County guide · Minnesota · MN WPAs

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

Lincoln County has 17 named Waterfowl Production Areas covering 2,256 acres of federally owned, walk-in public land. The largest is Gislason Lake WPA at 409 acres; the average tract is about 133 acres, and 4 are smaller than 80 acres.

WPAs here are managed by the Big Stone Wetland Management District and Madison Wetland Management District, which set any district-specific rules (vehicle access, blinds, nontoxic shot, closed areas).

The county covers about 548 square miles and has roughly 5,640 residents. WPAs make up about 0.6% of its land area.

County mapAll 17 WPAsDownload KML
17named WPAs
2.3Kacres of WPA land
409largest WPA (ac)
3refuges & districts

Map of WPAs in Lincoln 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 Lincoln County

Largest WPAs (acres)
Gislason Lake WPA
409 ac
Kragh Farms WPA
224 ac
Rochel WPA
164 ac
Kontz WPA
162 ac
Rook WPA
161 ac
Weber WPA
160 ac
Coon Creek WPA
160 ac
Fox WPA
146 ac
Johnson II (h) WPA
119 ac
Alleckson WPA
97 ac
Swedzinski WPA
82 ac
Jessen WPA
81 ac
How big are the tracts? (number of WPAs by acres)
<4040–80: 4440–8080–160: 7780–160160–320: 55160–320320+: 11320+
WPAAcresNearest townGPSGo
Gislason Lake WPA 409 17 mi W of Marshall 44.45418, -96.12537 Map · Directions
Kragh Farms WPA
160 deeded ac		 224 21 mi E of Brookings 44.39213, -96.38939 Map · Directions
Rochel WPA 164 22 mi W of Marshall 44.36670, -96.21607 Map · Directions
Kontz WPA 162 29 mi NW of Marshall 44.61800, -96.32466 Map · Directions
Rook WPA 161 24 mi W of Marshall 44.56154, -96.26070 Map · Directions
Weber WPA 160 24 mi W of Marshall 44.32490, -96.24627 Map · Directions
Coon Creek WPA 160 16 mi SW of Marshall 44.34759, -96.08435 Map · Directions
Fox WPA 146 25 mi W of Marshall 44.31866, -96.25634 Map · Directions
Johnson II (h) WPA 119 24 mi NE of Brookings 44.55566, -96.45475 Map · Directions
Alleckson WPA 97 17 mi SW of Marshall 44.34759, -96.09425 Map · Directions
Swedzinski WPA 82 18 mi NW of Marshall 44.59782, -96.09586 Map · Directions
Jessen WPA 81 22 mi SW of Marshall 44.23146, -96.11163 Map · Directions
Shaokatan WPA 81 21 mi E of Brookings 44.39187, -96.39949 Map · Directions
Agribank WPA 71 21 mi NE of Brookings 44.44620, -96.41069 Map · Directions
Anderson WPA 57 28 mi NE of Brookings 44.59999, -96.41665 Map · Directions
Christianson WPA 41 22 mi W of Marshall 44.36302, -96.21854 Map · Directions
Knofeznski WPA 40 23 mi W of Marshall 44.48730, -96.25887 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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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.

  • Marshall, MN24 mi — county center is W of town
  • Brookings, SD27 mi — county center is E of town
  • Madison, SD48 mi — county center is NE of town
  • Watertown, SD56 mi — county center is SE of town

Shooting hours in Lincoln County

Today at Lincoln 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, 20266:16 AM6:46 AM8:04 PM13h 17m
Tue, Sep 15, 20266:32 AM7:02 AM7:38 PM12h 36m
Thu, Oct 1, 20266:51 AM7:21 AM7:08 PM11h 47m
Thu, Oct 15, 20267:08 AM7:38 AM6:42 PM11h 05m
Sun, Nov 1, 20266:31 AM7:01 AM5:16 PM10h 15m
Sun, Nov 15, 20266:50 AM7:20 AM4:59 PM9h 39m
Tue, Dec 1, 20267:10 AM7:40 AM4:48 PM9h 08m
Tue, Dec 15, 20267:23 AM7:53 AM4:46 PM8h 53m
Fri, Jan 1, 20277:30 AM8:00 AM4:55 PM8h 54m
Fri, Jan 15, 20277:27 AM7:57 AM5:09 PM9h 12m
Mon, Feb 1, 20277:14 AM7:44 AM5:32 PM9h 48m

Computed for 44.369, -96.269 (CDT / DST-aware). Check state rules — big game hours vary.

7-day forecast for Lincoln 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 Lincoln County

Big Stone WMD

Big Stone County, MN

1 special
🦌🦆🦃🐦🕊️🐇🐗🎣

4.4K huntable acres

Madison WMD

Lake County, SD

1 open1 special
🦌🦆🦃🐦🕊️🐇🎣

44K huntable acres

Northern Tallgrass Prairie NWR

Lincoln County, MN

1 open3 special1 closed
🦌🦆🦃🐦🕊️🐇🐗🎣

6.7K huntable acres

Refuge hunt units in Lincoln County

UnitRefugeStatusAcres
Refuge-MNNorthern Tallgrass Prairie NWRSpecial regs5,409

Neighboring counties with WPAs

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