Vision Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Vision Wildlife Management Area is 234 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Stearns County, near Elrosa, inside Deer Permit Area 218. 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 areasNational wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areasVision WMACounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 234 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Stearns County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 218 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Elrosa |
| DNR area office | Sauk Rapids |
| Nearest towns | Elrosa (next to it), Spring Hill (5 mi) and Greenwald (5 mi) |
What is Vision WMA like?
This 160 acre WMA is composed of remnant prairie, restored prairie, brushlands, and small wetland interspersed throughout the property. This area is being managed primarily for its prairie and wetland components.
Shallow wetland basins and tall prairie grasses make this area an ideal production area for ground nesting birds like pheasants, various duck species, upland sandpipers, marbled godwits, and others. Bobolinks are also commonly observed on the WMA.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on Vision WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game for Vision WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Vision WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around Vision WMA?
Vision WMA lies in Deer Permit Area 218. The DNR registered 3,769 deer in DPA 218 in 2025, against 3,553 in 2024.
| DPA | Vision WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 218 | 234 | 3,769 | 3,553 | 3,092 |
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 Vision WMA?
2 miles SE of Elrosa within Section 15, T124N, R34W.
Nearest towns: Elrosa (next to it), Spring Hill (5 miles), Greenwald (5 miles) and Meire Grove (6 miles). Highways within 5 miles: US 71 and MN 4.
What other public land is near Vision WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Oxcart Crossing WMA: 210 acres, 3.1 miles away
- North Fork WMA: 255 acres, 4.2 miles away
- Milton Kjeldahl WMA: 196 acres, 5.1 miles away
- Padua WMA: 324 acres, 6.2 miles away
- Spirit Marsh WMA: 39 acres, 6.3 miles away
- Tribute WMA: 232 acres, 6.7 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Vision WMA
Counting Vision WMA itself, 387 of the 23,041 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (1.7%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 234 |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 153 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Vision WMA?
In Stearns County, near Elrosa. The DNR's directions: 2 miles SE of Elrosa within Section 15, T124N, R34W.
Which deer permit area is Vision WMA in?
Deer Permit Area 218. Its bag limit and firearms dates apply.
How much public land is around Vision WMA?
387 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Vision WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 6 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Oxcart Crossing WMA (3.1 miles).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Vision 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.