Waterfowl Production Area · Cottonwood County, Minnesota

Cottonwood Lake Waterfowl Production Area

Public land (fee title)Walk-in access

Covering about 310 acres, Cottonwood Lake Waterfowl Production Area protects prairie wetlands and uplands in Cottonwood County, Minnesota. It is managed by the Windom Wetland Management District as part of the Cottonwood County Waterfowl Production Area group of WPAs. Waterfowl Production Areas are purchased largely with Federal Duck Stamp dollars and are generally open to hunting, trapping and fishing under state regulations, with some federal restrictions.

Navigate here Satellite map Windom WMD rules →
310GIS acres
304deeded acres
Cottonwood Countycounty
8WPAs within 40 mi

Cottonwood Lake WPA satellite map

Gold outlines are fee-title Waterfowl Production Areas — public land. Everything outside is typically private; always look for boundary signs.

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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
All WPAs in Cottonwood County:KMLGPX

Hunting on Cottonwood Lake WPA

What you can typically do

  • Hunt waterfowl, upland birds, deer and other game in season under Minnesota regulations
  • Walk in from roads or designated parking areas — vehicles generally stay off the tract
  • Fish and trap where state rules and district regulations allow
  • Wildlife watching, photography and hiking

Common restrictions

  • No camping, fires or overnight use on most WPAs
  • Motorized vehicles only on designated roads/parking
  • Temporary blinds and stands usually must be removed daily
  • Non-toxic shot required for waterfowl — many districts require it for all shotgun hunting
  • Some tracts have closed areas or special regulations — check signs

How to get to Cottonwood Lake WPA

Navigate

Destination: Cottonwood Lake Waterfowl Production Area

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Decimal
43.88330, -95.09110
DMS
43°52′59.9″N 95°05′28.0″W

Nearest towns

  • Windom, MN1.7 mi NE of town
  • Spencer, IA51 mi N of town
  • Marshall, MN52 mi SE of town

Closest airports

  • FSD Sioux Falls Regional85 mi

Straight-line distances. Driving routes are longer; many refuge roads are gravel and may close seasonally.

Shooting hours at Cottonwood Lake WPA

Today at Cottonwood Lake WPA

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, 20266:12 AM6:42 AM7:58 PM13h 16m
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, 20267:03 AM7:33 AM6:38 PM11h 06m
Sun, Nov 1, 20266:25 AM6:55 AM5:12 PM10h 17m
Sun, Nov 15, 20266:44 AM7:14 AM4:56 PM9h 42m
Tue, Dec 1, 20267:04 AM7:34 AM4:45 PM9h 11m
Tue, Dec 15, 20267:17 AM7:47 AM4:43 PM8h 56m
Fri, Jan 1, 20277:24 AM7:54 AM4:52 PM8h 58m
Fri, Jan 15, 20277:21 AM7:51 AM5:06 PM9h 15m
Mon, Feb 1, 20277:08 AM7:38 AM5:28 PM9h 50m

Computed for 43.883, -95.091 (CDT / DST-aware). Check state rules — big game hours vary.

7-day forecast

Loading National Weather Service forecast…

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

Nearby Waterfowl Production Areas

WPAAcresDistanceCounty
Wolf Lake WPA4942.0 mi SCottonwood County
Fish Lake WPA993.0 mi SJackson County
Blixseth WPA1624.5 mi WCottonwood County
Christiania WPA3024.8 mi SEJackson County
String Lake WPA2315.8 mi SWJackson County
Swan Lake WPA1468.0 mi NCottonwood County
Harder Lake WPA1608.0 mi NWCottonwood County
Des Moines River WPA3098.1 mi WCottonwood County

Closest refuges & districts

Windom WMD

Cottonwood County, MN · 1.8 mi S

1 special1 closed
🦌🦆🦃🐦🕊️🐇🐗🎣

17.8K huntable acres

Northern Tallgrass Prairie NWR

Lincoln County, MN · 63 mi NW

1 open3 special1 closed
🦌🦆🦃🐦🕊️🐇🐗🎣

6.7K huntable acres

Iowa WMD

Kossuth County, IA · 64 mi SE

1 open3 special1 closed
🦌🦆🦃🐦🕊️🐇🐗🎣

27.5K huntable acres

Source: USFWS Realty Tracts (fee-title interest), Cottonwood County Waterfowl Production Area. Acreage from GIS polygons; deeded acreage from realty records.