Waterfowl Production Area · Ransom County, North Dakota

Magill Waterfowl Production Area

Public land (fee title)Walk-in access

Covering about 325 acres, Magill Waterfowl Production Area protects prairie wetlands and uplands in Ransom County, North Dakota. It is managed by the Tewaukon Wetland Management District as part of the Ransom 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.

325GIS acres
325deeded acres
Ransom Countycounty
8WPAs within 40 mi

Magill 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 Ransom County:KMLGPX

Hunting on Magill 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 Magill WPA

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Destination: Magill Waterfowl Production Area

Decimal
46.29605, -98.00863
DMS
46°17′45.8″N 98°00′31.1″W

Nearest towns

  • Valley City, ND43 mi S of town
  • Jamestown, ND54 mi SE of town
  • Aberdeen, SD62 mi N of town

Closest airports

  • ABR Aberdeen Regional62 mi

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

Shooting hours at Magill WPA

Today at Magill 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, 20266:21 AM6:51 AM8:13 PM13h 22m
Tue, Sep 15, 20266:38 AM7:08 AM7:46 PM12h 38m
Thu, Oct 1, 20266:58 AM7:28 AM7:14 PM11h 46m
Thu, Oct 15, 20267:17 AM7:47 AM6:47 PM11h 00m
Sun, Nov 1, 20266:41 AM7:11 AM5:19 PM10h 08m
Sun, Nov 15, 20267:02 AM7:32 AM5:01 PM9h 29m
Tue, Dec 1, 20267:24 AM7:54 AM4:48 PM8h 55m
Tue, Dec 15, 20267:37 AM8:07 AM4:46 PM8h 38m
Fri, Jan 1, 20277:44 AM8:14 AM4:54 PM8h 40m
Fri, Jan 15, 20277:41 AM8:11 AM5:10 PM8h 59m
Mon, Feb 1, 20277:26 AM7:56 AM5:34 PM9h 38m

Computed for 46.296, -98.009 (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
Palensky WPA6083.3 mi SESargent County
Raatz WPA204.3 mi WLaMoure County
Smith WPA6554.6 mi NRansom County
Knutson WPA2145.5 mi WLaMoure County
Schmidt WPA2215.5 mi WLaMoure County
Nelson WPA825.6 mi NWLaMoure County
Domine WPA326.1 mi WLaMoure County
Lone Goose WPA326.2 mi ERansom County

Closest refuges & districts

Tewaukon NWR

Sargent County, ND · 36 mi SE

3 special1 closed
🦌🦃🐦🐇🎣

6.9K huntable acres

Tewaukon WMD

Sargent County, ND · 37 mi SE

1 open
🦌🦆🦃🐦🕊️🐇🎣

16K huntable acres

Sand Lake NWR

Brown County, SD · 37 mi S

2 special1 closed
🦌🐦🎣

19.5K huntable acres

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