County guide · Minnesota · MN WPAs

Waterfowl Production Areas & Public Hunting Land in Freeborn County, MN

Freeborn County has 10 named Waterfowl Production Areas covering 2,788 acres of federally owned, walk-in public land. The largest is Goose Creek WPA at 474 acres; the average tract is about 279 acres.

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

The county covers about 722 square miles and has roughly 30,895 residents. WPAs make up about 0.6% of its land area.

County mapAll 10 WPAsDownload KML
10named WPAs
2.8Kacres of WPA land
474largest WPA (ac)
1refuges & districts

Map of WPAs in Freeborn 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 Freeborn County

Largest WPAs (acres)
Goose Creek WPA
474 ac
Halls Lake WPA
410 ac
Twin Lake WPA
300 ac
Bhagyam WPA
281 ac
Two Island WPA
269 ac
Iowa, Chicago & Eastern WPA
249 ac
Pickerel Lake WPA
245 ac
Foster Creek WPA
240 ac
Goose Lake WPA
167 ac
Turtle Creek WPA
155 ac
How big are the tracts? (number of WPAs by acres)
<4040–8080–160: 1180–160160–320: 77160–320320+: 22320+
WPAAcresNearest townGPSGo
Goose Creek WPA 474 29 mi N of Mason City 43.54295, -93.41598 Map · Directions
Halls Lake WPA 410 39 mi SE of Mankato 43.70392, -93.51426 Map · Directions
Twin Lake WPA
307 deeded ac		 300 32 mi N of Mason City 43.57624, -93.44132 Map · Directions
Bhagyam WPA 281 27 mi N of Mason City 43.51989, -93.40108 Map · Directions
Two Island WPA 269 40 mi N of Mason City 43.70405, -93.41135 Map · Directions
Iowa, Chicago & Eastern WPA 249 39 mi NW of Mason City 43.67084, -93.51912 Map · Directions
Pickerel Lake WPA 245 34 mi N of Mason City 43.62329, -93.41572 Map · Directions
Foster Creek WPA 240 38 mi SE of Mankato 43.67666, -93.61088 Map · Directions
Goose Lake WPA 167 36 mi N of Mason City 43.66403, -93.34111 Map · Directions
Turtle Creek WPA 155 36 mi SW of Rochester 43.70471, -93.05678 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 Freeborn County: rules & tips

Typically allowed

  • Hunting waterfowl, upland birds, deer and other game in season under Minnesota 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 Freeborn 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.

  • Mason City, IA37 mi — county center is N of town
  • Mankato, MN46 mi — county center is SE of town
  • Rochester, MN50 mi — county center is SW of town
  • St. Paul, MN89 mi — county center is S of town

Shooting hours in Freeborn County

Today at Freeborn 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, 20266:05 AM6:35 AM7:51 PM13h 16m
Tue, Sep 15, 20266:21 AM6:51 AM7:26 PM12h 35m
Thu, Oct 1, 20266:39 AM7:09 AM6:56 PM11h 47m
Thu, Oct 15, 20266:56 AM7:26 AM6:31 PM11h 06m
Sun, Nov 1, 20266:18 AM6:48 AM5:06 PM10h 18m
Sun, Nov 15, 20266:36 AM7:06 AM4:49 PM9h 43m
Tue, Dec 1, 20266:56 AM7:26 AM4:38 PM9h 12m
Tue, Dec 15, 20267:09 AM7:39 AM4:37 PM8h 58m
Fri, Jan 1, 20277:16 AM7:46 AM4:45 PM8h 59m
Fri, Jan 15, 20277:14 AM7:44 AM5:00 PM9h 16m
Mon, Feb 1, 20277:00 AM7:30 AM5:22 PM9h 51m

Computed for 43.674, -93.353 (CDT / DST-aware). Check state rules — big game hours vary.

7-day forecast for Freeborn County

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

Refuges & districts with land in Freeborn County

Windom WMD

Cottonwood County, MN

1 special1 closed
🦌🦆🦃🐦🕊️🐇🐗🎣

17.8K huntable acres

Neighboring counties with WPAs

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