Deer Permit Area 294: deer harvest, seasons and public land
Minnesota's Deer Permit Area 294 covers 689 square miles of Pipestone, Murray and Lincoln counties, around Pipestone. Hunters registered 472 deer here in 2025, 323 of them adult bucks, by the DNR's 2025 Deer Harvest Report. That is up 2% from 2024. 2% of DPA 294 is public land open to the public, the largest share state wildlife management areas (6,671 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 parksNational park landCounty, city and regional landWalk-In AccessDPA 294Neighboring deer permit areasLakeHighway
| Counties | Pipestone County, Murray County, Lincoln County and Lyon County |
|---|---|
| Size | 440,895 acres (689 square miles) |
| 2026 bag limit | One-deer limit: either sex |
| Firearm A season, 2026 | Nov. 7 to Nov. 15, 2026 |
| Deer registered, 2025 | 472 (323 adult bucks) |
| Firearms hunters, 2025 | 1,217 |
| Public land | 2% (8,705 acres) |
| WMAs | 34 (6,621 acres inside DPA 294) |
| Walk-In Access | 19 sites, 1,835 acres |
| Towns in and near it | Pipestone, Lake Benton, Hatfield, Jasper, Edgerton and Tyler |
How many deer are harvested in DPA 294?
The DNR registered 472 deer in DPA 294 in 2025: 323 adult bucks, 115 adult does and 34 fawns, about 0.7 deer for each of the 686 square miles of land the DNR counts in it. 1,217 hunters used their firearms license here in the A season and registered 381 deer, about 31 deer for every 100 of them. Archers: 221 hunters, 44 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 | 472 | 323 | 115 | 34 | 0.69 | 1,217 | 381 | 221 | 44 | 192 | 35 |
| 2024 | 462 | 312 | 115 | 35 | 0.67 | 1,229 | 363 | 217 | 41 | 212 | 34 |
| 2023 | 461 | 272 | 156 | 33 | 0.67 | 1,213 | 344 | 237 | 44 | 224 | 49 |
| 2022 | 546 | 355 | 135 | 56 | 0.80 | 1,241 | 406 | 225 | 57 | 231 | 68 |
| 2021 | 600 | 379 | 163 | 58 | 0.87 | 1,282 | 480 | 226 | 55 | 244 | 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 294 that year.
When are the 2026 deer seasons in DPA 294?
DPA 294 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 294?
8,705 of DPA 294's 440,895 acres are public land open to the public (2%). The biggest share is state wildlife management areas: 6,671 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of DPA 294 |
|---|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 6,671 | 1.5% |
| State parks | 952 | 0.2% |
| State forest and other DNR land | 419 | 0.1% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 318 | 0.1% |
| National park land | 302 | 0.1% |
| County, city and regional land | 43 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 8,705 | 2% |
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 294
DNR WMAs in DPA 294, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Winter WMA: 975 acres
- Hole-In-Mountain WMA: 638 acres
- Altona WMA: 636 acres
- Klinker WMA: 532 acres
- Terrace WMA: 445 acres
- Ruthton WMA: 294 acres
- Hjermstad WMA: 266 acres
- Woodstock WMA: 250 acres
- Tyler WMA: 224 acres
- Hope WMA: 214 acres
- Nelson WMA: 198 acres
- Shelburne WMA: 162 acres
- Eden WMA: 159 acres
- Schindel WMA: 156 acres
- Tutt WMA: 149 acres
- Poplar Creek WMA: 144 acres
- Burke WMA: 106 acres
- Adolph Lofthus WMA: 106 acres
- Salt & Pepper WMA: 97 acres
- Gromer's Draw WMA: 87 acres
- Ringneck Ridge WMA: 82 acres
- Coteau Pit WMA: 81 acres
- Jasper WMA: 80 acres
- Ellsborough WMA: 80 acres
- Van Eck WMA: 77 acres
- Degroot WMA: 75 acres
- Lange WMA: 63 acres
- Troy WMA: 55 acres
- Nyroca Flats WMA: 42 acres
- Buffalo Ridge WMA: 41 acres
- Holland WMA: 39 acres
- Bergman WMA: 33 acres
- Van Beek WMA: 23 acres
- Current WMA: 12 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Pipestone National Monument (303 acres) and Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge (235 acres).
Walk-In Access in DPA 294
The DNR's 2026 Walk-In Access layer shows 19 sites in DPA 294, 1,835 acres of private land open to hunters with a Walk-In Access validation from September 1 to May 31. The largest is Murray WIA #150 (236 acres). DNR Walk-In Access.
How do you get to DPA 294?
Highways through it: MN 23 (about 34 miles inside), US 75 (about 29 miles inside), MN 30 (about 26 miles inside), US 14 (about 19 miles inside) and MN 91 (about 11 miles inside). Towns inside: Pipestone, Lake Benton, Hatfield, Trosky, Holland and Chandler. Nearby: Jasper (on the line), Edgerton (on the line), Tyler (on the line) and Balaton (4 miles).
Which deer permit areas border DPA 294?
DPA 294 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 234 | 288 | 2025 | 1% | 9 |
| DPA 237 | 301 | 2025 | 2% | 2 |
| DPA 286 | 588 | 2025 | 4.1% | 30 |
| DPA 288 | 731 | 2025 | 3.7% | 16 |
| DPA 295 | 904 | 2025 | 3.2% | 10 |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in DPA 294 in 2025?
472 deer were registered: 323 adult bucks, 115 adult does and 34 fawns (DNR 2025 Deer Harvest Report, Table 3). The most in the 5 years shown was 600, in 2021.
What is the 2026 bag limit in DPA 294?
The DNR lists DPA 294 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 294?
Yes. 8,705 acres, 2% 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 34 wildlife management areas here, the largest Winter WMA (975 acres). Walk-In Access adds 19 sites (1,835 acres).
How many firearms hunters hunt DPA 294?
1,217 in the 2025 firearms A season, by the DNR's Table 5. They registered 381 deer, 272 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 Pipestone County Murray County Lincoln County Lyon County DPA 234 DPA 237 DPA 286 DPA 288 DPA 295