Waterfowl Production Area · Steele County, North Dakota

Thykeson Waterfowl Production Area

Public land (fee title)Walk-in access

Thykeson Waterfowl Production Area is a 80-acre tract of federally owned wetland and grassland habitat 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 →
80GIS acres
80deeded acres
Steele Countycounty
8WPAs within 40 mi

Thykeson 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 Thykeson 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 Thykeson WPA

Navigate

Destination: Thykeson Waterfowl Production Area

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Decimal
47.55316, -97.65158
DMS
47°33′11.4″N 97°39′05.7″W

Nearest towns

  • Grand Forks, ND39 mi SW of town
  • Valley City, ND47 mi N of town
  • Fargo, ND62 mi NW of town

Closest airports

  • GFK Grand Forks Intl35 mi

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

Shooting hours at Thykeson WPA

Today at Thykeson 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 26m
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, 20267:17 AM7:47 AM6:44 PM10h 57m
Sun, Nov 1, 20266:43 AM7:13 AM5:15 PM10h 02m
Sun, Nov 15, 20267:04 AM7:34 AM4:56 PM9h 21m
Tue, Dec 1, 20267:27 AM7:57 AM4:42 PM8h 45m
Tue, Dec 15, 20267:41 AM8:11 AM4:39 PM8h 28m
Fri, Jan 1, 20277:48 AM8:18 AM4:48 PM8h 30m
Fri, Jan 15, 20277:44 AM8:14 AM5:04 PM8h 50m
Mon, Feb 1, 20277:28 AM7:58 AM5:29 PM9h 31m

Computed for 47.553, -97.652 (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
Erickson WPA1610.6 mi NWSteele County
Wigen WPA801.0 mi ESteele County
Shaw WPA6393.3 mi NSteele County
Fritz WPA8010 mi WSteele County
Thompson WPA27514 mi SETraill County
Salander WPA30215 mi SSteele County
Elken WPA16916 mi SETraill County
Fuller's Lake WPA1,12917 mi SSteele County

Closest refuges & districts

Kellys Slough NWR

Grand Forks County, ND · 34 mi NE

1 closed
No hunting listed

Valley City NFH

Barnes County, ND · 44 mi SW

1 closed
🎣

Valley City WMD

Barnes County, ND · 45 mi SW

1 open
🦌🦆🦃🐦🕊️🐇🎣

19.7K huntable acres

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