Mower County, Minn., landowners now can get paid by the state for allowing their private land to be open to public hunting for nine months of the year.

The Mower Soil and Water Conservation District’s board of supervisors recently approved an agreement that adds Mower County to the Walk-In Access program run by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Forty-six counties across Minnesota are enrolled this season in the program, which provides public hunting on private land while compensating landowners for allowing the access to hunters.

Through WIA, more than 26,700 acres of private land have been open since Sept. 1 for public hunting at more than 230 sites in western and south-central Minnesota. Acreage will remain open through May 31.

Jim Kellogg, a supervisor on the Mower SWCD board, led the effort to add Mower County to the DNR’s Walk-In Access program, which mainly covers Minnesota’s western half and has only gone as far east as neighboring Freeborn and Steele counties.

“Mower County has a big need for public hunting land, and we hope this new opportunity will benefit both hunters and landowners locally,” says Kellogg, who represents four townships in Mower County’s southeast corner.

With current enrollment going until April 27, interested landowners in Mower County should contact Mower SWCD technician Larry Callahan, the lead WIA local contact, about potential enrollment in WIA.

Under WIA, land must be at least 40 acres in size or be contiguous with another WIA parcel that covers at least 40 acres. WIA targets land with high-quality natural cover and gives priority to land enrolled in a conservation program, such as the Conservation Reserve Program, Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, Reinvest in Minnesota, Wetlands Reserve Program or other state and federal programs.

In Mower County, nearly 4,800 acres already enrolled in the CREP, CRP and RIM conservation programs are on parcels of at least 40 acres.

More income for landowners
“This is a great opportunity for landowners to get additional income on conservation land and pay the taxes on nonproductive ground,” says Justin Hanson, Mower SWCD district manager.

While most enrolled WIA parcels are grassland and wetlands, some river bottom and other forested parcels have been accepted by DNR into the program. This provides an opportunity to harvest deer, turkey and other woodland species on WIA land.

Payments to enrolled landowners — who are provided liability protection by the state — are based on number of acres enrolled, length of agreement and proximity to state Wildlife Management Areas or Waterfowl Protection Areas.

Land not enrolled in a conservation program might be eligible if high-quality, natural cover exists and is maintained by the landowner.

To legally access WIA land, hunters must have a Walk-In Access validation, which is available for $3. The fee does not cover costs associated with purchasing access, installing boundary signs or providing online or printed maps of the enrolled WIA properties. The validation fee’s purpose is to help the DNR monitor how many hunters are using WIA land.

Among the rules for the WIA program:

• WIA sites are for public hunting only.

• Motorized vehicles are not allowed on WIA properties.

• Individuals with a WIA validation can hunt from 30 minutes before sunrise to 90 minutes after sunset during open hunting seasons, with no landowner contact necessary from Sept. 1 to May 31.

• No target practice, trapping, dog training, camping horseback riding or fires are allowed by the public.

• WIA landowners retain the right to engage in or give written permission for another individual to engage in, those activities listed above and other limited activities that do not impede public hunting at any time of the year.

For more information, landowners can contact Mower SWCD at 507-434-2603 or go to mndnr.gov/walkin.

Source: Mower SWCD