Wo Wacintanka Wildlife Management Area: hunting and access
Wo Wacintanka Wildlife Management Area is 558 acres of state land managed by the Minnesota DNR in Freeborn County, near Blooming Prairie, inside Deer Permit Area 254. The DNR's WMA data lists deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game for it. Hunters registered 1,373 deer in DPA 254 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 areasWo Wacintanka WMACounty lineHighway
| Size | 558 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Freeborn County |
| Deer Permit Area | DPA 254 |
| DNR lists for hunting | deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game |
| Nearest town (DNR) | Blooming Prairie |
| DNR area office | Owatonna |
| Nearest towns | Blooming Prairie (4 mi), Hollandale (5 mi) and Geneva (8 mi) |
What is Wo Wacintanka WMA like?
Abundant grasslands, wetlands and oak woodlands cover an area of rolling topography generally sloping toward the east. The Deer Creek drainage ditch crosses a small section along the eastern edge of the wildlife area.
This wildlife area is managed to enhance protection of wetland values and functions and to preserve native vegetative features of the upland for indigenous wildlife. Numerous small ponds and other wetlands have been restored. Grassland and woodland habitats are managed using a combination of prescribed burns, mowing and cutting to maintain vigor, control undesirable woody vegetation and control noxious weeds. Much of the land for this wildlife area was donated by Mr. John Goetz through the Reinvest in Minnesota Critical Habitat Program. Wo Wacintanka provides a variety of wildlife-based recreational opportunities year round. Bird-watching is best during spring migration as waterfowl and songbirds make use of the abundant wetlands, grasslands and oak woodlands Spring and summer evenings are alive with the calls of frogs and toads.
In the DNR's words, from its wildlife management area data.
What can you hunt on Wo Wacintanka WMA?
The DNR's WMA data lists deer, wild turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese, mourning doves and small game for Wo Wacintanka WMA. Each follows the statewide season and, for deer, the bag limit of the permit area.
What are the rules on Wo Wacintanka WMA?
Open to hunting and trapping in the regular seasons under the DNR's statewide WMA rules.
How many deer are taken around Wo Wacintanka WMA?
Wo Wacintanka WMA lies in Deer Permit Area 254. The DNR registered 1,373 deer in DPA 254 in 2025, against 1,340 in 2024.
| DPA | Wo Wacintanka WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 254 | 558 | 1,373 | 1,340 | 1,346 |
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 Wo Wacintanka WMA?
From Blooming Prairie go 1/2 mile S on Dodge CSAH 2 then 2 miles S on Freeborn CSAH 36 then 3 miles W on CSAH 35 to 87911 320th Street, Blooming Prairie.
A parking area is located in the southwest corner of the wildlife area at 87956 305th Street, Austin, Minnesota. There also is limited parking in the northeast corner of the wildlife management area at 87911 320th Street. A trail open for foot travel runs south from this access.
Nearest towns: Blooming Prairie (4 miles), Hollandale (5 miles), Geneva (8 miles) and Lansing (8 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MN 30, US 218 and MN 251.
What other public land is near Wo Wacintanka WMA?
DNR WMAs within 10 miles:
- Carex WMA: 332 acres, 5.1 miles away
- Pogones Marsh WMA: 113 acres, 5.2 miles away
- Straight River WMA: 198 acres, 5.4 miles away
- Geneva WMA: 86 acres, 7.4 miles away
- Oak Glen WMA: 87 acres, 7.9 miles away
- Ramsey Mill Pond WMA: 395 acres, 8.3 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Wo Wacintanka WMA
Counting Wo Wacintanka WMA itself, 560 of the 26,923 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (2.1%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 560 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Wo Wacintanka WMA?
In Freeborn County, near Blooming Prairie. The DNR's directions: From Blooming Prairie go 1/2 mile S on Dodge CSAH 2 then 2 miles S on Freeborn CSAH 36 then 3 miles W on CSAH 35 to 87911 320th Street, Blooming Prairie.
Which deer permit area is Wo Wacintanka WMA in?
Deer Permit Area 254. Its bag limit and firearms dates apply.
How much public land is around Wo Wacintanka WMA?
560 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Wo Wacintanka WMA included, by PAD-US 4.1. 6 other WMAs are within 10 miles, the closest Carex WMA (5.1 miles).
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Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Wo Wacintanka 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.