County guide · North Dakota · ND WPAs

Waterfowl Production Areas & Public Hunting Land in Burke County, ND

Burke County has 12 named Waterfowl Production Areas covering 3,574 acres of federally owned, walk-in public land. The largest is Beaver Lake WPA at 1,434 acres; the average tract is about 298 acres, and 1 are smaller than 80 acres.

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

The county covers about 1,158 square miles and has roughly 2,201 residents. WPAs make up about 0.5% of its land area.

12named WPAs
3.6Kacres of WPA land
1,434largest WPA (ac)
4refuges & districts

Map of WPAs in Burke 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.

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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 Burke County

Largest WPAs (acres)
How big are the tracts? (number of WPAs by acres)
<4040–80: 1140–8080–160: 5580–160160–320: 33160–320320+: 33320+
WPAAcresNearest townGPSGo
Beaver Lake WPA
1,409 deeded ac
1,434 28 mi NW of Kenmare 48.86051, -102.62079 Map · Directions
Powers Lake WPA 497 28 mi W of Kenmare 48.56837, -102.66644 Map · Directions
Nelson WPA 320 10 mi SW of Kenmare 48.59524, -102.26938 Map · Directions
Larson O'Rourke WPA 254 16 mi NW of Kenmare 48.78545, -102.37474 Map · Directions
Eckart WPA 198 14 mi SW of Kenmare 48.55366, -102.33213 Map · Directions
Jesson WPA 161 21 mi W of Kenmare 48.65514, -102.53259 Map · Directions
Grubb WPA 160 24 mi W of Kenmare 48.68044, -102.60095 Map · Directions
Swanson WPA 156 26 mi W of Kenmare 48.68807, -102.65085 Map · Directions
Breding WPA 125 30 mi W of Kenmare 48.56631, -102.70684 Map · Directions
County Line WPA 101 15 mi SW of Kenmare 48.55179, -102.34584 Map · Directions
Godejahn WPA 101 18 mi W of Kenmare 48.70863, -102.46458 Map · Directions
Maruskie WPA 66 29 mi SE of Crosby 48.67432, -102.76045 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 Burke County: rules & tips

Typically allowed

  • Hunting waterfowl, upland birds, deer and other game in season under North Dakota 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 Burke 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.

  • Kenmare, ND22 mi — county center is W of town
  • Crosby, ND35 mi — county center is E of town
  • Williston, ND65 mi — county center is NE of town
  • Minot, ND68 mi — county center is NW of town

Shooting hours in Burke County

Today at Burke County

Legal light*–
Sunrise–
Sunset–

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

Full season calculator →

2026–2027 season sun table

DateShooting lightSunriseSunsetDaylight
Tue, Sep 1, 20266:35 AM7:05 AM8:35 PM13h 30m
Tue, Sep 15, 20266:55 AM7:25 AM8:05 PM12h 41m
Thu, Oct 1, 20267:17 AM7:47 AM7:31 PM11h 44m
Thu, Oct 15, 20267:38 AM8:08 AM7:03 PM10h 54m
Sun, Nov 1, 20267:05 AM7:35 AM5:32 PM9h 57m
Sun, Nov 15, 20267:28 AM7:58 AM5:12 PM9h 14m
Tue, Dec 1, 20267:51 AM8:21 AM4:57 PM8h 36m
Tue, Dec 15, 20268:06 AM8:36 AM4:54 PM8h 18m
Fri, Jan 1, 20278:13 AM8:43 AM5:03 PM8h 20m
Fri, Jan 15, 20278:08 AM8:38 AM5:19 PM8h 41m
Mon, Feb 1, 20277:51 AM8:21 AM5:45 PM9h 24m

Computed for 48.766, -102.548 (CDT / DST-aware). Check state rules — big game hours vary.

7-day forecast for Burke 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 Burke County

Crosby WMD

Divide County, ND

1 open
🦌🦆🦃🐦🕊️🐇🎣

18.8K huntable acres

Des Lacs NWR

Burke County, ND

3 special1 closed
🦌🦃🐦🐇

14K huntable acres

Lostwood NWR

Burke County, ND

1 special1 closed
🦌🦃🐦🐇

26.2K huntable acres

Lostwood WMD

Burke County, ND

1 open
🦌🦆🦃🐦🕊️🐇🎣

11K huntable acres

Refuge hunt units in Burke County

UnitRefugeStatusAcres
Hunting UnitLostwood NWRSpecial regs26,154
Closed UnitLostwood NWRClosed1,177

Neighboring counties with WPAs

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