Mower County, Minnesota: public hunting land
Mower County has 3,648 acres of public land open to the public, 0.8% of the county, the largest share state wildlife management areas (1,734 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 14 wildlife management areas here covering 1,672 acres, the largest Cartney WMA (481 acres in the county). Deer here are counted by deer permit area: DPA 255 (704 deer in 2025), DPA 655 (451 deer in 2025), DPA 254 (1,373 deer in 2025) and DPA 647 (1,444 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 areasState parksCounty, city and regional landMower CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 455,457 acres (712 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 0.8% (3,648 acres) |
| WMAs | 14 (1,672 acres) |
| Walk-In Access | None mapped this year |
| Deer permit areas | DPA 255, DPA 655, DPA 254, DPA 647 |
| Towns | Austin, Dexter, Elkton, Adams, Ostrander and Blooming Prairie |
How much public hunting land is in Mower County?
3,648 of the county's 455,457 acres are public land open to the public (0.8%). 2,011 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Mower County |
|---|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 1,734 | 0.4% |
| State parks | 851 | 0.2% |
| County, city and regional land | 786 | 0.2% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 142 | under 0.1% |
| State forest and other DNR land | 135 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 3,648 | 0.8% |
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 Mower County by PAD-US, besides the WMAs: Jay C Hormel Nature Center (353 acres), Todd Park (165 acres) and Mower County Waterfowl Production Area (142 acres).
Which wildlife management areas are in Mower County?
14, largest first.
| WMA | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Cartney WMA | 481 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Ramsey Mill Pond WMA | 395 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and mourning doves |
| Lena Larson WMA | 172 | deer, pheasants and small game |
| Schottler WMA | 166 | deer, mourning doves and small game |
| Lyle-austin WMA | 115 | deer, pheasants and small game |
| Red Cedar River WMA | 73 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Rose WMA | 51 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, mourning doves and small game |
| Cary Creek WMA | 50 | deer, pheasants and small game |
| Deer Creek WMA | 40 | deer, pheasants and small game |
| Schwerin Creek WMA | 37 | deer, pheasants and small game |
| Mentel WMA | 37 | deer, wild turkey and small game |
| Schrafel WMA | 33 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants and small game |
| Rustic Retreat WMA | 16 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Leroy WMA | 6 | pheasants and small game |
How many deer are taken in Mower County?
The DNR counts deer by permit area, not by county. Mower County lies in 4 permit areas; the largest share is in DPA 255 (48.5% 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 255 | 48.5% | 704 | 2025 |
| DPA 655 | 41.2% | 451 | 2025 |
| DPA 254 | 8.2% | 1,373 | 2025 |
| DPA 647 | 2.1% | 1,444 | 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 Mower County?
Highways: I-90 (about 61 miles in the county), MN 56 (about 39 miles in the county), US 218 (about 33 miles in the county), MN 105 (about 14 miles in the county) and MN 16 (about 13 miles in the county). Towns: Austin, Dexter, Elkton, Adams, Sargeant, Lyle, Le Roy and Grand Meadow.
Questions hunters ask
What is the largest public land in Mower County besides the WMAs?
By PAD-US 4.1: Jay C Hormel Nature Center (353 acres in the county), Todd Park (165 acres in the county) and Mower County Waterfowl Production Area (142 acres in the county). The largest kind of public land here is state wildlife management areas, 1,734 acres.
What is the largest WMA in Mower County?
Cartney WMA, with 481 acres inside the county. The county has 14 WMAs in all.
Does Mower 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 Mower County in?
DPA 255 (48.5%), DPA 655 (41.2%), DPA 254 (8.2%) and DPA 647 (2.1%). 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 255 DPA 655 DPA 254 DPA 647 Dodge County Steele County Olmsted County Fillmore County Freeborn County