Nicollet County, Minnesota: public hunting land
Nicollet County has 5,732 acres of public land open to the public, 1.9% of the county, the largest share state wildlife management areas (3,958 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 4 wildlife management areas here covering 3,885 acres, the largest Swan Lake WMA (3,394 acres in the county). Deer here are counted by deer permit area: DPA 291 (1,896 deer in 2025), DPA 290 (1,202 deer in 2025) and DPA 284 (714 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 landWalk-In AccessNicollet CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 298,777 acres (467 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 1.9% (5,732 acres) |
| WMAs | 4 (3,885 acres) |
| Walk-In Access | None mapped this year |
| Deer permit areas | DPA 291, DPA 290, DPA 284 |
| Towns | North Mankato, St. Peter, Courtland, Lafayette, Kasota and New Ulm |
How much public hunting land is in Nicollet County?
5,732 of the county's 298,777 acres are public land open to the public (1.9%). 4,391 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Nicollet County |
|---|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 3,958 | 1.3% |
| County, city and regional land | 901 | 0.3% |
| State parks | 439 | 0.1% |
| State forest and other DNR land | 433 | 0.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 1 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 5,732 | 1.9% |
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 Nicollet County by PAD-US, besides the WMAs: Glueck Park (303 acres), Traverse Des Sioux Park (256 acres), Riverside Park (151 acres) and Kiwanis Recreation Area (118 acres).
Which wildlife management areas are in Nicollet County?
4, largest first.
| WMA | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Swan Lake WMA | 3,394 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and mourning doves |
| Fritsche Creek WMA | 386 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and mourning doves |
| Minnriver WMA | 91 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Norwegian Grove WMA | 14 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and mourning doves |
How many deer are taken in Nicollet County?
The DNR counts deer by permit area, not by county. Nicollet County lies in 3 permit areas; the largest share is in DPA 291 (75.7% 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 291 | 75.7% | 1,896 | 2025 |
| DPA 290 | 19.8% | 1,202 | 2025 |
| DPA 284 | 4.5% | 714 | 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 Nicollet County?
Highways: US 169 (about 44 miles in the county), US 14 (about 40 miles in the county), MN 22 (about 22 miles in the county), MN 99 (about 14 miles in the county) and MN 15 (about 11 miles in the county). Towns: North Mankato, St. Peter, Courtland, Lafayette and Nicollet.
Questions hunters ask
What is the largest public land in Nicollet County besides the WMAs?
By PAD-US 4.1: Glueck Park (303 acres in the county), Traverse Des Sioux Park (256 acres in the county) and Riverside Park (151 acres in the county). The largest kind of public land here is state wildlife management areas, 3,958 acres.
What is the largest WMA in Nicollet County?
Swan Lake WMA, with 3,394 acres inside the county. The county has 4 WMAs in all.
Does Nicollet 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 Nicollet County in?
DPA 291 (75.7%), DPA 290 (19.8%) and DPA 284 (4.5%). 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 291 DPA 290 DPA 284 Brown County Sibley County Le Sueur County Renville County Blue Earth County