Padua Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Padua Wildlife Management Area is 324 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Stearns County, near Padua, inside Deer Permit Area 218. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game for it. Hunters registered 3,769 deer in DPA 218 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 areasPadua WMACounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 324 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Stearns County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 218 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Padua |
| DNR area office | Sauk Rapids |
| Nearest towns | Elrosa (5 mi), Meire Grove (6 mi) and Greenwald (7 mi) |
What is Padua WMA like?
This 324 acre WMA has a mixture of restored prairie, larger shallow open water wetlands, and a substantial older growth hardwood forest. Management objectives includes acquiring important adjacent tracts, and restoring exotic grasslands to native prairie.
This area is unique being part of what is known as a prairie hardwood grove. In this area islands of bur oak/basswood/sugar maple/ash occur commonly around larger prairie lakes or marsh complexes which were mostly protected from intense prairie fires.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on Padua WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game for Padua WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Padua WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around Padua WMA?
Padua WMA lies in Deer Permit Area 218. The DNR registered 3,769 deer in DPA 218 in 2025, against 3,553 in 2024.
| DPA | Padua WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 218 | 324 | 3,769 | 3,553 | 3,092 |
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 Padua WMA?
2 miles NE of Padua within Sections 13 & 24, T125N, R35W (Raymond Township) and Sections 18 & 19, T125N, R34W (Getty Township).
Nearest towns: Elrosa (5 miles), Meire Grove (6 miles), Greenwald (7 miles) and Sauk Centre (8 miles). Highways within 5 miles: US 71.
What other public land is near Padua WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Mel Roehrl WMA: 307 acres, 3.6 miles away
- Spirit Marsh WMA: 39 acres, 4.2 miles away
- Sauk River WMA: 939 acres, 4.6 miles away
- Tower WMA: 76 acres, 5.4 miles away
- North Fork WMA: 255 acres, 5.8 miles away
- Vision WMA: 234 acres, 6.2 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Padua WMA
Counting Padua WMA itself, 1,044 of the 25,229 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (4.1%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 688 |
| State wildlife management areas | 324 |
| State forest and other DNR land | 32 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Padua WMA?
In Stearns County, near Padua. The DNR's directions: 2 miles NE of Padua within Sections 13 & 24, T125N, R35W (Raymond Township) and Sections 18 & 19, T125N, R34W (Getty Township).
Which deer permit area is Padua WMA in?
Deer Permit Area 218. Its bag limit and firearms dates apply.
How much public land is around Padua WMA?
1,044 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Padua WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 6 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Mel Roehrl WMA (3.6 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, Padua 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.