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Region 3 · 2026-27 rules
Isanti County Hunting
Where Isanti County sits in the 2026-2027 DNR rules: 2 deer permit areas (227 and 225) with designations and season windows, CWD status, bear and turkey permit areas, 6,696 mapped public acres and the nearest wildlife office.
Photo: gutenfrog (CC BY 2.0)
Cambridge anchors Isanti County, a county of 436 land square miles and 16 water square miles. About 43,687 residents call it home, after a 6.2% gain since 2020. DNR counts it in Region 3 (Central), with regional headquarters in St. Paul. On the 2026 deer map the county falls inside DPAs 227 and 225. State and federal land mapped inside the county totals some 6,696 acres.
Land area from the Census 2024 Gazetteer, population from Census Vintage 2024 estimates, region from the DNR county region list, DPAs from the DNR deer permit area layer, public acres from DNR, USFS and USFWS GIS layers (not official acreages). Checked October 28, 2026.
Isanti County DPA designations and lottery quotas
2 deer permit areas touch Isanti County; 227 alone accounts for 57% of it. The booklet list for 2026 gives 3-deer in 227 and 225. For the firearm opener weekend and after: 227 and 225 with nine days from Nov. 7. 227 and 225: early antlerless season Oct. 15 through 18. The statewide cap is five deer and one buck. This season the DNR lets hunters who fill one DPA limit hunt a different DPA.
| Permit area | Share | Status | Quota | Bow season | Gun season | Muzzleloader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 227 | 57% | 3-deer | — | Sept. 19–Dec. 31 | Nov. 7–Nov. 15 | Nov. 28–Dec. 13 |
| 225 | 43% | 3-deer | — | Sept. 19–Dec. 31 | Nov. 7–Nov. 15 | Nov. 28–Dec. 13 |
| DPA | Series | Youth hunt | Early antlerless | Late hunt | CWD | Area | Share in county |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 227 | 200 | Oct. 15–Oct. 18 | Oct. 15–Oct. 18 | — | Voluntary | 491 | 52% |
| 225 | 200 | Oct. 15–Oct. 18 | Oct. 15–Oct. 18 | — | Voluntary | 635 | 31% |
DPA 227 · DPA 225 · DPA pages · Antlerless lottery
Shares, designations and dates from the DNR deer permit area layer (2026 seasons) and the booklet DPA designation list; lottery quotas from the booklet lottery page; limits from the booklet deer rules. Checked October 28, 2026.
Deer numbers for the Isanti County permit areas
Because deer are registered by permit area, the numbers on this page belong to DPA 227 and its neighbours, not to Isanti County alone. For 2025 the DPA 227 total is 4,198 deer, 1,585 adult does among them. Compared with 2017, the 2025 figure is +54%. Buck harvest density in DPA 227 was 4.31 per square mile in 2025. The state total for 2025 stood at 186,368 deer.
| Permit area | Of county | Of DPA | Deer 2023 | Deer 2024 | Deer 2025 | Bucks/sq mi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 227 | 57% | 52% | 3,470 | 3,893 | 4,198 | 4.31 |
| 225 | 43% | 31% | 4,326 | 5,038 | 5,598 | 4.6 |
DPA 227 year by year
| Year | Adult bucks | Male fawns | Adult does | Female fawns | Deer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,031 | 326 | 1,585 | 256 | 4,198 |
| 2024 | 2,005 | 275 | 1,360 | 253 | 3,893 |
| 2023 | 1,745 | 291 | 1,224 | 210 | 3,470 |
| 2022 | 1,696 | 328 | 1,260 | 236 | 3,520 |
| 2021 | 1,754 | 277 | 1,139 | 208 | 3,378 |
| 2020 | 1,763 | 323 | 1,374 | 267 | 3,727 |
| 2019 | 1,527 | 245 | 997 | 172 | 2,941 |
| 2018 | 1,330 | 272 | 1,017 | 203 | 2,822 |
| 2017 | 1,327 | 272 | 951 | 176 | 2,726 |
DNR 2025 registered deer harvest report and earlier yearly reports (2017-2024); statewide totals from the DNR deer harvest statistics. Checked October 28, 2026.
Isanti County season dates, 2026-27
24 species and 50 dated windows touch Isanti County; the last column compares each one with today.
| Quarry | Season | Permit area | From | To | Status today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White-tailed deer | Archery | All DPAs here | Sep 19, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Early antlerless | All DPAs here | Oct 15, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Youth deer | All DPAs here | Oct 15, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Firearms (200 series) | All DPAs here | Nov 7, 2026 | Nov 15, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Muzzleloader | Statewide | Nov 28, 2026 | Dec 13, 2026 | |
| Black bear | No-quota area | No Quota Area | Sep 1, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | |
| Wild turkey | Fall | Statewide | Oct 3, 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring archery-only | Statewide | Apr 14, 2027 | May 31, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring period A | Statewide | Apr 14, 2027 | Apr 20, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring youth | Statewide | Apr 14, 2027 | May 31, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring period B | Statewide | Apr 21, 2027 | Apr 27, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring period C | Statewide | Apr 28, 2027 | May 4, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring period D | Statewide | May 5, 2027 | May 11, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring period E | Statewide | May 12, 2027 | May 18, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring period F | Statewide | May 19, 2027 | May 31, 2027 | |
| Pheasant | Regular | Statewide | Oct 10, 2026 | Jan 3, 2027 | |
| Ruffed and 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 | |
| Mourning dove | Regular | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Nov 29, 2026 | |
| Rabbits and 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 | |
| Rails | Regular | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Nov 9, 2026 | |
| Snipe | Regular | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Dec 16, 2026 | |
| Canada Goose | Early geese | Statewide | Sep 5, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | |
| Snow, Blue and Ross's Geese | Early geese | Statewide | Sep 5, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | |
| Ducks | Early teal season | Statewide | Sep 5, 2026 | Sep 9, 2026 | |
| Ducks | Youth days | Statewide | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 13, 2026 | |
| Ducks | Regular ducks | North Zone | Sep 26, 2026 | Nov 24, 2026 | |
| Ducks | Regular ducks | Central Zone | Sep 26, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 | |
| Ducks | Regular ducks | South Zone | Sep 26, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 | |
| Canada Goose | Regular geese | North Zone | Sep 26, 2026 | Dec 25, 2026 | |
| Canada Goose | Regular geese | Central Zone | Sep 26, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 | |
| Canada Goose | Regular geese | South Zone | Sep 26, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 | |
| Take-a-Kid weekend | Take-a-Kid | Statewide | Sep 26, 2026 | Sep 27, 2026 | |
| Ducks | Regular ducks | Central Zone | Oct 10, 2026 | Nov 29, 2026 | |
| Canada Goose | Regular geese | Central Zone | Oct 10, 2026 | Dec 30, 2026 | |
| Raccoon | Hunting (north) | North furbearer zone | Oct 17, 2026 | Mar 15, 2027 | |
| American Badger | Hunting (north) | North furbearer zone | Oct 17, 2026 | Mar 15, 2027 | |
| Ducks | Regular ducks | South Zone | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | |
| Canada Goose | Regular geese | South Zone | Oct 17, 2026 | Jan 6, 2027 | |
| Raccoon | Hunting (south) | South furbearer zone | Oct 24, 2026 | Mar 15, 2027 | |
| American Badger | 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 | |
| Snow, Blue and Ross's Geese | Spring light goose | Statewide | Feb 18, 2027 | Apr 30, 2027 | |
| Crow | Crow segment | Statewide | Mar 1, 2027 | Mar 31, 2027 |
From the 2026-2027 Minnesota Hunting and Trapping Regulations booklet (Minnesota Department of Natural Resources) and the DNR deer permit area map, checked October 28, 2026.
Local rules hunters ask about in Isanti County
CWD testing is voluntary in 227 and 225 this season, and in-state carcass rules do not apply. Feeding rules here are the statewide ones: no hunting over bait, no county feeding ban. No county shotgun ordinance applies in Isanti County, so the old shotgun zone line no longer matters here. Wear orange or pink above the waist in firearm deer seasons; sleeves and gloves do not count. Validation comes first, before the animal is moved; registration follows within 48 hours.
Carcass rules · Hunting laws · License fees
CWD zones from the booklet CWD page and the CWD rules; history from the DNR CWD page; shotgun ordinances from the booklet firearm page; orange from the booklet clothing rule; registration from the booklet registration page. Checked October 28, 2026.
Isanti County bear areas, turkey and waterfowl lines
Bear season
All of Isanti County lies in the no-quota area, where bear licenses are unlimited and sold over the counter. Bear season runs Sept. 1 to Oct. 18, and baiting may start Aug. 14 at registered stations.
Turkey
Turkey permit areas over Isanti County: 510 (57%) and 508 (43%). Area 510 registered 1,219 spring turkeys in 2026, up from 1,060 in 2019. Permits declaring area 510 in 2026: 4,499. Turkeys must be registered within 24 hours of harvest.
| Permit area | Of county | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Fall 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 510 | 57% | 1,164 | 1,375 | 1,466 | 1,219 | 86 |
| 508 | 43% | 2,118 | 3,018 | 3,248 | 3,067 | 328 |
Migratory birds
Waterfowl zone lines follow highways rather than county lines, so Isanti County hunters should check the DNR zone map for their marsh. Raccoon, fox and bobcat dates change at the I-94/US 10 furbearer line. Goose hunting is allowed in Elizabeth Lake and German Lake Game Refuges as listed: Early goose season and youth in a designated hunting/mentoring program only. The county holds 2 state game refuges; each is closed unless the table says otherwise.
Game refuges here
| Refuge | Small game | Ducks | Firearms | Archery | Traps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elizabeth Lake | Open | Closed | Open | Open | Open |
| German Lake | Open | Closed | Open | Open | Open |
Bear area list · Turkey permit areas · Waterfowl zones · Refuge table
Bear areas and permits from the 2026 bear regulations; BMU harvest from the DNR bear status report; turkey areas and harvest from the DNR turkey harvest reports; elk from the DNR elk page; prairie chicken from the DNR prairie chicken page (map-read); waterfowl lines from the DNR waterfowl page; refuges from the booklet refuge table. Checked October 28, 2026.
Public land and WMAs in Isanti County
The 17 Isanti County listings break down as 14 wildlife management areas and 3 aquatic management areas.
- Wildlife management areas: 14Dalbo Wildlife Management Area (3,363 acres*), Rice Creek Wildlife Management Area (925 acres*), Bethel Wildlife Management Area (755 acres*), Marget Lake Wildlife Management Area (507 acres), Spectacle Wildlife Management Area (504 acres), Crooked Road Wildlife Management Area (390 acres), Cranberry Wildlife Management Area (317 acres*), Spencer Brook Wildlife Management Area (309 acres), Marvin W. Schubring Memorial Wildlife Management Area (285 acres), Becklin Homestead Wildlife Management Area (277 acres), Athens Wildlife Management Area (192 acres), Hoffman Lake Wildlife Management Area (115 acres), Dobe Wildlife Management Area (98 acres), Stanchfield Wildlife Management Area (38 acres)
- Aquatic management areas: 3North Brook Aquatic Management Area (76 acres), North Stanchfield Lake Aquatic Management Area (36 acres), Spectacle Lake Aquatic Management Area (16 acres)
Nearest land outside Isanti
- Carl E. Bonnell Wildlife Management Area13 miles by map · 78 acres
- Nessel Wildlife Management Area13 miles by map · 72 acres
- Vietnam Veterans Wildlife Management Area14 miles by map · 79 acres
- Bolger Wildlife Management Area14 miles by map · 41 acres
- Rush Lake Wildlife Management Area15 miles by map · 675 acres
Plan around Twin Lakes Scientific and Natural Area, where hunting is not allowed.
Minnesota public land · WMA list · Walk-In sites
Units from our Minnesota land list (DNR WMA, SNA, AMA, forest and park pages, USFWS and USFS records); acres by kind from the DNR management units layer, the USFS ownership layer and the USFWS interest layer (GIS measures); Walk-In Access from the DNR Walk-In Access program; special hunts from the booklet special hunt tables. Checked October 28, 2026.
DNR offices, processors and shops for Isanti County
Businesses inside Isanti County come first; the nearest in bordering counties fill each group.
DNR offices
For Isanti County, the DNR regional office is in St. Paul. Cambridge is the work area for 100% of the county.
Processors
Taxidermy
Hunting preserves
Gun and archery shops
Offices from the DNR wildlife area offices and DNR regions pages; processors from the MDA venison donation list, the DNR CWD partner list and directories; shops from directories and store locators. Checked October 28, 2026; call ahead. All Minnesota hunting services.
Town guides and neighbours for Isanti County
Isanti County has 1 town guide, seat first; each lists the public land within reach and the nearest shops.
- Cambridgeseat · 10,974 residents (2024) · 1,463 public ac nearby
Cross the Isanti County boundary and you enter one of 6 counties.
Towns from the Census 2024 Gazetteer and Vintage 2024 estimates; adjacency from the Census county adjacency file.
Shooting ranges and gun clubs for Isanti County
Up to six Isanti County ranges appear as cards; the rest are in the table below.
Run by Three Rivers Park District, Elm Creek Park Reserve is the public range nearest Isanti County (30 miles). Range page
Shoots coming up here
| Date and event | Type | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 27-28, 2026 | Gun show | Listing |
Ranges from the operators’ pages and directory listings, checked October 28, 2026. The DNR Shooting Range Finder could not be read.
Isanti County legal hunting light
Pheasant hunting starts at 9 a.m. and runs to sunset, early teal runs sunrise to sunset, and big game gets the half hour on each end.
| Date | Moment | Sunrise | Sunset | Deer, bear, elk | Waterfowl |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 19, 2026 | Archery and grouse opener | 6:55 a.m. | 7:19 p.m. | 6:25 a.m. to 7:49 p.m. | 6:25 a.m. to 7:19 p.m. |
| Sep 26, 2026 | Duck opener | 7:03 a.m. | 7:05 p.m. | 6:33 a.m. to 7:35 p.m. | 6:33 a.m. to 7:05 p.m. |
| Oct 10, 2026 | Pheasant opener | 7:21 a.m. | 6:39 p.m. | 6:51 a.m. to 7:09 p.m. | 6:51 a.m. to 6:39 p.m. |
| Nov 7, 2026 | Firearms deer opener | 7:00 a.m. | 4:54 p.m. | 6:30 a.m. to 5:24 p.m. | 6:30 a.m. to 4:54 p.m. |
| Nov 28, 2026 | Muzzleloader opener | 7:29 a.m. | 4:34 p.m. | 6:59 a.m. to 5:04 p.m. | 6:59 a.m. to 4:34 p.m. |
| Dec 31, 2026 | Archery close | 7:53 a.m. | 4:38 p.m. | 7:23 a.m. to 5:08 p.m. | 7:23 a.m. to 4:38 p.m. |
| Apr 14, 2027 | Spring turkey opener | 6:31 a.m. | 7:56 p.m. | 6:01 a.m. to 8:26 p.m. | 6:01 a.m. to 7:56 p.m. |
Hours rule from the DNR booklet shooting hours page; sun times calculated for the county centre (NOAA method, Central Time), checked against U.S. Naval Observatory tables; checked October 28, 2026. Legal hours for every county.
Isanti County on the hunting calendar
1 upcoming event listed. Kinds: firearms safety hybrid class.
Coming up
| Held on | Event | Where held | Link | Checked at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 31, 2026 | Firearms Safety Hybrid Class, a firearms safety hybrid class | Cambridge | Register | Source |
Firearms safety in Isanti County: 7 DNR classes on the 2026 calendar, 7 of them full on the check date. The class list.
Hunting questions about Isanti County
Which public land is closest to Isanti County outside the county?
Carl E. Bonnell Wildlife Management Area, about 13 miles from the centre.
Which turkey permit area is Isanti County in?
510 and 508.
Is Isanti County in the North, Central or South duck zone?
DNR draws the zones only as highway lines on a map (MN 210/23/39 and US 212/I-494/I-94); check the map for your spot.
What happens after I shoot a deer in Isanti County?
Validate at the kill site, then register within 48 hours online, in the app or at a walk-in station.
Do county lines set deer rules in Isanti County?
No. Deer permit area lines do; the DPA table above lists each one and its share of the county.
Who handles cut-and-wrap for Isanti County deer?
Bramham Custom Meat sits closest on our list; phone before you drop a deer off.
Is Isanti County still shotgun only?
No. It is not among the 13 counties with a shotgun-only or partial ordinance.
Where do I dump a deer carcass from Isanti County?
Not on public land, road rights-of-way or water; no zone carcass rule applies here.
Does DNR count bears by county for Isanti County?
No. Bear harvest is reported by bear management unit.
Does DNR publish deer harvest by county for Isanti County?
No. Registered deer are reported by deer permit area only; this page shows the DPA totals.
Answers from the 2026-2027 Minnesota Hunting and Trapping Regulations booklet, the DNR deer permit area layer, DNR harvest reports and the sources above. Checked October 28, 2026.
Trip checklist for Isanti County
Permit area lines and designations in and around Isanti County change between seasons; open the DPA page and the booklet before you go.
Sources: 2026-2027 Minnesota Hunting and Trapping Regulations, DNR hunting, Census and the agencies linked in each section. Checked October 28, 2026.
Other photos on this page: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0); USFWS Mountain Prairie (Public domain); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0).