Martin County, Minnesota: public hunting land
Martin County has 6,951 acres of public land open to the public, 1.5% of the county, the largest share state wildlife management areas (6,098 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 20 wildlife management areas here covering 6,039 acres, the largest Perch Creek WMA (1,127 acres in the county). The DNR's Walk-In Access program adds 4 sites of private land open to hunters, 302 acres in all. Deer here are counted by deer permit area: DPA 252 (601 deer in 2025) and DPA 253 (854 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 AccessMartin CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 466,927 acres (730 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 1.5% (6,951 acres) |
| WMAs | 20 (6,039 acres) |
| Walk-In Access | 4 sites, 302 acres |
| Deer permit areas | DPA 252, DPA 253 |
| Towns | Fairmont, Welcome, Truman, Sherburn, Ormsby and Alpha |
How much public hunting land is in Martin County?
6,951 of the county's 466,927 acres are public land open to the public (1.5%). 6,724 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Martin County |
|---|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 6,098 | 1.3% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 547 | 0.1% |
| County, city and regional land | 227 | under 0.1% |
| State forest and other DNR land | 79 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 6,951 | 1.5% |
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 Martin County by PAD-US, besides the WMAs: Martin County Waterfowl Production Area (545 acres).
Which wildlife management areas are in Martin County?
20, largest first.
| WMA | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Perch Creek WMA | 1,127 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Caron WMA | 954 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Four Corners WMA | 612 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Rooney Run WMA | 540 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| East Chain WMA | 389 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Krahmer WMA | 376 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Center Creek WMA | 355 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Gruven WMA | 326 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Seymour Lake WMA | 291 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Island WMA | 173 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, mourning doves and small game |
| Luedtke WMA | 162 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Ceylon WMA | 148 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Exceder WMA | 108 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Des Belt WMA | 107 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Minowa WMA | 100 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Swag WMA | 74 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Willow Creek WMA | 69 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Armbrust WMA | 66 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Fox Lake WMA | 35 | pheasants and small game |
| Gleam WMA | 27 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
Where is the Walk-In Access in Martin County?
The DNR's 2026 Walk-In Access layer shows 4 sites in Martin County, 302 acres of private land open to hunters with a Walk-In Access validation from September 1 to May 31. The largest is Martin WIA #715 (176 acres). DNR Walk-In Access.
| Site | Acres | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Martin WIA #715 | 176 | 43.7128, -94.3183 |
| Martin WIA #913 | 60 | 43.7634, -94.841 |
| Martin WIA #912 | 53 | 43.5091, -94.5078 |
| Martin WIA #915 | 13 | 43.5177, -94.6396 |
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 Martin County?
The DNR counts deer by permit area, not by county. Martin County lies in 2 permit areas; the largest share is in DPA 252 (68.3% 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 Martin County?
Highways: I-90 (about 62 miles in the county), MN 15 (about 27 miles in the county), MN 4 (about 26 miles in the county), MN 263 (about 11 miles in the county) and MN 262 (about 2 miles in the county). Towns: Fairmont, Welcome, Truman, Sherburn, Trimont, Granada, Ceylon and Dunnell.
Questions hunters ask
What is the largest public land in Martin County besides the WMAs?
By PAD-US 4.1: Martin County Waterfowl Production Area (545 acres in the county). The largest kind of public land here is state wildlife management areas, 6,098 acres.
What is the largest WMA in Martin County?
Perch Creek WMA, with 1,127 acres inside the county. The county has 20 WMAs in all.
Does Martin County have Walk-In Access land?
Yes. The DNR's 2026 layer shows 4 sites and 302 acres in Martin County.
Which deer permit area is Martin County in?
DPA 252 (68.3%) and DPA 253 (31.7%). 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 252 DPA 253 Jackson County Watonwan County Faribault County Blue Earth County Walk-In Access