Deer Permit Area 649: deer harvest, seasons and public land
Minnesota's Deer Permit Area 649 covers 499 square miles of Houston and Fillmore counties, around Caledonia. Hunters registered 3,806 deer here in 2025, 1,665 of them adult bucks, by the DNR's 2025 Deer Harvest Report. That is up 10% from 2024, and the most in the 5 years shown. 8.5% of DPA 649 is public land open to the public, the largest share state forest and other DNR land (12,839 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 parksDPA 649Neighboring deer permit areasLakeHighway
| Counties | Houston County and Fillmore County |
|---|---|
| Size | 319,507 acres (499 square miles) |
| 2026 bag limit | Five-deer limit |
| Firearm A season, 2026 | Nov. 7 to Nov. 15, 2026 |
| Deer registered, 2025 | 3,806 (1,665 adult bucks) |
| Firearms hunters, 2025 | 5,285 |
| Public land | 8.5% (27,084 acres) |
| WMAs | 7 (3,864 acres inside DPA 649) |
| Walk-In Access | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Caledonia, Brownsville, Houston, Rushford, Rushford Village and Peterson |
How many deer are harvested in DPA 649?
The DNR registered 3,806 deer in DPA 649 in 2025: 1,665 adult bucks, 1,405 adult does and 736 fawns, about 7.7 deer for each of the 492 square miles of land the DNR counts in it. 5,285 hunters used their firearms license here in the A season and registered 2,518 deer, about 48 deer for every 100 of them. Archers: 1,945 hunters, 690 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 | 3,806 | 1,665 | 1,405 | 736 | 7.74 | 5,285 | 2,518 | 1,945 | 690 | 583 | 229 |
| 2024 | 3,455 | 1,567 | 1,154 | 734 | 7.02 | 5,171 | 2,338 | 1,936 | 632 | 594 | 191 |
| 2023 | 3,383 | 1,539 | 1,204 | 640 | 6.88 | 5,143 | 2,447 | 1,892 | 532 | 609 | 160 |
| 2022 | 3,267 | 1,376 | 1,201 | 690 | 6.64 | 5,250 | 2,370 | 1,798 | 493 | 652 | 149 |
| 2021 | 3,420 | 1,580 | 1,130 | 710 | 6.95 | 5,323 | 2,341 | 1,834 | 551 | 693 | 158 |
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 649 that year.
When are the 2026 deer seasons in DPA 649?
DPA 649 is a "Five-deer limit" area for 2026. It is in the 600 series, which sets its firearms dates. Firearm A season: Nov. 7 to Nov. 15, 2026.
| Season | 2026 dates or rule |
|---|---|
| Bag limit designation | Five-deer limit |
| Archery | Sept. 19 to Dec. 31, 2026 |
| Firearm A season | Nov. 7 to Nov. 15, 2026 |
| Firearm B season | Nov. 21 to Nov. 29, 2026 |
| Muzzleloader | Nov. 28 to Dec. 13, 2026 |
| Youth season | Oct. 15 to Oct. 18, 2026 |
| Early antlerless season | Oct. 15 to Oct. 18, 2026 |
| Late season | Dec. 18 to 20, 2026 |
| Disease management | CWD management zone |
| CWD testing | Optional CWD testing available |
| Carcass movement | Carcass disposal rule in effect |
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 649?
27,084 of DPA 649's 319,507 acres are public land open to the public (8.5%). The biggest share is state forest and other DNR land: 12,839 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of DPA 649 |
|---|---|---|
| State forest and other DNR land | 12,839 | 4% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 9,062 | 2.8% |
| State wildlife management areas | 4,415 | 1.4% |
| State parks | 744 | 0.2% |
| County, city and regional land | 24 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 27,084 | 8.5% |
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 649
DNR WMAs in DPA 649, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Choice WMA: 1,629 acres
- Yucatan WMA: 967 acres
- Ferndale Ridge WMA: 658 acres
- Root River WMA: 338 acres
- Winnebago Creek WMA: 174 acres
- Chisholm Valley WMA: 80 acres
- Mound Prairie WMA: 18 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: R J D Memorial Hardwood State Forest (12,704 acres) and Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife And Fish Refuge (9,073 acres).
How do you get to DPA 649?
Highways through it: MN 44 (about 31 miles inside), MN 76 (about 23 miles inside), MN 16 (about 23 miles inside), MN 26 (about 20 miles inside) and MN 43 (about 14 miles inside). Towns inside: Caledonia, Brownsville, Houston, Spring Grove, Hokah and Eitzen. Nearby: Rushford (on the line), Rushford Village (on the line), Peterson (3 miles) and La Crescent (4 miles).
Which deer permit areas border DPA 649?
DPA 649 touches 2 other deer permit areas. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in DPA 649 in 2025?
3,806 deer were registered: 1,665 adult bucks, 1,405 adult does and 736 fawns (DNR 2025 Deer Harvest Report, Table 3). The most in the 5 years shown was 3,806, in 2025.
What is the 2026 bag limit in DPA 649?
The DNR lists DPA 649 as "Five-deer limit" for 2026. Firearm A season: Nov. 7 to Nov. 15, 2026. Firearm B season: Nov. 21 to Nov. 29, 2026.
Is there public land to hunt in DPA 649?
Yes. 27,084 acres, 8.5% of the permit area, are public land open to the public by PAD-US 4.1, mostly state forest and other DNR land. The DNR's map shows 7 wildlife management areas here, the largest Choice WMA (1,629 acres).
How many firearms hunters hunt DPA 649?
5,285 in the 2025 firearms A season, by the DNR's Table 5. They registered 2,518 deer, 1,180 of them adult bucks.
Get a Minnesota hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Minnesota are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Minnesota included.
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 Houston County Fillmore County DPA 646 DPA 648