Rice County, Minnesota: public hunting land
Rice County has 10,481 acres of public land open to the public, 3.2% of the county, the largest share state wildlife management areas (5,337 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 18 wildlife management areas here covering 4,841 acres, the largest Boyd Sartell WMA (1,367 acres in the county). Deer here are counted by deer permit area: DPA 605 (3,115 deer in 2025), DPA 292 (1,197 deer in 2025), DPA 293 (775 deer in 2025) and DPA 232 (745 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 landLand trusts and other open landWalk-In AccessRice CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 330,261 acres (516 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 3.2% (10,481 acres) |
| WMAs | 18 (4,841 acres) |
| Walk-In Access | None mapped this year |
| Deer permit areas | DPA 605, DPA 292, DPA 293, DPA 232 |
| Towns | Faribault, Northfield, Lonsdale, Dundas, Dennison and Elko New Market |
How much public hunting land is in Rice County?
10,481 of the county's 330,261 acres are public land open to the public (3.2%). 6,560 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Rice County |
|---|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 5,337 | 1.6% |
| State parks | 2,015 | 0.6% |
| County, city and regional land | 1,699 | 0.5% |
| State forest and other DNR land | 734 | 0.2% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 489 | 0.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 207 | 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 10,481 | 3.2% |
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 Rice County by PAD-US, besides the WMAs: River Bend Nature Center (758 acres), Rice County Waterfowl Production Area (490 acres), The Nature Conservancy (204 acres) and Cowling - Lower Arboretum (167 acres).
Which wildlife management areas are in Rice County?
18, largest first.
| WMA | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Boyd Sartell WMA | 1,367 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and mourning doves |
| Prairie Creek WMA | 762 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, mourning doves and small game |
| Faribault WMA | 522 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Cannon River WMA | 270 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Circle Lake WMA | 263 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Milest WMA | 216 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Sakatah WMA | 212 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and mourning doves |
| Sunktokeca Creek WMA | 202 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Robert J. Lick WMA | 194 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Phelps Lake WMA | 171 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Peat Bog WMA | 154 | deer, pheasants and ducks and geese |
| Cannon River Trout Lily WMA | 129 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, mourning doves and small game |
| Big Woods Heritage Forest WMA | 127 | wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, bear and small game |
| Gray Fox WMA | 76 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Paulson Marsh WMA | 62 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Dwyer WMA | 56 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, mourning doves and small game |
| Esker WMA | 48 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Lois Bean Illsley WMA | 10 | deer, wild turkey, mourning doves and small game |
How many deer are taken in Rice County?
The DNR counts deer by permit area, not by county. Rice County lies in 4 permit areas; the largest share is in DPA 605 (59.3% 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 605 | 59.3% | 3,115 | 2025 |
| DPA 292 | 23% | 1,197 | 2025 |
| DPA 293 | 12.8% | 775 | 2025 |
| DPA 232 | 5% | 745 | 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 Rice County?
Highways: I-35 (about 50 miles in the county), MN 60 (about 28 miles in the county), MN 19 (about 25 miles in the county), MN 21 (about 20 miles in the county) and MN 3 (about 18 miles in the county). Towns: Faribault, Northfield, Lonsdale, Dundas, Nerstrand, Morristown and Warsaw.
Questions hunters ask
What is the largest public land in Rice County besides the WMAs?
By PAD-US 4.1: River Bend Nature Center (758 acres in the county), Rice County Waterfowl Production Area (490 acres in the county) and The Nature Conservancy (204 acres in the county). The largest kind of public land here is state wildlife management areas, 5,337 acres.
What is the largest WMA in Rice County?
Boyd Sartell WMA, with 1,367 acres inside the county. The county has 18 WMAs in all.
Does Rice 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 Rice County in?
DPA 605 (59.3%), DPA 292 (23%), DPA 293 (12.8%) and DPA 232 (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 605 DPA 292 DPA 293 DPA 232 Dodge County Scott County Dakota County Steele County Waseca County Goodhue County Le Sueur County