Sponsa Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Sponsa Wildlife Management Area is 218 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Morrison County, near Swanville, inside Deer Permit Area 215. 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 5,267 deer in DPA 215 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 landSponsa WMACounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 218 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Morrison County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 215 |
| 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) | Swanville |
| DNR area office | Little Falls |
| Special restrictions | Yes, see the rules below |
| Nearest towns | Burtrum (3 mi), Upsala (4 mi) and Swanville (4 mi) |
What is Sponsa WMA like?
This WMA is 222 acres of rolling hills with small prairie fields and oak-dominated hardwoods surrounding the Lake. Management of this unit focuses on maintaining and improving the habitat for a diversity of native plants and wildlife, with an emphasis on forest-dependent wildlife, and secondarily to grassland- and wetland-dependent species.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on Sponsa 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 Sponsa WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Sponsa WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
Special restriction the DNR lists for Sponsa 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 road.
How many deer are taken around Sponsa WMA?
Sponsa WMA lies in Deer Permit Area 215. The DNR registered 5,267 deer in DPA 215 in 2025, against 4,913 in 2024.
| DPA | Sponsa WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 215 | 218 | 5,267 | 4,913 | 4,318 |
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 Sponsa WMA?
From Swanville, go 3.5 miles south on county road 15, then 1 mile south and 1/2 mile west on township roads.
Limited disabled access on parking lots located on the north side of the WMA.
Nearest towns: Burtrum (3 miles), Upsala (4 miles), Swanville (4 miles) and Grey Eagle (6 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MN 28 and MN 238.
What other public land is near Sponsa WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Oak Ridge WMA: 450 acres, 0.9 miles away
- Clare Johnson - Carl W. Schmidt WMA: 702 acres, 0.9 miles away
- Buckhorn Lake WMA: 157 acres, 3.2 miles away
- Ireland WMA: 79 acres, 3.3 miles away
- Ostendorff WMA: 54 acres, 4.3 miles away
- Grey Eagle WMA: 1,407 acres, 8.3 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Sponsa WMA
Counting Sponsa WMA itself, 1,418 of the 22,853 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (6.2%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 1,317 |
| State forest and other DNR land | 101 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Sponsa WMA?
In Morrison County, near Swanville. The DNR's directions: From Swanville, go 3.5 miles south on county road 15, then 1 mile south and 1/2 mile west on township roads.
Which deer permit area is Sponsa WMA in?
Deer Permit Area 215. Its bag limit and firearms dates apply.
How much public land is around Sponsa WMA?
1,418 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Sponsa WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 6 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Oak Ridge WMA (0.9 miles).
Get a Minnesota hunt plan when they open
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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, Sponsa 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.