County guide · North Dakota · ND WPAs

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

Sheridan County has 45 named Waterfowl Production Areas covering 12,575 acres of federally owned, walk-in public land. The largest is Kindschi WPA at 2,056 acres; the average tract is about 279 acres, and 12 are smaller than 80 acres.

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

The county covers about 973 square miles and has roughly 1,265 residents. WPAs make up about 2.0% of its land area.

County mapAll 45 WPAsDownload KML
45named WPAs
12.6Kacres of WPA land
2,056largest WPA (ac)
1refuges & districts

Map of WPAs in Sheridan 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 Sheridan County

Largest WPAs (acres)
Kindschi WPA
2,056 ac
Allen Laschkewitsch Weckerly WPA
2,048 ac
Johnson Lake WPA
1,058 ac
Davis WPA
639 ac
Tkach WPA
593 ac
Oster WPA
482 ac
Goodrich WPA
450 ac
Johns Lake WPA
335 ac
Geigle WPA
330 ac
Papke WPA
322 ac
Indian Hills WPA
321 ac
Fetzer WPA
255 ac
How big are the tracts? (number of WPAs by acres)
<40: 77<4040–80: 5540–8080–160: 101080–160160–320: 1212160–320320+: 1111320+
WPAAcresNearest townGPSGo
Kindschi WPA 2,056 51 mi E of Garrison 47.61619, -100.33370 Map · Directions
Allen Laschkewitsch Weckerly WPA
2,022 deeded ac		 2,048 45 mi W of Carrington 47.39983, -100.08297 Map · Directions
Johnson Lake WPA
1,066 deeded ac		 1,058 43 mi S of Rugby 47.75679, -100.09618 Map · Directions
Davis WPA 639 46 mi NE of Bismarck 47.35414, -100.22271 Map · Directions
Tkach WPA 593 39 mi E of Garrison 47.70440, -100.57628 Map · Directions
Oster WPA 482 41 mi NE of Bismarck 47.33111, -100.34756 Map · Directions
Goodrich WPA 450 43 mi W of Carrington 47.45416, -100.05958 Map · Directions
Johns Lake WPA 335 43 mi N of Bismarck 47.39654, -100.48575 Map · Directions
Geigle WPA 330 42 mi S of Rugby 47.80183, -100.33757 Map · Directions
Papke WPA 322 45 mi W of Carrington 47.33014, -100.07570 Map · Directions
Indian Hills WPA 321 43 mi W of Carrington 47.54105, -100.04361 Map · Directions
Fetzer WPA 255 44 mi S of Rugby 47.76994, -100.30576 Map · Directions
Weber WPA 241 44 mi W of Carrington 47.45239, -100.08096 Map · Directions
Thorson WPA 205 48 mi NE of Bismarck 47.42679, -100.31534 Map · Directions
Heckers Lake WPA 183 36 mi N of Bismarck 47.33207, -100.67727 Map · Directions
Lincoln Valley North WPA 180 49 mi E of Garrison 47.66468, -100.35963 Map · Directions
Eddy WPA 169 44 mi S of Rugby 47.76798, -100.32467 Map · Directions
Dockter WPA 161 44 mi NE of Bismarck 47.34552, -100.27280 Map · Directions
Cartwright WPA 161 37 mi S of Rugby 47.84008, -100.11780 Map · Directions
Bahr WPA 160 47 mi W of Carrington 47.36710, -100.12376 Map · Directions
Reiser WPA 160 43 mi NE of Bismarck 47.37462, -100.39027 Map · Directions
Oliver WPA 160 39 mi N of Bismarck 47.36741, -100.62518 Map · Directions
Moldenhauer WPA 160 50 mi NE of Bismarck 47.45073, -100.26490 Map · Directions
Grayson WPA 159 40 mi N of Bismarck 47.34562, -100.46502 Map · Directions
Hillstrom WPA 159 42 mi S of Rugby 47.75878, -100.08016 Map · Directions
Lasher WPA 159 46 mi N of Bismarck 47.42543, -100.43310 Map · Directions
Helm WPA 158 42 mi S of Rugby 47.76400, -100.10693 Map · Directions
Schmeets WPA 122 43 mi S of Rugby 47.76583, -100.18614 Map · Directions
Lincoln Valley South WPA 115 49 mi E of Garrison 47.64475, -100.37550 Map · Directions
Kreiter WPA 106 52 mi NE of Bismarck 47.48280, -100.29386 Map · Directions
Stotz WPA 104 41 mi S of Rugby 47.79867, -100.20518 Map · Directions
Diamond WPA 98 47 mi SW of Rugby 47.73637, -100.38123 Map · Directions
Ewert WPA 81 45 mi E of Garrison 47.75902, -100.47245 Map · Directions
Mauch WPA 80 44 mi W of Carrington 47.34918, -100.05700 Map · Directions
Johnson WPA 79 41 mi E of Garrison 47.70111, -100.53661 Map · Directions
Jones WPA 50 42 mi E of Garrison 47.67097, -100.50769 Map · Directions
Fandrich WPA 48 44 mi E of Garrison 47.74427, -100.47979 Map · Directions
Harris WPA 40 45 mi E of Garrison 47.59423, -100.46172 Map · Directions
Strassburg WPA 40 41 mi E of Garrison 47.80611, -100.56116 Map · Directions
Martin WPA 40 38 mi S of Rugby 47.82761, -100.16854 Map · Directions
Weltz WPA 34 43 mi S of Rugby 47.79123, -100.32419 Map · Directions
Holmes WPA 31 36 mi E of Garrison 47.63686, -100.63832 Map · Directions
Grimes WPA 20 44 mi NE of Bismarck 47.36931, -100.35164 Map · Directions
Fox WPA 16 53 mi NE of Bismarck 47.49302, -100.28729 Map · Directions
Krueger WPA 6.6 44 mi SW of Rugby 47.82405, -100.46094 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 Sheridan 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 Sheridan 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.

  • Garrison, ND51 mi — county center is E of town
  • Bismarck, ND52 mi — county center is NE of town
  • Carrington, ND57 mi — county center is W of town
  • Rugby, ND63 mi — county center is S of town

Shooting hours in Sheridan County

Today at Sheridan 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, 20266:28 AM6:58 AM8:24 PM13h 26m
Tue, Sep 15, 20266:47 AM7:17 AM7:56 PM12h 39m
Thu, Oct 1, 20267:08 AM7:38 AM7:23 PM11h 45m
Thu, Oct 15, 20267:28 AM7:58 AM6:55 PM10h 58m
Sun, Nov 1, 20266:53 AM7:23 AM5:26 PM10h 02m
Sun, Nov 15, 20267:15 AM7:45 AM5:07 PM9h 22m
Tue, Dec 1, 20267:37 AM8:07 AM4:53 PM8h 46m
Tue, Dec 15, 20267:52 AM8:22 AM4:50 PM8h 29m
Fri, Jan 1, 20277:59 AM8:29 AM4:59 PM8h 31m
Fri, Jan 15, 20277:54 AM8:24 AM5:15 PM8h 50m
Mon, Feb 1, 20277:38 AM8:08 AM5:40 PM9h 32m

Computed for 47.498, -100.356 (CDT / DST-aware). Check state rules — big game hours vary.

7-day forecast for Sheridan 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 Sheridan County

Audubon WMD

McLean County, ND

1 open1 special
🦌🦆🦃🐦🕊️🐇🎣

26.2K huntable acres

Neighboring counties with WPAs

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