Deer Permit Area 219: deer harvest, seasons and public land
Minnesota's Deer Permit Area 219 covers 427 square miles of Wright, Stearns and Meeker counties, around St. Cloud. Hunters registered 1,989 deer here in 2025, 999 of them adult bucks, by the DNR's 2025 Deer Harvest Report. That is up 1% from 2024, and the most in the 5 years shown. 2.3% of DPA 219 is public land open to the public, the largest share state wildlife management areas (3,575 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 219Neighboring deer permit areasLakeHighway
| Counties | Wright County, Stearns County, Meeker County and Sherburne County |
|---|---|
| Size | 272,966 acres (427 square miles) |
| 2026 bag limit | Three-deer limit |
| Firearm A season, 2026 | Nov. 7 to Nov. 15, 2026 |
| Deer registered, 2025 | 1,989 (999 adult bucks) |
| Firearms hunters, 2025 | 3,445 |
| Public land | 2.3% (6,353 acres) |
| WMAs | 9 (3,439 acres inside DPA 219) |
| Walk-In Access | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | St. Cloud, St. Augusta, Annandale, Kimball, Waverly and Cokato |
How many deer are harvested in DPA 219?
The DNR registered 1,989 deer in DPA 219 in 2025: 999 adult bucks, 719 adult does and 271 fawns, about 5.1 deer for each of the 391 square miles of land the DNR counts in it. 3,445 hunters used their firearms license here in the A season and registered 1,238 deer, about 36 deer for every 100 of them. Archers: 1,867 hunters, 450 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 | 1,989 | 999 | 719 | 271 | 5.09 | 3,445 | 1,238 | 1,867 | 450 | 679 | 159 |
| 2024 | 1,973 | 994 | 686 | 293 | 5.05 | 3,357 | 1,192 | 1,794 | 510 | 675 | 151 |
| 2023 | 1,709 | 839 | 629 | 241 | 4.37 | 3,304 | 1,055 | 1,692 | 406 | 871 | 126 |
| 2022 | 1,887 | 898 | 711 | 278 | 4.83 | 3,646 | 1,163 | 1,760 | 414 | 860 | 163 |
| 2021 | 1,753 | 874 | 623 | 256 | 4.48 | 3,454 | 1,156 | 1,778 | 367 | 774 | 159 |
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 219 that year.
When are the 2026 deer seasons in DPA 219?
DPA 219 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 219?
6,353 of DPA 219's 272,966 acres are public land open to the public (2.3%). The biggest share is state wildlife management areas: 3,575 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of DPA 219 |
|---|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 3,575 | 1.3% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 1,816 | 0.7% |
| County, city and regional land | 957 | 0.4% |
| State forest and other DNR land | 4 | under 0.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 1 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 6,353 | 2.3% |
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 219
DNR WMAs in DPA 219, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Suconnix WMA: 1,007 acres
- Minnesota Veterans WMA: 650 acres
- Albion WMA: 546 acres
- Knapp WMA: 434 acres
- Hoglund WMA: 362 acres
- A Shau Valley WMA: 210 acres
- Swartout WMA: 110 acres
- Corinna WMA: 81 acres
- Hidden Marsh WMA: 39 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Wright County Waterfowl Production Area Of Mn (1,723 acres), Neenah Creek Park (241 acres) and St. Cloud River Bluffs Regional Park (143 acres).
How do you get to DPA 219?
Highways through it: US 52 (about 31 miles inside), I-94 (about 31 miles inside), MN 15 (about 22 miles inside), MN 55 (about 16 miles inside) and MN 24 (about 15 miles inside). Towns inside: St. Cloud, St. Augusta, Annandale, Maple Lake, Dassel and South Haven. Nearby: Kimball (on the line), Waverly (on the line), Cokato (on the line) and Clearwater (on the line).
Which deer permit areas border DPA 219?
DPA 219 touches 7 other deer permit areas. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| DPA | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | Walk-In Access sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 215 | 5,267 | 2025 | 2% | |
| DPA 218 | 3,769 | 2025 | 2.9% | |
| DPA 221 | 4,908 | 2025 | 1.8% | |
| DPA 223 | 2,839 | 2025 | 4.6% | |
| DPA 229 | 1,039 | 2025 | 3.7% | |
| DPA 277 | 4,575 | 2025 | 5.7% | 7 |
| DPA 685 | 1.2% | 2 |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in DPA 219 in 2025?
1,989 deer were registered: 999 adult bucks, 719 adult does and 271 fawns (DNR 2025 Deer Harvest Report, Table 3). The most in the 5 years shown was 1,989, in 2025.
What is the 2026 bag limit in DPA 219?
The DNR lists DPA 219 as "Three-deer limit" for 2026. Firearm A season: Nov. 7 to Nov. 15, 2026.
Is there public land to hunt in DPA 219?
Yes. 6,353 acres, 2.3% of the permit area, are public land open to the public by PAD-US 4.1, mostly state wildlife management areas. The DNR's map shows 9 wildlife management areas here, the largest Suconnix WMA (1,007 acres).
How many firearms hunters hunt DPA 219?
3,445 in the 2025 firearms A season, by the DNR's Table 5. They registered 1,238 deer, 733 of them adult bucks.
Get a Minnesota hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Minnesota are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Minnesota included.
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 Wright County Stearns County Meeker County Sherburne County DPA 215 DPA 218 DPA 221 DPA 223 DPA 229 DPA 277