County guide · Iowa · IA WPAs

Waterfowl Production Areas & Public Hunting Land in Dickinson County, IA

Dickinson County has 15 named Waterfowl Production Areas covering 6,788 acres of federally owned, walk-in public land. The largest is Spring Run WPA at 1,233 acres; the average tract is about 453 acres, and 2 are smaller than 80 acres.

WPAs here are managed by the Iowa Wetland Management District, which sets any district-specific rules (vehicle access, blinds, nontoxic shot, closed areas).

The county covers about 404 square miles and has roughly 17,703 residents. WPAs make up about 2.6% of its land area.

County mapAll 15 WPAsDownload KML
15named WPAs
6.8Kacres of WPA land
1,233largest WPA (ac)
2refuges & districts

Map of WPAs in Dickinson County

Gold outlines are fee-title Waterfowl Production Areas — federally owned public land. Land outside them is almost always private. Switch to satellite to check water conditions and cover, and click any tract for coordinates.

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Waterfowl Production Area (public)County lineRefuge / station Tip: switch to Satellite or USGS Topo in the layer menu · click the map for GPS coordinates
Take every tract with you:KML (Google Earth / onX)GPX waypoints

All Waterfowl Production Areas in Dickinson County

Largest WPAs (acres)
Spring Run WPA
1,233 ac
Welsh Lake WPA
962 ac
Dugout Creek WPA
788 ac
Swan Lake WPA
742 ac
Diamond Lake WPA
561 ac
Yager Slough WPA
539 ac
Jemmerson Slough WPA
538 ac
Santee Prairie WPA
454 ac
Garlock Slough WPA
347 ac
Kettleson Hogsback WPA
143 ac
West Lake Okoboji WPA
140 ac
McClurg WPA
119 ac
How big are the tracts? (number of WPAs by acres)
<4040–80: 2240–8080–160: 4480–160160–320320+: 99320+
WPAAcresNearest townGPSGo
Spring Run WPA
1,217 deeded ac		 1,233 16 mi N of Spencer 43.36487, -95.05985 Map · Directions
Welsh Lake WPA
949 deeded ac		 962 22 mi N of Spencer 43.45005, -95.18050 Map · Directions
Dugout Creek WPA
782 deeded ac		 788 20 mi NW of Spencer 43.40769, -95.31396 Map · Directions
Swan Lake WPA
727 deeded ac		 742 23 mi NE of Spencer 43.44743, -94.94678 Map · Directions
Diamond Lake WPA 561 24 mi N of Spencer 43.49104, -95.19614 Map · Directions
Yager Slough WPA 539 20 mi NW of Spencer 43.39925, -95.29976 Map · Directions
Jemmerson Slough WPA
532 deeded ac		 538 20 mi N of Spencer 43.43576, -95.12997 Map · Directions
Santee Prairie WPA
459 deeded ac		 454 20 mi N of Spencer 43.42667, -95.24005 Map · Directions
Garlock Slough WPA 347 15 mi N of Spencer 43.35279, -95.19469 Map · Directions
Kettleson Hogsback WPA 143 22 mi N of Spencer 43.46312, -95.12723 Map · Directions
West Lake Okoboji WPA 140 19 mi N of Spencer 43.41224, -95.20136 Map · Directions
McClurg WPA 119 20 mi N of Spencer 43.43302, -95.16472 Map · Directions
Iowa National Heritage Foundation WPA 81 18 mi N of Spencer 43.40206, -95.19041 Map · Directions
Cory Marsh WPA 71 23 mi N of Spencer 43.45399, -95.27641 Map · Directions
Cayler Prairie WPA 71 19 mi N of Spencer 43.39911, -95.25561 Map · Directions

Acreage from USFWS realty GIS polygons. Coordinates are a point inside each tract — not necessarily a parking area. Look for designated parking and boundary signs on the ground.

Hunting WPAs in Dickinson County: rules & tips

Typically allowed

  • Hunting waterfowl, upland birds, deer and other game in season under Iowa regulations
  • Walk-in access from roads and designated parking areas
  • Fishing and trapping where state and district rules allow
  • Wildlife watching, photography and dog training outside restricted periods

Common restrictions

  • No camping, fires or overnight use on most tracts
  • Motor vehicles only on designated roads and parking areas
  • Blinds and portable stands usually removed at the end of each day
  • Nontoxic shot required for waterfowl; many districts require it for all shotgun hunting
  • Some tracts have closed areas, refuge-style rules or seasonal restrictions

Getting to Dickinson County

Distances below are straight-line from the center of the county. Most WPAs are reached by county and township gravel roads — download the GPX file and load it into your phone or GPS before you lose cell coverage.

  • Spencer, IA16 mi — county center is N of town
  • Windom, MN34 mi — county center is S of town
  • Sioux Falls, SD80 mi — county center is E of town
  • Mankato, MN80 mi — county center is SW of town

Shooting hours in Dickinson County

Today at Dickinson County

Legal light*–
Sunrise–
Sunset–

*½ hour before sunrise — the standard federal shooting-hour start for migratory game birds. Times in Chicago local time.

Full season calculator →

2026–2027 season sun table

DateShooting lightSunriseSunsetDaylight
Tue, Sep 1, 20266:13 AM6:43 AM7:58 PM13h 15m
Tue, Sep 15, 20266:28 AM6:58 AM7:33 PM12h 35m
Thu, Oct 1, 20266:46 AM7:16 AM7:03 PM11h 47m
Thu, Oct 15, 20267:02 AM7:32 AM6:39 PM11h 07m
Sun, Nov 1, 20266:24 AM6:54 AM5:13 PM10h 19m
Sun, Nov 15, 20266:43 AM7:13 AM4:57 PM9h 44m
Tue, Dec 1, 20267:02 AM7:32 AM4:46 PM9h 14m
Tue, Dec 15, 20267:15 AM7:45 AM4:45 PM8h 60m
Fri, Jan 1, 20277:22 AM7:52 AM4:54 PM9h 01m
Fri, Jan 15, 20277:20 AM7:50 AM5:08 PM9h 18m
Mon, Feb 1, 20277:07 AM7:37 AM5:30 PM9h 53m

Computed for 43.377, -95.159 (CDT / DST-aware). Check state rules — big game hours vary.

7-day forecast for Dickinson County

Loading National Weather Service forecast…

Forecast from the National Weather Service. Wind direction matters — plan your approach downwind of where game beds.

Refuges & districts with land in Dickinson County

Iowa WMD

Kossuth County, IA

1 open3 special1 closed
🦌🦆🦃🐦🕊️🐇🐗🎣

27.5K huntable acres

Northern Tallgrass Prairie NWR

Lincoln County, MN

1 open3 special1 closed
🦌🦆🦃🐦🕊️🐇🐗🎣

6.7K huntable acres

Neighboring counties with WPAs

Source: USFWS Realty Tracts (fee-title interest) and Esri county boundaries. Page updated October 28, 2026.