Scott County, Minnesota: public hunting land
Scott County has 14,195 acres of public land open to the public, 6% of the county, the largest share county, city and regional land (6,326 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 14 wildlife management areas here covering 2,536 acres, the largest Bradshaw Lake WMA (789 acres in the county). Deer here are counted by deer permit area: DPA 605 (3,115 deer in 2025), DPA 338 (704 deer in 2025) and DPA 601 (2,588 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 landScott CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 235,765 acres (368 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 6% (14,195 acres) |
| WMAs | 14 (2,536 acres) |
| Walk-In Access | None mapped this year |
| Deer permit areas | DPA 605, DPA 338, DPA 601 |
| Towns | Shakopee, Credit River, Prior Lake, Savage, Carver and Henderson |
How much public hunting land is in Scott County?
14,195 of the county's 235,765 acres are public land open to the public (6%). 7,798 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Scott County |
|---|---|---|
| County, city and regional land | 6,326 | 2.7% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 4,734 | 2% |
| State wildlife management areas | 2,763 | 1.2% |
| State forest and other DNR land | 294 | 0.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 71 | under 0.1% |
| Other federal land | 7 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 14,195 | 6% |
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 Scott County by PAD-US, besides the WMAs: Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge (4,692 acres), Murphy-Hanrehan (1,868 acres), Cleary Lake (1,125 acres), Spring Lake Regional Park (408 acres), Murphy - Hanrehan Park Reserve (393 acres), Southbridge Open Space (214 acres), Jeffers Pond Park (150 acres), Quarry Lake Park (142 acres), Lakefront Park (138 acres) and Doyle-Kennefick Regional Park (132 acres).
Which wildlife management areas are in Scott County?
14, largest first.
| WMA | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Bradshaw Lake WMA | 789 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Ney WMA | 613 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Mahoney's Marsh WMA | 324 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Karnitz WMA | 185 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Michel Marsh WMA | 139 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Marsh WMA | 108 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Raguet WMA | 106 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| St. Patrick's WMA | 87 | pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Raven WMA | 72 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Clark Lake WMA | 33 | deer, pheasants and small game |
| Pheasants Forever #3 WMA | 27 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| O'Brien WMA | 25 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Spartina WMA | 17 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants and small game |
| PF - Module #1 WMA | 11 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
How many deer are taken in Scott County?
The DNR counts deer by permit area, not by county. Scott County lies in 3 permit areas; the largest share is in DPA 605 (73% 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 | 73% | 3,115 | 2025 |
| DPA 338 | 26.7% | 704 | 2025 |
| DPA 601 | 0.3% | 2,588 | 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 Scott County?
Highways: US 169 (about 64 miles in the county), MN 13 (about 34 miles in the county), I-35 (about 12 miles in the county), MN 19 (about 11 miles in the county) and MN 21 (about 11 miles in the county). Towns: Shakopee, Credit River, Prior Lake, Savage, Belle Plaine, New Prague, Elko New Market and Jordan.
Questions hunters ask
What is the largest public land in Scott County besides the WMAs?
By PAD-US 4.1: Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge (4,692 acres in the county), Murphy-Hanrehan (1,868 acres in the county) and Cleary Lake (1,125 acres in the county). The largest kind of public land here is county, city and regional land, 6,326 acres.
What is the largest WMA in Scott County?
Bradshaw Lake WMA, with 789 acres inside the county. The county has 14 WMAs in all.
Does Scott 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 Scott County in?
DPA 605 (73%), DPA 338 (26.7%) and DPA 601 (0.3%). 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 338 Rice County Carver County Dakota County Sibley County Hennepin County Le Sueur County