Budolfson Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Budolfson Wildlife Management Area is 617 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Murray and Cottonwood counties, near Westbrook, inside Deer Permit Area 295. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game for it. Hunters registered 904 deer in DPA 295 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 areasBudolfson WMACounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 617 acres in 2 pieces |
|---|---|
| Counties | Murray County and Cottonwood County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 295 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Westbrook |
| DNR area office | Slayton-Talcot Lake |
| Nearest towns | Westbrook (next to it), Dovray (3 mi) and Storden (7 mi) |
What is Budolfson WMA like?
This WMA consists of abandoned gravel pits, marginal farmland, and farm groves that provide winter wildlife cover, food plots for wintering wildlife, and grasslands. This unit surrounds Lake Julia, a shallow wildlife lake.
There is a carry-in water access for Lake Julia on this unit.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on Budolfson WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game for Budolfson WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Budolfson WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around Budolfson WMA?
Budolfson WMA lies in Deer Permit Area 295. The DNR registered 904 deer in DPA 295 in 2025, against 835 in 2024.
| DPA | Budolfson WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 295 | 617 | 904 | 835 | 827 |
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 Budolfson WMA?
From Westbrook, go 2 miles west on MN30, 1 mile north and 1/2 mile east on township roads.
Nearest towns: Westbrook (next to it), Dovray (3 miles), Storden (7 miles) and Currie (9 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MN 30.
What other public land is near Budolfson WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Dovray WMA: 998 acres, 4.2 miles away
- Buffalo Lake WMA: 568 acres, 4.4 miles away
- Devils Run WMA: 90 acres, 4.7 miles away
- Irruption WMA: 341 acres, 5.8 miles away
- Hurricane Lake WMA: 360 acres, 6.2 miles away
- Expandere WMA: 1,178 acres, 6.6 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Budolfson WMA
Counting Budolfson WMA itself, 772 of the 28,033 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 |
|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 623 |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 149 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Budolfson WMA?
In Murray and Cottonwood counties, near Westbrook. The DNR's directions: From Westbrook, go 2 miles west on MN30, 1 mile north and 1/2 mile east on township roads.
Which deer permit area is Budolfson WMA in?
Deer Permit Area 295. Its bag limit and firearms dates apply.
How much public land is around Budolfson WMA?
772 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Budolfson WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 6 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Dovray WMA (4.2 miles).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Budolfson 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.