Waterfowl Production Area · Towner County, North Dakota

Melvin Waterfowl Production Area

Public land (fee title)Walk-in access

Melvin Waterfowl Production Area is a 34-acre tract of federally owned wetland and grassland habitat in Towner County, North Dakota. It is managed by the Devils Lake Wetland Management District as part of the Towner 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 Devils Lake WMD rules →
34GIS acres
34deeded acres
Towner Countycounty
8WPAs within 40 mi

Melvin 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 Towner County:KMLGPX

Hunting on Melvin 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 Melvin WPA

Navigate

Destination: Melvin Waterfowl Production Area

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Decimal
48.46970, -99.30738
DMS
48°28′10.9″N 99°18′26.6″W

Nearest towns

  • Devils Lake, ND32 mi NW of town
  • Rugby, ND32 mi E of town
  • Bottineau, ND58 mi SE of town

Closest airports

  • MOT Minot Intl92 mi

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

Shooting hours at Melvin WPA

Today at Melvin 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, 20266:23 AM6:53 AM8:21 PM13h 29m
Tue, Sep 15, 20266:42 AM7:12 AM7:52 PM12h 40m
Thu, Oct 1, 20267:04 AM7:34 AM7:18 PM11h 44m
Thu, Oct 15, 20267:25 AM7:55 AM6:50 PM10h 55m
Sun, Nov 1, 20266:51 AM7:21 AM5:19 PM9h 58m
Sun, Nov 15, 20267:14 AM7:44 AM5:00 PM9h 16m
Tue, Dec 1, 20267:37 AM8:07 AM4:45 PM8h 39m
Tue, Dec 15, 20267:51 AM8:21 AM4:42 PM8h 21m
Fri, Jan 1, 20277:58 AM8:28 AM4:51 PM8h 23m
Fri, Jan 15, 20277:54 AM8:24 AM5:07 PM8h 43m
Mon, Feb 1, 20277:37 AM8:07 AM5:33 PM9h 26m

Computed for 48.470, -99.307 (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
Johnson WPA2312.5 mi NETowner County
Kahl WPA1533.4 mi NETowner County
Krack WPA326.2 mi SETowner County
Big Coulee WPA4376.5 mi NETowner County
Freund WPA1517.2 mi NETowner County
Nikolaisen WPA2,6579.3 mi NETowner County
Hurricane Lake WPA5559.8 mi WPierce County
Fox WPA8110 mi SBenson County

Closest refuges & districts

Lake Alice NWR

Ramsey County, ND · 13 mi SE

2 special
🦌🦆🦃🐦🕊️🐇🎣

12.1K huntable acres

Devils Lake WMD

Ramsey County, ND · 32 mi SE

1 open1 closed
🦌🦆🦃🐦🕊️🐇🎣

52.7K huntable acres

White Horse Hill National Game Preserve

Benson County, ND · 37 mi SE

1 closed
No hunting listed

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