Deer Permit Area 173, Minnesota
Unit info
- Game species
- White-tailed Deer, Black Bear, Ruffed Grouse
- Group
- Zone 100 — Northern Minnesota
- Area
- 496 mi²
- Public land
- N/A
White-tailed Deer — season & harvest
- Reported harvest
- 530
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 173 is a 471-square-mile unit in north-central Minnesota (Aitkin/Itasca County area) dominated by mixed hardwood, aspen, and lowland conifer forest with roughly 60% public land access via extensive state forest and county-managed lands. Deer numbers have been declining and harvest success runs low at around 16%, making it a challenging but lightly pressured unit with genuine wilderness character. Antlerless tags are lottery-only (25 permits issued), so most hunters carry a buck-only tag under the one-deer limit.
Mixed hardwood, aspen, and lowland conifer forest covering 81% of the unit; 11% grassland and wetlands, 5% open water. Flat to gently rolling glacial terrain typical of north-central Minnesota with numerous wetlands, bogs, and small lakes interspersed throughout the forested landscape.
low
Deer: one-deer limit statewide; antlerless harvest requires lottery permit (only 25 issued, L500 designation). Archery Sept 13-Dec 31, Firearms Nov 8-23, Muzzleloader Nov 29-Dec 14. Youth season Oct 16-19. No early antlerless or late CWD seasons. 2024 total harvest was 452 deer (425 firearms, 27 archery) with 16% hunter success at 5 hunters/sq mi. Bear: black bear season runs in September and is available in this region with a license. Grouse: ruffed grouse and spruce grouse present, open season typically Sept through January.
Large contiguous block of north-central MN forest with generous public land access. Ruffed grouse and black bear hunting available alongside deer season. CWD feeding and attractant ban is in effect (Aitkin and Itasca County). Mild winters in 2023-24 and 2024-25 should gradually help deer population recover from recent declines.
Questions, tips & discussion
Ask anything about Deer Permit Area 173— 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 173.
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Boundaries: MN DNR official Deer Permit Areas. Community info last updated 23d ago.