Waterfowl Production Area · Steele County, North Dakota

Thorson Waterfowl Production Area

Public land (fee title)Walk-in access

Thorson Waterfowl Production Area is a public parcel of roughly 32 acres located in Steele County, North Dakota. It is managed by the Valley City Wetland Management District as part of the Steele 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 Valley City WMD rules →
32GIS acres
32deeded acres
Steele Countycounty
8WPAs within 40 mi

Thorson 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 Steele County:KMLGPX

Hunting on Thorson 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 Thorson WPA

Navigate

Destination: Thorson Waterfowl Production Area

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Decimal
47.32052, -97.55765
DMS
47°19′13.9″N 97°33′27.5″W

Nearest towns

  • Valley City, ND35 mi NE of town
  • Fargo, ND47 mi NW of town
  • Moorhead, MN48 mi NW of town

Closest airports

  • FAR Fargo Hector Intl44 mi

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

Shooting hours at Thorson WPA

Today at Thorson 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, 20266:17 AM6:47 AM8:13 PM13h 25m
Tue, Sep 15, 20266:36 AM7:06 AM7:45 PM12h 39m
Thu, Oct 1, 20266:57 AM7:27 AM7:12 PM11h 45m
Thu, Oct 15, 20267:16 AM7:46 AM6:44 PM10h 58m
Sun, Nov 1, 20266:42 AM7:12 AM5:15 PM10h 03m
Sun, Nov 15, 20267:03 AM7:33 AM4:56 PM9h 23m
Tue, Dec 1, 20267:25 AM7:55 AM4:43 PM8h 47m
Tue, Dec 15, 20267:40 AM8:10 AM4:40 PM8h 30m
Fri, Jan 1, 20277:47 AM8:17 AM4:49 PM8h 32m
Fri, Jan 15, 20277:42 AM8:12 AM5:04 PM8h 52m
Mon, Feb 1, 20277:27 AM7:57 AM5:29 PM9h 33m

Computed for 47.321, -97.558 (CDT / DST-aware). Check state rules — big game hours vary.

7-day forecast

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

Nearby Waterfowl Production Areas

WPAAcresDistanceCounty
Fuller's Lake WPA1,1291.2 mi WSteele County
Salander WPA3024.4 mi WSteele County
Rogers WPA3404.5 mi WSteele County
Erickson WPA1925.8 mi ETraill County
Thompson WPA2756.1 mi NETraill County
Elken WPA1696.2 mi NETraill County
Groven WPA807.8 mi SETraill County
Fugelstad WPA32216 mi WBarnes County

Closest refuges & districts

Valley City WMD

Barnes County, ND · 33 mi SW

1 open
🦌🦆🦃🐦🕊️🐇🎣

19.7K huntable acres

Valley City NFH

Barnes County, ND · 33 mi SW

1 closed
🎣

Kellys Slough NWR

Grand Forks County, ND · 47 mi N

1 closed
No hunting listed

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