Deer Permit Area 281: public land and hunting map
Deer Permit Area 281 is one of Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MN DNR)’s 130 deer permit areas in Minnesota. It covers about 607 square miles (388,647 acres), and roughly 1.5% of it is public land: state land 1.3%, Fish & Wildlife Service under 1%.
- 1.5%public land
- 607square miles
- 5,830public acres
- 5neighbouring units
Measured Oct 12, 2026 from agency boundaries and USGS PAD-US 4.1 · sources and method
Who manages the land
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serviceunder 1%
- State land (wildlife, trust and natural-resource agencies)1.3%
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 281
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 281 is public land?
About 1.5% of Deer Permit Area 281 (5,830 of 388,647 acres) is federal or state public land in USGS PAD-US 4.1, mostly State land (wildlife, trust and natural-resource agencies) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Public land is not always open land: check access and closures before you go.
Who manages the land in Deer Permit Area 281?
State land (wildlife, trust and natural-resource agencies): 1.3%; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: under 1%. The rest is private, tribal, local government or other land.
Which units border Deer Permit Area 281?
Deer Permit Area 278, Deer Permit Area 280, Deer Permit Area 282, Deer Permit Area 289 and Deer Permit Area 290.
Where are the season dates and rules for Deer Permit Area 281?
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.