Straight River Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Straight River Wildlife Management Area is 198 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Steele County, near Ellendale, inside Deer Permit Area 232. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game for it. Hunters registered 745 deer in DPA 232 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 areasStraight River WMACounty lineHighway
| Size | 198 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Steele County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 232 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Ellendale |
| DNR area office | Owatonna |
| Special restrictions | Yes, see the rules below |
| Nearest towns | Ellendale (5 mi), Geneva (5 mi) and Blooming Prairie (7 mi) |
What is Straight River WMA like?
This wildlife management area consists of level to gently rolling land along a headwaters tributary of the Straight River. The area supports a variety of habitats including oak groves, stands of lowland hardwoods, brushlands, grasslands and wetlands important to waterfowl and farmland wildlife.
This wildlife management area was acquired by Pheasants Forever in cooperation with the Outdoor Heritage Fund. Pheasants Forever restored a diverse mix of prairie grasses and forbs to lands that were previously cropped and worked with the US Fish and Wildlife Service Partners for Wildlife Program to restore more than 2 dozen small wetlands on the property. The land was gifted to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in 2023 for use as a Wildlife Management Area. The area provides for dispersed wildlife-based recreation including hunting, and trapping, and nature observation. Birdwatching opportunities are best during spring when migrating waterfowl and songbirds join our year-round resident species. Watch for sandhill cranes, bald eagles, and trumpeter swans. Mosquito feeding opportunities can be had spring through late summer but tend to peak in early summer.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on Straight River WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game for Straight River WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Straight River WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
Special restriction the DNR lists for Straight River WMA: Residences are located near portions of this land. Please respect our neighbors.
How many deer are taken around Straight River WMA?
Straight River WMA lies in Deer Permit Area 232. The DNR registered 745 deer in DPA 232 in 2025, against 773 in 2024.
| DPA | Straight River WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 232 | 198 | 745 | 773 | 805 |
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 Straight River WMA?
Travel east on State Trunk Highway 30 4.8 miles to SE 14th Avenue. Travel north on SE 14th Avenue about 0.2 miles to the main parking area located on the east side of SE 14th Avenue. A second parking area is also available off of SE 14th Avenue about 0.6 miles north of the intersection of Highway 30 and 14th Avenue.
Off road parking is provided by 2 parking areas located along the east side of SE 14th Avenue.
Nearest towns: Ellendale (5 miles), Geneva (5 miles), Blooming Prairie (7 miles) and Hollandale (8 miles). Highways within 5 miles: I-35, MN 30 and US 65.
What other public land is near Straight River WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Pogones Marsh WMA: 113 acres, 2.2 miles away
- Geneva WMA: 86 acres, 4.8 miles away
- Wo Wacintanka WMA: 558 acres, 5.4 miles away
- Oak Glen WMA: 87 acres, 5.7 miles away
- Aurora WMA: 897 acres, 5.9 miles away
- Chapa-kak-say-za WMA: 21 acres, 9 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Straight River WMA
Counting Straight River WMA itself, 1,054 of the 23,423 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (4.5%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 743 |
| State wildlife management areas | 311 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Straight River WMA?
In Steele County, near Ellendale. The DNR's directions: Travel east on State Trunk Highway 30 4.8 miles to SE 14th Avenue. Travel north on SE 14th Avenue about 0.2 miles to the main parking area located on the east side of SE 14th Avenue. A second parking area is also available off of SE 14th Avenue about 0.6 miles north of the intersection of Highway 30 and 14th Avenue.
Which deer permit area is Straight River WMA in?
Deer Permit Area 232. Its bag limit and firearms dates apply.
How much public land is around Straight River WMA?
1,054 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Straight River WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 6 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Pogones Marsh WMA (2.2 miles).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Straight River 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.