Windy Acres Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Windy Acres Wildlife Management Area is 160 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Nobles County, near Leota, inside Deer Permit Area 237. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game for it. Hunters registered 301 deer in DPA 237 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 areasWalk-In AccessWindy Acres WMACounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 160 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Nobles County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 237 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Leota |
| DNR area office | Slayton-Talcot Lake |
| Nearest towns | Lismore (5 mi), Wilmont (5 mi) and Leota (6 mi) |
What is Windy Acres WMA like?
This WMA contains restored upland prairie along with some native prairie hillsides. This WMA also includes several shelter belts and a large block of trees (planted in 2007). There are 3 food plots, 2 on a corn/soybean rotation and an alfalfa field.
Management goals are to maintain a diverse stand of restored grasslands for upland game habitat as well as other grassland dependent species. Other goals are to provide winter habitat for deer and pheasants along with providing outdoor recreation.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on Windy Acres WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, pheasants, ducks and geese and small game for Windy Acres WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Windy Acres WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around Windy Acres WMA?
Windy Acres WMA lies in Deer Permit Area 237. The DNR registered 301 deer in DPA 237 in 2025, against 332 in 2024.
| DPA | Windy Acres WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 237 | 160 | 301 | 332 | 359 |
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 Windy Acres WMA?
From Leota go 4 miles east on CSAH 20, continue across State Hwy 91 onto 110th St. 1 mile east. Go 1/2 mile south on Dillman Ave.
Nearest towns: Lismore (5 miles), Wilmont (5 miles), Leota (6 miles) and Chandler (7 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MN 91.
What other public land is near Windy Acres WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Fenmont WMA: 517 acres, 3.5 miles away
- Stoderl Slough WMA: 160 acres, 3.8 miles away
- Champepedan WMA: 81 acres, 4.3 miles away
- Gallinago WMA: 138 acres, 4.4 miles away
- Scheuring WMA: 58 acres, 4.7 miles away
- Einck WMA: 50 acres, 4.8 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Windy Acres WMA
Counting Windy Acres WMA itself, 162 of the 22,029 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (0.7%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 162 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Windy Acres WMA?
In Nobles County, near Leota. The DNR's directions: From Leota go 4 miles east on CSAH 20, continue across State Hwy 91 onto 110th St. 1 mile east. Go 1/2 mile south on Dillman Ave.
Which deer permit area is Windy Acres WMA in?
Deer Permit Area 237. Its bag limit and firearms dates apply.
How much public land is around Windy Acres WMA?
162 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Windy Acres WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 6 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Fenmont WMA (3.5 miles).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Windy Acres 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.