Schottler Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Schottler Wildlife Management Area is 166 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Mower County, near Austin, inside Deer Permit Area 255. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, mourning doves and small game for it. Hunters registered 704 deer in DPA 255 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 areasSchottler WMACounty lineHighway
| Size | 166 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Mower County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 255 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, mourning doves and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Austin |
| DNR area office | Owatonna |
| Nearest towns | Rose Creek (4 mi), Austin (5 mi) and Lyle (6 mi) |
What is Schottler WMA like?
The Schottler WMA is nearly level grassland and wetland habitats with small patches of willow brushland. A prairie swale bisects the area providing seasonal wetland habitats for waterfowl and other wetland wildlife.
The wildlife area was acquired through a cooperative effort with the Edward and Lucy Schottler family, Pheasants Forever, Inc, the North American Wetland Conservation Act Centennial Pothole Joint Venture and the Reinvest in Minnesota Critical Habitat Program with the support and assistance of many local conservationists including Mower County Pheasants Forever, the Southeast Chapter of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association, Tri-County Pheasants Forever and the Austin (Chapter 9) Izaak Walton League. The area was planted to a variety of prairie habitats to aid in the ongoing study of grassland habitats and wildlife. The area is managed with prescribed fire and other practices to maintain open grassland habitat and wetland habitats free of significant tree cover. The open grasslands of the Schottler WMA provide habitats for prairie wildlife such as bobolinks, meadowlarks and meadow voles.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on Schottler WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, mourning doves and small game for Schottler WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Schottler WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around Schottler WMA?
Schottler WMA lies in Deer Permit Area 255. The DNR registered 704 deer in DPA 255 in 2025, against 677 in 2024.
| DPA | Schottler WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 255 | 166 | 704 | 677 | 677 |
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 Schottler WMA?
From Austin, go 4.5 miles south on US Hwy 218, then 1 mile east on County Highway 4, then 0.5 miles south on 560th Avenue. The WMA is on the east side of the gravel road.
A parking lot is provided in the northwest corner of the wildlife area off of 560th Avenue.
Nearest towns: Rose Creek (4 miles), Austin (5 miles), Lyle (6 miles) and Mapleview (7 miles). Highways within 5 miles: US 218, MN 105, MN 56 and I-90.
What other public land is near Schottler WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Lyle-austin WMA: 115 acres, 1.3 miles away
- Lena Larson WMA: 172 acres, 3.3 miles away
- Rose WMA: 51 acres, 4.3 miles away
- Mentel WMA: 37 acres, 4.6 miles away
- Red Cedar River WMA: 73 acres, 4.9 miles away
- Schrafel WMA: 33 acres, 6.5 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Schottler WMA
Counting Schottler WMA itself, 255 of the 22,133 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (1.2%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 255 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Schottler WMA?
In Mower County, near Austin. The DNR's directions: From Austin, go 4.5 miles south on US Hwy 218, then 1 mile east on County Highway 4, then 0.5 miles south on 560th Avenue. The WMA is on the east side of the gravel road.
Which deer permit area is Schottler WMA in?
Deer Permit Area 255. Its bag limit and firearms dates apply.
How much public land is around Schottler WMA?
255 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Schottler WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 6 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Lyle-austin WMA (1.3 miles).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Schottler 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.