Findley Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Findley Wildlife Management Area is 287 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Waseca County, near Waseca, inside Deer Permit Area 232. 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 745 deer in DPA 232 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 areasCounty, city and regional landFindley WMACounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 287 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Waseca County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 232 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Waseca |
| DNR area office | Owatonna |
| Nearest towns | Waseca (3 mi), Morristown (7 mi) and Waterville (9 mi) |
What is Findley WMA like?
Findley Marsh is a large wetland associated with Rice and Watkins Lakes and Moonan Marsh. The majority of the area is wet meadow and emergent marsh. Upland habitats include hardwood forest, grasslands and brushlands and a conifer shelter belt.
A variety of wetland wildlife inhabit Findley Marsh. Birds as diverse as sandhill cranes, soras and sedge wrens nest in the large marsh complex. Mature hardwood forest provides habitat for squirrels, raccoons, barred owls, wood ducks and turkeys. The robust emergent marsh and associated woody cover provides an important winter habitat complex for resident wildlife such as white-tailed deer, ring-necked pheasants, cotton-tailed rabbits and downy woodpeckers.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on Findley 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 Findley WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Findley WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around Findley WMA?
Findley WMA lies in Deer Permit Area 232. The DNR registered 745 deer in DPA 232 in 2025, against 773 in 2024.
| DPA | Findley WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 232 | 287 | 745 | 773 | 805 |
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 Findley WMA?
From Waseca, go 3.8 miles NE on CSAH 4 (Snake Trail) to 388th Avenue. A parking area is 0.6 miles west of the intersection of Snake Trail on the south side of 388th Avenue.
A grass surface parking area is located off 388th Avenue on the north side of the wildlife area.
Nearest towns: Waseca (3 miles), Morristown (7 miles), Waterville (9 miles) and Medford (10 miles). Highways within 5 miles: US 14 and MN 13.
What other public land is near Findley WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Moonan WMA: 995 acres, next to it
- Pawek WMA: 79 acres, 2.4 miles away
- Waseca WMA: 303 acres, 2.8 miles away
- Swan WMA: 238 acres, 4.8 miles away
- Little Fawn WMA: 20 acres, 5.1 miles away
- Prairie Rose WMA: 118 acres, 6.8 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Findley WMA
Counting Findley WMA itself, 1,632 of the 24,369 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (6.7%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 1,466 |
| County, city and regional land | 166 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Findley WMA?
In Waseca County, near Waseca. The DNR's directions: From Waseca, go 3.8 miles NE on CSAH 4 (Snake Trail) to 388th Avenue. A parking area is 0.6 miles west of the intersection of Snake Trail on the south side of 388th Avenue.
Which deer permit area is Findley WMA in?
Deer Permit Area 232. Its bag limit and firearms dates apply.
How much public land is around Findley WMA?
1,632 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Findley WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 6 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Moonan WMA (next to it).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Findley 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.