Pheasants Forever Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Pheasants Forever Wildlife Management Area is 297 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Dodge County, near Wasioja, inside Deer Permit Area 233. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, wild turkey, pheasants, mourning doves and small game for it. Hunters registered 652 deer in DPA 233 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 areasCounty, city and regional landPheasants Forever WMACounty lineHighway
| Size | 297 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Dodge County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 233 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, mourning doves and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Wasioja |
| DNR area office | Owatonna |
| Nearest towns | Dodge Center (2 mi), Kasson (3 mi) and Mantorville (3 mi) |
What is Pheasants Forever WMA like?
This WMA protects diverse prairie brushland and wetland habitats. The area is bisected by small streams. Management objectives are to maintain and restore brush prairie and wetland habitats.
This area has been protected though the RIM Critical Habitat Matching Program and the efforts of Pheasants Forever. Management techniques including prescribed fire, mowing, farming and timber management are used to maintain open brushland habitats. Remnant prairies and fens provide a diversity of opportunities for nature study and wildlife watching. The area receives substantial fall hunting pressure, especially during pheasant season.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on Pheasants Forever WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, wild turkey, pheasants, mourning doves and small game for Pheasants Forever WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Pheasants Forever WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around Pheasants Forever WMA?
Pheasants Forever WMA lies in Deer Permit Area 233. The DNR registered 652 deer in DPA 233 in 2025, against 620 in 2024.
| DPA | Pheasants Forever WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 233 | 297 | 652 | 620 | 598 |
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 Pheasants Forever WMA?
From Wasioja, go 1.75 miles S. on CSAH 9. One parking area is located about 0.6 miles east on CSAH 12 and a second parking area is about 0.5 south on CSAH 9.
Nearest towns: Dodge Center (2 miles), Kasson (3 miles), Mantorville (3 miles) and West Concord (8 miles). Highways within 5 miles: US 14, MN 56 and MN 57.
What other public land is near Pheasants Forever WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Naylor WMA: 307 acres, 5.5 miles away
- Bud Jensen WMA: 102 acres, 5.8 miles away
- Vorce WMA: 40 acres, 7.8 miles away
- Tri-cooperative WMA: 47 acres, 8.2 miles away
- McMartin WMA: 38 acres, 8.3 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Pheasants Forever WMA
Counting Pheasants Forever WMA itself, 385 of the 23,954 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (1.6%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 298 |
| County, city and regional land | 87 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Pheasants Forever WMA?
In Dodge County, near Wasioja. The DNR's directions: From Wasioja, go 1.75 miles S. on CSAH 9. One parking area is located about 0.6 miles east on CSAH 12 and a second parking area is about 0.5 south on CSAH 9.
Which deer permit area is Pheasants Forever WMA in?
Deer Permit Area 233. Its bag limit and firearms dates apply.
How much public land is around Pheasants Forever WMA?
385 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Pheasants Forever WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 5 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Naylor WMA (5.5 miles).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Pheasants Forever 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.