A Shau Valley Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
A Shau Valley Wildlife Management Area is 210 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Stearns and Wright counties, near Kimball, inside Deer Permit Area 219. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game for it. Hunters registered 1,989 deer in DPA 219 in 2025.
Data updated October 2026. Area facts: the DNR's wildlife management area data, read 2026-10. Harvest: DNR Deer Harvest Reports, 2021 to 2025.
State wildlife management areasA Shau Valley WMACounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 210 acres |
|---|---|
| Counties | Stearns County and Wright County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 219 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Kimball |
| DNR area office | Sauk Rapids |
| Nearest towns | South Haven (2 mi), Kimball (2 mi) and Fairhaven (3 mi) |
What is A Shau Valley WMA like?
This 210 acre WMA is situated in steeply rolling hardwood forest habitat. The Clearwater river bisects the property giving it a unique riparian characteristic with wonderful vistas of western border "Big Woods" hardwood forest.
This WMA has special significance in being one of the first RIM Match WMA acquisitions (1988) in the state and helped springboard other similar acquisition projects. An impressive granite monument highlights over 50 contributors to this project. This area is within a traditional deer and turkey wintering area. Hunting, trapping, and wildlife viewing are popular activities on the unit. Many rewards and discoveries await hikers willing to traverse more remote areas of the WMA.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on A Shau Valley WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game for A Shau Valley WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on A Shau Valley WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around A Shau Valley WMA?
A Shau Valley WMA lies in Deer Permit Area 219. The DNR registered 1,989 deer in DPA 219 in 2025, against 1,973 in 2024.
| DPA | A Shau Valley WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 219 | 210 | 1,989 | 1,973 | 1,709 |
Harvest for the whole deer permit area, not the WMA alone: Minnesota DNR Deer Harvest Reports (2021 to 2025, 2025 report).
How do you get to A Shau Valley WMA?
2 miles SE of Kimball on MN state highway 55.
There are no wheelchair accesible facilities on this unit.
Nearest towns: South Haven (2 miles), Kimball (2 miles), Fairhaven (3 miles) and Annandale (7 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MN 55, MN 15 and MN 24.
What other public land is near A Shau Valley WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Kingston WMA: 624 acres, 2.7 miles away
- Dr. L. Daniel Frenzel Jr and Virginia Frenzel WMA: 240 acres, 2.8 miles away
- Alice Hamm WMA: 121 acres, 3.4 miles away
- Albion WMA: 546 acres, 7.5 miles away
- Suconnix WMA: 1,007 acres, 8.7 miles away
- Minnesota Veterans WMA: 650 acres, 8.7 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of A Shau Valley WMA
Counting A Shau Valley WMA itself, 297 of the 23,740 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (1.3%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 297 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is A Shau Valley WMA?
In Stearns and Wright counties, near Kimball. The DNR's directions: 2 miles SE of Kimball on MN state highway 55.
Which deer permit area is A Shau Valley WMA in?
Deer Permit Area 219. Its bag limit and firearms dates apply.
How much public land is around A Shau Valley WMA?
297 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, A Shau Valley WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 6 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Kingston WMA (2.7 miles).
Get a Minnesota hunt plan when they open
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Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Minnesota included.
Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, A Shau Valley WMA; Minnesota DNR Wildlife Management Area boundaries, publicly accessible.
- Boundary and acres: the DNR's map layer above. Surrounding public land: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
- Deer harvest: Minnesota DNR Deer Harvest Reports (2021 to 2025, 2025 report).
FilledTag is not part of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Check the DNR's rules and posted signs before you go.