Haverhill Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Haverhill Wildlife Management Area is 398 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Olmsted County, near Rochester, inside Deer Permit Area 643. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, mourning doves and small game for it. Hunters registered 3,469 deer in DPA 643 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 landHaverhill WMACounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 398 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Olmsted County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 643 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, mourning doves and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Rochester |
| DNR area office | Rochester |
| Special restrictions | Yes, see the rules below |
| Nearest towns | Rochester (6 mi), Marion (6 mi) and Eyota (7 mi) |
What is Haverhill WMA like?
This WMA is mostly rolling topography with large open grasslands and a wet meadow in the southwest corner. The area is just north and east of a Rochester flood control impoundment that is used by large flocks of waterfowl in the spring and fall. Traditionally, the WMA was managed to provide food for migrating geese throughout the fall and winter months. With a healthy goose population around Rochester and ample food sources available in the surrounding area, the focus of management on the unit has transitioned to restoring native prairie on considerable acreage traditionally in agriculture. The unit also has pockets of woody/forest cover that has been established to provide winter cover and wildlife travel corridors. While the conversion of agriculture to prairie habitat will continue year-to-year, plenty of agricultural fields that act as winter food plots continue to exist on the property.
The goal of this unit is to provide quality wildlife habitat and opportunities for hunting and outdoor recreation.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on Haverhill WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, mourning doves and small game for Haverhill WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Haverhill WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
Special restriction the DNR lists for Haverhill WMA: This WMA is within the Rochester Game Refuge and is closed to waterfowl hunting. There are “Closed to Discharge of Firearms” buffers posted along the southern boundary of the WMA and south of the West parking lot. All firearms must be unloaded within these zones.
How many deer are taken around Haverhill WMA?
Haverhill WMA lies in Deer Permit Area 643. The DNR registered 3,469 deer in DPA 643 in 2025, against 3,028 in 2024.
| DPA | Haverhill WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 643 | 398 | 3,469 | 3,028 | 3,039 |
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 Haverhill WMA?
From Rochester, go 2.5 miles E on County Road 9, then 1.25 miles N on County Road 11. Address of the West parking lot is 5749 23rd St. NE, Rochester, MN 55906. Address of the South parking lot is 6391 Silver Creek Rd. NE, Rochester, MN 55906.
There are two parking lots on this unit. One is located on the southern boundary along Silver Creek Rd NE and the other is on the west side of the unit at the end of 23rd St NE.
Nearest towns: Rochester (6 miles), Marion (6 miles), Eyota (7 miles) and Elgin (7 miles). Highways within 5 miles: US 14, US 63 and MN 42.
What other public land is near Haverhill WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Gordon W. Yeager WMA: 490 acres, 1.5 miles away
- Eastside WMA: 119 acres, 2.1 miles away
- Whitewater WMA: 27,469 acres, 9.9 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Haverhill WMA
Counting Haverhill WMA itself, 920 of the 26,519 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (3.5%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 910 |
| County, city and regional land | 10 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Haverhill WMA?
In Olmsted County, near Rochester. The DNR's directions: From Rochester, go 2.5 miles E on County Road 9, then 1.25 miles N on County Road 11. Address of the West parking lot is 5749 23rd St. NE, Rochester, MN 55906. Address of the South parking lot is 6391 Silver Creek Rd. NE, Rochester, MN 55906.
Which deer permit area is Haverhill WMA in?
Deer Permit Area 643. Its bag limit and firearms dates apply.
How much public land is around Haverhill WMA?
920 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Haverhill WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 3 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Gordon W. Yeager WMA (1.5 miles).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Haverhill 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.