Deer Permit Area 262, Minnesota
Unit info
- Game species
- White-tailed Deer, Wild Turkey, Pheasant, Ruffed Grouse
- Group
- Zone 200 — Central Minnesota
- Area
- 677 mi²
- Public land
- N/A
White-tailed Deer — season & harvest
- Reported harvest
- 426
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, Pheasant, Ruffed Grouse also occur here — that data can be added as the community contributes.
About this unit
AI-compiled · sourcedDPA 262 is a 676-square-mile central Minnesota permit area within the West Central Prairie goal block, characterized by agricultural land interspersed with woodlots, wetlands, and scattered lakes. Public land access is extremely limited at just 0.33% of the area (roughly 2.22 sq miles), so hunters rely almost entirely on private land permission. Antlerless tags require a lottery draw, and Stearns County recently authorized rifle use for deer hunting, broadening firearm options for hunters in the area.
Predominantly agricultural landscape with row crops, pastures, and scattered woodlots typical of central Minnesota. Rolling glacial terrain with numerous wetlands, pothole lakes, and riparian corridors. Woodlots and shelterbelts provide deer bedding and travel corridors between crop fields.
moderate
White-tailed deer are the primary game species with good population density in the agricultural corridor. Wild turkey are present in riparian woodlots and farmland edges. Ring-necked pheasant are huntable in the grassland and crop field margins. Ruffed grouse occur in brushy woodlot edges but at lower densities than northern MN. No bear or moose in this zone.
Part of the West Central Prairie deer management block. Stearns County approved rifle use for deer hunting as of 2026, a significant change for the area. Deer-to-agriculture interface provides good rut hunting along field edges and woodlot funnels. Lottery required for antlerless tags; buck tags are OTC for the firearms season.
Questions, tips & discussion
Ask anything about Deer Permit Area 262— 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 262.
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.