Sunktokeca Creek Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Sunktokeca Creek Wildlife Management Area is 202 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Rice County, near Faribault, inside Deer Permit Area 605. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game for it. Hunters registered 3,115 deer in DPA 605 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 areasCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landSunktokeca Creek WMACounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 202 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Rice County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 605 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Faribault |
| DNR area office | Owatonna |
| Nearest towns | Faribault (3 mi), Warsaw (6 mi) and Dundas (7 mi) |
What is Sunktokeca Creek WMA like?
This land conserves important habitats for waterfowl and other indigenous wildlife and provides opportunities for enjoyment of wildlife and natural areas. The area has nearly level topography supporting a mix of ponds, other wetland habitats, grasslands, woodlands and brush.
Management practices including habitat plantings to retire croplands, prescribed burns, and removal of invasive woody species will help maintain productive cover. For many years the land was maintained as a private waterfowl refuge by the Cook Waterfowl Foundation. It was acquired in 2016 by the Trust for Public Land with the assistance of the Outdoor Heritage Fund and was gifted to the Department of Natural Resources for wildlife conservation and wildlife-based recreation. Management will continue to emphasize waterfowl and wetland wildlife as well as upland game and other species. Bird watching is best during spring migration. Watch for species associated with wetland and brushland/young woodland habitats such as common yellowthroat, yellow warbler and rose-breasted grosbeak.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on Sunktokeca Creek WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game for Sunktokeca Creek WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Sunktokeca Creek WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around Sunktokeca Creek WMA?
Sunktokeca Creek WMA lies in Deer Permit Area 605. The DNR registered 3,115 deer in DPA 605 in 2025, against 2,826 in 2024.
| DPA | Sunktokeca Creek WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 605 | 202 | 3,115 | 2,826 | 2,821 |
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 Sunktokeca Creek WMA?
Take Lyndale Ave N/Shieldsville Blvd (State Trunk Highway 21) northwest from Faribault to Becker Trail. The wildlife area is north of the intersection of Big Stone Way and Becker Trail.
The area is readily accessed from adjoining roads. There is a small parking area west of Becker Trail just north of the intersection with Big Stone Way. A second parking area in the northern part of the area is located off of Becker Avenue approximately 0.1 mile north of the intersection with 165th Street West. A third parking area is off of Trunk Highway 21 near the western corner of the WMA. Please be aware of neighboring homes and respect private land.
Nearest towns: Faribault (3 miles), Warsaw (6 miles), Dundas (7 miles) and Northfield (10 miles). Highways within 5 miles: I-35, MN 21, MN 60 and MN 3.
What other public land is near Sunktokeca Creek WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Cannon River Trout Lily WMA: 129 acres, 2.8 miles away
- Circle Lake WMA: 263 acres, 4 miles away
- Dwyer WMA: 56 acres, 4.8 miles away
- Boyd Sartell WMA: 1,367 acres, 5.2 miles away
- Faribault WMA: 681 acres, 5.6 miles away
- Paulson Marsh WMA: 62 acres, 5.9 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Sunktokeca Creek WMA
Counting Sunktokeca Creek WMA itself, 750 of the 23,808 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (3.2%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 236 |
| State wildlife management areas | 225 |
| County, city and regional land | 156 |
| Land trusts and other open land | 130 |
| State forest and other DNR land | 3 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Sunktokeca Creek WMA?
In Rice County, near Faribault. The DNR's directions: Take Lyndale Ave N/Shieldsville Blvd (State Trunk Highway 21) northwest from Faribault to Becker Trail. The wildlife area is north of the intersection of Big Stone Way and Becker Trail.
Which deer permit area is Sunktokeca Creek WMA in?
Deer Permit Area 605. Its bag limit and firearms dates apply.
How much public land is around Sunktokeca Creek WMA?
750 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Sunktokeca Creek WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 6 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Cannon River Trout Lily WMA (2.8 miles).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Sunktokeca Creek 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.