Deer Permit Area 104, Minnesota
Unit info
- Game species
- White-tailed Deer, Black Bear, Ruffed Grouse
- Group
- Zone 100 — Northern Minnesota
- Area
- 1,416 mi²
- Public land
- N/A
White-tailed Deer — season & harvest
- Reported harvest
- 449
Draw odds for White-tailed Deeraren't on file for this unit yet. Check your state wildlife agency website for current draw statistics.
Season & harvest data is published for White-tailed Deer so far. Black Bear, Ruffed Grouse also occur here — that data can be added as the community contributes.
About this unit
AI-compiled · sourcedDPA 104 is a vast, heavily forested permit area of 1,414 square miles in Koochiching County (with slivers of Beltrami and Lake of the Woods Counties) in far northern Minnesota. The area is dominated by boreal and mixed forest on largely public land, with deer populations well below management goals due to historically severe winters, making antlerless permits extremely limited via lottery. Hunters willing to work deep public land can find good buck opportunity in a lightly pressured, remote setting.
Predominantly boreal and mixed conifer-hardwood forest covering 85% of the landscape, with 13% grassland and wetlands. Total area of 1,414 sq. mi. in Koochiching County and adjacent corners of Beltrami and Lake of the Woods Counties in far northern Minnesota. Flat to gently rolling terrain typical of the Laurentian Upland, interspersed with lakes, bogs, and black spruce lowlands.
low
Deer: archery Sept. 13 - Dec. 31; Youth Oct. 16-19; Statewide Firearms Nov. 8-23; Muzzleloader Nov. 29 - Dec. 14. One-deer limit with antlerless by permit lottery only (L50 designation). Deer population is well below the 100% increase goal relative to 2019 baseline due to past severe winters; managers are holding antlerless permits at low levels to facilitate recovery. Black bear season runs concurrently under separate license; ruffed grouse are abundant in the forest understory and huntable statewide September through January. No elk or turkey present in this far-northern boreal zone.
One of Minnesota's most remote and lightly pressured deer areas at only 1 hunter per sq. mi. Vast State Forest holdings provide nearly unlimited walk-in public land. 2024 hunter success rate was 28% on 445 total deer harvested. Antlerless tags are tightly controlled via lottery (25 permits in 2025) to allow population recovery. Bears and ruffed grouse provide additional hunting opportunity across the same landscape.
Questions, tips & discussion
Ask anything about Deer Permit Area 104— or drop a tip or trick: access points, where game holds, glassing spots, conditions, crowding, gear that worked. This is where the unit's species-specific intel gets built, hunter by hunter.
Nothing posted yet about Deer Permit Area 104.
Be the first — ask a question (“Best public access on the north end?”) or share a tip (“Glass the burn scars off the main ridge at first light”).
Boundaries: MN DNR official Deer Permit Areas. Community info last updated 23d ago.