Deer Permit Area 277, Minnesota
Unit info
- Game species
- White-tailed Deer, Wild Turkey, Pheasant, Ruffed Grouse
- Group
- Zone 200 — Central Minnesota
- Area
- 1,147 mi²
- Public land
- N/A
White-tailed Deer — season & harvest
- Reported harvest
- 4,604
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
Sign in to contributeDPA 277 lies along the Alexandria Glacial Moraine in central Minnesota, covering 1,058 square miles of cropland, prairie pothole wetlands, grasslands, lakes, and mesic oak-basswood forest. It is a top-tier deer hunting area by any metric, with a 2024 firearm harvest of 3,068 deer and a 37% hunter success rate at 8 hunters per square mile. The 2025 designation is a three-deer limit with an Early Antlerless season, reflecting a management goal to reduce an above-target deer population.
Alexandria Glacial Moraine landscape: patchwork of annual row crops (43%), grasslands and wetlands (31%), woody cover (11%), open water (10%), and mesic oak-basswood forest. Prairie pothole wetlands, lakes, and CRP grasslands are prominent throughout.
60 sq mi of public hunting land out of 1,058 sq mi total (roughly 6%). Public land includes 17 sq mi of State WMAs, 34 sq mi of USFWS Waterfowl Production Areas (WPAs) and National Wildlife Refuges, and 8 sq mi of miscellaneous state land. No state forest. Additional private land enrolled in CRP, RIM, and USFWS grassland/wetland easements is accessible in places. Walk-in access adds ~1 sq mi.
high
Deer are the primary target. Turkey populations are present in the agricultural-forest mosaic of central MN. Pheasant habitat exists in the CRP and wetland edges. Ruffed grouse are present in oak-basswood forest patches. No bear or moose presence in Zone 200 central MN.
Top-tier central MN deer unit by every metric. 2024 total harvest of 4,301 deer (all methods); firearms alone produced 3,068. Hunter success rate of 37% at 8 hunters/sq mi. 2025 designation is a three-deer limit with Early Antlerless season — population is above management goal. No CWD detected. Strong USFWS WPA network provides excellent wetland access for multiple species.
Questions, tips & discussion
Ask anything about Deer Permit Area 277— 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 277.
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 113d ago.