Sween Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Sween Wildlife Management Area is 276 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Chippewa County, near Wegdahl, inside Deer Permit Area 281. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game for it. Hunters registered 1,343 deer in DPA 281 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 AccessSween WMACounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 276 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Chippewa County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 281 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Wegdahl |
| DNR area office | New London |
| Nearest towns | Maynard (5 mi), Granite Falls (5 mi) and Montevideo (8 mi) |
What is Sween WMA like?
This is a long (nearly 2 miles from end to end), fairly narrow unit with a flowage through its center. Contains seeded native grass fields, woody cover plantings, food plot, old farmstead grove, a large wetland impoundment, and natural wetlands.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on Sween WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game for Sween WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Sween WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around Sween WMA?
Sween WMA lies in Deer Permit Area 281. The DNR registered 1,343 deer in DPA 281 in 2025, against 1,227 in 2024.
| DPA | Sween WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 281 | 276 | 1,343 | 1,227 | 1,156 |
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 Sween WMA?
Travel 3 miles east from Wegdahl on Chippewa CR # 15 a distance of 3 miles and then turn north on gravel township road and travel a distance of 0.5 miles to center of the unit. WMA will be on both sides of the road.
Access from roads adjacent to to the unit at several locations.
Nearest towns: Maynard (5 miles), Granite Falls (5 miles), Montevideo (8 miles) and Clara City (10 miles). Highways within 5 miles: US 212, MN 7 and MN 23. 2 Walk-In Access sites within 3 miles.
What other public land is near Sween WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Spartan WMA: 227 acres, 1.5 miles away
- Roy Lenzen WMA: 100 acres, 2 miles away
- Clawson WMA: 79 acres, 5.5 miles away
- Boike WMA: 104 acres, 6.3 miles away
- Franko WMA: 67 acres, 7.8 miles away
- Christopherson WMA: 143 acres, 8.1 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Sween WMA
Counting Sween WMA itself, 755 of the 26,788 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (2.8%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 639 |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 116 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Sween WMA?
In Chippewa County, near Wegdahl. The DNR's directions: Travel 3 miles east from Wegdahl on Chippewa CR # 15 a distance of 3 miles and then turn north on gravel township road and travel a distance of 0.5 miles to center of the unit. WMA will be on both sides of the road.
Which deer permit area is Sween WMA in?
Deer Permit Area 281. Its bag limit and firearms dates apply.
How much public land is around Sween WMA?
755 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Sween WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 6 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Spartan WMA (1.5 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, Sween 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.