Waterfowl Production Area · Bottineau County, North Dakota

Thompson Lake Waterfowl Production Area

Public land (fee title)Walk-in access

Thompson Lake Waterfowl Production Area is a 40-acre tract of federally owned wetland and grassland habitat in Bottineau County, North Dakota. It is managed by the J. Clark Salyer Wetland Management District as part of the Bottineau County Waterfowl Production Area group of WPAs. Waterfowl Production Areas are purchased largely with Federal Duck Stamp dollars and are generally open to hunting, trapping and fishing under state regulations, with some federal restrictions.

Navigate here Satellite map J. Clark Salyer WMD rules →
40GIS acres
40deeded acres
Bottineau Countycounty
8WPAs within 40 mi

Thompson Lake WPA satellite map

Gold outlines are fee-title Waterfowl Production Areas — public land. Everything outside is typically private; always look for boundary signs.

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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
All WPAs in Bottineau County:KMLGPX

Hunting on Thompson Lake WPA

What you can typically do

  • Hunt waterfowl, upland birds, deer and other game in season under North Dakota regulations
  • Walk in from roads or designated parking areas — vehicles generally stay off the tract
  • Fish and trap where state rules and district regulations allow
  • Wildlife watching, photography and hiking

Common restrictions

  • No camping, fires or overnight use on most WPAs
  • Motorized vehicles only on designated roads/parking
  • Temporary blinds and stands usually must be removed daily
  • Non-toxic shot required for waterfowl — many districts require it for all shotgun hunting
  • Some tracts have closed areas or special regulations — check signs

How to get to Thompson Lake WPA

Navigate

Destination: Thompson Lake Waterfowl Production Area

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Decimal
48.90902, -100.32362
DMS
48°54′32.5″N 100°19′25.0″W

Nearest towns

  • Bottineau, ND7.9 mi NE of town
  • Rugby, ND40 mi N of town
  • Minot, ND65 mi NE of town

Closest airports

  • MOT Minot Intl63 mi

Straight-line distances. Driving routes are longer; many refuge roads are gravel and may close seasonally.

Shooting hours at Thompson Lake WPA

Today at Thompson Lake WPA

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, 20266:26 AM6:56 AM8:26 PM13h 30m
Tue, Sep 15, 20266:46 AM7:16 AM7:57 PM12h 41m
Thu, Oct 1, 20267:08 AM7:38 AM7:22 PM11h 44m
Thu, Oct 15, 20267:29 AM7:59 AM6:53 PM10h 54m
Sun, Nov 1, 20266:56 AM7:26 AM5:22 PM9h 56m
Sun, Nov 15, 20267:19 AM7:49 AM5:02 PM9h 13m
Tue, Dec 1, 20267:43 AM8:13 AM4:48 PM8h 35m
Tue, Dec 15, 20267:57 AM8:27 AM4:44 PM8h 17m
Fri, Jan 1, 20278:04 AM8:34 AM4:53 PM8h 19m
Fri, Jan 15, 20277:59 AM8:29 AM5:09 PM8h 40m
Mon, Feb 1, 20277:42 AM8:12 AM5:36 PM9h 24m

Computed for 48.909, -100.324 (CDT / DST-aware). Check state rules — big game hours vary.

7-day forecast

Loading National Weather Service forecast…

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

Nearby Waterfowl Production Areas

WPAAcresDistanceCounty
Turtle Mountains WPA7.62.8 mi SEBottineau County
Lundy WPA804.9 mi WBottineau County
Johnson WPA455.3 mi WBottineau County
Haugo WPA405.6 mi NWBottineau County
Willow Lake WPA2448.8 mi ERolette County
Kippen-Cote WPA2911 mi SBottineau County
Kelvin WPA3.012 mi ERolette County
Boreson WPA20113 mi WBottineau County

Closest refuges & districts

J. Clark Salyer NWR

McHenry County, ND · 27 mi SW

3 special1 closed
🦌🦆🦃🐦🐇🎣

58.9K huntable acres

J. Clark Salyer WMD

McHenry County, ND · 27 mi SW

1 open
🦌🦆🦃🐦🕊️🐇🎣

34K huntable acres

Upper Souris NWR

Renville County, ND · 63 mi SW

3 special1 closed
🦌🦃🐦🐇🎣

32K huntable acres

Source: USFWS Realty Tracts (fee-title interest), Bottineau County Waterfowl Production Area. Acreage from GIS polygons; deeded acreage from realty records.