Deer Permit Area 250: deer harvest, seasons and public land
Minnesota's Deer Permit Area 250 covers 730 square miles of Jackson, Cottonwood and Nobles counties, around Jackson. Hunters registered 505 deer here in 2025, 401 of them adult bucks, by the DNR's 2025 Deer Harvest Report. That is up 5% from 2024. 3% of DPA 250 is public land open to the public, the largest share state wildlife management areas (7,218 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 250Neighboring deer permit areasLakeHighway
| Counties | Jackson County, Cottonwood County and Nobles County |
|---|---|
| Size | 467,191 acres (730 square miles) |
| 2026 bag limit | One-deer limit: either sex |
| Firearm A season, 2026 | Nov. 7 to Nov. 15, 2026 |
| Deer registered, 2025 | 505 (401 adult bucks) |
| Firearms hunters, 2025 | 1,300 |
| Public land | 3% (14,232 acres) |
| WMAs | 31 (7,102 acres inside DPA 250) |
| Walk-In Access | 1 site, 37 acres |
| Towns in and near it | Jackson, Brewster, Lakefield, Alpha, Windom and Kinbrae |
How many deer are harvested in DPA 250?
The DNR registered 505 deer in DPA 250 in 2025: 401 adult bucks, 83 adult does and 21 fawns, about 0.7 deer for each of the 713 square miles of land the DNR counts in it. 1,300 hunters used their firearms license here in the A season and registered 388 deer, about 30 deer for every 100 of them. Archers: 428 hunters, 79 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 | 505 | 401 | 83 | 21 | 0.71 | 1,300 | 388 | 428 | 79 | 243 | 26 |
| 2024 | 479 | 334 | 116 | 29 | 0.67 | 1,320 | 347 | 416 | 67 | 270 | 44 |
| 2023 | 497 | 345 | 131 | 21 | 0.70 | 1,288 | 347 | 397 | 83 | 323 | 51 |
| 2022 | 561 | 411 | 132 | 18 | 0.79 | 1,332 | 383 | 386 | 86 | 307 | 74 |
| 2021 | 532 | 396 | 106 | 30 | 0.75 | 1,338 | 406 | 352 | 64 | 268 | 39 |
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 250 that year.
When are the 2026 deer seasons in DPA 250?
DPA 250 is a "One-deer limit: either sex" 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 | One-deer limit: either sex |
| 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 |
| 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 250?
14,232 of DPA 250's 467,191 acres are public land open to the public (3%). The biggest share is state wildlife management areas: 7,218 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of DPA 250 |
|---|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 7,218 | 1.5% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 6,238 | 1.3% |
| State forest and other DNR land | 399 | 0.1% |
| State parks | 215 | under 0.1% |
| County, city and regional land | 160 | under 0.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 2 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 14,232 | 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 250
DNR WMAs in DPA 250, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Timber Lake WMA: 907 acres
- Heron Lake WMA: 865 acres
- Sioux Valley WMA: 608 acres
- Bennett WMA: 344 acres
- Sangl WMA: 342 acres
- Toe WMA: 342 acres
- Oxbow WMA: 332 acres
- Banks WMA: 312 acres
- Valleau WMA: 309 acres
- Little Sioux WMA: 307 acres
- Laurs Lake WMA: 266 acres
- Skunk Lake WMA: 238 acres
- Minneota WMA: 214 acres
- Caraway WMA: 208 acres
- Heron Meadows WMA: 200 acres
- Summers WMA: 162 acres
- Two Sheds WMA: 151 acres
- Teal Lake WMA: 124 acres
- Pletz Slough WMA: 118 acres
- Illinois Lake WMA: 107 acres
- Graham Creek WMA: 90 acres
- Lillegaard WMA: 88 acres
- Bootleg Lake WMA: 87 acres
- Husen WMA: 79 acres
- Crosse WMA: 67 acres
- Pavelko WMA: 58 acres
- Wolf Lake WMA: 55 acres
- Dead Horse WMA: 40 acres
- Round Lake WMA: 37 acres
- Libra WMA: 29 acres
- Artz WMA: 16 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Jackson County Waterfowl Production Area Of Mn (5,269 acres) and Cottonwood County Waterfowl Production Area (973 acres).
Walk-In Access in DPA 250
The DNR's 2026 Walk-In Access layer shows 1 site in DPA 250, 37 acres of private land open to hunters with a Walk-In Access validation from September 1 to May 31: Jackson WIA #176. DNR Walk-In Access.
How do you get to DPA 250?
Highways through it: I-90 (about 58 miles inside), MN 60 (about 54 miles inside), US 71 (about 30 miles inside), MN 86 (about 23 miles inside) and MN 62 (about 5 miles inside). Towns inside: Jackson, Brewster, Lakefield, Heron Lake, Bingham Lake and Wilder. Nearby: Alpha (on the line), Windom (on the line), Kinbrae (on the line) and Mountain Lake (on the line).
Which deer permit areas border DPA 250?
DPA 250 touches 5 other deer permit areas. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| DPA | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | Walk-In Access sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DPA 237 | 301 | 2025 | 2% | 2 |
| DPA 238 | 114 | 2025 | 12.4% | |
| DPA 252 | 601 | 2025 | 1.3% | 7 |
| DPA 295 | 904 | 2025 | 3.2% | 10 |
| DPA 296 | 607 | 2025 | 1.4% | 8 |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in DPA 250 in 2025?
505 deer were registered: 401 adult bucks, 83 adult does and 21 fawns (DNR 2025 Deer Harvest Report, Table 3). The most in the 5 years shown was 561, in 2022.
What is the 2026 bag limit in DPA 250?
The DNR lists DPA 250 as "One-deer limit: either sex" for 2026. Firearm A season: Nov. 7 to Nov. 15, 2026.
Is there public land to hunt in DPA 250?
Yes. 14,232 acres, 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 31 wildlife management areas here, the largest Timber Lake WMA (907 acres). Walk-In Access adds 1 site (37 acres).
How many firearms hunters hunt DPA 250?
1,300 in the 2025 firearms A season, by the DNR's Table 5. They registered 388 deer, 319 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 Jackson County Cottonwood County Nobles County DPA 237 DPA 238 DPA 252 DPA 295 DPA 296