County guide · Iowa · IA WPAs

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

Kossuth County has 15 named Waterfowl Production Areas covering 3,080 acres of federally owned, walk-in public land. The largest is Maynard Reece WPA at 556 acres; the average tract is about 205 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 976 square miles and has roughly 14,828 residents. WPAs make up about 0.5% of its land area.

County mapAll 15 WPAsDownload KML
15named WPAs
3.1Kacres of WPA land
556largest WPA (ac)
3refuges & districts

Map of WPAs in Kossuth 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.

Loading interactive map…
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 Kossuth County

Largest WPAs (acres)
Maynard Reece WPA
556 ac
Prairie Smoke WPA
312 ac
Bobolink WPA
307 ac
Copp Prairie WPA
237 ac
Bison WPA
236 ac
Blue-wing WPA
173 ac
Bluestem WPA
162 ac
Goose Lake WPA
161 ac
Dickcissel WPA
159 ac
Pintail WPA
154 ac
Mallard WPA
142 ac
Iowa Lake Marsh WPA
138 ac
How big are the tracts? (number of WPAs by acres)
<4040–8080–160: 7780–160160–320: 77160–320320+: 11320+
WPAAcresNearest townGPSGo
Maynard Reece WPA 556 49 mi W of Mason City 43.30962, -94.15809 Map · Directions
Prairie Smoke WPA 312 46 mi W of Mason City 43.01353, -94.08449 Map · Directions
Copp Prairie WPA 237 45 mi W of Mason City 43.32586, -94.05680 Map · Directions
Bison WPA 236 42 mi W of Mason City 43.21822, -94.02467 Map · Directions
Blue-wing WPA 173 46 mi E of Spencer 43.16034, -94.22217 Map · Directions
Bluestem WPA 162 49 mi E of Spencer 43.24495, -94.18296 Map · Directions
Goose Lake WPA 161 43 mi NE of Spencer 43.47736, -94.41915 Map · Directions
Dickcissel WPA 159 49 mi E of Spencer 43.27327, -94.18050 Map · Directions
Pintail WPA 154 46 mi W of Mason City 43.27244, -94.09378 Map · Directions
Mallard WPA 142 49 mi E of Spencer 43.35214, -94.21251 Map · Directions
Iowa Lake Marsh WPA 138 43 mi NE of Spencer 43.49131, -94.43179 Map · Directions
State Line Marsh WPA 134 46 mi SE of Windom 43.49524, -94.37041 Map · Directions
Blazing Star WPA 115 48 mi E of Spencer 43.36150, -94.23133 Map · Directions
Wapati WPA
102 deeded ac		 95 48 mi W of Mason City 43.20887, -94.15629 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 Kossuth 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 Kossuth 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, IA47 mi — county center is E of town
  • Mason City, IA52 mi — county center is W of town
  • Windom, MN71 mi — county center is SE of town
  • Mankato, MN75 mi — county center is S of town

Shooting hours in Kossuth County

Today at Kossuth 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, 20266:10 AM6:40 AM7:54 PM13h 14m
Tue, Sep 15, 20266:25 AM6:55 AM7:29 PM12h 34m
Thu, Oct 1, 20266:42 AM7:12 AM7:00 PM11h 48m
Thu, Oct 15, 20266:58 AM7:28 AM6:36 PM11h 07m
Sun, Nov 1, 20266:20 AM6:50 AM5:10 PM10h 20m
Sun, Nov 15, 20266:38 AM7:08 AM4:54 PM9h 46m
Tue, Dec 1, 20266:58 AM7:28 AM4:44 PM9h 16m
Tue, Dec 15, 20267:11 AM7:41 AM4:42 PM9h 02m
Fri, Jan 1, 20277:18 AM7:48 AM4:51 PM9h 03m
Fri, Jan 15, 20277:15 AM7:45 AM5:05 PM9h 20m
Mon, Feb 1, 20277:02 AM7:32 AM5:27 PM9h 54m

Computed for 43.083, -94.218 (CDT / DST-aware). Check state rules — big game hours vary.

7-day forecast for Kossuth 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 Kossuth 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

Union Slough NWR

Kossuth County, IA

3 special1 closed
🦌🦆🦃🐦🕊️🐇🐗🎣

2.8K huntable acres

Refuge hunt units in Kossuth County

UnitRefugeStatusAcres
Buffalo Creek BottomsIowa WMDSpecial regs168
Core AreaIowa WMDSpecial regs303
No Hunting AreaIowa WMDClosed5.7
Buffalo Creek BottomsUnion Slough NWRSpecial regs381
Core AreaUnion Slough NWRSpecial regs2,114
Schwob MarshUnion Slough NWRSpecial regs260
No Hunting AreaUnion Slough NWRClosed79

Neighboring counties with WPAs

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