Deer Permit Area 218: deer harvest, seasons and public land
Minnesota's Deer Permit Area 218 covers 912 square miles of Stearns, Pope and Meeker counties, around Rockville. Hunters registered 3,769 deer here in 2025, 1,743 of them adult bucks, by the DNR's 2025 Deer Harvest Report. That is up 6% from 2024, and the most in the 5 years shown. 2.9% of DPA 218 is public land open to the public, the largest share national wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas (9,286 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
Data updated October 2026. Harvest: DNR Deer Harvest Reports, 2021 to 2025. Seasons: the DNR's 2026 deer permit area map. Land: PAD-US 4.1, DNR WMA and Walk-In Access layers.
State wildlife management areasState forest and other DNR landNational wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areasState parksCounty, city and regional landWalk-In AccessDPA 218Neighboring deer permit areasLakeHighway
| Counties | Stearns County, Pope County, Meeker County and Kandiyohi County |
|---|---|
| Size | 583,831 acres (912 square miles) |
| 2026 bag limit | Three-deer limit |
| Firearm A season, 2026 | Nov. 7 to Nov. 15, 2026 |
| Deer registered, 2025 | 3,769 (1,743 adult bucks) |
| Firearms hunters, 2025 | 6,164 |
| Public land | 2.9% (16,649 acres) |
| WMAs | 31 (6,093 acres inside DPA 218) |
| Walk-In Access | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Rockville, Waite Park, St. Joseph, Freeport, Avon and Kimball |
How many deer are harvested in DPA 218?
The DNR registered 3,769 deer in DPA 218 in 2025: 1,743 adult bucks, 1,439 adult does and 587 fawns, about 4.3 deer for each of the 884 square miles of land the DNR counts in it. 6,164 hunters used their firearms license here in the A season and registered 2,390 deer, about 39 deer for every 100 of them. Archers: 2,359 hunters, 739 deer.
| Year | Deer registered | Adult bucks | Adult does | Fawns | Deer per square mile | Firearms hunters | Firearms harvest | Archery hunters | Archery harvest | Muzzleloader hunters | Muzzleloader harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3,769 | 1,743 | 1,439 | 587 | 4.26 | 6,164 | 2,390 | 2,359 | 739 | 1,081 | 335 |
| 2024 | 3,553 | 1,715 | 1,306 | 532 | 4.02 | 6,103 | 2,363 | 2,319 | 685 | 1,129 | 253 |
| 2023 | 3,092 | 1,376 | 1,193 | 523 | 3.50 | 5,898 | 2,058 | 2,242 | 544 | 1,253 | 243 |
| 2022 | 3,272 | 1,426 | 1,317 | 529 | 3.70 | 5,907 | 2,094 | 2,087 | 579 | 1,238 | 336 |
| 2021 | 3,165 | 1,552 | 1,148 | 465 | 3.58 | 5,662 | 2,149 | 2,004 | 561 | 1,128 | 307 |
Source: Minnesota DNR Deer Harvest Reports, 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2021: Table 3 (all deer, special hunts left out), Tables 4 to 6 (archery, firearms A season, muzzleloader). Deer per square mile is the DNR's total divided by the DNR's land area for the permit area. A blank means the DNR printed no row for DPA 218 that year.
When are the 2026 deer seasons in DPA 218?
DPA 218 is a "Three-deer limit" area for 2026. It is in the 200 series, which sets its firearms dates. Firearm A season: Nov. 7 to Nov. 15, 2026.
| Season | 2026 dates or rule |
|---|---|
| Bag limit designation | Three-deer limit |
| Archery | Sept. 19 to Dec. 31, 2026 |
| Firearm A season | Nov. 7 to Nov. 15, 2026 |
| Muzzleloader | Nov. 28 to Dec. 13, 2026 |
| Youth season | Oct. 15 to Oct. 18, 2026 |
| Early antlerless season | Oct. 15 to Oct. 18, 2026 |
| Disease management | CWD surveillance zone |
| CWD testing | Mandatory CWD testing Nov. 7-8; Voluntary CWD testing remainder of all seasons |
Source: Minnesota DNR deer permit areas, 2026 seasons (July 2026 - June 2027). Special CWD related regulations in this area. See mndnr.gov/cwd for details. Check the DNR's regulations before you go: dates and limits can change during the year.
How much public land is in DPA 218?
16,649 of DPA 218's 583,831 acres are public land open to the public (2.9%). The biggest share is national wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas: 9,286 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of DPA 218 |
|---|---|---|
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 9,286 | 1.6% |
| State wildlife management areas | 6,199 | 1.1% |
| State forest and other DNR land | 881 | 0.2% |
| County, city and regional land | 275 | under 0.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 8 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 16,649 | 2.9% |
Measured by FilledTag inside the DNR's boundary from USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). Hunting rules differ by manager: state wildlife management areas, state forest land and national forests are open to hunting in season; refuges and waterfowl production areas follow U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rules; state parks allow hunting only in special hunts; national park land is closed to hunting; city and county parks set their own rules. PAD-US 4.1 leaves out most of the tax-forfeited land Minnesota counties manage, much of it open to hunting, so the public land here may be more than shown; the county land department has the maps.
Wildlife Management Areas in DPA 218
DNR WMAs in DPA 218, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Sauk River WMA: 939 acres
- Sedan WMA: 580 acres
- Stearns Prairie Heritage WMA: 417 acres
- Westport WMA: 399 acres
- Padua WMA: 324 acres
- Mel Roehrl WMA: 307 acres
- North Fork WMA: 255 acres
- Christopher Kurilla WMA: 239 acres
- Vision WMA: 234 acres
- Tribute WMA: 232 acres
- Zion WMA: 214 acres
- Daniel Shay WMA: 211 acres
- Oxcart Crossing WMA: 210 acres
- Milton Kjeldahl WMA: 196 acres
- Prairie Smoke WMA: 174 acres
- Spirit Prairie WMA: 173 acres
- Discovery WMA: 127 acres
- Alice Hamm WMA: 121 acres
- Partners WMA: 119 acres
- Sedan Pond WMA: 113 acres
- Tower WMA: 76 acres
- Miller Spring Lea Farm WMA: 73 acres
- Paynesville Sportsmens Club WMA: 69 acres
- Roseville WMA: 64 acres
- Legacy Marsh WMA: 41 acres
- Salem Comm Prairie WMA: 40 acres
- Kirschner WMA: 39 acres
- Spirit Marsh WMA: 39 acres
- Dustoff WMA: 37 acres
- Gravel Pit 1676 WMA: 16 acres
- Gravel Pit 1062 WMA: 15 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Stearns County Waterfowl Production Area (7,105 acres), Pope County Waterfowl Production Area (2,182 acres) and Kraemer Lake Regional Park (232 acres).
How do you get to DPA 218?
Highways through it: I-94 (about 66 miles inside), US 52 (about 66 miles inside), MN 23 (about 54 miles inside), MN 55 (about 30 miles inside) and MN 4 (about 28 miles inside). Towns inside: Rockville, Waite Park, St. Joseph, Cold Spring, Paynesville and Brooten. Nearby: Freeport (on the line), Avon (on the line), Kimball (on the line) and Regal (on the line).
Which deer permit areas border DPA 218?
DPA 218 touches 4 other deer permit areas. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| DPA | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | Walk-In Access sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 213 | 6,423 | 2025 | 3.3% | 3 |
| DPA 215 | 5,267 | 2025 | 2% | |
| DPA 219 | 1,989 | 2025 | 2.3% | |
| DPA 277 | 4,575 | 2025 | 5.7% | 7 |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in DPA 218 in 2025?
3,769 deer were registered: 1,743 adult bucks, 1,439 adult does and 587 fawns (DNR 2025 Deer Harvest Report, Table 3). The most in the 5 years shown was 3,769, in 2025.
What is the 2026 bag limit in DPA 218?
The DNR lists DPA 218 as "Three-deer limit" for 2026. Firearm A season: Nov. 7 to Nov. 15, 2026.
Is there public land to hunt in DPA 218?
Yes. 16,649 acres, 2.9% of the permit area, are public land open to the public by PAD-US 4.1, mostly national wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas. The DNR's map shows 31 wildlife management areas here, the largest Sauk River WMA (939 acres).
How many firearms hunters hunt DPA 218?
6,164 in the 2025 firearms A season, by the DNR's Table 5. They registered 2,390 deer, 1,297 of them adult bucks.
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Where these numbers come from
- Deer harvest: Minnesota DNR Deer Harvest Reports (2021 to 2025, 2025 report).
- Seasons: Minnesota DNR deer permit areas, 2026 seasons; DNR season calendar.
- Public land: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). Wildlife Management Areas: Minnesota DNR Wildlife Management Area boundaries, publicly accessible. Walk-In Access: Minnesota DNR Walk-In Access sites.
- Boundaries: Minnesota DNR deer permit areas, 2026 seasons. Highways and towns: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 primary and secondary roads; U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer, places.
FilledTag is not part of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Numbers are copied from the DNR and the federal sources above, or measured from their maps; nothing on this page is estimated by FilledTag.
Minnesota hunting Stearns County Pope County Meeker County Kandiyohi County DPA 213 DPA 215 DPA 219 DPA 277