County guide · South Dakota · SD WPAs

Waterfowl Production Areas & Public Hunting Land in Deuel County, SD

Deuel County has 22 named Waterfowl Production Areas covering 2,771 acres of federally owned, walk-in public land. The largest is Nordquist WPA at 325 acres; the average tract is about 126 acres, and 9 are smaller than 80 acres.

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

The county covers about 641 square miles and has roughly 4,295 residents. WPAs make up about 0.7% of its land area.

County mapAll 22 WPAsDownload KML
22named WPAs
2.8Kacres of WPA land
325largest WPA (ac)
1refuges & districts

Map of WPAs in Deuel 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 Deuel County

Largest WPAs (acres)
Nordquist WPA
325 ac
Coteau Prairie WPA
313 ac
Black Slough WPA
281 ac
Schafer WPA
258 ac
Nelson WPA
236 ac
Miller WPA
187 ac
Severson WPA
158 ac
Eilen WPA
150 ac
Mundahl WPA
147 ac
Fox Lake WPA
118 ac
Kreger WPA
89 ac
Lounsbery WPA
82 ac
How big are the tracts? (number of WPAs by acres)
<40: 66<4040–80: 3340–8080–160: 7780–160160–320: 55160–320320+: 11320+
WPAAcresNearest townGPSGo
Nordquist WPA 325 27 mi SE of Watertown 44.73740, -96.62061 Map · Directions
Coteau Prairie WPA
320 deeded ac		 313 20 mi E of Watertown 44.89736, -96.71499 Map · Directions
Black Slough WPA 281 23 mi NE of Brookings 44.54723, -96.47178 Map · Directions
Schafer WPA 258 20 mi E of Watertown 44.91639, -96.71837 Map · Directions
Nelson WPA 236 24 mi E of Watertown 44.91056, -96.62899 Map · Directions
Miller WPA 187 23 mi E of Watertown 44.86778, -96.64874 Map · Directions
Severson WPA 158 32 mi NE of Brookings 44.71450, -96.49579 Map · Directions
Eilen WPA 150 28 mi E of Watertown 44.80021, -96.55779 Map · Directions
Mundahl WPA 147 28 mi NE of Brookings 44.67974, -96.55407 Map · Directions
Fox Lake WPA 118 27 mi NE of Brookings 44.63624, -96.50837 Map · Directions
Kreger WPA 89 20 mi SE of Watertown 44.76276, -96.76497 Map · Directions
Lounsbery WPA 82 33 mi E of Watertown 44.96728, -96.45976 Map · Directions
Stoltenburg WPA 80 25 mi E of Watertown 44.84994, -96.61750 Map · Directions
Johnson I (w) WPA 69 26 mi NE of Brookings 44.62701, -96.49857 Map · Directions
Adams WPA 68 21 mi NE of Brookings 44.55636, -96.53477 Map · Directions
Kloos WPA 45 29 mi E of Watertown 44.77350, -96.55152 Map · Directions
Quail WPA 33 23 mi NE of Brookings 44.60382, -96.59580 Map · Directions
Milton WPA 30 24 mi NE of Brookings 44.58904, -96.51921 Map · Directions
Thompson WPA 30 27 mi E of Watertown 44.82108, -96.56993 Map · Directions
Montgomery WPA 30 21 mi NE of Brookings 44.56475, -96.55805 Map · Directions
Roe WPA 22 24 mi E of Watertown 44.88902, -96.62497 Map · Directions
Elmore WPA 19 22 mi NE of Brookings 44.54619, -96.50180 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 Deuel County: rules & tips

Typically allowed

  • Hunting waterfowl, upland birds, deer and other game in season under South Dakota 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 Deuel 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.

  • Watertown, SD25 mi — county center is SE of town
  • Brookings, SD29 mi — county center is N of town
  • Marshall, MN47 mi — county center is NW of town
  • Madison, SD53 mi — county center is NE of town

Shooting hours in Deuel County

Today at Deuel 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, 20266:17 AM6:47 AM8:06 PM13h 18m
Tue, Sep 15, 20266:34 AM7:04 AM7:40 PM12h 36m
Thu, Oct 1, 20266:52 AM7:22 AM7:09 PM11h 47m
Thu, Oct 15, 20267:10 AM7:40 AM6:44 PM11h 04m
Sun, Nov 1, 20266:33 AM7:03 AM5:17 PM10h 14m
Sun, Nov 15, 20266:52 AM7:22 AM5:00 PM9h 37m
Tue, Dec 1, 20267:13 AM7:43 AM4:48 PM9h 05m
Tue, Dec 15, 20267:26 AM7:56 AM4:46 PM8h 50m
Fri, Jan 1, 20277:33 AM8:03 AM4:55 PM8h 52m
Fri, Jan 15, 20277:30 AM8:00 AM5:10 PM9h 09m
Mon, Feb 1, 20277:16 AM7:46 AM5:32 PM9h 46m

Computed for 44.714, -96.672 (CDT / DST-aware). Check state rules — big game hours vary.

7-day forecast for Deuel 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 Deuel County

Madison WMD

Lake County, SD

1 open1 special
🦌🦆🦃🐦🕊️🐇🎣

44K huntable acres

Neighboring counties with WPAs

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