Madison Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Madison Wildlife Management Area is 228 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Lac qui Parle County, near Madison, inside Deer Permit Areas 279 and 280. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game for it. Hunters registered 397 deer in DPA 279 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 areasMadison WMACounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 228 acres in 3 pieces |
|---|---|
| County | Lac qui Parle County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 279, DPA 280 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Madison |
| DNR area office | Appleton |
| Nearest towns | Madison (2 mi), Bellingham (7 mi) and Louisburg (8 mi) |
What can you hunt on Madison WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game for Madison WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Madison WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around Madison WMA?
Madison WMA lies in 2 deer permit areas. The DNR registered 397 deer in DPA 279 in 2025, against 370 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 Madison WMA?
From Madison, go 2.25 miles NW on US 75.
Nearest towns: Madison (2 miles), Bellingham (7 miles), Louisburg (8 miles) and Marietta (10 miles). Highways within 5 miles: US 75 and MN 40.
What other public land is near Madison WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Madrena WMA: 306 acres, next to it
- Lillejord WMA: 94 acres, 0.7 miles away
- Borchardt -Rosin WMA: 258 acres, 1.8 miles away
- Kemen WMA: 209 acres, 3.2 miles away
- Haydenville WMA: 484 acres, 3.3 miles away
- Sioux Reservation Line WMA: 34 acres, 3.4 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Madison WMA
Counting Madison WMA itself, 886 of the 25,251 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 | 886 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Madison WMA?
In Lac qui Parle County, near Madison. The DNR's directions: From Madison, go 2.25 miles NW on US 75.
Which deer permit area is Madison WMA in?
DPA 279 (209 acres) and DPA 280 (19 acres). Each part follows its own permit area's bag limit.
How much public land is around Madison WMA?
886 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Madison WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 6 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Madrena WMA (next to it).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Madison 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.