Managed by the Minnesota Division of Wildlife, the Wildlife Management Area system is one of the best and largest in the country. There are 1,355 wildlife management areas in 86 of Minnesota's 87 counties. Habitats protected by the system include wetlands, prairie, woodlands, brushlands, and other lands vital to wildlife. They are also important contributors to Minnesota's economy -- hunting and wildlife watching are a $1 billion industry in the state.

Many of these wildlife management areas have been acquired using funding from the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration program through the Minnesota's Statewide Wildlife Land Acquisition Grant. More than a million dollars of Federal Aid funds are approved through this grant to acquire an estimated 486 acres of land for the system over the 2-year grant agreement period. The state also uses Federal Aid funds through other grants to develop and manage many WMAs to provide recreational opportunities for hunters and other recreationists.

WMAs provide public hunting opportunities for hundreds of thousands of individuals and are often the only lands available to hunters. Although hunting and trapping are major uses, these areas also support other recreation, such as hiking, wildlife viewing, photography and cross-country skiing.