Deer Permit Area 254: deer harvest, seasons and public land
Minnesota's Deer Permit Area 254 covers 947 square miles of Freeborn, Faribault and Mower counties, around Albert Lea. Hunters registered 1,373 deer here in 2025, 753 of them adult bucks, by the DNR's 2025 Deer Harvest Report. That is up 2% from 2024, and the most in the 5 years shown. 1.4% of DPA 254 is public land open to the public, the largest share state wildlife management areas (3,380 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 areasNational wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areasState parksCounty, city and regional landDPA 254Neighboring deer permit areasLakeHighway
| Counties | Freeborn County, Faribault County, Mower County, Waseca County and Steele County |
|---|---|
| Size | 606,287 acres (947 square miles) |
| 2026 bag limit | Three-deer limit |
| Firearm A season, 2026 | Nov. 7 to Nov. 15, 2026 |
| Deer registered, 2025 | 1,373 (753 adult bucks) |
| Firearms hunters, 2025 | 2,503 |
| Public land | 1.4% (8,360 acres) |
| WMAs | 19 (3,365 acres inside DPA 254) |
| Walk-In Access | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Albert Lea, Blooming Prairie, Glenville, Kiester, New Richland and Wells |
How many deer are harvested in DPA 254?
The DNR registered 1,373 deer in DPA 254 in 2025: 753 adult bucks, 497 adult does and 123 fawns, about 1.5 deer for each of the 924 square miles of land the DNR counts in it. 2,503 hunters used their firearms license here in the A season and registered 868 deer, about 35 deer for every 100 of them. Archers: 906 hunters, 288 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 | 1,373 | 753 | 497 | 123 | 1.49 | 2,503 | 868 | 906 | 288 | 494 | 176 |
| 2024 | 1,340 | 772 | 447 | 121 | 1.45 | 2,528 | 899 | 925 | 288 | 560 | 129 |
| 2023 | 1,346 | 745 | 466 | 135 | 1.46 | 2,415 | 940 | 863 | 245 | 567 | 138 |
| 2022 | 1,259 | 707 | 412 | 140 | 1.36 | 2,464 | 854 | 738 | 220 | 540 | 155 |
| 2021 | 1,264 | 713 | 405 | 146 | 1.37 | 2,502 | 895 | 739 | 190 | 506 | 132 |
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 254 that year.
When are the 2026 deer seasons in DPA 254?
DPA 254 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 |
| CWD testing | Optional CWD testing available |
Source: Minnesota DNR deer permit areas, 2026 seasons (July 2026 - June 2027). Check the DNR's regulations before you go: dates and limits can change during the year.
How much public land is in DPA 254?
8,360 of DPA 254's 606,287 acres are public land open to the public (1.4%). The biggest share is state wildlife management areas: 3,380 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of DPA 254 |
|---|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 3,380 | 0.6% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 2,989 | 0.5% |
| State parks | 1,618 | 0.3% |
| County, city and regional land | 368 | 0.1% |
| State forest and other DNR land | 5 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 8,360 | 1.4% |
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 254
DNR WMAs in DPA 254, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Panicum Prairie WMA: 1,047 acres
- Wo Wacintanka WMA: 558 acres
- Carex WMA: 332 acres
- Magaksica WMA: 169 acres
- Brush Creek WMA: 155 acres
- Halls Lake WMA: 152 acres
- Save the Wetlands WMA: 124 acres
- Manchester WMA: 113 acres
- Ann & Leo Donahue WMA: 112 acres
- Upper Twin Lake WMA: 99 acres
- Geneva WMA: 86 acres
- Dean Christensen Memorial WMA: 80 acres
- Mansfield WMA: 77 acres
- Bear WMA: 64 acres
- Shell Rock WMA: 49 acres
- State Line Lake WMA: 47 acres
- Young Bull WMA: 41 acres
- Schrafel WMA: 33 acres
- Wells WMA: 27 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Freeborn County Waterfowl Production Area (2,711 acres), Mower County Waterfowl Production Area (142 acres) and Faribault County Waterfowl Production Area (136 acres).
How do you get to DPA 254?
Highways through it: I-90 (about 77 miles inside), I-35 (about 53 miles inside), US 65 (about 46 miles inside), MN 13 (about 24 miles inside) and MN 30 (about 21 miles inside). Towns inside: Albert Lea, Blooming Prairie, Glenville, Alden, Emmons and Ellendale. Nearby: Kiester (on the line), New Richland (on the line), Wells (on the line) and Austin (on the line).
Which deer permit areas border DPA 254?
DPA 254 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 230 | 549 | 2025 | 1% | |
| DPA 232 | 745 | 2025 | 2.1% | |
| DPA 233 | 652 | 2025 | 1% | |
| DPA 253 | 854 | 2025 | 1.2% | 1 |
| DPA 255 | 704 | 2025 | 0.8% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in DPA 254 in 2025?
1,373 deer were registered: 753 adult bucks, 497 adult does and 123 fawns (DNR 2025 Deer Harvest Report, Table 3). The most in the 5 years shown was 1,373, in 2025.
What is the 2026 bag limit in DPA 254?
The DNR lists DPA 254 as "Three-deer limit" for 2026. Firearm A season: Nov. 7 to Nov. 15, 2026.
Is there public land to hunt in DPA 254?
Yes. 8,360 acres, 1.4% 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 19 wildlife management areas here, the largest Panicum Prairie WMA (1,047 acres).
How many firearms hunters hunt DPA 254?
2,503 in the 2025 firearms A season, by the DNR's Table 5. They registered 868 deer, 529 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 Freeborn County Faribault County Mower County Waseca County Steele County DPA 230 DPA 232 DPA 233 DPA 253 DPA 255