Stearns County, Minnesota: public hunting land
Stearns County has 22,955 acres of public land open to the public, 2.6% of the county, the largest share national wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas (10,177 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 39 wildlife management areas here covering 7,903 acres, the largest Sauk River WMA (939 acres in the county). Deer here are counted by deer permit area: DPA 218 (3,769 deer in 2025), DPA 215 (5,267 deer in 2025), DPA 219 (1,989 deer in 2025) and DPA 277 (4,575 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 AccessStearns CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 889,607 acres (1,390 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 2.6% (22,955 acres) |
| WMAs | 39 (7,903 acres) |
| Walk-In Access | None mapped this year |
| Deer permit areas | DPA 218, DPA 215, DPA 219, DPA 277, DPA 213 |
| Towns | St. Cloud, St. Augusta, Rockville, Waite Park, Eden Valley and Regal |
How much public hunting land is in Stearns County?
22,955 of the county's 889,607 acres are public land open to the public (2.6%). 20,738 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Stearns County |
|---|---|---|
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 10,177 | 1.1% |
| State wildlife management areas | 8,123 | 0.9% |
| State forest and other DNR land | 2,438 | 0.3% |
| County, city and regional land | 2,209 | 0.2% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 8 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 22,955 | 2.6% |
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 Stearns County by PAD-US, besides the WMAs: Stearns County Waterfowl Production Area (10,177 acres), Birch Lakes State Forest (515 acres) and Neenah Creek Park (241 acres).
Which wildlife management areas are in Stearns County?
39, largest first.
| WMA | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Sauk River WMA | 939 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Stearns Prairie Heritage WMA | 679 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Tamarac WMA | 615 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Edward Raymond Mohs WMA | 336 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Padua WMA | 324 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Mel Roehrl WMA | 307 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Norman T. Dahlman WMA | 303 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants and small game |
| Follies WMA | 276 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and mourning doves |
| North Fork WMA | 255 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Dr. L. Daniel Frenzel Jr and Virginia Frenzel WMA | 240 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Christopher Kurilla WMA | 239 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Vision WMA | 234 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Tribute WMA | 232 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Zion WMA | 214 | pheasants and ducks and geese |
| Daniel Shay WMA | 211 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Oxcart Crossing WMA | 210 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Happy Valley WMA | 206 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Milton Kjeldahl WMA | 196 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants and small game |
| Prairie Smoke WMA | 174 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Spirit Prairie WMA | 173 | deer, pheasants and small game |
| Victor Winter WMA | 160 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Minnesota Veterans WMA | 156 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and mourning doves |
| Crow River WMA | 155 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Discovery WMA | 127 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Alice Hamm WMA | 121 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Partners WMA | 119 | deer, pheasants and small game |
| A Shau Valley WMA | 118 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Ritter WMA | 100 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Tower WMA | 76 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Miller Spring Lea Farm WMA | 73 | pheasants and small game |
| Paynesville Sportsmens Club WMA | 69 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Legacy Marsh WMA | 41 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Salem Comm Prairie WMA | 40 | pheasants and ducks and geese |
| Kirschner WMA | 39 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Spirit Marsh WMA | 39 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Miller WMA | 39 | deer, pheasants and small game |
| Dustoff WMA | 37 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Gravel Pit 1676 WMA | 16 | deer, pheasants and small game |
| Gravel Pit 1062 WMA | 15 | deer, pheasants and small game |
How many deer are taken in Stearns County?
The DNR counts deer by permit area, not by county. Stearns County lies in 5 permit areas; the largest share is in DPA 218 (58.4% 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 218 | 58.4% | 3,769 | 2025 |
| DPA 215 | 25.8% | 5,267 | 2025 |
| DPA 219 | 9% | 1,989 | 2025 |
| DPA 277 | 4.1% | 4,575 | 2025 |
| DPA 213 | 2.7% | 6,423 | 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 Stearns County?
Highways: US 52 (about 115 miles in the county), I-94 (about 115 miles in the county), MN 23 (about 65 miles in the county), MN 15 (about 32 miles in the county) and MN 55 (about 29 miles in the county). Towns: St. Cloud, St. Augusta, Rockville, Waite Park, Sartell, St. Joseph, Sauk Centre and St. Stephen.
Questions hunters ask
What is the largest public land in Stearns County besides the WMAs?
By PAD-US 4.1: Stearns County Waterfowl Production Area (10,177 acres in the county), Birch Lakes State Forest (515 acres in the county) and Neenah Creek Park (241 acres in the county). The largest kind of public land here is national wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas, 10,177 acres.
What is the largest WMA in Stearns County?
Sauk River WMA, with 939 acres inside the county. The county has 39 WMAs in all.
Does Stearns 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 Stearns County in?
DPA 218 (58.4%), DPA 215 (25.8%), DPA 219 (9%), DPA 277 (4.1%) and DPA 213 (2.7%). 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 218 DPA 215 DPA 219 DPA 277 DPA 213 Pope County Todd County Benton County Meeker County Wright County Douglas County Morrison County Kandiyohi County Sherburne County