Deer Permit Area 263, Minnesota
Unit info
- Game species
- White-tailed Deer, Ruffed Grouse, Black Bear
- Group
- Zone 200 — Central Minnesota
- Area
- 706 mi²
- Public land
- N/A
White-tailed Deer — season & harvest
- Reported harvest
- 1,041
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. Ruffed Grouse, Black Bear also occur here — that data can be added as the community contributes.
About this unit
AI-compiled · sourcedDPA 263 sits in Minnesota's Aspen Parklands region of northwest-central Minnesota, covering 706 square miles of mixed grassland, wetlands, and agricultural cropland with large State Wildlife Management Areas providing over 110 square miles of public hunting access. The area holds a recovering deer herd managed under an Either-Sex one-deer limit, with 37% hunter success and roughly 3 hunters per square mile during the 2024 firearms season.
Aspen Parklands of northwest-central Minnesota. Land cover is 45% grassland and wetlands, 29% annual row crops, 22% woody cover (aspen, shrub), and 1% open water. Flat to gently rolling glacial till terrain with numerous wetland potholes and agricultural fields interspersed with aspen woodlots and shrubby draws. Total non-water area is 706 sq mi.
moderate
White-tailed deer are the primary big game species. Ruffed grouse habitat is present in the aspen woodlots and shrubby cover characteristic of the Aspen Parklands ecosystem. Black bear range extends into this northwest-central region. Pheasant and turkey are not typical for this landscape — this is not prime pheasant or turkey range. Deer seasons: Archery Sept 13–Dec 31, Youth Oct 16–19, Statewide Firearms Nov 8–16, Muzzleloader Nov 29–Dec 14.
Large WMA network provides abundant walk-in public access in the Aspen Parklands. 2025 designation is Either-Sex one-deer limit (recovering population from past hard winters — goal is 25% population increase). Boundary was expanded in 2020 incorporating similar-habitat land from former DPA 260. CWD optional testing in effect. 2024 total harvest was 920 deer with 37% firearms hunter success.
Questions, tips & discussion
Ask anything about Deer Permit Area 263— 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 263.
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.