Anoka County 601
Minnesota
I’m looking for input on bow hunting in area 601. One area of interest is Anoka County Rum River Park. Can we bow hunt in there?
I’m 99% sure that is a special park hunt you need to apply for. Anoka co 601 doesn’t have much for wildlife management areas but if you get just outside of the 601 there is plenty of places to hunt in 227 and there is a 3 deer limit there. Good luck! Joe
Thanks Joe, maybe I’ll start focusing up there. I do see them in OnX so should be helpful. I’ve read that there are a lot more deer out that way. I suspect the hunter pressure is proportional...
Also need to check local firearms, weapon discharge rules, not every WMA or SNA, public forest is huntable...
You might be surprised during the week how few hunters are at the wma parking areas. I drive by a handful of them to and from work everyday and rarely see trucks parked at them. I know first hand that they hold deer, between the ones I have hit in my car and the ones that I have narrowly avoided. Good luck!
If you want to get into some much better hunting, I'd recommend driving a little further north to the Princeton area. The Dablo WMA NE of Princeton has a lot of room to spread out and a lot of deer - especially if you get back in there a little ways. There are some smaller WMAs in that area too that can also be really good at times. Getting mobile helps a lot. A cart to carry your deer out is must. Good luck.
I haven’t been to dalbo wma but I’ve eard good things about it
Dalbo is awesome if you get away from the main entry points/lots! Same with Rum River.
Besides Elk River, are there any other areas around metro that are “bow only”?
I don’t know if any in the north metro but hopefully someone else can chime in to help. I know my buddies use to hunt down by valley fair I think it is a waterfowl area but is open to bow hunting only for deer if my memory is correct. Good luck!
The Minnesota river valley has several public places to hunt that are open to the public. The one just to the east of Valley Fair is part of the MN Valley National Wildlife Refuge and is called the Wilke unit. There are good numbers of deer and wild turkeys there, but it does get a good deal of hunting pressure at times. The best place to park is to just to the west of the main parking lot just NW near the 169 and 101 interchange. From there you can walk to get to the north side of the lakes. Think edges here. The deer like the edges of the marshes, edges of the woods, tall grass, etc. I believe that one has to be at least 100 ft off trails to hunt too.
The Louisville Swamp, which is just south of Shakopee is much larger and also has good numbers of deer. The hunting pressure is less there, but one needs to walk at least a mile to get into areas with deer and 2-3 miles is best. (Hint: Head west towards the main river and get off the trails at least 50 yards.) Some hunters use wide tire mountain bikes to haul in their gear and get in and out easier. The best place I have found to walk in is at the mid-point on the west side of the refuge. Its a small place where you park on a gravel road and then walk through a farm yard and over the railroad tracks to get to the refuge entry gate. (Be respectful walking through the farm yard. Stay on the road and keep your voices down.)
There are also many WMAs listed on https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/wmas/index.html and https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/maps/compass/index.html. Most of the WMAs offer good hunting. You just have to check them out to see which one(s) suit your location preference and style of hunting. One thing about hunting WMAs, the farther you get away from the parking areas, the better. Most people prefer to hunt within a half mile of their vehicle. Getting in a little further can usually increase your odds.
Good luck.
If you haven't already check out Martans landing! Iv saw a lot of sign out there!
