Seven Springs Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Seven Springs Wildlife Management Area is 340 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Fillmore County, near Wykoff, inside Deer Permit Area 647. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game for it. Hunters registered 1,444 deer in DPA 647 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 areasState forest and other DNR landState parksSeven Springs WMACounty lineHighway
| Size | 340 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Fillmore County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 647 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Wykoff |
| DNR area office | Rochester |
| Nearest towns | Wykoff (5 mi), Spring Valley (6 mi) and Ostrander (7 mi) |
What is Seven Springs WMA like?
This WMA is bluff top with planted native grasses on ridge tops, with oak and central hardwoods forest on the slopes and direct seeding of hardwood forest on floodplain cropland.
This unit is managed primarily for deer, turkey, small game and pheasants. Management activities include use of prescribe fire on native grasses and timber harvest. Primary species on this unit is deer, turkey small game and pheasants.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on Seven Springs WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game for Seven Springs WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Seven Springs WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around Seven Springs WMA?
Seven Springs WMA lies in Deer Permit Area 647. The DNR registered 1,444 deer in DPA 647 in 2025, against 1,358 in 2024.
| DPA | Seven Springs WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 647 | 340 | 1,444 | 1,358 | 1,247 |
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 Seven Springs WMA?
From Wykoff take County Road 5 for 4 miles south, turn right onto County Road 12 for 1 1/4 miles, turn left on to Orion Road for 1 mile to parking area next to stream.
Access is difficult from parking lot on west township road on north side of root river.
Nearest towns: Wykoff (5 miles), Spring Valley (6 miles), Ostrander (7 miles) and Preston (10 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MN 16 and MN 80.
What other public land is near Seven Springs WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Cherry Grove WMA: 78 acres, 2.5 miles away
- Goethite WMA: 304 acres, 3.3 miles away
- Nosek WMA: 141 acres, 6.6 miles away
- Beaver Creek WMA: 1,294 acres, 7.8 miles away
- Spring Valley WMA: 81 acres, 9.6 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Seven Springs WMA
Counting Seven Springs WMA itself, 2,734 of the 24,983 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (10.9%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State parks | 2,075 |
| State wildlife management areas | 509 |
| State forest and other DNR land | 150 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Seven Springs WMA?
In Fillmore County, near Wykoff. The DNR's directions: From Wykoff take County Road 5 for 4 miles south, turn right onto County Road 12 for 1 1/4 miles, turn left on to Orion Road for 1 mile to parking area next to stream.
Which deer permit area is Seven Springs WMA in?
Deer Permit Area 647. Its bag limit and firearms dates apply.
How much public land is around Seven Springs WMA?
2,734 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Seven Springs WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 5 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Cherry Grove WMA (2.5 miles).
Get a Minnesota hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Minnesota are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
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, Seven Springs 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.