Sioux Prairie Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Sioux Prairie Wildlife Management Area is 443 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Lyon County, near Ivanhoe, inside Deer Permit Area 288. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game for it. Hunters registered 731 deer in DPA 288 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 areasWalk-In AccessSioux Prairie WMACounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 443 acres in 2 pieces |
|---|---|
| County | Lyon County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 288 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Ivanhoe |
| DNR area office | Marshall |
| Nearest towns | Arco (6 mi), Ivanhoe (9 mi) and Minneota (9 mi) |
What is Sioux Prairie WMA like?
This WMA is made up of three separate tracts that are wetland/prairie complexes.
This WMA contains Prairie Remnants.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on Sioux Prairie WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game for Sioux Prairie WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Sioux Prairie WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around Sioux Prairie WMA?
Sioux Prairie WMA lies in Deer Permit Area 288. The DNR registered 731 deer in DPA 288 in 2025, against 634 in 2024.
| DPA | Sioux Prairie WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 288 | 442 | 731 | 634 | 556 |
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 Sioux Prairie WMA?
From Ivanhoe, go 10 miles E on SH 19.
Nearest towns: Arco (6 miles), Ivanhoe (9 miles), Minneota (9 miles) and Lynd (9 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MN 19. 7 Walk-In Access sites within 3 miles.
What other public land is near Sioux Prairie WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Furgamme WMA: 152 acres, next to it
- Bosque WMA: 289 acres, 0.7 miles away
- Muldental WMA: 27 acres, 1.8 miles away
- Elmer Weltz WMA: 161 acres, 2.3 miles away
- Tillemans WMA: 155 acres, 3.6 miles away
- Rost WMA: 250 acres, 4.2 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Sioux Prairie WMA
Counting Sioux Prairie WMA itself, 2,667 of the 27,699 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (9.6%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 1,576 |
| State wildlife management areas | 1,091 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Sioux Prairie WMA?
In Lyon County, near Ivanhoe. The DNR's directions: From Ivanhoe, go 10 miles E on SH 19.
Which deer permit area is Sioux Prairie WMA in?
Deer Permit Area 288. Its bag limit and firearms dates apply.
How much public land is around Sioux Prairie WMA?
2,667 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Sioux Prairie WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 6 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Furgamme WMA (next to it).
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, Sioux 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.