Deer Permit Area 295: deer harvest, seasons and public land
Minnesota's Deer Permit Area 295 covers 977 square miles of Murray, Cottonwood and Redwood counties, around Windom. Hunters registered 904 deer here in 2025, 650 of them adult bucks, by the DNR's 2025 Deer Harvest Report. That is up 8% from 2024, and the most in the 5 years shown. 3.2% of DPA 295 is public land open to the public, the largest share state wildlife management areas (13,448 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 295Neighboring deer permit areasLakeHighway
| Counties | Murray County, Cottonwood County, Redwood County and Lyon County |
|---|---|
| Size | 625,067 acres (977 square miles) |
| 2026 bag limit | One-deer limit: either sex |
| Firearm A season, 2026 | Nov. 7 to Nov. 15, 2026 |
| Deer registered, 2025 | 904 (650 adult bucks) |
| Firearms hunters, 2025 | 2,227 |
| Public land | 3.2% (19,856 acres) |
| WMAs | 59 (13,252 acres inside DPA 295) |
| Walk-In Access | 10 sites, 783 acres |
| Towns in and near it | Windom, Sanborn, Slayton, Lake Wilson, Tracy and Fulda |
How many deer are harvested in DPA 295?
The DNR registered 904 deer in DPA 295 in 2025: 650 adult bucks, 217 adult does and 37 fawns, about 0.9 deer for each of the 959 square miles of land the DNR counts in it. 2,227 hunters used their firearms license here in the A season and registered 627 deer, about 28 deer for every 100 of them. Archers: 613 hunters, 130 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 | 904 | 650 | 217 | 37 | 0.94 | 2,227 | 627 | 613 | 130 | 439 | 103 |
| 2024 | 835 | 594 | 191 | 50 | 0.87 | 2,152 | 595 | 598 | 113 | 487 | 88 |
| 2023 | 827 | 569 | 211 | 47 | 0.86 | 2,201 | 587 | 595 | 114 | 534 | 92 |
| 2022 | 856 | 595 | 212 | 49 | 0.89 | 2,198 | 593 | 578 | 104 | 511 | 123 |
| 2021 | 857 | 605 | 187 | 65 | 0.89 | 2,284 | 617 | 586 | 98 | 530 | 94 |
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 295 that year.
When are the 2026 deer seasons in DPA 295?
DPA 295 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 295?
19,856 of DPA 295's 625,067 acres are public land open to the public (3.2%). The biggest share is state wildlife management areas: 13,448 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of DPA 295 |
|---|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 13,448 | 2.2% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 5,501 | 0.9% |
| State parks | 820 | 0.1% |
| State forest and other DNR land | 79 | under 0.1% |
| County, city and regional land | 7 | under 0.1% |
| Other federal land | 1 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 19,856 | 3.2% |
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 295
DNR WMAs in DPA 295, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Dovray WMA: 998 acres
- Lake Maria WMA: 951 acres
- Shetek WMA: 731 acres
- Badger Lake WMA: 617 acres
- Budolfson WMA: 617 acres
- String Lakes WMA: 588 acres
- H.C. Southwick WMA: 569 acres
- Buffalo Lake WMA: 568 acres
- Shetek Inlet WMA: 542 acres
- Beaver Creek WMA: 512 acres
- Skandia WMA: 498 acres
- Chandler WMA: 409 acres
- Hurricane Lake WMA: 360 acres
- Irruption WMA: 341 acres
- Great Oasis WMA: 319 acres
- Pats Pasture WMA: 318 acres
- Plum Creek WMA: 283 acres
- Lake Yankton WMA: 215 acres
- Peters WMA: 206 acres
- Lowville WMA: 194 acres
- Farhagen WMA: 183 acres
- Expandere WMA: 167 acres
- Grunflur WMA: 163 acres
- Dutch Charley Creek WMA: 162 acres
- Leeds WMA: 154 acres
- Gora Prairie WMA: 153 acres
- Schoeberl WMA: 150 acres
- Henry Vos WMA: 140 acres
- Gallinago WMA: 138 acres
- Christensen WMA: 131 acres
- Arnolds Lake WMA: 123 acres
- Wirock WMA: 122 acres
- Sarah-Mason WMA: 121 acres
- Haberman WMA: 96 acres
- Devils Run WMA: 90 acres
- Rupp WMA: 83 acres
- Typhoon WMA: 83 acres
- Humphery WMA: 82 acres
- Garvin WMA: 82 acres
- Wajer WMA: 81 acres
And 19 smaller ones.
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Murray County Waterfowl Production Area (2,596 acres), Cottonwood County Waterfowl Production Area (2,307 acres) and Lyon County Waterfowl Production Area (515 acres).
Walk-In Access in DPA 295
The DNR's 2026 Walk-In Access layer shows 10 sites in DPA 295, 783 acres of private land open to hunters with a Walk-In Access validation from September 1 to May 31. The largest is Lyon WIA #186 (132 acres). DNR Walk-In Access.
How do you get to DPA 295?
Highways through it: MN 30 (about 48 miles inside), US 59 (about 30 miles inside), US 14 (about 27 miles inside), MN 91 (about 15 miles inside) and US 71 (about 12 miles inside). Towns inside: Windom, Sanborn, Slayton, Balaton, Walnut Grove and Avoca. Nearby: Lake Wilson (on the line), Tracy (on the line), Fulda (on the line) and Chandler (on the line).
Which deer permit areas border DPA 295?
DPA 295 touches 8 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 238 | 114 | 2025 | 12.4% | |
| DPA 250 | 505 | 2025 | 3% | 1 |
| DPA 288 | 731 | 2025 | 3.7% | 16 |
| DPA 289 | 558 | 2025 | 1.3% | 6 |
| DPA 294 | 472 | 2025 | 2% | 19 |
| DPA 296 | 607 | 2025 | 1.4% | 8 |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in DPA 295 in 2025?
904 deer were registered: 650 adult bucks, 217 adult does and 37 fawns (DNR 2025 Deer Harvest Report, Table 3). The most in the 5 years shown was 904, in 2025.
What is the 2026 bag limit in DPA 295?
The DNR lists DPA 295 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 295?
Yes. 19,856 acres, 3.2% 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 59 wildlife management areas here, the largest Dovray WMA (998 acres). Walk-In Access adds 10 sites (783 acres).
How many firearms hunters hunt DPA 295?
2,227 in the 2025 firearms A season, by the DNR's Table 5. They registered 627 deer, 468 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 Murray County Cottonwood County Redwood County Lyon County DPA 234 DPA 237 DPA 238 DPA 250 DPA 288 DPA 289 DPA 294 DPA 296