Rock Dell Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Rock Dell Wildlife Management Area is 490 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Olmsted County, near Rock Dell, inside Deer Permit Area 643. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game for it. Hunters registered 3,469 deer in DPA 643 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 areasRock Dell WMACounty lineHighway
| Size | 490 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Olmsted County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 643 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Rock Dell |
| DNR area office | Rochester |
| Nearest towns | High Forest (6 mi), Byron (7 mi) and Stewartville (8 mi) |
What is Rock Dell WMA like?
This WMA is a mix of grassland and woodland with approximately 2 miles of the Zumbro River flowing through it.
This unit provides excellent opportunities for deer and turkey hunting. Pheasant and small game hunting are also available along with fishing and wildlife viewing. Much of the acreage on-site that had formerly been agriculture has been and will continue to be restored to native prairie, but numerous acres of food plots remain on the property. HABITAT MANAGEMENT NOTICE: Wooded portions of this WMA are currently undergoing woody invasive brush management to reduce understory invasion of buckthorn and honeysuckle. Sites are being mechanically/hand-cleared and treated with herbicides to reduce re-sprouting of invasive species. We apologize for the inconvenience of this habitat management effort, but are confident the work will improve site access and species diversity for years to come.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on Rock Dell WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game for Rock Dell WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Rock Dell WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around Rock Dell WMA?
Rock Dell WMA lies in Deer Permit Area 643. The DNR registered 3,469 deer in DPA 643 in 2025, against 3,028 in 2024.
| DPA | Rock Dell WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 643 | 490 | 3,469 | 3,028 | 3,039 |
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 Rock Dell WMA?
From Rock Dell, go 0.5 miles N on County Rd 3 SW. Address of the N parking lot is 6412 County Rd 3 SW, Byron, MN 55920. Address of the SW parking lot is 10403 County Rd 26 SW, Byron, MN 55920.
Nearest towns: High Forest (6 miles), Byron (7 miles), Stewartville (8 miles) and Kasson (9 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MN 30.
What other public land is near Rock Dell WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- South Fork Zumbro River WMA: 29 acres, 1.3 miles away
- Nelson Fen WMA: 79 acres, 1.5 miles away
- High Forest WMA: 69 acres, 1.8 miles away
- Keller WMA: 197 acres, 2 miles away
- Suess WMA: 54 acres, 2.1 miles away
- Marian Marshall WMA: 59 acres, 2.6 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Rock Dell WMA
Counting Rock Dell WMA itself, 1,030 of the 26,214 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (3.9%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 1,030 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Rock Dell WMA?
In Olmsted County, near Rock Dell. The DNR's directions: From Rock Dell, go 0.5 miles N on County Rd 3 SW. Address of the N parking lot is 6412 County Rd 3 SW, Byron, MN 55920. Address of the SW parking lot is 10403 County Rd 26 SW, Byron, MN 55920.
Which deer permit area is Rock Dell WMA in?
Deer Permit Area 643. Its bag limit and firearms dates apply.
How much public land is around Rock Dell WMA?
1,030 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Rock Dell WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 6 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest South Fork Zumbro River WMA (1.3 miles).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Rock Dell 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.