Winona County, Minnesota: public hunting land
Winona County has 39,393 acres of public land open to the public, 9.6% of the county, the largest share state wildlife management areas (23,810 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). The DNR's map shows 3 wildlife management areas here covering 23,053 acres, the largest Whitewater WMA (22,624 acres in the county). Deer here are counted by deer permit area: DPA 645 (1,722 deer in 2025), DPA 646 (2,832 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 landWinona CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 410,677 acres (642 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Public land | 9.6% (39,393 acres) |
| WMAs | 3 (23,053 acres) |
| Walk-In Access | None mapped this year |
| Deer permit areas | DPA 645, DPA 646, DPA 644, DPA 643 |
| Towns | Winona, St. Charles, Altura, Goodview, Minneiska and La Crescent |
How much public hunting land is in Winona County?
39,393 of the county's 410,677 acres are public land open to the public (9.6%). 34,040 acres of that are state wildlife, state forest or federal land, where hunting is the rule rather than the exception.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Winona County |
|---|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 23,810 | 5.8% |
| State forest and other DNR land | 7,599 | 1.9% |
| State parks | 4,246 | 1% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 2,631 | 0.6% |
| County, city and regional land | 1,106 | 0.3% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 1 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 39,393 | 9.6% |
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 Winona County by PAD-US, besides the WMAs: R J D Memorial Hardwood State Forest (7,591 acres), Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife And Fish Refuge (2,636 acres), Prairie Island Park (338 acres) and Bluffside Park (320 acres).
Which wildlife management areas are in Winona County?
3, largest first.
| WMA | Acres in the county | DNR lists for hunting |
|---|---|---|
| Whitewater WMA | 22,624 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and mourning doves |
| Schueler WMA | 286 | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, mourning doves and small game |
| Thorpe WMA | 143 | deer, wild turkey, ducks and geese and small game |
How many deer are taken in Winona County?
The DNR counts deer by permit area, not by county. Winona County lies in 4 permit areas; the largest share is in DPA 645 (47.5% 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 645 | 47.5% | 1,722 | 2025 |
| DPA 646 | 32.3% | 2,832 | 2025 |
| DPA 644 | 19.2% | 1,086 | 2025 |
| DPA 643 | 0.9% | 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 Winona County?
Highways: I-90 (about 88 miles in the county), US 61 (about 79 miles in the county), US 14 (about 74 miles in the county), MN 74 (about 26 miles in the county) and MN 43 (about 24 miles in the county). Towns: Winona, St. Charles, Altura, Goodview, Elba, Stockton, Lewiston and Utica.
Questions hunters ask
What is the largest public land in Winona County besides the WMAs?
By PAD-US 4.1: R J D Memorial Hardwood State Forest (7,591 acres in the county), Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife And Fish Refuge (2,636 acres in the county) and Prairie Island Park (338 acres in the county). The largest kind of public land here is state wildlife management areas, 23,810 acres.
What is the largest WMA in Winona County?
Whitewater WMA, with 22,624 acres inside the county. The county has 3 WMAs in all.
Does Winona 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 Winona County in?
DPA 645 (47.5%), DPA 646 (32.3%), DPA 644 (19.2%) and DPA 643 (0.9%). 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 645 DPA 646 DPA 644 DPA 643 Houston County Olmsted County Wabasha County Fillmore County