Photo: Seth Wickham on Unsplash.com

By Laura Durenberger-Grunow - Boreal Community Media - April 29, 2026


Earlier this month, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) published its annual deer harvest report for the 2025 season, which was completed in March. The report provides harvest data, license sales, and hunter success rates for the previous year across the state. Overall, the organization reported that 449,056 total hunters participated across all seasons in 2025 in the state, with a hunter success rate of 35.0%. 

According to the MN DNR, the total registered deer harvest for the 2025 season was 186,368, an increase from the 2024 season (170,679 deer) and the 2023 season (158,678 deer). 

The report further breaks down the total deer harvest data by weapon type. Firearms remain the most popular method, with 146,679 deer registered, and muzzleloader hunters took 9,646 deer. The archery harvest reached 30,043, which is the highest recorded number in that category for the 2014-2025 period. 

Of that, 106,437 antlered bucks were taken, alongside 79,931 antlerless deer.

Northeastern Minnesota and the Arrowhead Region

In northeastern Minnesota, particularly within the Arrowhead region, the report shows that harvest numbers remained lower than the statewide average. According to the MN DNR, deer populations in most of the northeast remained low leading into the season. Because of that, hunters in far northern areas had fewer opportunities to harvest antlerless deer. Changes were also made to the special firearm hunts that took place at specific state parks in the area. 

In many different permit areas (DPAs) in the northeast, bag limits were in place, such as "1-deer limit: bucks only" or "1-deer limit: antlerless permit lottery." The DNR stated these regulations were intended to "give local deer populations in these northern areas a chance to grow where their numbers are below goals."

 DPAs in NE Minnesota, image from the MN DNR

• DPA 117: 14 total deer harvested (10 adult males and 4 adult females)
• DPA 118: 408 total deer harvested (403 adult males, 0 fawn males, 4 adult females, and 1 fawn female)
• DPA 119: 279 total deer harvested (273 adult males, 2 fawn males, 3 adult females, and 1 fawn female)
• DPA 126: 117 total deer harvested (113 adult males and 4 adult females)
• DPA 130: 142 total deer harvested (141 adult males and 1 adult female)
• DPA 131: 45 total deer harvested (43 adult males and 2 adult females)
• DPA 132: 215 total deer harvested (212 adult males and 3 adult females) 
• DPA 133: 449 total deer harvested (398 adult males, 7 fawn males, 43 adult females, and 1 fawn female)
  
• Special hunt - Cascade River State Park: 3 total deer harvested (1 adult male and 2 adult females)
• Special hunt - Judge CR Magney State Park: 5 total deer harvested (2 adult males and 3 adult females)

Read the full report from the MN DNR here.