Faribault County, Minnesota: public hunting land
Faribault County has 5,893 acres of public land open to the public, 1.3% of the county, the largest share state wildlife management areas (4,756 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 11 wildlife management areas here covering 4,326 acres, the largest Walnut Lake WMA (2,913 acres in the county). Deer here are counted by deer permit area: DPA 253 (854 deer in 2025) and DPA 254 (1,373 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 areasNational wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areasCounty, city and regional landFaribault CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 462,052 acres (722 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 1.3% (5,893 acres) |
| WMAs | 11 (4,326 acres) |
| Walk-In Access | None mapped this year |
| Deer permit areas | DPA 253, DPA 254 |
| Towns | Blue Earth, Winnebago, Wells, Minnesota Lake, Amboy and Alden |
How much public hunting land is in Faribault County?
5,893 of the county's 462,052 acres are public land open to the public (1.3%). 5,783 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Faribault County |
|---|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 4,756 | 1% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 1,022 | 0.2% |
| County, city and regional land | 110 | under 0.1% |
| State forest and other DNR land | 5 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 5,893 | 1.3% |
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 Faribault County by PAD-US, besides the WMAs: Faribault County Waterfowl Production Area (1,022 acres).
Which wildlife management areas are in Faribault County?
11, largest first.
| WMA | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Walnut Lake WMA | 2,913 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and mourning doves |
| Lake Guckeen WMA | 341 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Smith WMA | 337 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and mourning doves |
| Rice Lake WMA | 198 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Brush Creek WMA | 155 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Save the Wetlands WMA | 124 | deer, pheasants, mourning doves and small game |
| Dean Christensen Memorial WMA | 80 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Charlotte Hynes WMA | 72 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Lane WMA | 60 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Wells WMA | 27 | pheasants, mourning doves and small game |
| Stokman WMA | 19 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
How many deer are taken in Faribault County?
The DNR counts deer by permit area, not by county. Faribault County lies in 2 permit areas; the largest share is in DPA 253 (88.1% of the county). Each figure below is for the whole permit area.
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 Faribault County?
Highways: I-90 (about 61 miles in the county), MN 109 (about 28 miles in the county), US 169 (about 27 miles in the county) and MN 22 (about 27 miles in the county). Towns: Blue Earth, Winnebago, Wells, Minnesota Lake, Delavan, Easton, Elmore and Frost.
Questions hunters ask
What is the largest public land in Faribault County besides the WMAs?
By PAD-US 4.1: Faribault County Waterfowl Production Area (1,022 acres in the county). The largest kind of public land here is state wildlife management areas, 4,756 acres.
What is the largest WMA in Faribault County?
Walnut Lake WMA, with 2,913 acres inside the county. The county has 11 WMAs in all.
Does Faribault 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 Faribault County in?
DPA 253 (88.1%) and DPA 254 (11.9%). 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 253 DPA 254 Martin County Waseca County Freeborn County Blue Earth County