County guide · Wisconsin · WI WPAs

Waterfowl Production Areas & Public Hunting Land in Polk County, WI

Polk County has 14 named Waterfowl Production Areas covering 1,170 acres of federally owned, walk-in public land. The largest is Clear Lake WPA at 154 acres; the average tract is about 84 acres, and 7 are smaller than 80 acres.

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

The county covers about 957 square miles and has roughly 44,977 residents. WPAs make up about 0.2% of its land area.

County mapAll 14 WPAsDownload KML
14named WPAs
1.2Kacres of WPA land
154largest WPA (ac)
1refuges & districts

Map of WPAs in Polk 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 Polk County

Largest WPAs (acres)
Clear Lake WPA
154 ac
Rose Lee WPA
149 ac
Kobernick WPA
135 ac
Spring Meadows WPA
133 ac
Beyl WPA
126 ac
Houghdahl-North WPA
92 ac
Plum Brush WPA
90 ac
Houghdahl - South WPA
59 ac
Suckut WPA
49 ac
Boe WPA
48 ac
Steffan WPA
46 ac
Parker Creek WPA
38 ac
How big are the tracts? (number of WPAs by acres)
<40: 33<4040–80: 4440–8080–160: 7780–160160–320320+
WPAAcresNearest townGPSGo
Clear Lake WPA 154 31 mi SW of Rice Lake 45.23287, -92.25498 Map · Directions
Rose Lee WPA 149 26 mi SW of Rice Lake 45.29206, -92.18007 Map · Directions
Kobernick WPA
141 deeded ac		 135 35 mi SW of Rice Lake 45.24173, -92.35139 Map · Directions
Spring Meadows WPA 133 36 mi NE of St. Paul 45.22258, -92.47148 Map · Directions
Beyl WPA 126 29 mi NE of St. Paul 45.22022, -92.64252 Map · Directions
Houghdahl-North WPA
98 deeded ac		 92 37 mi SW of Rice Lake 45.24024, -92.39959 Map · Directions
Plum Brush WPA 90 35 mi NE of St. Paul 45.21299, -92.47287 Map · Directions
Houghdahl - South WPA 59 38 mi SW of Rice Lake 45.23625, -92.41294 Map · Directions
Suckut WPA 49 37 mi NE of St. Paul 45.21773, -92.44485 Map · Directions
Boe WPA 48 37 mi SW of Rice Lake 45.21389, -92.37734 Map · Directions
Steffan WPA
51 deeded ac		 46 29 mi NE of St. Paul 45.24378, -92.66423 Map · Directions
Parker Creek WPA 38 38 mi SW of Rice Lake 45.25046, -92.42524 Map · Directions
Farmington WPA 30 29 mi NE of St. Paul 45.23327, -92.66472 Map · Directions
Meadowlark WPA 22 37 mi SW of Rice Lake 45.25118, -92.41016 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 Polk County: rules & tips

Typically allowed

  • Hunting waterfowl, upland birds, deer and other game in season under Wisconsin 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 Polk 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.

  • Rice Lake, WI34 mi — county center is W of town
  • St. Paul, MN50 mi — county center is NE of town
  • Minneapolis, MN55 mi — county center is NE of town
  • Eau Claire, WI66 mi — county center is NW of town

Shooting hours in Polk County

Today at Polk 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, 20265:59 AM6:29 AM7:50 PM13h 20m
Tue, Sep 15, 20266:16 AM6:46 AM7:23 PM12h 37m
Thu, Oct 1, 20266:36 AM7:06 AM6:52 PM11h 46m
Thu, Oct 15, 20266:54 AM7:24 AM6:26 PM11h 02m
Sun, Nov 1, 20266:17 AM6:47 AM4:58 PM10h 11m
Sun, Nov 15, 20266:37 AM7:07 AM4:41 PM9h 33m
Tue, Dec 1, 20266:58 AM7:28 AM4:29 PM9h 00m
Tue, Dec 15, 20267:12 AM7:42 AM4:26 PM8h 44m
Fri, Jan 1, 20277:19 AM7:49 AM4:35 PM8h 46m
Fri, Jan 15, 20277:16 AM7:46 AM4:50 PM9h 04m
Mon, Feb 1, 20277:01 AM7:31 AM5:14 PM9h 42m

Computed for 45.509, -92.433 (CDT / DST-aware). Check state rules — big game hours vary.

7-day forecast for Polk 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 Polk County

St. Croix WMD

St. Croix County, WI

1 open1 special
🦌🦆🦃🐦🕊️🐇🐗🎣

8.9K huntable acres

Neighboring counties with WPAs

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