPA 70 41 mi N of Missoula 47.43918, -114.20056 Map · Directions

Acreage from USFWS realty GIS polygons. Coordinates are a point inside each tract — not necessarily a parking area. Look for designated parking and boundary signs on the ground.

Hunting WPAs in Lake County: rules & tips

Typically allowed

  • Hunting waterfowl, upland birds, deer and other game in season under Montana regulations
  • Walk-in access from roads and designated parking areas
  • Fishing and trapping where state and district rules allow
  • Wildlife watching, photography and dog training outside restricted periods

Common restrictions

  • No camping, fires or overnight use on most tracts
  • Motor vehicles only on designated roads and parking areas
  • Blinds and portable stands usually removed at the end of each day
  • Nontoxic shot required for waterfowl; many districts require it for all shotgun hunting
  • Some tracts have closed areas, refuge-style rules or seasonal restrictions

Getting to Lake County

Distances below are straight-line from the center of the county. Most WPAs are reached by county and township gravel roads — download the GPX file and load it into your phone or GPS before you lose cell coverage.

  • Kalispell, MT43 mi — county center is S of town
  • Missoula, MT50 mi — county center is N of town
  • Stevensville, MT74 mi — county center is N of town
  • Helena, MT120 mi — county center is NW of town

Shooting hours in Lake County

Today at Lake County

Legal light*–
Sunrise–
Sunset–

*½ hour before sunrise — the standard federal shooting-hour start for migratory game birds. Times in Denver local time.

Full season calculator →

2026–2027 season sun table

DateShooting lightSunriseSunsetDaylight
Tue, Sep 1, 20266:23 AM6:53 AM8:19 PM13h 26m
Tue, Sep 15, 20266:42 AM7:12 AM7:51 PM12h 39m
Thu, Oct 1, 20267:03 AM7:33 AM7:18 PM11h 45m
Thu, Oct 15, 20267:23 AM7:53 AM6:50 PM10h 57m
Sun, Nov 1, 20266:49 AM7:19 AM5:21 PM10h 02m
Sun, Nov 15, 20267:10 AM7:40 AM5:02 PM9h 21m
Tue, Dec 1, 20267:33 AM8:03 AM4:48 PM8h 45m
Tue, Dec 15, 20267:47 AM8:17 AM4:45 PM8h 28m
Fri, Jan 1, 20277:54 AM8:24 AM4:54 PM8h 30m
Fri, Jan 15, 20277:50 AM8:20 AM5:10 PM8h 50m
Mon, Feb 1, 20277:34 AM8:04 AM5:35 PM9h 31m

Computed for 47.586, -114.134 (MDT / DST-aware). Check state rules — big game hours vary.

7-day forecast for Lake County

Loading National Weather Service forecast…

Forecast from the National Weather Service. Wind direction matters — plan your approach downwind of where game beds.

Refuges & districts with land in Lake County

Ninepipe NWR

Lake County, MT

1 closed
🎣

Northwest Montana WMD-Lake County

Lake County, MT

1 special
🦌🦆🦃🐦🕊️🐇🎣

3.6K huntable acres

Pablo NWR

Lake County, MT

1 closed
🎣

Swan River NWR

Lake County, MT

2 special
🦌🦆🎣

1.9K huntable acres

Refuge hunt units in Lake County

UnitRefugeStatusAcres
StationNinepipe NWRClosed2,087
WPA OpenNorthwest Montana WMD-Lake CountySpecial regs3,557
StationPablo NWRClosed2,474
Big GameSwan River NWRSpecial regs1,173
WaterfowlSwan River NWRSpecial regs760

Neighboring counties with WPAs

Source: USFWS Realty Tracts (fee-title interest) and Esri county boundaries. Page updated October 28, 2026.