Lincoln County, Minnesota: public hunting land
Lincoln County has 13,753 acres of public land open to the public, 3.9% of the county, the largest share state wildlife management areas (10,482 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 60 wildlife management areas here covering 10,321 acres, the largest Hole-In-Mountain WMA (638 acres in the county). The DNR's Walk-In Access program adds 37 sites of private land open to hunters, 3,558 acres in all. Deer here are counted by deer permit area: DPA 286 (588 deer in 2025) and DPA 294 (472 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 areasWalk-In AccessLincoln CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 351,023 acres (548 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 3.9% (13,753 acres) |
| WMAs | 60 (10,321 acres) |
| Walk-In Access | 37 sites, 3,558 acres |
| Deer permit areas | DPA 286, DPA 294 |
| Towns | Lake Benton, Tyler, Hendricks, Ivanhoe, Porter and Florence |
How much public hunting land is in Lincoln County?
13,753 of the county's 351,023 acres are public land open to the public (3.9%). 13,753 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Lincoln County |
|---|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 10,482 | 3% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 3,271 | 0.9% |
| All public land open to the public | 13,753 | 3.9% |
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 Lincoln County by PAD-US, besides the WMAs: Lincoln County Waterfowl Production Area (1,978 acres) and Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge (1,292 acres).
Which wildlife management areas are in Lincoln County?
60, largest first.
| WMA | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Hole-In-Mountain WMA | 638 | deer, pheasants, mourning doves and small game |
| Anderson Lake WMA | 591 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Hopeful WMA | 587 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Shaokatan WMA | 487 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Tyler WMA | 462 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Chen Bay WMA | 414 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Ivanhoe WMA | 382 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Coot WMA | 348 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Richard J. Dorer WMA | 337 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Ash Lake WMA | 300 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Altona WMA | 293 | deer, pheasants and small game |
| Poposki WMA | 287 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Chain-O-Sloughs WMA | 281 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Rost WMA | 250 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Herschberger WMA | 242 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Bosque WMA | 220 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, mourning doves and small game |
| Kvernmo WMA | 205 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Prairie Dell WMA | 204 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Archerville WMA | 196 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, mourning doves and small game |
| Weeks WMA | 190 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Bohemian WMA | 190 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Legacy WMA | 165 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Thostenson WMA | 161 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Hope WMA | 158 | deer, pheasants, mourning doves and small game |
| Schindel WMA | 156 | deer, pheasants, mourning doves and small game |
| Antler WMA | 152 | deer, pheasants, mourning doves and small game |
| Sokota WMA | 143 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Discors WMA | 140 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Minn-kota WMA | 137 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Coon Creek WMA | 136 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Clare Johnson WMA | 124 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Hendricks WMA | 116 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Blue Wing WMA | 108 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Rogge WMA | 105 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Dead Coon Marshes WMA | 101 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Collinson WMA | 87 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Salix WMA | 86 | deer, pheasants, mourning doves and small game |
| Platyrchnchos WMA | 84 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Sioux Lookout WMA | 83 | deer, pheasants, mourning doves and small game |
| Bossuyt WMA | 82 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Coteau Pit WMA | 81 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Colinoso WMA | 80 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Marshfield WMA | 78 | deer, pheasants, mourning doves and small game |
| Emerald WMA | 77 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Boone Slough WMA | 74 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Collaris WMA | 73 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Ten Sloughs WMA | 50 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Pothole WMA | 50 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Spanton WMA | 48 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Expectation WMA | 46 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Christine WMA | 41 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Hansonville WMA | 35 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Iron Horse WMA | 32 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Muldental WMA | 27 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Horse Slough WMA | 23 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Norgaard WMA | 21 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Pato WMA | 19 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Two Sloughs WMA | 17 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Muskrat Junction WMA | 14 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Suhr WMA | 7 | deer, pheasants, mourning doves and small game |
Where is the Walk-In Access in Lincoln County?
The DNR's 2026 Walk-In Access layer shows 37 sites in Lincoln County, 3,558 acres of private land open to hunters with a Walk-In Access validation from September 1 to May 31. The largest is Lincoln WIA #211 (192 acres). DNR Walk-In Access.
| Site | Acres | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Lincoln WIA #211 | 192 | 44.6097, -96.4244 |
| Lincoln WIA #595 | 157 | 44.2951, -96.3665 |
| Lincoln WIA #204 | 155 | 44.5151, -96.3173 |
| Lincoln WIA #969 | 154 | 44.4333, -96.0945 |
| Lincoln WIA #1035 | 151 | 44.4341, -96.4302 |
| Lincoln WIA #1085 | 150 | 44.3829, -96.2265 |
| Lincoln WIA #1111 | 148 | 44.369, -96.1952 |
| Lincoln WIA #970 | 148 | 44.4265, -96.1453 |
| Lincoln WIA #245 | 142 | 44.4047, -96.2873 |
| Lincoln WIA #982 | 132 | 44.4626, -96.1038 |
| Lincoln WIA #470 | 130 | 44.221, -96.43 |
| Lincoln WIA #1005 | 126 | 44.2207, -96.4487 |
| Lincoln WIA #1110 | 121 | 44.3763, -96.1864 |
| Lincoln WIA #459 | 115 | 44.2591, -96.3359 |
| Lincoln WIA #531 | 103 | 44.2273, -96.258 |
| Lincoln WIA #571 | 103 | 44.6121, -96.1927 |
| Lincoln WIA #672 | 98 | 44.4107, -96.1071 |
| Lincoln WIA #815 | 98 | 44.4487, -96.2548 |
| Lincoln WIA #1026 | 95 | 44.2419, -96.3531 |
| Lincoln WIA #205 | 82 | 44.3667, -96.3588 |
| Lincoln WIA #787 | 81 | 44.5668, -96.1657 |
| Lincoln WIA #600 | 79 | 44.4922, -96.0792 |
| Lincoln WIA #1010 | 78 | 44.4506, -96.1253 |
| Lincoln WIA #981 | 76 | 44.4423, -96.1554 |
| Lincoln WIA #1006 | 75 | 44.3816, -96.2185 |
| Lincoln WIA #1025 | 64 | 44.251, -96.3715 |
| Lincoln WIA #186 | 61 | 44.5855, -96.3423 |
| Lincoln WIA #184 | 59 | 44.4992, -96.3393 |
| Lincoln WIA #939 | 59 | 44.4841, -96.1941 |
| Lincoln WIA #185 | 55 | 44.491, -96.2549 |
| Lincoln WIA #328 | 49 | 44.5808, -96.3348 |
| Lincoln WIA #936 | 39 | 44.4563, -96.2227 |
| Lincoln WIA #997 | 39 | 44.585, -96.3348 |
| Lincoln WIA #996 | 38 | 44.5862, -96.3914 |
| Lincoln WIA #999 | 37 | 44.2078, -96.1656 |
| Lincoln WIA #518 | 36 | 44.5046, -96.3864 |
| Lincoln WIA #218 | 33 | 44.3249, -96.0936 |
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 Lincoln County?
The DNR counts deer by permit area, not by county. Lincoln County lies in 2 permit areas; the largest share is in DPA 286 (83.6% 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 Lincoln County?
Highways: US 75 (about 31 miles in the county), US 14 (about 20 miles in the county), MN 19 (about 20 miles in the county), MN 271 (about 9 miles in the county) and MN 68 (about 4 miles in the county). Towns: Lake Benton, Tyler, Hendricks, Ivanhoe and Arco.
Questions hunters ask
What is the largest public land in Lincoln County besides the WMAs?
By PAD-US 4.1: Lincoln County Waterfowl Production Area (1,978 acres in the county) and Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge (1,292 acres in the county). The largest kind of public land here is state wildlife management areas, 10,482 acres.
What is the largest WMA in Lincoln County?
Hole-In-Mountain WMA, with 638 acres inside the county. The county has 60 WMAs in all.
Does Lincoln County have Walk-In Access land?
Yes. The DNR's 2026 layer shows 37 sites and 3,558 acres in Lincoln County.
Which deer permit area is Lincoln County in?
DPA 286 (83.6%) and DPA 294 (16.4%). 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 286 DPA 294 Lyon County Pipestone County Yellow Medicine County Walk-In Access