Deer Permit Area 222, Minnesota
Unit info
- Game species
- White-tailed Deer, Wild Turkey, Ruffed Grouse, Black Bear, Pheasant
- Group
- Zone 200 — Central Minnesota
- Area
- 413 mi²
- Public land
- N/A
White-tailed Deer — season & harvest
- Reported harvest
- 3,419
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. Wild Turkey, Ruffed Grouse, Black Bear, Pheasant also occur here — that data can be added as the community contributes.
About this unit
AI-compiled · sourcedDPA 222 sits in central Minnesota's transition zone where the northern big woods meet the agricultural heartland, covering roughly 413 square miles across Morrison, Mille Lacs, and Benton counties. The area is dominated by private farmland (over 97% of the landscape), but the 39,000-acre Mille Lacs WMA provides a major public-land anchor with 60% forest, extensive wetlands, and 100+ miles of hunter walking trails. Deer here are bigger-bodied than deep-woods animals due to the agricultural food base, and the area also supports turkey, ruffed grouse, bear, and limited pheasant in the farm-edge habitat.
Transition zone between northern big woods and central Minnesota farm belt. Mixed aspen-hardwood forest, extensive wetlands and impoundments, and surrounding agricultural fields. The Mille Lacs WMA (39,000 acres spanning Mille Lacs and Kanabec counties) dominates public access with 60% forested land and 40% wetlands managed via 19 water impoundments. Outside the WMA the landscape is rolling agricultural — row crops and hayfields interspersed with hardwood woodlots and river/stream corridors.
moderate
White-tailed deer are the primary target; hunter choice designation with a 1-deer limit, antlerless via lottery. Wild turkey present — Mille Lacs WMA overlaps spring turkey permit area 512. Ruffed grouse and woodcock hunting is strong in managed aspen stands within the WMA. Black bear are present and huntable within the WMA. Pheasant are present in marginal numbers along the farm-edge southern portions of the DPA; not a destination pheasant unit.
Bigger-bodied deer than northern areas due to ag food base; the Mille Lacs WMA offers one of the most accessible public-land hunting experiences in central MN with 100+ miles of trails. Hunter choice 1-deer limit keeps it straightforward — no complex permit tiers for firearms. Excellent ruffed grouse and woodcock opportunity in WMA aspen cuts. Black bear season available in the WMA.
Questions, tips & discussion
Ask anything about Deer Permit Area 222— 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 222.
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.