Deer season firearm opener begins in one week, what northeast hunters can expect
Next weekend, hunters across Minnesota will head into the woods for the annual firearm deer season opener.
An expected 400,000 deer hunters are preparing for the upcoming firearm season opener on Saturday, Nov. 8, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
While firearm deer hunters have one more week until the opener, archery deer hunters have already been in the woods trying their luck at harvesting a deer. The official deer hunting season began for archery hunters on Sept. 13.
The DNR harvest report shows that archery hunters have had minimal success in the northeast region so far, particularly in the Superior Uplands – Arrowhead region, which encompasses Cook and Lake Counties. The region is divided into six deer permit areas (DPAs): 117, 118, 126, 130, 131, and 133.
Deer permit areas – northeast region
The archery season is a more challenging time for hunters, as it opens well before the white-tailed deer rut, or mating season, which is more closely aligned with the firearm season.
The following is the 2025 archery harvest data for the Superior Uplands-Arrowhead region as of Oct. 30:
- DPA 126: 1 adult male
- DPA 117: 0
- DPA 131: 4 adult males and 1 adult female
- DPA 118: 13 adult males
- DPA 130: 2 adult males
- DPA 133: 14 adult males, 15 adult females, 2 female juveniles, and 3 male juveniles
As a conservative management practice, given declining populations throughout the Superior Uplands-Arrowhead region, the DNR has designated the majority of the DPAs as bucks-only for the 2025 hunting season. The designation is the same as the 2024 hunting season. DPA 117, which sits predominantly inside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and generally has low hunter participation, remained designated as a one deer limit: either six, and DPA 133, closer to the Lake Superior shore, near Two Harbors, was designated as one deer limit with 25 antlerless lottery permits.
Statewide, as of Oct.30, there have been 23,723 deer harvested, according to the DNR harvest report. A portion of the harvested data is attributed to the youth deer season, which took place from Oct. 16 to Oct. 19.
While deer populations are more abundant in the southern and central areas of the state, populations in the northeast region remain low. The DNR states that hunters will have the best deer harvest opportunities in the southern portion of the northeast region, particularly in areas closer to Two Harbors and Duluth, where deer populations are higher.
Severe winters and predation have contributed to declining deer populations across the northeast region. However, the past two winters have been relatively mild, creating more favorable conditions for the survival of white-tailed deer. The 2024 deer season experienced an increase in deer harvest compared to the 2023 season.
The firearm deer season for Minnesota’s northeast region runs from Nov. 8 to Nov. 23.
Kalli Hawkins November 1, 2025
