Wabasha County, Minnesota: public hunting land
Wabasha County has 23,099 acres of public land open to the public, 6.6% of the county, the largest share state forest and other DNR land (12,114 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 4 wildlife management areas here covering 6,565 acres, the largest Mc Carthy Lake WMA (3,264 acres in the county). Deer here are counted by deer permit area: DPA 642 (2,077 deer in 2025), DPA 341 (3,312 deer in 2025), DPA 644 (1,086 deer in 2025) and DPA 643 (3,469 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 landWabasha CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 351,686 acres (550 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 6.6% (23,099 acres) |
| WMAs | 4 (6,565 acres) |
| Walk-In Access | None mapped this year |
| Deer permit areas | DPA 642, DPA 341, DPA 644, DPA 643 |
| Towns | Wabasha, Lake City, Plainview, Mazeppa, Bellechester and Oronoco |
How much public hunting land is in Wabasha County?
23,099 of the county's 351,686 acres are public land open to the public (6.6%). 22,834 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Wabasha County |
|---|---|---|
| State forest and other DNR land | 12,114 | 3.4% |
| State wildlife management areas | 6,975 | 2% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 3,745 | 1.1% |
| State parks | 209 | 0.1% |
| County, city and regional land | 53 | under 0.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 3 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 23,099 | 6.6% |
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 Wabasha County by PAD-US, besides the WMAs: R J D Memorial Hardwood State Forest (10,801 acres) and Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife And Fish Refuge (3,767 acres).
Which wildlife management areas are in Wabasha County?
4, largest first.
| WMA | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Mc Carthy Lake WMA | 3,264 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and mourning doves |
| Whitewater WMA | 3,038 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and mourning doves |
| Pool 4 WMA | 142 | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Izaak Walton League WMA | 121 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
How many deer are taken in Wabasha County?
The DNR counts deer by permit area, not by county. Wabasha County lies in 4 permit areas; the largest share is in DPA 642 (66.2% 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 642 | 66.2% | 2,077 | 2025 |
| DPA 341 | 20% | 3,312 | 2025 |
| DPA 644 | 8.4% | 1,086 | 2025 |
| DPA 643 | 5.4% | 3,469 | 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 Wabasha County?
Highways: US 61 (about 46 miles in the county), MN 60 (about 32 miles in the county) and US 63 (about 23 miles in the county). Towns: Wabasha, Lake City, Plainview, Mazeppa, Elgin, Zumbro Falls, Minneiska and Kellogg.
Questions hunters ask
What is the largest public land in Wabasha County besides the WMAs?
By PAD-US 4.1: R J D Memorial Hardwood State Forest (10,801 acres in the county) and Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife And Fish Refuge (3,767 acres in the county). The largest kind of public land here is state forest and other DNR land, 12,114 acres.
What is the largest WMA in Wabasha County?
Mc Carthy Lake WMA, with 3,264 acres inside the county. The county has 4 WMAs in all.
Does Wabasha 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 Wabasha County in?
DPA 642 (66.2%), DPA 341 (20%), DPA 644 (8.4%) and DPA 643 (5.4%). 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 341 DPA 644 DPA 643 Winona County Goodhue County Olmsted County