Todd County, Minnesota: public hunting land
Todd County has 14,601 acres of public land open to the public, 2.3% of the county, the largest share state wildlife management areas (10,721 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 29 wildlife management areas here covering 10,596 acres, the largest Staples WMA (1,429 acres in the county). Deer here are counted by deer permit area: DPA 214 (4,781 deer in 2025), DPA 213 (6,423 deer in 2025), DPA 215 (5,267 deer in 2025) and DPA 240 (5,068 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 areasCounty, city and regional landWalk-In AccessTodd CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 626,798 acres (979 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 2.3% (14,601 acres) |
| WMAs | 29 (10,596 acres) |
| Walk-In Access | None mapped this year |
| Deer permit areas | DPA 214, DPA 213, DPA 215, DPA 240, DPA 241, DPA 246 |
| Towns | Long Prairie, Hewitt, Eagle Bend, Browerville, Swanville and Staples |
How much public hunting land is in Todd County?
14,601 of the county's 626,798 acres are public land open to the public (2.3%). 14,476 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Todd County |
|---|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 10,721 | 1.7% |
| State forest and other DNR land | 2,948 | 0.5% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 806 | 0.1% |
| County, city and regional land | 122 | under 0.1% |
| State parks | 3 | under 0.1% |
| Other federal land | 1 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 14,601 | 2.3% |
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 Todd County by PAD-US, besides the WMAs: Todd County Waterfowl Production Area (807 acres).
Which wildlife management areas are in Todd County?
29, largest first.
| WMA | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Staples WMA | 1,429 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Grey Eagle WMA | 1,407 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and mourning doves |
| Ruff-Nik WMA | 1,060 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Long Prairie River WMA | 965 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Santer WMA | 572 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Burleene WMA | 556 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Oak Ridge WMA | 443 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Kobliska WMA | 411 | deer, pheasants and small game |
| Quistorff WMA | 359 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Philbrook WMA | 337 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, bear and small game |
| Owen-Hinz WMA | 332 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Turtle Creek WMA | 320 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| West Union WMA | 243 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Elgin Woods WMA | 240 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Iona WMA | 221 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Lawrence Lake WMA | 202 | deer, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Osakis WMA | 163 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Spohn WMA | 162 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Hartford WMA | 162 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Platt Lake WMA | 159 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Buckhorn Lake WMA | 157 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Lasher Lake WMA | 146 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Sheets Lake WMA | 132 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Aurzada Prairie WMA | 105 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Hollister WMA | 82 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Ireland WMA | 79 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Randall WMA | 58 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Ostendorff WMA | 54 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Dower Lake WMA | 40 | deer, ducks and geese and small game |
How many deer are taken in Todd County?
The DNR counts deer by permit area, not by county. Todd County lies in 6 permit areas; the largest share is in DPA 214 (43.9% 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 214 | 43.9% | 4,781 | 2025 |
| DPA 213 | 32% | 6,423 | 2025 |
| DPA 215 | 18% | 5,267 | 2025 |
| DPA 240 | 5.2% | 5,068 | 2025 |
| DPA 241 | 0.5% | 7,163 | 2025 |
| DPA 246 | 0.4% | 3,143 | 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 Todd County?
Highways: US 71 (about 48 miles in the county), MN 210 (about 32 miles in the county), MN 27 (about 29 miles in the county), US 10 (about 26 miles in the county) and MN 28 (about 18 miles in the county). Towns: Long Prairie, Hewitt, Eagle Bend, Browerville, Bertha, Clarissa, Burtrum and West Union.
Questions hunters ask
What is the largest public land in Todd County besides the WMAs?
By PAD-US 4.1: Todd County Waterfowl Production Area (807 acres in the county). The largest kind of public land here is state wildlife management areas, 10,721 acres.
What is the largest WMA in Todd County?
Staples WMA, with 1,429 acres inside the county. The county has 29 WMAs in all.
Does Todd 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 Todd County in?
DPA 214 (43.9%), DPA 213 (32%), DPA 215 (18%), DPA 240 (5.2%), DPA 241 (0.5%) and DPA 246 (0.4%). 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 214 DPA 213 DPA 215 DPA 240 DPA 241 DPA 246 Cass County Wadena County Douglas County Stearns County Morrison County Otter Tail County