Carver County, Minnesota: public hunting land
Carver County has 10,981 acres of public land open to the public, 4.6% of the county, the largest share state forest and other DNR land (4,424 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 6 wildlife management areas here covering 1,032 acres, the largest Tiger Marsh WMA (321 acres in the county). Deer here are counted by deer permit area: DPA 338 (704 deer in 2025), DPA 685, DPA 601 (2,588 deer in 2025) and DPA 284 (714 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 areasCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landCarver CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 240,608 acres (376 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 4.6% (10,981 acres) |
| WMAs | 6 (1,032 acres) |
| Walk-In Access | None mapped this year |
| Deer permit areas | DPA 338, DPA 685, DPA 601, DPA 284 |
| Towns | Chanhassen, Chaska, Victoria, Waconia, Shorewood and Excelsior |
How much public hunting land is in Carver County?
10,981 of the county's 240,608 acres are public land open to the public (4.6%). 8,443 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Carver County |
|---|---|---|
| State forest and other DNR land | 4,424 | 1.8% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 2,969 | 1.2% |
| County, city and regional land | 2,538 | 1.1% |
| State wildlife management areas | 1,050 | 0.4% |
| All public land open to the public | 10,981 | 4.6% |
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 Carver County by PAD-US, besides the WMAs: Carver Highlands Wildlife Management Area (4,379 acres), Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge (2,712 acres), Carver County Waterfowl Production Area (439 acres), Minnewashta Regional Park (313 acres), Open Space (257 acres), Lake Waconia Regional Park (127 acres) and Community Park (104 acres).
Which wildlife management areas are in Carver County?
6, largest first.
| WMA | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Tiger Marsh WMA | 321 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Schneewind WMA | 248 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and mourning doves |
| Raguet WMA | 219 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Carver Highlands WMA | 116 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, mourning doves and small game |
| Assumption WMA | 67 | pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Patterson Lake WMA | 61 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
How many deer are taken in Carver County?
The DNR counts deer by permit area, not by county. Carver County lies in 4 permit areas; the largest share is in DPA 338 (52.3% 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 338 | 52.3% | 704 | 2025 |
| DPA 685 | 24.5% | ||
| DPA 601 | 21.8% | 2,588 | 2025 |
| DPA 284 | 1.4% | 714 | 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 Carver County?
Highways: US 212 (about 45 miles in the county), MN 5 (about 35 miles in the county), MN 25 (about 26 miles in the county), MN 7 (about 16 miles in the county) and MN 41 (about 8 miles in the county). Towns: Chanhassen, Chaska, Victoria, Waconia, Carver, Watertown, Norwood Young America and Cologne.
Questions hunters ask
What is the largest public land in Carver County besides the WMAs?
By PAD-US 4.1: Carver Highlands Wildlife Management Area (4,379 acres in the county), Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge (2,712 acres in the county) and Carver County Waterfowl Production Area (439 acres in the county). The largest kind of public land here is state forest and other DNR land, 4,424 acres.
What is the largest WMA in Carver County?
Tiger Marsh WMA, with 321 acres inside the county. The county has 6 WMAs in all.
Does Carver 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 Carver County in?
DPA 338 (52.3%), DPA 685 (24.5%), DPA 601 (21.8%) and DPA 284 (1.4%). Bag limits and firearms dates follow the permit area.
Get a Minnesota hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Minnesota are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Minnesota included.
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 338 DPA 284 Scott County McLeod County Sibley County Wright County Hennepin County