Waseca Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Waseca Wildlife Management Area is 303 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Waseca County, near Meriden, inside Deer Permit Area 232. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds 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 areasCounty, city and regional landWaseca WMACounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 303 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Waseca County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 232 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Meriden |
| DNR area office | Owatonna |
| Nearest towns | Waseca (3 mi), Owatonna (9 mi) and Morristown (11 mi) |
What is Waseca WMA like?
The 140-acre Waseca Marsh is the heart of this wildlife area. This marsh has mostly seasonal water regimes and is dominated by cattails with only small areas of open water remaining in the average fall. Adjacent areas support a variety of habitats including grasslands, aspen woodlands and upland brush and small wetlands.
Waseca WMA is part of a more extensive complex of wetland and upland habitats critical for farmland wildlife. Conifers and hedgerows have been planted to enhance winter cover and habitats for small game and songbirds. Robust grasslands provide nesting habitat for pheasants and waterfowl. Occasional brush and tree cutting and prescribed burns are used to maintain grassland and upland brush in a productive condition. Wetland habitat development has focused on limiting the impact of nearby farm drainage systems and providing additional open water habitats associated with the extensive emergent marshlands. Listen for the varied calls of frogs in spring and early summer and watch for secretive marsh dwellers such as soras, Virginia rails, American bitterns and weasels. Hunting opportunities are best for pheasants, rabbits, wild turkey, raccoon, waterfowl and deer.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on Waseca WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, ruffed grouse and other forest upland birds and small game for Waseca WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Waseca WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around Waseca WMA?
Waseca WMA lies in Deer Permit Area 232. The DNR registered 745 deer in DPA 232 in 2025, against 773 in 2024.
| DPA | Waseca WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 232 | 303 | 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 Waseca WMA?
From Meriden go 1 mile west on 10th Street SW to 358th Avenue, continue west 1/4 mile then south 1/2 mile on 178th Street then west 1/4 mile on a cartway. Continue west and south along the access trail approximately 0.2 miles to the parking area.
A grass/gravel surface parking lot is provided at the end of the east access road. A second access is located off the intersection of 348th Avenue and 175th Street, but off road parking is limited and available only during dry periods.
Nearest towns: Waseca (3 miles), Owatonna (9 miles), Morristown (11 miles) and Medford (11 miles). Highways within 5 miles: US 14 and MN 13.
What other public land is near Waseca WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Moonan WMA: 995 acres, 2.1 miles away
- Little Fawn WMA: 20 acres, 2.8 miles away
- Findley WMA: 287 acres, 2.8 miles away
- Swan WMA: 238 acres, 4.8 miles away
- Pawek WMA: 79 acres, 5.1 miles away
- Senn-Rich WMA: 102 acres, 5.2 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Waseca WMA
Counting Waseca WMA itself, 1,241 of the 24,128 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (5.1%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 891 |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 302 |
| County, city and regional land | 48 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Waseca WMA?
In Waseca County, near Meriden. The DNR's directions: From Meriden go 1 mile west on 10th Street SW to 358th Avenue, continue west 1/4 mile then south 1/2 mile on 178th Street then west 1/4 mile on a cartway. Continue west and south along the access trail approximately 0.2 miles to the parking area.
Which deer permit area is Waseca WMA in?
Deer Permit Area 232. Its bag limit and firearms dates apply.
How much public land is around Waseca WMA?
1,241 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Waseca WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 6 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Moonan WMA (2.1 miles).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Waseca 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).
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