McDougall Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
McDougall Wildlife Management Area is 472 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Morrison County, near Royalton, inside Deer Permit Areas 221 and 215. 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 4,908 deer in DPA 221 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 areasMcDougall WMACounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 472 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Morrison County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 221, DPA 215 |
| 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) | Royalton |
| DNR area office | Little Falls |
| Special restrictions | Yes, see the rules below |
| Nearest towns | Royalton (2 mi), Bowlus (3 mi) and Elmdale (7 mi) |
What is McDougall WMA like?
This WMA is mixture of floodplain hardwood forest, bur and pin oak forest, and restored tall-grass prairie adjacent to the Mississippi River in a landscape that is mixed woodland, agriculture and grassland.
Management of this unit focuses on maintaining and improving the habitat for a diversity of native plants and wildlife, with emphasis on grassland and forest habitats.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on McDougall 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 McDougall WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on McDougall WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
Special restriction the DNR lists for McDougall WMA: Motorized vehicles are prohibited on the WMA except on designated routes and parking lots. Off-highway vehicles (OHVs), all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), and snowmobiles are prohibited anywhere on the WMA, including on designated parking lots and access road.
How many deer are taken around McDougall WMA?
McDougall WMA lies in 2 deer permit areas. The DNR registered 4,908 deer in DPA 221 in 2025, against 4,438 in 2024.
| DPA | McDougall WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 221 | 468 | 4,908 | 4,438 | 4,050 |
| DPA 215 | 5 | 5,267 | 4,913 | 4,318 |
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 McDougall WMA?
From Royalton, go 1 mile west on county road 26, then 1.5 miles north on county road 258 (Hilton Road).
Nearest towns: Royalton (2 miles), Bowlus (3 miles), Elmdale (7 miles) and Rice (7 miles). Highways within 5 miles: US 10 and MN 238.
What other public land is near McDougall WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Rice-Skunk WMA: 665 acres, 5.6 miles away
- Happy Valley WMA: 206 acres, 6.6 miles away
- Crane Meadows WMA: 189 acres, 7.2 miles away
- Sartell WMA: 368 acres, 7.4 miles away
- Rice Area Sportsmens Club WMA: 580 acres, 8.5 miles away
- Michaelson Farm WMA: 259 acres, 8.7 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of McDougall WMA
Counting McDougall WMA itself, 556 of the 26,075 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (2.1%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 556 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is McDougall WMA?
In Morrison County, near Royalton. The DNR's directions: From Royalton, go 1 mile west on county road 26, then 1.5 miles north on county road 258 (Hilton Road).
Which deer permit area is McDougall WMA in?
DPA 221 (468 acres) and DPA 215 (5 acres). Each part follows its own permit area's bag limit.
How much public land is around McDougall WMA?
556 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, McDougall WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 6 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Rice-Skunk WMA (5.6 miles).
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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, McDougall 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.