Deer Permit Area 281, Minnesota
Unit info
- Game species
- White-tailed Deer, Wild Turkey, Pheasant
- Group
- Zone 200 — Central Minnesota
- Area
- 609 mi²
- Public land
- N/A
White-tailed Deer — season & harvest
- Reported harvest
- 1,354
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 also occur here — that data can be added as the community contributes.
About this unit
Sign in to contributeDPA 281 encompasses the Minnesota River valley and lower reaches of its tributaries in south-central Minnesota, featuring a productive mix of floodplain forest, oak woods, prairie, wetlands, and row cropland that supports a deer herd consistently above management goals. With a liberal three-deer limit and several WMAs and Walk-In Access parcels open to public hunting, this 575-square-mile farmland unit offers excellent deer hunting opportunity, though firearm hunters are restricted to shotgun slugs, muzzleloaders, and handguns — no rifles.
575 sq mi of Minnesota River valley and lower tributary drainages in south-central Minnesota; 72% annual row crops, 15% grassland and wetlands, 6% woody cover (floodplain forest, oak woods, prairie pockets), 2% open water, 6% developed; low rolling agricultural landscape with river bottom timber breaks
13 sq mi (roughly 2.3%) of land open to public hunting including State Wildlife Management Areas, county managed land, USFWS Waterfowl Production Areas, and Walk-In Access private land parcels; WMAs are heavily used during all three deer seasons; no State Forest or National Forest present in the unit
high
Deer are the primary big game target with consistently high populations; wild turkey are well established in river valley woodland corridors; ring-necked pheasant present in agricultural fringe and grassland habitats; no bear, moose, or grouse populations of note in this farmland zone
Deer population has been above management goal for multiple years, resulting in a liberal three-deer limit designation for 2025; 34% firearm hunter success rate in 2024; archery season runs Sept 13 - Dec 31; statewide firearms season Nov 8-16; muzzleloader Nov 29 - Dec 14; youth season available Oct 16-19; no rifles permitted — shotgun slugs, muzzleloaders, and handguns only; CWD optional testing available; DNR contact Jeffrey Zajac 507-233-1257
Questions, tips & discussion
Ask anything about Deer Permit Area 281— 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 281.
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 114d ago.