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States / MN / Deer Permit Area 109

Deer Permit Area 109, Minnesota

Game found here
White-tailed DeerBlack BearRuffed Grouse
Zone 100 — Northern MinnesotaSee on map →0 questions

Unit info

Game species
White-tailed Deer, Black Bear, Ruffed Grouse
Group
Zone 100 — Northern Minnesota
Area
1,203 mi²
Public land
N/A
White-tailed Deer — season & harvest
Reported harvest
415

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

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DPA 109 is a large, heavily forested permit area located almost entirely within Koochiching County, with small portions in St. Louis and Itasca Counties in northern Minnesota. The area spans 1,182 square miles and is dominated by boreal forest, with 873 sq. mi. open to public hunting across state forest, county, and national forest lands. Deer densities are low and the population remains under goal, making this a lottery antlerless permit area with limited tags and a one-deer limit.

Terrain & elevation

Heavily forested boreal landscape in northern Minnesota (Koochiching, St. Louis, and Itasca Counties). Land cover is 91% woody cover, 5% grassland and wetlands, 2% open water, and 1% developed. Total non-water area is 1,182 sq. mi. Flat to gently rolling terrain typical of the Laurentian Shield transition zone with numerous lakes, wetlands, and peat bogs.

Hunting pressure

low

Species & seasons

Deer season structure: Archery Sept. 13-Dec. 31; Youth Oct. 16-19; Statewide Firearms Nov. 8-23; Muzzleloader Nov. 29-Dec. 14. Designation is one-deer limit with antlerless permit lottery (25 permits, L25 management designation). 2024 total harvest was 375 deer (339 adult bucks, 29 adult does, 7 fawns); firearms hunter success rate 21%. Population trending upward but remains under goal after recent challenging winters. Black bear hunting is available under a separate bear license in this zone of northern MN. Ruffed grouse and sharp-tailed grouse are present in the boreal forest habitat. No elk or turkey populations established in this area.

Highlights

Vast remote boreal forest with excellent solitude and minimal hunting pressure (1 hunter per sq. mi. of land). Over 73% of the unit is open to public hunting. The area includes Superior National Forest parcels and extensive state and county forest. Deer population is under management goal, keeping antlerless permit quotas very low (25 permits in 2025). CWD optional testing applies; deer feeding/attractant ban in effect for Itasca County portion.

Questions, tips & discussion

Ask anything about Deer Permit Area 109— 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 109.

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.