Deer Permit Area 649, Minnesota
Unit info
- Game species
- White-tailed Deer, Wild Turkey, Ruffed Grouse
- Group
- Zone 300 — Southern Minnesota
- Area
- 499 mi²
- Public land
- N/A
White-tailed Deer — season & harvest
- Reported harvest
- 3,809
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 649 sits in the heart of Minnesota's driftless area — a rugged landscape of bluffs, hardwood valleys, and scattered farm fields in Fillmore and Houston Counties that produces some of the largest whitetails in the state. About 43% of the 492-square-mile area is open to public hunting via State WMAs (Choice, Yucatan, and Ferndale Ridge) and State Forest land. The area carries a five-deer limit with an Early Antlerless season and is a designated CWD Disease Management DPA with mandatory testing and carcass movement restrictions.
Rugged driftless area with steep bluffs, hardwood-forested ridges, and narrow river valleys interspersed with agricultural fields. No glacial drift — rolling hills carved by streams create natural funnels and pinch points. Land cover is 42% woody cover, 29% grassland and wetlands, 21% row crops, 4% developed, 3% open water. Total non-water area is 492 sq mi.
high
Whitetail deer are the primary draw — population is at the 2021 management goal. Wild turkey are present throughout the driftless hardwoods. Ruffed grouse occupy the forested ridges and valley edges. No moose, bear, or pheasant of significance in this southeastern bluff country unit.
Located in the heart of the Minnesota driftless area, widely regarded as producing the biggest whitetails in the state. Steep bluffs and valley funnels create excellent stand sites. 2024 firearm season: 11 hunters per sq mi, 51% hunter success rate. Total 2024 harvest across all seasons was 3,455 deer. CWD Disease Management DPA — mandatory testing Nov 8-9, carcass movement restrictions in effect, and a deer feeding/attractant ban in Fillmore and Houston Counties. Hunters may tag up to three bucks (one per license type: archery, firearms, muzzleloader). Five-deer limit with Early Antlerless season designation in 2025.
Questions, tips & discussion
Ask anything about Deer Permit Area 649— 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 649.
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.