Deer Permit Area 296: deer harvest, seasons and public land
Minnesota's Deer Permit Area 296 covers 674 square miles of Brown, Watonwan and Cottonwood counties, around St. James. Hunters registered 607 deer here in 2025, 420 of them adult bucks, by the DNR's 2025 Deer Harvest Report. That is down 5% from 2024. 1.4% of DPA 296 is public land open to the public, the largest share state wildlife management areas (5,034 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 296Neighboring deer permit areasLakeHighway
| Counties | Brown County, Watonwan County, Cottonwood County and Redwood County |
|---|---|
| Size | 431,286 acres (674 square miles) |
| 2026 bag limit | One-deer limit: either sex |
| Firearm A season, 2026 | Nov. 7 to Nov. 15, 2026 |
| Deer registered, 2025 | 607 (420 adult bucks) |
| Firearms hunters, 2025 | 1,688 |
| Public land | 1.4% (5,885 acres) |
| WMAs | 27 (4,998 acres inside DPA 296) |
| Walk-In Access | 8 sites, 405 acres |
| Towns in and near it | St. James, Springfield, Mountain Lake, Cobden, Bingham Lake and Sleepy Eye |
How many deer are harvested in DPA 296?
The DNR registered 607 deer in DPA 296 in 2025: 420 adult bucks, 157 adult does and 30 fawns, about 0.9 deer for each of the 667 square miles of land the DNR counts in it. 1,688 hunters used their firearms license here in the A season and registered 443 deer, about 26 deer for every 100 of them. Archers: 428 hunters, 71 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 | 607 | 420 | 157 | 30 | 0.91 | 1,688 | 443 | 428 | 71 | 340 | 67 |
| 2024 | 642 | 430 | 158 | 54 | 0.96 | 1,679 | 479 | 414 | 76 | 349 | 64 |
| 2023 | 642 | 402 | 204 | 36 | 0.96 | 1,679 | 470 | 427 | 75 | 353 | 70 |
| 2022 | 610 | 447 | 135 | 28 | 0.91 | 1,684 | 439 | 426 | 72 | 321 | 75 |
| 2021 | 582 | 426 | 132 | 24 | 0.87 | 1,536 | 437 | 371 | 59 | 316 | 62 |
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 296 that year.
When are the 2026 deer seasons in DPA 296?
DPA 296 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 296?
5,885 of DPA 296's 431,286 acres are public land open to the public (1.4%). The biggest share is state wildlife management areas: 5,034 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of DPA 296 |
|---|---|---|
| State wildlife management areas | 5,034 | 1.2% |
| State forest and other DNR land | 548 | 0.1% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 212 | under 0.1% |
| County, city and regional land | 91 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 5,885 | 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 296
DNR WMAs in DPA 296, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Wood Lake WMA: 805 acres
- Mulligan Slough WMA: 644 acres
- Bashaw WMA: 586 acres
- Little Swan WMA: 412 acres
- Delft WMA: 352 acres
- Younger Brothers WMA: 349 acres
- Ewy Lake WMA: 227 acres
- Vogel WMA: 166 acres
- Verona WMA, Main Unit: 164 acres
- Rock Ridge WMA: 158 acres
- Riecks Slough WMA: 131 acres
- Southeast Hanska WMA: 125 acres
- Winding Creek WMA: 118 acres
- Curry WMA: 111 acres
- Verona WMA, NE Unit: 80 acres
- William A. Groebner WMA: 78 acres
- Terri WMA: 74 acres
- Middle Creek WMA: 71 acres
- Mountain Lake WMA: 70 acres
- Carpenter WMA: 61 acres
- Tierney WMA: 55 acres
- Voss WMA: 43 acres
- Meadowlark Acres WMA: 41 acres
- Albin WMA: 37 acres
- Helget-Braulick WMA: 28 acres
- Klug WMA: 6 acres
- Boise Lake WMA: 6 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Cottonwood County Waterfowl Production Area (163 acres).
Walk-In Access in DPA 296
The DNR's 2026 Walk-In Access layer shows 8 sites in DPA 296, 405 acres of private land open to hunters with a Walk-In Access validation from September 1 to May 31. The largest is Brown WIA #1130 (112 acres). DNR Walk-In Access.
How do you get to DPA 296?
Highways through it: MN 30 (about 32 miles inside), MN 4 (about 25 miles inside), US 71 (about 14 miles inside), MN 60 (about 10 miles inside) and US 14 (about 10 miles inside). Towns inside: St. James, Springfield, Mountain Lake, Madelia, Comfrey and Butterfield. Nearby: Cobden (on the line), Bingham Lake (on the line), Sleepy Eye (on the line) and Windom (on the line).
Which deer permit areas border DPA 296?
DPA 296 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 250 | 505 | 2025 | 3% | 1 |
| DPA 252 | 601 | 2025 | 1.3% | 7 |
| DPA 289 | 558 | 2025 | 1.3% | 6 |
| DPA 290 | 1,202 | 2025 | 0.9% | 5 |
| DPA 291 | 1,896 | 2025 | 2% | 2 |
| DPA 295 | 904 | 2025 | 3.2% | 10 |
| DPA 299 | 726 | 2025 | 1.9% | 2 |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in DPA 296 in 2025?
607 deer were registered: 420 adult bucks, 157 adult does and 30 fawns (DNR 2025 Deer Harvest Report, Table 3). The most in the 5 years shown was 642, in 2024.
What is the 2026 bag limit in DPA 296?
The DNR lists DPA 296 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 296?
Yes. 5,885 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 27 wildlife management areas here, the largest Wood Lake WMA (805 acres). Walk-In Access adds 8 sites (405 acres).
How many firearms hunters hunt DPA 296?
1,688 in the 2025 firearms A season, by the DNR's Table 5. They registered 443 deer, 321 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 Brown County Watonwan County Cottonwood County Redwood County DPA 250 DPA 252 DPA 289 DPA 290 DPA 291 DPA 295 DPA 299