Deer Permit Area 273, Minnesota
Unit info
- Game species
- White-tailed Deer, Wild Turkey, Ruffed Grouse
- Group
- Zone 200 — Central Minnesota
- Area
- 634 mi²
- Public land
- N/A
White-tailed Deer — season & harvest
- Reported harvest
- 1,013
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 also occur here — that data can be added as the community contributes.
About this unit
AI-compiled · sourcedDPA 273 is a 633-square-mile central Minnesota deer permit area spanning portions of Crow Wing, Morrison, and Mille Lacs counties, characterized by a mix of northern hardwood forest, agricultural fields, lakes, and wetlands. Roughly 11.5% of the unit is public land including Wildlife Management Areas, offering limited but accessible hunting opportunities amid a predominantly private-land landscape. Deer populations are managed under a hunter-choice framework allowing hunters to take either a buck or antlerless deer, with the unit sitting within Zone 200's generally healthy central Minnesota deer herd.
Mixed northern hardwood forest, agricultural land, numerous lakes and wetlands typical of central Minnesota. Gently rolling terrain with scattered timber stands, brushy edges, and food plot potential on farmland margins.
moderate
White-tailed deer are the primary big game target with good populations across the ag-forest mix. Ruffed grouse are present in aspen and mixed forest stands throughout the unit. Wild turkey populations exist in central Minnesota and spring/fall permits are available by lottery in this region. Pheasant range is marginal at this latitude — the unit sits near the northern fringe of pheasant habitat and populations are sparse compared to southern MN.
Hunter-choice permit area — hunters may take a single buck or single antlerless deer on a standard over-the-counter license. Central MN location means good deer densities with a mix of forest-ag edge habitat that produces quality whitetails. WMAs provide free public access points. Fall turkey permits and ruffed grouse hunting add additional opportunity.
Questions, tips & discussion
Ask anything about Deer Permit Area 273— 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 273.
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.