Photo: MN DNR

From the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources - September 1, 2020

Beginning Tuesday, Sept. 1, hunters can access nearly 30,000 acres of private land across 47 counties in western and south-central Minnesota through the Walk-In Access program, which pays landowners to allow hunter access.

Hunters with a $3 Walk-In Access validation may access these lands from a half-hour before sunrise until a half-hour after sunset during open hunting seasons between Sept. 1 and May 31. No additional landowner contact is necessary. All Walk-In Access sites are shown in the Minnesota DNR Recreation Compass at mndnr.gov/maps/compass. Digital maps for individual Walk-In Access sites, along more information for hunters, can be found at mndnr.gov/walkin.

The Walk-In Access program began in 2011 and is currently funded with a grant from the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Other funding sources come through a surcharge on nonresident hunting licenses, a one-time appropriation from the Minnesota Legislature in 2012, and donations from hunters.