County guide · North Dakota · ND WPAs

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

Pembina County has 6 named Waterfowl Production Areas covering 2,222 acres of federally owned, walk-in public land. The largest is Pembina Prarie WPA at 1,074 acres; the average tract is about 370 acres, and 1 are smaller than 80 acres.

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

The county covers about 1,122 square miles and has roughly 6,844 residents. WPAs make up about 0.3% of its land area.

6named WPAs
2.2Kacres of WPA land
1,074largest WPA (ac)
1refuges & districts

Map of WPAs in Pembina 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 Pembina County

Largest WPAs (acres)
How big are the tracts? (number of WPAs by acres)
<40: 11<4040–8080–160: 1180–160160–320: 11160–320320+: 33320+
WPAAcresNearest townGPSGo
Pembina Prarie WPA
1,116 deeded ac
1,074 61 mi N of Grand Forks 48.79314, -97.26917 Map · Directions
Kemp WPA
318 deeded ac
332 59 mi N of Grand Forks 48.76374, -97.25551 Map · Directions
Houghton WPA 322 63 mi N of Grand Forks 48.82928, -97.27174 Map · Directions
Duncan WPA
320 deeded ac
308 56 mi N of Grand Forks 48.72632, -97.26639 Map · Directions
Juhl WPA 150 62 mi N of Grand Forks 48.81379, -97.26634 Map · Directions
Bones WPA 36 45 mi N of Grand Forks 48.57625, -97.18843 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 Pembina 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 Pembina 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.

  • Grand Forks, ND63 mi — county center is N of town
  • Devils Lake, ND76 mi — county center is NE of town
  • Thief River Falls, MN77 mi — county center is NW of town
  • Rugby, ND115 mi — county center is E of town

Shooting hours in Pembina County

Today at Pembina 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, 20266:15 AM6:45 AM8:15 PM13h 30m
Tue, Sep 15, 20266:35 AM7:05 AM7:45 PM12h 41m
Thu, Oct 1, 20266:57 AM7:27 AM7:11 PM11h 44m
Thu, Oct 15, 20267:18 AM7:48 AM6:42 PM10h 54m
Sun, Nov 1, 20266:45 AM7:15 AM5:12 PM9h 57m
Sun, Nov 15, 20267:08 AM7:38 AM4:52 PM9h 14m
Tue, Dec 1, 20267:31 AM8:01 AM4:37 PM8h 36m
Tue, Dec 15, 20267:46 AM8:16 AM4:34 PM8h 18m
Fri, Jan 1, 20277:53 AM8:23 AM4:43 PM8h 20m
Fri, Jan 15, 20277:48 AM8:18 AM4:59 PM8h 41m
Mon, Feb 1, 20277:31 AM8:01 AM5:25 PM9h 24m

Computed for 48.772, -97.544 (CDT / DST-aware). Check state rules — big game hours vary.

7-day forecast for Pembina 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 Pembina County

Devils Lake WMD

Ramsey County, ND

1 open1 closed
🦌🦆🦃🐦🕊️🐇🎣

52.7K huntable acres

Neighboring counties with WPAs

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