Big Stone County, Minnesota: public hunting land
Big Stone County has 27,988 acres of public land open to the public, 8.3% of the county, the largest share national wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas (13,912 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 21 wildlife management areas here covering 12,865 acres, the largest Lac qui Parle WMA (7,391 acres in the county). Deer here are counted by deer permit area: DPA 274 (495 deer in 2025), DPA 275 (997 deer in 2025), DPA 671 (446 deer in 2025) and DPA 278 (639 deer in 2025).
Data updated October 2026. Land: PAD-US 4.1. Wildlife Management Areas and Walk-In Access: the DNR's map layers, read 2026-10. Harvest: DNR Deer Harvest Reports, 2021 to 2025.
State wildlife management areasState forest and other DNR landNational wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areasState parksWalk-In AccessBig Stone CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 337,927 acres (528 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 8.3% (27,988 acres) |
| WMAs | 21 (12,865 acres) |
| Walk-In Access | None mapped this year |
| Deer permit areas | DPA 274, DPA 275, DPA 671, DPA 278 |
| Towns | Ortonville, Odessa, Clinton, Graceville, Browns Valley and Louisburg |
How much public hunting land is in Big Stone County?
27,988 of the county's 337,927 acres are public land open to the public (8.3%). 26,967 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Big Stone County |
|---|---|---|
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 13,912 | 4.1% |
| State wildlife management areas | 12,895 | 3.8% |
| State parks | 1,021 | 0.3% |
| State forest and other DNR land | 160 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 27,988 | 8.3% |
Measured by FilledTag inside the county line from USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). State wildlife management areas, state forest land and national forests are open to hunting in season; refuges and waterfowl production areas follow U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rules; state parks allow hunting only in special hunts; national park land is closed to hunting; city and county parks set their own rules. PAD-US 4.1 leaves out most of the tax-forfeited land Minnesota counties manage, much of it open to hunting, so the public land here may be more than shown; the county land department has the maps.
The largest public areas in Big Stone County by PAD-US, besides the WMAs: Big Stone County Waterfowl Production Area (12,801 acres) and Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge (1,117 acres).
Which wildlife management areas are in Big Stone County?
21, largest first.
| WMA | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Lac qui Parle WMA | 7,391 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Thielke Lake WMA | 1,256 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Victory WMA | 811 | deer, pheasants and ducks and geese |
| Otrey WMA | 455 | deer, pheasants and ducks and geese |
| Hornstein WMA | 429 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and mourning doves |
| Big Stone WMA | 390 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and mourning doves |
| Klages WMA | 242 | deer, pheasants and ducks and geese |
| Taffe WMA | 237 | deer, pheasants and ducks and geese |
| Reisdorph WMA | 214 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Wesley E. Olson WMA | 198 | deer, pheasants and ducks and geese |
| Skoog WMA | 189 | ducks and geese |
| Prairie WMA | 186 | deer, pheasants and ducks and geese |
| David H. Steen WMA | 184 | deer, pheasants and ducks and geese |
| Mallard Hole WMA | 156 | deer, pheasants and ducks and geese |
| Dismal Swamp WMA | 142 | deer, pheasants and ducks and geese |
| Thomson WMA | 119 | deer, pheasants and ducks and geese |
| Lindquist WMA | 72 | deer, pheasants and ducks and geese |
| Malta WMA | 64 | ducks and geese |
| Allen WMA | 46 | deer, pheasants and ducks and geese |
| West Toqua WMA | 44 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Freed WMA | 40 |
How many deer are taken in Big Stone County?
The DNR counts deer by permit area, not by county. Big Stone County lies in 4 permit areas; the largest share is in DPA 274 (71.9% of the county). Each figure below is for the whole permit area.
| DPA | Share of the county | Deer harvested in the whole DPA | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 274 | 71.9% | 495 | 2025 |
| DPA 275 | 15.1% | 997 | 2025 |
| DPA 671 | 7.7% | 446 | 2025 |
| DPA 278 | 5.3% | 639 | 2025 |
Harvest: Minnesota DNR Deer Harvest Reports (2021 to 2025, 2025 report). Share of the county measured by FilledTag from the DNR's deer permit areas and the Census county line.
How do you get around Big Stone County?
Highways: MN 7 (about 50 miles in the county), US 75 (about 29 miles in the county), MN 28 (about 29 miles in the county) and US 12 (about 17 miles in the county). Towns: Ortonville, Odessa, Clinton, Graceville, Beardsley, Correll, Johnson and Barry.
Questions hunters ask
What is the largest public land in Big Stone County besides the WMAs?
By PAD-US 4.1: Big Stone County Waterfowl Production Area (12,801 acres in the county) and Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge (1,117 acres in the county). The largest kind of public land here is national wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas, 13,912 acres.
What is the largest WMA in Big Stone County?
Lac qui Parle WMA, with 7,391 acres inside the county. The county has 21 WMAs in all.
Does Big Stone County have Walk-In Access land?
Not on the DNR's 2026 Walk-In Access map. The program is mostly in western and southern Minnesota.
Which deer permit area is Big Stone County in?
DPA 274 (71.9%), DPA 275 (15.1%), DPA 671 (7.7%) and DPA 278 (5.3%). Bag limits and firearms dates follow the permit area.
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Where these numbers come from
- Public land: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). Wildlife Management Areas: Minnesota DNR Wildlife Management Area boundaries, publicly accessible. Walk-In Access: Minnesota DNR Walk-In Access sites.
- Deer harvest: Minnesota DNR Deer Harvest Reports (2021 to 2025, 2025 report).
- County line: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 cartographic county boundaries. Highways and towns: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 primary and secondary roads.
FilledTag is not part of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Numbers are copied from the DNR and the federal sources above, or measured from their maps.
Minnesota hunting DPA 274 DPA 275 DPA 278 Swift County Stevens County Traverse County Lac qui Parle County