Deer Permit Area 646, Minnesota
Unit info
- Game species
- White-tailed Deer, Wild Turkey
- Group
- Zone 300 — Southern Minnesota
- Area
- 327 mi²
- Public land
- N/A
White-tailed Deer — season & harvest
- Reported harvest
- 2,840
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 also occur here — that data can be added as the community contributes.
About this unit
AI-compiled · sourcedDPA 646 sits in the heart of Winona County in southeastern Minnesota's Driftless Area, a rugged landscape of forested bluffs, deep coulees, and river valleys that ranks among the state's best deer habitat. With 2,504 deer harvested in 2024 (7.8 per sq mi) and a 57% firearm hunter success rate, this is a high-density, high-pressure unit where deer populations remain above management goals. Most land is privately held, but state forests, WMAs, and USFWS lands provide roughly 18 square miles of public hunting opportunity.
Rugged Driftless Area bluffs and deep coulees in Winona County, southeastern Minnesota. Land cover is 55% woody (hardwood forest), 25% grassland and wetlands, 10% annual row crops, 7% developed, and 3% open water. Bordered by Wisconsin to the east and the Mississippi River. Total area 319 sq mi.
high
White-tailed deer are the primary target and the unit is managed intensively for them. Wild turkey are present in the Driftless hardwood bluffs and are a legitimate secondary species. No bear, moose, or pheasant seasons apply to this unit.
One of Minnesota's top deer units by harvest density at 7.8 deer per sq mi and 57% firearm hunter success in 2024. Five-deer limit designation with Early Antlerless season. Three-buck limit (one each on archery, firearms, and muzzleloader license). CWD Disease Management DPA — mandatory CWD testing on opening firearms weekend (Nov. 8-9), carcass movement restrictions in effect, and a deer feeding/attractant ban in Fillmore, Houston, and Winona counties. DNR actively managing population down 25% from 2021 goal via expanded antlerless harvest. Late CWD season Dec. 19-21 adds additional opportunity.
Questions, tips & discussion
Ask anything about Deer Permit Area 646— 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 646.
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.