Ferndale Ridge Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Ferndale Ridge Wildlife Management Area is 658 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Houston County, near Rushford, inside Deer Permit Area 649. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, mourning doves and small game for it. Hunters registered 3,806 deer in DPA 649 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 areasState forest and other DNR landFerndale Ridge WMACounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 658 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Houston County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 649 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, mourning doves and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Rushford |
| DNR area office | Rochester |
| Nearest towns | Rushford (3 mi), Rushford Village (4 mi) and Houston (6 mi) |
What is Ferndale Ridge WMA like?
This WMA is a bluff top with planted native grasses and food plots on top, with oak and central hardwood forests on the slopes.
This unit is managed primarily for deer, turkey and pheasant, with some small game hunting as well. Management activities include use of prescribed fire on native grasses and timber harvest. Primary species on this unit include deer, turkey, small game and pheasants.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on Ferndale Ridge WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, mourning doves and small game for Ferndale Ridge WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Ferndale Ridge WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around Ferndale Ridge WMA?
Ferndale Ridge WMA lies in Deer Permit Area 649. The DNR registered 3,806 deer in DPA 649 in 2025, against 3,455 in 2024.
| DPA | Ferndale Ridge WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 649 | 658 | 3,806 | 3,455 | 3,383 |
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 Ferndale Ridge WMA?
From Rushford, go 3.5 miles south and east on State Highway 16, then 0.2 miles east on township road, and then south 2 miles south on Ferndale Road, then east on Hunters Dream Drive to the WMA.
Access from off Ferndale ridge road or parking lot off Hunter Dream drive on top.
Nearest towns: Rushford (3 miles), Rushford Village (4 miles), Houston (6 miles) and Peterson (6 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MN 16, MN 43, MN 76 and MN 30.
What other public land is near Ferndale Ridge WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Chisholm Valley WMA: 80 acres, next to it
- Rush Creek Woods WMA: 367 acres, 3.4 miles away
- Yucatan WMA: 967 acres, 3.5 miles away
- Schueler WMA: 896 acres, 4.8 miles away
- Choice WMA: 1,665 acres, 6.6 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Ferndale Ridge WMA
Counting Ferndale Ridge WMA itself, 3,545 of the 26,726 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (13.3%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State forest and other DNR land | 2,751 |
| State wildlife management areas | 794 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Ferndale Ridge WMA?
In Houston County, near Rushford. The DNR's directions: From Rushford, go 3.5 miles south and east on State Highway 16, then 0.2 miles east on township road, and then south 2 miles south on Ferndale Road, then east on Hunters Dream Drive to the WMA.
Which deer permit area is Ferndale Ridge WMA in?
Deer Permit Area 649. Its bag limit and firearms dates apply.
How much public land is around Ferndale Ridge WMA?
3,545 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Ferndale Ridge WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 5 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Chisholm Valley WMA (next to it).
Get a Minnesota hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Minnesota are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
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, Ferndale Ridge 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.