Rice Area Sportsmens Club Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Rice Area Sportsmens Club Wildlife Management Area is 580 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Morrison County, near Buckman, inside Deer Permit Area 221. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, mourning doves and small game for it. Hunters registered 4,908 deer in DPA 221 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 areasRice Area Sportsmens Club WMACounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 580 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Morrison County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 221 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, mourning doves and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Buckman |
| DNR area office | Little Falls |
| Special restrictions | Yes, see the rules below |
| Nearest towns | Buckman (2 mi), Genola (6 mi) and Pierz (7 mi) |
What is Rice Area Sportsmens Club WMA like?
This WMA is a mixture of small wetland, deciduous woodland, dry oak savanna & barrens, brush-prairie, wet meadow, and restored mesic & dry prairie in a landscape that is predominantly agriculture with some mixed woodland, grasslands and wetlands.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on Rice Area Sportsmens Club WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds, mourning doves and small game for Rice Area Sportsmens Club WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Rice Area Sportsmens Club WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
Special restriction the DNR lists for Rice Area Sportsmens Club WMA: Motorized vehicles are prohibited on the WMA except on designated routes and parking lots. Off-highway vehicles (OHVs), all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), and snowmobiles are prohibited anywhere on the WMA, including on designated parking lots and access roads.
How many deer are taken around Rice Area Sportsmens Club WMA?
Rice Area Sportsmens Club WMA lies in Deer Permit Area 221. The DNR registered 4,908 deer in DPA 221 in 2025, against 4,438 in 2024.
| DPA | Rice Area Sportsmens Club WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 221 | 580 | 4,908 | 4,438 | 4,050 |
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 Rice Area Sportsmens Club WMA?
From Buckman, go 1 mile south on highway 25, then 2.5 miles west on township road.
Nearest towns: Buckman (2 miles), Genola (6 miles), Pierz (7 miles) and Royalton (7 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MN 25.
What other public land is near Rice Area Sportsmens Club WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Coon Lake Marsh WMA: 54 acres, 1.8 miles away
- Crane Meadows WMA: 189 acres, 2 miles away
- Rice-Skunk WMA: 665 acres, 3.1 miles away
- Sartell WMA: 368 acres, 5.2 miles away
- Benton WMA: 82 acres, 5.4 miles away
- Graham WMA: 401 acres, 6 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Rice Area Sportsmens Club WMA
Counting Rice Area Sportsmens Club WMA itself, 1,040 of the 26,131 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (4%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 824 |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 216 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Rice Area Sportsmens Club WMA?
In Morrison County, near Buckman. The DNR's directions: From Buckman, go 1 mile south on highway 25, then 2.5 miles west on township road.
Which deer permit area is Rice Area Sportsmens Club WMA in?
Deer Permit Area 221. Its bag limit and firearms dates apply.
How much public land is around Rice Area Sportsmens Club WMA?
1,040 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Rice Area Sportsmens Club WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 6 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Coon Lake Marsh WMA (1.8 miles).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Rice Area Sportsmens Club 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.