Poplar Creek Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Poplar Creek Wildlife Management Area is 231 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Pipestone County, near Edgerton, inside Deer Permit Areas 294 and 234. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, pheasants and small game for it. Hunters registered 472 deer in DPA 294 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 areasPoplar Creek WMACounty lineHighway
| Size | 231 acres in 2 pieces |
|---|---|
| County | Pipestone County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 294, DPA 234 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, pheasants and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Edgerton |
| DNR area office | Slayton-Talcot Lake |
| Nearest towns | Trosky (2 mi), Edgerton (3 mi) and Hatfield (5 mi) |
What is Poplar Creek WMA like?
This unit is a grassland creek valley with woody cover areas and a food plot. The Poplar Creek runs through this WMA.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on Poplar Creek WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, pheasants and small game for Poplar Creek WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Poplar Creek WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around Poplar Creek WMA?
Poplar Creek WMA lies in 2 deer permit areas. The DNR registered 472 deer in DPA 294 in 2025, against 462 in 2024.
| DPA | Poplar Creek WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 294 | 144 | 472 | 462 | 461 |
| DPA 234 | 87 | 288 | 257 | 283 |
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 Poplar Creek WMA?
From Edgerton, go 3.75 miles west on State Highway 268 to this subunit on the North side of the road. From Edgerton, go 3.5 miles west on State Highway 268, then 0.5 miles south on township road.
Nearest towns: Trosky (2 miles), Edgerton (3 miles), Hatfield (5 miles) and Hardwick (6 miles). Highways within 5 miles: US 75 and MN 268.
What other public land is near Poplar Creek WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Eden WMA: 159 acres, 5.1 miles away
- Burke WMA: 106 acres, 5.7 miles away
- Jasper WMA: 80 acres, 7.6 miles away
- Ringneck Ridge WMA: 82 acres, 8.6 miles away
- Terrace WMA: 445 acres, 9.3 miles away
- Salt & Pepper WMA: 97 acres, 9.6 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Poplar Creek WMA
Counting Poplar Creek WMA itself, 237 of the 26,029 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (0.9%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 237 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Poplar Creek WMA?
In Pipestone County, near Edgerton. The DNR's directions: From Edgerton, go 3.75 miles west on State Highway 268 to this subunit on the North side of the road. From Edgerton, go 3.5 miles west on State Highway 268, then 0.5 miles south on township road.
Which deer permit area is Poplar Creek WMA in?
DPA 294 (144 acres) and DPA 234 (87 acres). Each part follows its own permit area's bag limit.
How much public land is around Poplar Creek WMA?
237 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Poplar Creek WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 6 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Eden WMA (5.1 miles).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Poplar Creek 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).
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