Cottonwood County, Minnesota: public hunting land
Cottonwood County has 14,092 acres of public land open to the public, 3.4% of the county, the largest share state wildlife management areas (10,027 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 21 wildlife management areas here covering 9,958 acres, the largest Talcot Lake WMA (4,722 acres in the county). The DNR's Walk-In Access program adds 3 sites of private land open to hunters, 106 acres in all. Deer here are counted by deer permit area: DPA 295 (904 deer in 2025), DPA 296 (607 deer in 2025), DPA 250 (505 deer in 2025) and DPA 238 (114 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 landWalk-In AccessCottonwood CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 415,012 acres (648 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 3.4% (14,092 acres) |
| WMAs | 21 (9,958 acres) |
| Walk-In Access | 3 sites, 106 acres |
| Deer permit areas | DPA 295, DPA 296, DPA 250, DPA 238, DPA 252 |
| Towns | Windom, Mountain Lake, Bingham Lake, Westbrook, Comfrey and Dundee |
How much public hunting land is in Cottonwood County?
14,092 of the county's 415,012 acres are public land open to the public (3.4%). 13,982 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Cottonwood County |
|---|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 10,027 | 2.4% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 3,756 | 0.9% |
| State forest and other DNR land | 199 | under 0.1% |
| County, city and regional land | 110 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 14,092 | 3.4% |
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 Cottonwood County by PAD-US, besides the WMAs: Cottonwood County Waterfowl Production Area (3,757 acres).
Which wildlife management areas are in Cottonwood County?
21, largest first.
| WMA | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Talcot Lake WMA | 4,722 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Expandere WMA | 1,178 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| String Lakes WMA | 588 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese and mourning doves |
| Little Swan WMA | 412 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Hurricane Lake WMA | 360 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Delft WMA | 352 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Bennett WMA | 344 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Pats Pasture WMA | 318 | deer, pheasants and small game |
| Banks WMA | 312 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Budolfson WMA | 284 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Farhagen WMA | 183 | deer, pheasants, mourning doves and small game |
| Grunflur WMA | 163 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Rock Ridge WMA | 158 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Arnolds Lake WMA | 123 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Typhoon WMA | 83 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Highwater Creek WMA | 80 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Mountain Lake WMA | 70 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Regehr WMA | 65 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Carpenter WMA | 61 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Wolf Lake WMA | 55 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Voit WMA | 47 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
Where is the Walk-In Access in Cottonwood County?
The DNR's 2026 Walk-In Access layer shows 3 sites in Cottonwood County, 106 acres of private land open to hunters with a Walk-In Access validation from September 1 to May 31. The largest is Cottonwood WIA #249 (60 acres). DNR Walk-In Access.
| Site | Acres | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Cottonwood WIA #249 | 60 | 44.1634, -95.2082 |
| Cottonwood WIA #1027 | 26 | 44.132, -95.2321 |
| Cottonwood WIA #1020 | 20 | 43.867, -95.1988 |
Locations are the middle of each site, from the DNR's 2026 layer. Landowners may leave the program during the year; the DNR's Walk-In Access page and its site status page have the current list.
How many deer are taken in Cottonwood County?
The DNR counts deer by permit area, not by county. Cottonwood County lies in 5 permit areas; the largest share is in DPA 295 (54% 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 295 | 54% | 904 | 2025 |
| DPA 296 | 27.1% | 607 | 2025 |
| DPA 250 | 8.3% | 505 | 2025 |
| DPA 238 | 7.6% | 114 | 2025 |
| DPA 252 | 3% | 601 | 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 Cottonwood County?
Highways: MN 30 (about 30 miles in the county), US 71 (about 25 miles in the county), MN 60 (about 22 miles in the county) and MN 62 (about 17 miles in the county). Towns: Windom, Mountain Lake, Bingham Lake, Westbrook, Jeffers and Storden.
Questions hunters ask
What is the largest public land in Cottonwood County besides the WMAs?
By PAD-US 4.1: Cottonwood County Waterfowl Production Area (3,757 acres in the county). The largest kind of public land here is state wildlife management areas, 10,027 acres.
What is the largest WMA in Cottonwood County?
Talcot Lake WMA, with 4,722 acres inside the county. The county has 21 WMAs in all.
Does Cottonwood County have Walk-In Access land?
Yes. The DNR's 2026 layer shows 3 sites and 106 acres in Cottonwood County.
Which deer permit area is Cottonwood County in?
DPA 295 (54%), DPA 296 (27.1%), DPA 250 (8.3%), DPA 238 (7.6%) and DPA 252 (3%). 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 295 DPA 296 DPA 250 DPA 238 DPA 252 Brown County Murray County Nobles County Jackson County Redwood County Watonwan County Walk-In Access