County guide · North Dakota · ND WPAs

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

Sargent County has 18 named Waterfowl Production Areas covering 5,160 acres of federally owned, walk-in public land. The largest is Kraft Slough WPA at 1,221 acres; the average tract is about 287 acres, and 2 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 858 square miles and has roughly 3,862 residents. WPAs make up about 0.9% of its land area.

County mapAll 18 WPAsDownload KML
18named WPAs
5.2Kacres of WPA land
1,221largest WPA (ac)
2refuges & districts

Map of WPAs in Sargent 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 Sargent County

Largest WPAs (acres)
Kraft Slough WPA
1,221 ac
Gainor WPA
842 ac
Palensky WPA
608 ac
Klefstad WPA
390 ac
Bauer WPA
325 ac
Krause WPA
213 ac
Anderson WPA
199 ac
Evanson WPA
167 ac
Litchfield WPA
161 ac
Asche WPA
159 ac
Olson (North) WPA
159 ac
Saunders WPA
143 ac
How big are the tracts? (number of WPAs by acres)
<4040–80: 2240–8080–160: 7780–160160–320: 44160–320320+: 55320+
WPAAcresNearest townGPSGo
Kraft Slough WPA
3,216 deeded ac		 1,221 52 mi NE of Aberdeen 46.11525, -97.94014 Map · Directions
Gainor WPA 842 37 mi W of Wahpeton 46.23280, -97.38961 Map · Directions
Palensky WPA 608 45 mi S of Valley City 46.27566, -97.94717 Map · Directions
Klefstad WPA 390 49 mi W of Wahpeton 46.02982, -97.58026 Map · Directions
Bauer WPA 325 52 mi S of Valley City 46.17850, -97.88250 Map · Directions
Krause WPA
200 deeded ac		 213 39 mi SW of Wahpeton 46.01962, -97.34051 Map · Directions
Anderson WPA 199 52 mi W of Wahpeton 46.09763, -97.65953 Map · Directions
Evanson WPA 167 54 mi W of Wahpeton 46.01905, -97.66964 Map · Directions
Litchfield WPA 161 51 mi S of Valley City 46.19315, -97.85594 Map · Directions
Asche WPA 159 44 mi W of Wahpeton 46.17475, -97.52618 Map · Directions
Olson (North) WPA 159 52 mi W of Wahpeton 46.06995, -97.65944 Map · Directions
Saunders WPA 143 56 mi W of Wahpeton 46.11355, -97.75263 Map · Directions
Olson/BN WPA
150 deeded ac		 143 52 mi W of Wahpeton 46.04091, -97.63875 Map · Directions
Mahrer WPA 119 44 mi W of Wahpeton 46.14934, -97.51473 Map · Directions
Nickeson WPA
89 deeded ac		 94 42 mi SW of Wahpeton 46.01742, -97.40001 Map · Directions
Even WPA 85 54 mi W of Wahpeton 46.09982, -97.71857 Map · Directions
Wyum WPA 80 41 mi W of Wahpeton 46.12157, -97.44941 Map · Directions
Lundstad WPA 53 49 mi W of Wahpeton 46.10832, -97.59939 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 Sargent 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 Sargent 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, ND50 mi — county center is W of town
  • Valley City, ND57 mi — county center is S of town
  • Aberdeen, SD63 mi — county center is NE of town
  • Fargo, ND65 mi — county center is SW of town

Shooting hours in Sargent County

Today at Sargent 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, 20266:19 AM6:49 AM8:11 PM13h 22m
Tue, Sep 15, 20266:37 AM7:07 AM7:44 PM12h 38m
Thu, Oct 1, 20266:57 AM7:27 AM7:12 PM11h 46m
Thu, Oct 15, 20267:15 AM7:45 AM6:46 PM11h 01m
Sun, Nov 1, 20266:40 AM7:10 AM5:18 PM10h 08m
Sun, Nov 15, 20267:00 AM7:30 AM5:00 PM9h 30m
Tue, Dec 1, 20267:21 AM7:51 AM4:47 PM8h 56m
Tue, Dec 15, 20267:35 AM8:05 AM4:45 PM8h 39m
Fri, Jan 1, 20277:42 AM8:12 AM4:54 PM8h 41m
Fri, Jan 15, 20277:39 AM8:09 AM5:09 PM9h 00m
Mon, Feb 1, 20277:24 AM7:54 AM5:33 PM9h 39m

Computed for 46.141, -97.636 (CDT / DST-aware). Check state rules — big game hours vary.

7-day forecast for Sargent 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 Sargent County

Tewaukon NWR

Sargent County, ND

3 special1 closed
🦌🦃🐦🐇🎣

6.9K huntable acres

Tewaukon WMD

Sargent County, ND

1 open
🦌🦆🦃🐦🕊️🐇🎣

16K huntable acres

Refuge hunt units in Sargent County

UnitRefugeStatusAcres
Bow UnitTewaukon NWRSpecial regs51
Sprague LakeTewaukon NWRSpecial regs2,273
TewaukonTewaukon NWRSpecial regs4,529
Closed UnitTewaukon NWRClosed152

Neighboring counties with WPAs

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