Prairie Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Prairie Wildlife Management Area is 186 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Big Stone County, near Ortonville, inside Deer Permit Area 274. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, pheasants and ducks and geese for it. Hunters registered 495 deer in DPA 274 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 areasPrairie WMACounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 186 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Big Stone County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 274 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, pheasants and ducks and geese |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Ortonville |
| DNR area office | Appleton |
| Nearest towns | Ortonville (3 mi), Odessa (5 mi) and Clinton (9 mi) |
What can you hunt on Prairie WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, pheasants and ducks and geese for Prairie WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Prairie WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around Prairie WMA?
Prairie WMA lies in Deer Permit Area 274. The DNR registered 495 deer in DPA 274 in 2025, against 453 in 2024.
| DPA | Prairie WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 274 | 186 | 495 | 453 | 402 |
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 Prairie WMA?
From Ortonville, go 1 mile N on US 75 then 2 miles E on CSAH 12.
Nearest towns: Ortonville (3 miles), Odessa (5 miles), Clinton (9 miles) and Correll (12 miles). Highways within 5 miles: US 75, MN 7 and US 12.
What other public land is near Prairie WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Victory WMA: 811 acres, next to it
- Reisdorph WMA: 214 acres, 0.8 miles away
- Lindquist WMA: 72 acres, 2.3 miles away
- Thielke Lake WMA: 1,256 acres, 3.1 miles away
- Otrey WMA: 455 acres, 3.7 miles away
- Thomson WMA: 119 acres, 3.7 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Prairie WMA
Counting Prairie WMA itself, 2,470 of the 23,051 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (10.7%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 1,284 |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 1,186 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Prairie WMA?
In Big Stone County, near Ortonville. The DNR's directions: From Ortonville, go 1 mile N on US 75 then 2 miles E on CSAH 12.
Which deer permit area is Prairie WMA in?
Deer Permit Area 274. Its bag limit and firearms dates apply.
How much public land is around Prairie WMA?
2,470 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Prairie WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 6 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Victory WMA (next to it).
Get a Minnesota hunt plan when they open
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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, Prairie 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.