Lying along the eastern edge of the tallgrass prairie in west-central Wisconsin, St. Croix Wetland Management District includes 42 waterfowl production areas (WPAs) open to public hunting, totaling 7,980 acres. Oak Ridge WPA (420 acres) is closed for most fall hunting, but open for deer hunting. The wetland management district wetland management district
A wetland management district is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office that manages waterfowl production areas in one or more counties. Waterfowl production areas are small natural wetlands and grasslands that provide breeding, resting and nesting habitat for waterfowl, shorebirds, grassland birds and other wildlife. The Fish and Wildlife Service acquires waterfowl production areas under the authority of the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Act, primarily using funds from the sale of Federal Duck Stamps. The Refuge System’s 38 wetland management districts comprise thousands of waterfowl production areas – almost all in the Prairie Pothole Region of the Northern Great Plains.
Learn more about wetland management district spans eight Wisconsin counties, but is centered in St. Croix County adjacent to the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area of Minnesota. The pothole and prairie habitats contain good numbers of waterfowl, pheasant, turkey and deer – and the WPAs can be popular hunting spots. The WPAs provide an excellent public hunting opportunity to local sportsmen and women, but the growing human population does present some management challenges for district staff. Hunters willing to research the area can still find quality hunting opportunities.