Deer Permit Area 679, Minnesota
Unit info
- Game species
- White-tailed Deer, Black Bear, Ruffed Grouse
- Group
- Zone 100 — Northern Minnesota
- Area
- 1,138 mi²
- Public land
- N/A
White-tailed Deer — season & harvest
- Reported harvest
- 2,181
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. Black Bear, Ruffed Grouse also occur here — that data can be added as the community contributes.
About this unit
AI-compiled · sourcedDPA 679 covers approximately 1,024 square miles primarily within Itasca County, with small portions in Cass and Aitkin Counties, centered around Grand Rapids in northern Minnesota. The area is dominated by boreal and mixed hardwood forest with abundant lakes and wetlands, offering access to over a million acres of public land including Chippewa National Forest, George Washington State Forest, state WMAs, and county tax-forfeited lands. Chronic Wasting Disease has been detected here since 2022, triggering an either-sex one-deer limit and mandatory CWD testing on opening weekend of firearms season.
Boreal and mixed hardwood forest dominates at 73% woody cover, interspersed with lakes and wetlands (10% open water, 7% grassland and wetlands). Flat to gently rolling glacial lake country with numerous lakes, rivers, and bogs typical of northern Minnesota's Laurentian Mixed Forest region. No agricultural land (0% row crops).
moderate
Deer: archery Sept 13 - Dec 31; youth Oct 16-19; statewide firearms Nov 8-23; muzzleloader Nov 29 - Dec 14. One-deer limit, either sex. CWD mandatory testing Nov 8-9 (opening weekend). Deer feeding and attractant ban in effect for Aitkin, Cass, and Itasca Counties. Ruffed grouse and woodcock: mid-September through January, excellent habitat in young aspen stands maintained by timber harvest. Black bear: September season by permit through separate bear permit area. No elk or turkey in this zone.
Over-the-counter either-sex deer license with no draw required. 1,024 sq mi of prime northern Minnesota forest country with massive public land footprint. 2024 firearms harvest of 1,732 deer; 21% hunter success rate at 8 hunters per sq mi — moderate pressure with plenty of room to spread out. Excellent secondary hunting for ruffed grouse and woodcock in young aspen and mixed hardwood stands. Black bear season available through separate permit (bear permit area managed out of Grand Rapids office). CWD management zone with mandatory testing opening weekend.
Questions, tips & discussion
Ask anything about Deer Permit Area 679— 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 679.
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.