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WMA · DPA 171
Hunting on Deer Run Wildlife Management Area in 2026-27
Wildlife management area hunting in Aitkin County: rules, season dates, parking and nearby public land.
Photo: Lorie Shaull (CC BY 2.0)
Getting to Deer Run Wildlife Management Area
The record behind Deer Run WMA, summed up
The mapped area of Deer Run WMA is 699 acres, in Aitkin County. Aitkin County has 27 wildlife management areas on our list; this one is the 13th largest. Deer rules come from DPA 171, an antlerless permit lottery area in 2026.
Aitkin is the DNR wildlife area office for Deer Run WMA (aitkin.wildlife@state.mn.us). DNR records Pittman-Robertson funding for Deer Run WMA.
Species named: deer, small game, ruffed grouse and woodcock.
From the agency record (Minnesota Department of Natural Resources); checked October 28, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Deer Run Wildlife Management Area
Deer Run WMA regulations in short
Read these before a first trip to Deer Run WMA; they come from the agency page.
| Item | Allowed? |
|---|---|
| Hunting, trapping | Regular seasons |
| Vehicles | Designated roads, lots |
| Target shooting | Not allowed |
| Guns in transit | Cased, unloaded |
| Camping | Designated or permit |
| Portable stands, blinds | Remove daily |
| Overnight stands, northwest | Nov 1-Dec 31 |
| Dogs | Leash Apr 16-Jul 14 |
| Drones | Not allowed |
| Gear left overnight | Not allowed |
Sources: record, agency rules; booklet: 2026-2027 Minnesota Hunting and Trapping Regulations. Checked October 28, 2026.
DPA 171 dates for Deer Run WMA
For 2026, DNR made DPA 171 antlerless permit lottery and offered 500 antlerless permits by lottery; its firearms deer season is the 100-series window. The Sept. 10 lottery hands out the antlerless permits for DPA 171.
| Deer season | Opens | Closes | Today |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archery | Sep 19, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | |
| Youth deer | Oct 15, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | |
| Firearms, 100 series | Nov 7, 2026 | Nov 22, 2026 | |
| Muzzleloader | Nov 28, 2026 | Dec 13, 2026 |
No mandatory CWD sampling in DPA 171; testing is optional. DPA 171 takes in 769 square miles. Part of Aitkin, Cass and Crow Wing falls in DPA 171.
From the DNR 2026 deer season map and the 2026-2027 regulations booklet; checked October 28, 2026.
Hunting seasons at Deer Run WMA
20 season windows for 12 species reach Deer Run WMA, filtered by its game species list.
| Game | Season | Area | From | To | Open now? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | Archery | DPA 171 | Sep 19, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | |
| Deer | Youth deer | DPA 171 | Oct 15, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | |
| Deer | Firearms, 100 series | DPA 171 | Nov 7, 2026 | Nov 22, 2026 | |
| Deer | Muzzleloader | Statewide | Nov 28, 2026 | Dec 13, 2026 | |
| Ruffed, spruce grouse | Regular | Statewide | Sep 19, 2026 | Jan 3, 2027 | |
| Hungarian partridge | Regular | Statewide | Sep 19, 2026 | Jan 3, 2027 | |
| Woodcock | Regular | Statewide | Sep 19, 2026 | Nov 2, 2026 | |
| Rabbits, hares | Regular | Statewide | Sep 19, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Jackrabbit | Regular | Statewide | Sep 19, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Squirrels | Regular | Statewide | Sep 19, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Crow | Crow segment | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Oct 31, 2026 | |
| Take-a-Kid | Take-a-Kid | Statewide | Sep 26, 2026 | Sep 27, 2026 | |
| Raccoon, foxes | Hunting (north) | North furbearer zone | Oct 17, 2026 | Mar 15, 2027 | |
| Badger, opossum, weasels | Hunting (north) | North furbearer zone | Oct 17, 2026 | Mar 15, 2027 | |
| Raccoon, foxes | Hunting (south) | South furbearer zone | Oct 24, 2026 | Mar 15, 2027 | |
| Badger, opossum, weasels | Hunting (south) | South furbearer zone | Oct 24, 2026 | Mar 15, 2027 | |
| Bobcat | Hunt and trap (north) | North furbearer zone | Dec 12, 2026 | Jan 17, 2027 | |
| Crow | Crow segment | Statewide | Dec 15, 2026 | Jan 15, 2027 | |
| Bobcat | Hunt and trap (south) | South furbearer zone | Jan 2, 2027 | Jan 17, 2027 | |
| Crow | Crow segment | Statewide | Mar 1, 2027 | Mar 31, 2027 |
Blaze orange or pink is required during the firearms deer seasons, including for most small game hunters.
From the 2026-2027 Minnesota Hunting and Trapping Regulations booklet (Minnesota Department of Natural Resources); checked October 28, 2026. All Minnesota seasons.
Deer Run WMA directions and parking
The DNR route text for each subunit of Deer Run WMA, with 0 mapped lots.
| Unit | Size | Closest town | Hunting | Parking spots | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer Run WMA | 699 | Aitkin | Open | – | DNR |
- Deer Run WMA: From Aitkin at the stoplight at the intersection of Highway 210 and County Highway 1, go north on County Highway 1 for 5.5 miles to arrive on the west side of the WMA.
DNR WMA detail pages (Compass feature records); checked October 28, 2026.
Other places to hunt near Deer Run WMA
The closest other public land to Deer Run WMA is Aitkin WMA, 4.0 mi to the southeast; the table lists 8 neighbors with 23,192 acres between them.
| Name | Type | Size (ac) | Deer area | Away | Bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aitkin WMA | WMA | 3,412 | 155 | 4.0 mi | southeast |
| Waukenabo State Forest | State forest | 15,624 | 155, 171 | 5.4 mi | north |
| French Lake WMA | WMA | 535 | 171 | 5.7 mi | east |
| Little Willow River WMA | WMA | 1,860 | 171 | 7.1 mi | north |
| Gun Lake WMA | WMA | 829 | 171 | 8.7 mi | northeast |
| Newstrom Lake WMA | WMA | 795 | 155 | 8.7 mi | east |
| Upper Dean WMA | WMA | 40 | 604 | 10.0 mi | west |
| Cedar Lake WMA | WMA | 97 | 604 | 10 mi | southwest |
Points: DNR WMA detail page map point (Compass feature_detail). Straight-line distances. Statewide public land map.
Towns and offices around Deer Run WMA
The town nearest Deer Run WMA is Aitkin at 5.6 mi. Crosby (2,328 in 2024) is the largest of these towns. DNR names Aitkin as the nearest town on its unit page. Aitkin Area Wildlife Office (Aitkin) is the closest DNR office, 6.1 mi off.
| Community | County | Residents | Straight line | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aitkin | Aitkin | 2,174 | 5.6 mi | south |
| Palisade | Aitkin | 169 | 12 mi | northeast |
| Cuyuna | Crow Wing | 327 | 13 mi | southwest |
| Deerwood | Crow Wing | 570 | 14 mi | southwest |
| Crosby | Crow Wing | 2,328 | 15 mi | southwest |
Towns from the 2024 Census gazetteer and population estimates; offices and businesses from services.json (DNR and business listings, chain stores and license agents left out); straight-line miles. Checked October 28, 2026.
Deer Run WMA area deer harvest by year
DPA 171 totals, which include all the land around Deer Run WMA: 1,165 deer in 2025 against 1,068 in 2024.
| Year | Bucks | Does, fawns | All deer | Per sq mi |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 959 | 206 | 1,165 | 1.57 |
| 2024 | 880 | 188 | 1,068 | 1.44 |
| 2023 | 664 | 155 | 819 | 1.11 |
| 2022 | 632 | 348 | 980 | 1.32 |
| 2021 | 746 | 386 | 1,132 | 1.53 |
| 2020 | 460 | 604 | 1,064 | 1.70 |
| 2019 | 626 | 651 | 1,277 | 2.04 |
| 2018 | 916 | 853 | 1,769 | 2.52 |
| 2017 | 1,161 | 1,544 | 2,705 | 3.86 |
DNR 2025 deer harvest report; earlier years from the DNR yearly reports. Checked October 28, 2026.
The county setting of Deer Run WMA
Aitkin County holds 43 public hunting records on this site; Deer Run WMA is one of them. No deer feeding or attractants in Aitkin County (DNR ban). Bear permit area 51 covers part of Aitkin County (51 (1500 permits)). For turkey the county is in permit area 508. Wildlife office for Aitkin County: Aitkin Area Wildlife Office. Unlike Deer Run WMA, Cedar Lake Aquatic Management Area and Glacier Lake Aquatic Management Area are shut to hunters.
County acres from DNR and federal GIS layers (counties.json); zones from the 2026-2027 booklet; checked October 28, 2026.
Deer Run WMA: first legal light and last
Calculated for the exact spot of Deer Run WMA, so the minutes differ a little from the county tables.
| Day | Hunt | First sun | Last sun | Start | Big game stop | Bird stop |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 19, 2026 | Archery and grouse opener | 6:56 a.m. | 7:21 p.m. | 6:26 a.m. | 7:51 p.m. | 7:21 p.m. |
| Sep 26, 2026 | Duck opener | 7:05 a.m. | 7:07 p.m. | 6:35 a.m. | 7:37 p.m. | 7:07 p.m. |
| Oct 10, 2026 | Pheasant opener | 7:24 a.m. | 6:39 p.m. | 6:54 a.m. | 7:09 p.m. | 6:39 p.m. |
| Nov 7, 2026 | Firearms deer opener | 7:04 a.m. | 4:53 p.m. | 6:34 a.m. | 5:23 p.m. | 4:53 p.m. |
| Nov 28, 2026 | Muzzleloader opener | 7:34 a.m. | 4:32 p.m. | 7:04 a.m. | 5:02 p.m. | 4:32 p.m. |
| Dec 31, 2026 | Archery close | 7:59 a.m. | 4:36 p.m. | 7:29 a.m. | 5:06 p.m. | 4:36 p.m. |
| Apr 14, 2027 | Spring turkey opener | 6:31 a.m. | 7:59 p.m. | 6:01 a.m. | 8:29 p.m. | 7:59 p.m. |
Spring turkey uses the bird column.
Hours rule from the DNR booklet shooting hours page; sun times calculated for the unit point (NOAA method, Central Time); checked October 28, 2026. Legal hours for every county.
Deer Run Wildlife Management Area and nearby events
1 upcoming event on this property or within about 10 miles (NWTF chapter banquet). Checked October 28, 2026.
Upcoming here
| Date | Event | Miles | Where | Sign up | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 27, 2027 | Aitkin Gobblers Hunting Heritage Event NWTF Banquet, an NWTF chapter banquet | 6 | Aitkin | Buy tickets | Source |
Deer Run Wildlife Management Area hunters: nearest gun clubs on file
Before a hunt on Deer Run Wildlife Management Area, the closest range on file is Discom Sharpshooters & Jr. Div, 15 miles off. Sight in elsewhere: the area rules bar target shooting.
From the operators’ pages and directory listings, checked October 28, 2026; target shooting rule from the DNR WMA rules.
Deer Run WMA and country like it, in photos
Straight answers on hunting Deer Run WMA
Is Deer Run WMA a big piece of land?
About 699 acres, per the agency GIS.
When does firearms deer season open on Deer Run WMA?
Deer permit area 171; the 2026 designation is antlerless permit lottery. Firearms dates in that DPA are Nov 7 to Nov 22, 2026.
What game is on Deer Run WMA?
The record for Deer Run WMA lists deer, small game and ruffed grouse and woodcock.
What are the directions to Deer Run WMA?
From Aitkin at the stoplight at the intersection of Highway 210 and County Highway 1, go north on County Highway 1 for 5.5 miles to arrive on the west side of the WMA. 0 mapped lots.
Which office should I call about Deer Run WMA?
The Aitkin office of Minnesota Department of Natural Resources runs Deer Run WMA.
What are the CWD rules on Deer Run WMA?
CWD status: DPA 171 is outside the CWD zones, with optional testing.
Deer Run WMA: deer hours on opening day?
About 6:34 a.m. to 5:23 p.m. on opening day of firearms deer.
Any other public ground within a short drive of Deer Run WMA?
Closest on the map: Aitkin WMA (4.0 mi), Waukenabo State Forest (5.4 mi) and French Lake WMA (5.7 mi).
Are permanent stands allowed on Deer Run WMA?
No overnight gear on Deer Run WMA: stands and blinds go home each day unless the northwest exception covers the unit.
Can I stay the night on Deer Run WMA?
No, except designated sites or by permit.
Deer Run WMA: is hunting allowed there?
Open to hunting in regular seasons, under the general WMA rules and any notes on the unit page.
Other photos on this page: USFWS Mountain Prairie (CC BY 2.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Midwest Region (Public domain).