Waseca County, Minnesota: public hunting land
Waseca County has 3,094 acres of public land open to the public, 1.1% of the county, the largest share state wildlife management areas (2,570 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 13 wildlife management areas here covering 2,531 acres, the largest Moonan WMA (995 acres in the county). Deer here are counted by deer permit area: DPA 230 (549 deer in 2025), DPA 232 (745 deer in 2025), DPA 254 (1,373 deer in 2025) and DPA 253 (854 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 areasNational wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areasState parksCounty, city and regional landWaseca CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 277,087 acres (433 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 1.1% (3,094 acres) |
| WMAs | 13 (2,531 acres) |
| Walk-In Access | None mapped this year |
| Deer permit areas | DPA 230, DPA 232, DPA 254, DPA 253 |
| Towns | Waseca, Janesville, New Richland, Waldorf, Elysian and Pemberton |
How much public hunting land is in Waseca County?
3,094 of the county's 277,087 acres are public land open to the public (1.1%). 2,872 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Waseca County |
|---|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 2,570 | 0.9% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 302 | 0.1% |
| County, city and regional land | 222 | 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 3,094 | 1.1% |
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 Waseca County by PAD-US, besides the WMAs: Waseca County Waterfowl Production Area (302 acres).
Which wildlife management areas are in Waseca County?
13, largest first.
| WMA | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Moonan WMA | 995 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Waseca WMA | 303 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Findley WMA | 287 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Linde WMA | 193 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and mourning doves |
| Quade WMA | 162 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and mourning doves |
| Mueller WMA | 121 | pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Senn-Rich WMA | 102 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Kanne WMA | 78 | pheasants and ducks and geese |
| Pawek WMA | 78 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Teal Marsh WMA | 74 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese and small game |
| Willard and Lois Manthey WMA | 55 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, mourning doves and small game |
| Lundquist WMA | 42 | deer, pheasants and small game |
| Young Bull WMA | 41 | wild turkey, pheasants, mourning doves and small game |
How many deer are taken in Waseca County?
The DNR counts deer by permit area, not by county. Waseca County lies in 4 permit areas; the largest share is in DPA 230 (65% 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 230 | 65% | 549 | 2025 |
| DPA 232 | 22.6% | 745 | 2025 |
| DPA 254 | 11% | 1,373 | 2025 |
| DPA 253 | 1.4% | 854 | 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 Waseca County?
Highways: US 14 (about 44 miles in the county), MN 13 (about 25 miles in the county), MN 30 (about 18 miles in the county) and MN 83 (about 9 miles in the county). Towns: Waseca, Janesville, New Richland and Waldorf.
Questions hunters ask
What is the largest public land in Waseca County besides the WMAs?
By PAD-US 4.1: Waseca County Waterfowl Production Area (302 acres in the county). The largest kind of public land here is state wildlife management areas, 2,570 acres.
What is the largest WMA in Waseca County?
Moonan WMA, with 995 acres inside the county. The county has 13 WMAs in all.
Does Waseca 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 Waseca County in?
DPA 230 (65%), DPA 232 (22.6%), DPA 254 (11%) and DPA 253 (1.4%). 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 230 DPA 232 DPA 254 DPA 253 Rice County Steele County Freeborn County Le Sueur County Faribault County Blue Earth County