Deer Permit Area 126: public land and hunting map
Deer Permit Area 126 is one of Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MN DNR)’s 130 deer permit areas in Minnesota. It covers about 976 square miles (624,410 acres), and roughly 64% of it is public land: Forest Service 54%, state land 9.8%, National Park Service under 1%.
- 64%public land
- 976square miles
- 398,998public acres
- 3neighbouring units
Measured Oct 12, 2026 from agency boundaries and USGS PAD-US 4.1 · sources and method
Who manages the land
- U.S. Forest Service54%
- National Park Serviceunder 1%
- State land (wildlife, trust and natural-resource agencies)9.8%
Share of the unit’s area. Federal agencies plus state wildlife, trust and natural-resource land, as the WikiHunt map classifies it. The rest is private, tribal, local or other land.
Rut: Published deer rut timing for Minnesota: November – early December. Rut dates and sources for Minnesota.
Units next to Deer Permit Area 126
Minnesota season dates, 2026
Statewide general seasons. Many units have their own dates, quotas or draw-only hunts, so check the unit in the regulations before you go.
| Species | Season | 2026 dates |
|---|---|---|
| Deer | Archery Deer | Sep 19 – Dec 31 |
| Deer | Firearms Deer | Nov 7 – Nov 22 |
| Deer | Muzzleloader Deer | Nov 28 – Dec 13 |
| Black bear | Bear | Sep 1 – Oct 18 |
| Turkey | Fall Turkey | Oct 3 – Nov 1 |
Full notes on the Minnesota page · Minnesota regulations.
Questions
How much of Deer Permit Area 126 is public land?
About 64% of Deer Permit Area 126 (398,998 of 624,410 acres) is federal or state public land in USGS PAD-US 4.1, mostly U.S. Forest Service, State land (wildlife, trust and natural-resource agencies) and National Park Service. Public land is not always open land: check access and closures before you go.
Who manages the land in Deer Permit Area 126?
U.S. Forest Service: 54%; State land (wildlife, trust and natural-resource agencies): 9.8%; National Park Service: under 1%. The rest is private, tribal, local government or other land.
Which units border Deer Permit Area 126?
Deer Permit Area 117, Deer Permit Area 131 and Deer Permit Area 133.
Where are the season dates and rules for Deer Permit Area 126?
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MN DNR) sets them. Start at the Minnesota hunting regulations. WikiHunt shows the statewide general seasons on the Minnesota page and in the app.
Sources and method
- Boundary: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MN DNR), via the Minnesota Geospatial Commons, the same layer the WikiHunt map draws.
- Public land: USGS Protected Areas Database (PAD-US) 4.1, Fee Managers layer (public domain).
- Method: the unit and PAD-US polygons are simplified to about 100 m and measured on a grid of about 250 cells across the unit, so overlapping records are counted once. Expect about ±1 percentage point.
- Season dates: WikiHunt’s season table, updated Sep 2, 2026, checked against each state’s published regulations. Dates change; the regulations win.
- Last updated: Oct 12, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.