Stearns Prairie Heritage Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Stearns Prairie Heritage Wildlife Management Area is 757 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Stearns and Kandiyohi counties, near Regal, inside Deer Permit Areas 218 and 277. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game for it. Hunters registered 3,769 deer in DPA 218 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 landNational wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areasStearns Prairie Heritage WMACounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 757 acres in 3 pieces |
|---|---|
| Counties | Stearns County and Kandiyohi County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 218, DPA 277 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Regal |
| DNR area office | Sauk Rapids |
| Nearest towns | Regal (2 mi), Belgrade (5 mi) and Lake Henry (5 mi) |
What is Stearns Prairie Heritage WMA like?
This 756 acre WMA is composed of remnant prairie, lowland riparian willow/alder brushlands, and restored prairie uplands. This area is in the North Fork of the Crow River floodplain. This area is an important wintering area for deer and pheasants.
Visitors should note on the wood routed sign the various conservation groups that helped purchase and donate this tract of land. This WMA is part of a larger prairie/brushland community type that extends from Belgrade to Richmond.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on Stearns Prairie Heritage WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game for Stearns Prairie Heritage WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Stearns Prairie Heritage WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around Stearns Prairie Heritage WMA?
Stearns Prairie Heritage WMA lies in 2 deer permit areas. The DNR registered 3,769 deer in DPA 218 in 2025, against 3,553 in 2024.
| DPA | Stearns Prairie Heritage WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 218 | 417 | 3,769 | 3,553 | 3,092 |
| DPA 277 | 341 | 4,575 | 4,301 | 4,013 |
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 Stearns Prairie Heritage WMA?
2 miles NW of Regal within Sections 25 and 36, T123N, R34W.
Nearest towns: Regal (2 miles), Belgrade (5 miles), Lake Henry (5 miles) and Spring Hill (7 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MN 55, US 71 and MN 4.
What other public land is near Stearns Prairie Heritage WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Regal Meadows WMA: 306 acres, next to it
- Follies WMA: 610 acres, next to it
- Tribute WMA: 232 acres, next to it
- Crow River WMA: 155 acres, 2.3 miles away
- Regal Flats WMA: 508 acres, 2.9 miles away
- Burbank WMA: 506 acres, 4 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Stearns Prairie Heritage WMA
Counting Stearns Prairie Heritage WMA itself, 2,990 of the 28,698 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (10.4%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 2,084 |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 906 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Stearns Prairie Heritage WMA?
In Stearns and Kandiyohi counties, near Regal. The DNR's directions: 2 miles NW of Regal within Sections 25 and 36, T123N, R34W.
Which deer permit area is Stearns Prairie Heritage WMA in?
DPA 218 (417 acres) and DPA 277 (341 acres). Each part follows its own permit area's bag limit.
How much public land is around Stearns Prairie Heritage WMA?
2,990 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Stearns Prairie Heritage WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 6 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Regal Meadows WMA (next to it).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Stearns Prairie Heritage 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.
Minnesota hunting Stearns County Kandiyohi County DPA 218 DPA 277