Milest Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Milest Wildlife Management Area is 216 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Rice County, near Little Chicago, inside Deer Permit Area 605. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game for it. Hunters registered 3,115 deer in DPA 605 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 landNational wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areasCounty, city and regional landMilest WMACounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 216 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Rice County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 605 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Little Chicago |
| DNR area office | Owatonna |
| Nearest towns | Lonsdale (5 mi), Dundas (6 mi) and Northfield (8 mi) |
What is Milest WMA like?
This WMA is a marsh and swamp complex with an oak and brush covered island near the middle of the unit. Canoe access only through Union Creek.
Management emphasis on this WMA is for wetland and waterfowl habitat protection, and to provide a deer and pheasant wintering area. Watch for least bitterns, deer, pheasants, mallards, red-winged blackbirds, mink, muskrats, marsh wrens and cottontail rabbits. Canoeing and trapping.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on Milest WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game for Milest WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Milest WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around Milest WMA?
Milest WMA lies in Deer Permit Area 605. The DNR registered 3,115 deer in DPA 605 in 2025, against 2,826 in 2024.
| DPA | Milest WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 605 | 216 | 3,115 | 2,826 | 2,821 |
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 Milest WMA?
From Little Chicago go 1.2 miles E. on Hwy. 19, 1.2 miles S. on CSAH 46, 1.4 miles W. on Co. Rd. 59 to Union Creek/Union Lake public access, water access 0.5 miles SW on Union Creek.
Nearest towns: Lonsdale (5 miles), Dundas (6 miles), Northfield (8 miles) and Elko New Market (8 miles). Highways within 5 miles: I-35 and MN 19.
What other public land is near Milest WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Paulson Marsh WMA: 62 acres, next to it
- Circle Lake WMA: 263 acres, 1 mile away
- Peat Bog WMA: 154 acres, 2.5 miles away
- Esker WMA: 48 acres, 3 miles away
- Mud Creek WMA: 157 acres, 3.8 miles away
- Big Woods Heritage Forest WMA: 127 acres, 4.5 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Milest WMA
Counting Milest WMA itself, 843 of the 23,874 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 | 687 |
| State forest and other DNR land | 156 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Milest WMA?
In Rice County, near Little Chicago. The DNR's directions: From Little Chicago go 1.2 miles E. on Hwy. 19, 1.2 miles S. on CSAH 46, 1.4 miles W. on Co. Rd. 59 to Union Creek/Union Lake public access, water access 0.5 miles SW on Union Creek.
Which deer permit area is Milest WMA in?
Deer Permit Area 605. Its bag limit and firearms dates apply.
How much public land is around Milest WMA?
843 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Milest WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 6 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Paulson Marsh WMA (next to it).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Milest 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.