Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge

To ensure your safety and protect wildlife and habitat, please be aware of these regulations.

General Hunting Restrictions

Access to the refuge is open from 5:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. 

We prohibit:

• Target shooting.
• Training pets and allowing pets off leash.
• All types of motorized vehicles on all refuge land (to include on frozen bodies of water) except on designated parking areas, access roads and public roads.
• Watercraft use except in designated areas. See the hunting and fishing brochures.
• Camping, open fires and overnight parking.
• Abandoning, discarding or otherwise leaving any personal property. All property brought onto a refuge must be removed at the end of each day. This includes all common items like vehicles, boats, decoys, trail cameras, blinds, geo-caching items, photography equipment, portable stands, climbing sticks, ice fishing shelters and trash.
• Destructing, defacing, disturbing or unauthorized removal of any natural object, artifact, cultural resource or government property.
• Introducing, liberating, or placing plants or animals or their parts taken elsewhere on refuge lands or waters.
• Disposing of animal carcasses, trash, refuse, rocks, wood or other debris.
• Cutting, mowing, sawing, digging, collecting, injuring or removing vegetation.
• Launching, landing or disturbing of wildlife by aircraft (drones) on the refuge. This includes for recreational or commercial purposes.
• Commercial enterprise without a special use permit.
• Use or possession of any illegal drug or drug paraphernalia is prohibited.

Hunting 

Hunting is an approved use on the refuge that may have additional requirements than state regulations based on location, timing, species, methods of take, etc… See refuge specific regulations below.

• Small game hunting is an approved use on the refuge. Hunters using shotguns, including turkey hunters, are required to use and possess only non-toxic shot.
• During the small game and migratory bird seasons, hunting dogs must be under the immediate control of the hunter.
• Hunters must wear an article of blaze orange/pink consistent with state regulations.
• We prohibit constructing or occupying permanent stands or blinds. We also prohibit the use of nails, wire, screws or bolts to attach a stand to a tree or hunting from a tree, into which a metal object has been driven to support a hunter. Portable hunting stands must be set up and removed each day.
• We prohibit the use or possession of alcoholic beverages while hunting.
• We prohibit distribution of feed or bait, or hunting over bait. This includes salts and minerals.

• Fishing is an approved use on the refuge that may have additional requirements than state regulations based on location, timing, species, methods of take, etc... See refuge specific regulations below.
• We prohibit watercraft use except in designated areas. See hunting and fishing brochures.
• We prohibit all types of motorized vehicles on frozen water bodies.
• We prohibit the taking of any turtle, frog, leech, minnow, crayfish, or mussel (clam) species by any method on the refuge. 

• Trapping is an approved use by tribal members only on the refuge. It is by special use permit only and may have additional requirements than state regulations. See refuge specific regulations below.
• Contact the refuge office for application information at 218-847-2641.

You may not use a spotlight, headlight or other artificial light to spot, locate or take any wild animal in a refuge.

The above information is a partial list of rules and regulations. Consult the Tamarac Refuge General Brochure for more details.
Special-use permits may be issued for compatible secondary uses upon approval of the refuge manager. Contact the refuge office for application information at 218-847-2641.