Antler Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Antler Wildlife Management Area is 173 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Lincoln and Yellow Medicine counties, near Porter, inside Deer Permit Areas 286 and 280. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, pheasants, mourning doves and small game for it. Hunters registered 588 deer in DPA 286 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 areasNational wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areasWalk-In AccessAntler WMACounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 173 acres in 2 pieces |
|---|---|
| Counties | Lincoln County and Yellow Medicine County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 286, DPA 280 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, pheasants, mourning doves and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Porter |
| DNR area office | Marshall |
| Nearest towns | Porter (next to it), Taunton (3 mi) and St. Leo (7 mi) |
What can you hunt on Antler WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, pheasants, mourning doves and small game for Antler WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Antler WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around Antler WMA?
Antler WMA lies in 2 deer permit areas. The DNR registered 588 deer in DPA 286 in 2025, against 497 in 2024.
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 Antler WMA?
From Porter, go 1 mile E on Twp Rd.
Nearest towns: Porter (next to it), Taunton (3 miles), St. Leo (7 miles) and Minneota (8 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MN 68. 4 Walk-In Access sites within 3 miles.
What other public land is near Antler WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Lower Antelope Valley WMA: 222 acres, 2.2 miles away
- James Meger WMA: 317 acres, 3 miles away
- Middle Antelope Valley WMA: 379 acres, 3.4 miles away
- Upper Antelope Valley WMA: 161 acres, 4.2 miles away
- Benjamin Thovson Memorial WMA: 153 acres, 6.1 miles away
- Erie WMA: 69 acres, 6.3 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Antler WMA
Counting Antler WMA itself, 701 of the 24,916 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (2.8%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 404 |
| State wildlife management areas | 297 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Antler WMA?
In Lincoln and Yellow Medicine counties, near Porter. The DNR's directions: From Porter, go 1 mile E on Twp Rd.
Which deer permit area is Antler WMA in?
DPA 286 (152 acres) and DPA 280 (19 acres). Each part follows its own permit area's bag limit.
How much public land is around Antler WMA?
701 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Antler WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 6 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Lower Antelope Valley WMA (2.2 miles).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Antler 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.
Minnesota hunting Lincoln County Yellow Medicine County DPA 286 DPA 280