O A Vee Memorial Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
O A Vee Memorial Wildlife Management Area is 253 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Blue Earth County, near Mankato, inside Deer Permit Area 299. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game for it. Hunters registered 726 deer in DPA 299 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 areasNational wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areasState parksCounty, city and regional landO A Vee Memorial WMACounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 253 acres in 3 pieces |
|---|---|
| County | Blue Earth County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 299 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Mankato |
| DNR area office | Nicollet |
| Nearest towns | Lake Crystal (4 mi), Skyline (5 mi) and North Mankato (5 mi) |
What is O A Vee Memorial WMA like?
The O A Vee WMA is mainly comprised of: A restored prairie wetland complex with a small upland forest component.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on O A Vee Memorial WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game for O A Vee Memorial WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on O A Vee Memorial WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around O A Vee Memorial WMA?
O A Vee Memorial WMA lies in Deer Permit Area 299. The DNR registered 726 deer in DPA 299 in 2025, against 785 in 2024.
| DPA | O A Vee Memorial WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 299 | 253 | 726 | 785 | 797 |
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 O A Vee Memorial WMA?
From Mankato, go 6 miles W and 1 mile S on US 169 then 1 mile W on 204th St.
Nearest towns: Lake Crystal (4 miles), Skyline (5 miles), North Mankato (5 miles) and Garden City (6 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MN 60, US 169, MN 68, US 14 and MN 66.
What other public land is near O A Vee Memorial WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Picnic Rock WMA: 181 acres, 1.2 miles away
- Gary Clancy WMA: 162 acres, 4.1 miles away
- Swan Lake WMA: 3,396 acres, 5.1 miles away
- Gage WMA: 29 acres, 6.2 miles away
- Saiki WMA: 39 acres, 7 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of O A Vee Memorial WMA
Counting O A Vee Memorial WMA itself, 1,720 of the 23,619 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (7.3%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State parks | 1,278 |
| State wildlife management areas | 442 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is O A Vee Memorial WMA?
In Blue Earth County, near Mankato. The DNR's directions: From Mankato, go 6 miles W and 1 mile S on US 169 then 1 mile W on 204th St.
Which deer permit area is O A Vee Memorial WMA in?
Deer Permit Area 299. Its bag limit and firearms dates apply.
How much public land is around O A Vee Memorial WMA?
1,720 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, O A Vee Memorial WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 5 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Picnic Rock WMA (1.2 miles).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, O A Vee Memorial 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.