County guide · North Dakota · ND WPAs

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

Richland County has 22 named Waterfowl Production Areas covering 6,490 acres of federally owned, walk-in public land. The largest is Hartleben WPA at 1,212 acres; the average tract is about 295 acres, and 6 are smaller than 80 acres.

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

The county covers about 1,450 square miles and has roughly 16,529 residents. WPAs make up about 0.7% of its land area.

County mapAll 22 WPAsDownload KML
22named WPAs
6.5Kacres of WPA land
1,212largest WPA (ac)
1refuges & districts

Map of WPAs in Richland 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 Richland County

Largest WPAs (acres)
Hartleben WPA
1,212 ac
Biggs WPA
1,086 ac
Gunness WPA
659 ac
Wollitz WPA
511 ac
Podhola WPA
434 ac
Kuehn WPA
317 ac
Aaser WPA
314 ac
Bladow WPA
252 ac
Nechas WPA
237 ac
Leack-Schuler WPA
237 ac
Smith WPA
213 ac
Krause WPA
163 ac
How big are the tracts? (number of WPAs by acres)
<40: 11<4040–80: 5540–8080–160: 2280–160160–320: 99160–320320+: 55320+
WPAAcresNearest townGPSGo
Hartleben WPA
1,231 deeded ac		 1,212 21 mi SW of Wahpeton 46.08457, -96.96495 Map · Directions
Biggs WPA
1,079 deeded ac		 1,086 24 mi SW of Wahpeton 45.97941, -96.89568 Map · Directions
Gunness WPA 659 23 mi SW of Wahpeton 46.01312, -96.91368 Map · Directions
Wollitz WPA 511 35 mi SW of Wahpeton 45.97404, -97.19313 Map · Directions
Podhola WPA
429 deeded ac		 434 32 mi SW of Wahpeton 45.95036, -97.09797 Map · Directions
Kuehn WPA 317 28 mi SW of Wahpeton 46.03634, -97.09986 Map · Directions
Aaser WPA 314 23 mi SW of Wahpeton 46.08438, -97.01391 Map · Directions
Bladow WPA
276 deeded ac		 252 23 mi SW of Wahpeton 46.05936, -96.98457 Map · Directions
Nechas WPA
120 deeded ac		 237 32 mi SW of Wahpeton 45.96668, -97.10780 Map · Directions
Leack-Schuler WPA
243 deeded ac		 237 28 mi SW of Wahpeton 46.01894, -97.06125 Map · Directions
Smith WPA 213 32 mi SW of Wahpeton 46.02485, -97.16891 Map · Directions
Krause WPA 163 31 mi SW of Wahpeton 45.94674, -97.05606 Map · Directions
Gaukler WPA 163 32 mi SW of Wahpeton 45.94673, -97.08753 Map · Directions
Vogeler WPA 162 37 mi SW of Wahpeton 45.94640, -97.21275 Map · Directions
Ford WPA 129 26 mi SW of Wahpeton 46.06060, -97.06016 Map · Directions
Boehning WPA 97 30 mi SW of Wahpeton 46.04714, -97.13766 Map · Directions
Prochnow WPA 79 22 mi SW of Wahpeton 46.08454, -96.98823 Map · Directions
Ahrens WPA 61 31 mi SW of Wahpeton 45.93860, -97.05294 Map · Directions
Novetzke WPA 60 28 mi SW of Wahpeton 46.05381, -97.11196 Map · Directions
Leack WPA 51 29 mi SW of Wahpeton 46.01220, -97.08076 Map · Directions
Korth WPA 47 26 mi SW of Wahpeton 45.96281, -96.92664 Map · Directions
Heger WPA
121 deeded ac		 5.6 31 mi SW of Wahpeton 45.97106, -97.10267 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 Richland 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 Richland 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.

  • Wahpeton, ND16 mi — county center is W of town
  • Moorhead, MN40 mi — county center is S of town
  • Fargo, ND40 mi — county center is S of town
  • Fergus Falls, MN41 mi — county center is W of town

Shooting hours in Richland County

Today at Richland 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, 20266:16 AM6:46 AM8:09 PM13h 23m
Tue, Sep 15, 20266:34 AM7:04 AM7:41 PM12h 38m
Thu, Oct 1, 20266:54 AM7:24 AM7:10 PM11h 46m
Thu, Oct 15, 20267:13 AM7:43 AM6:43 PM11h 00m
Sun, Nov 1, 20266:37 AM7:07 AM5:15 PM10h 08m
Sun, Nov 15, 20266:58 AM7:28 AM4:56 PM9h 29m
Tue, Dec 1, 20267:19 AM7:49 AM4:44 PM8h 55m
Tue, Dec 15, 20267:33 AM8:03 AM4:41 PM8h 38m
Fri, Jan 1, 20277:40 AM8:10 AM4:50 PM8h 40m
Fri, Jan 15, 20277:36 AM8:06 AM5:05 PM8h 59m
Mon, Feb 1, 20277:21 AM7:51 AM5:29 PM9h 38m

Computed for 46.309, -96.942 (CDT / DST-aware). Check state rules — big game hours vary.

7-day forecast for Richland County

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

Refuges & districts with land in Richland County

Tewaukon WMD

Sargent County, ND

1 open
🦌🦆🦃🐦🕊️🐇🎣

16K huntable acres

Neighboring counties with WPAs

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