Audubon County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land
Audubon County covers 443 square miles around Audubon. Hunters reported 204 deer here in the 2025 season, 115 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is up 2% from 2024. 0.2% of Audubon County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (522 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and the DNR's public hunting area boundaries.
Data updated October 2026. Harvest: the DNR's harvest reporting results, 2021 to 2025. Land: PAD-US 4.1 and the DNR's Hunting Atlas layer.
Public hunting areas on the DNR atlasCounty conservation board and city landLand trusts and other open landIHAP landAudubon CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 283,733 acres (443 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 204 (115 antlered bucks, 10 button bucks, 78 does and doe fawns) |
| Deer zone (2026) | Zone A |
| Public land | 0.2% (527 acres) |
| Hunting areas | 3 (521 acres inside Audubon County) |
| IHAP land | 6 sites, 727 acres |
| Towns in and near it | Audubon, Gray, Exira, Elk Horn, Adair and Dedham |
How many deer are harvested in Audubon County?
Hunters reported 204 deer in Audubon County in 2025: 115 antlered bucks, 10 button bucks, 78 does and doe fawns and 1 bucks that had shed their antlers.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Doe fawns | Shed-antler bucks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 204 | 115 | 10 | 73 | 5 | 1 |
| 2024 | 200 | 116 | 19 | 60 | 4 | 1 |
| 2023 | 254 | 137 | 15 | 97 | 3 | 2 |
| 2022 | 316 | 194 | 12 | 100 | 4 | 6 |
| 2021 | 295 | 166 | 17 | 105 | 6 | 1 |
Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Audubon County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.
How much public land is in Audubon County?
527 of Audubon County's 283,733 acres are public land open to the public (0.2%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 522 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Audubon County |
|---|---|---|
| Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas | 522 | 0.2% |
| County conservation board and city land | 5 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 527 | 0.2% |
Measured by FilledTag inside the county line from USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public) and the DNR's public hunting area boundaries. Hunting rules differ by manager: DNR wildlife management areas and state forests are open to hunting unless posted as a refuge; Corps of Engineers lake land is open in many places under each project's own rules; national wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas follow U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rules; county conservation boards set the rules on their own land; state parks are closed to most hunting.
Public hunting areas in Audubon County
Public hunting areas in Audubon County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Littlefield Recreation Area: 455 acres
- Nabotna Pond Park: 60 acres
- Edwards Park: 6 acres
IHAP land in Audubon County
The DNR's IHAP layer shows 6 tracts in Audubon County, 727 acres of private land leased for walk-in hunting. Nearly every tract is walk-in only, September 1 to May 31, by the DNR's notes. DNR: IHAP.
How do you get to Audubon County?
Highways through it: US 71 (about 26 miles inside), IA 44 (about 19 miles inside) and IA 173 (about 2 miles inside). Towns inside: Audubon, Gray, Exira, Kimballton and Brayton. Nearby: Elk Horn (on the line), Adair (3 miles), Dedham (3 miles) and Manning (3 miles).
Which counties border Audubon County?
Audubon County touches 6 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | IHAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cass County | 298 | 2025 | 0.5% | 3 |
| Adair County | 679 | 2025 | 0.6% | |
| Shelby County | 142 | 2025 | 0.5% | |
| Carroll County | 199 | 2025 | 0.9% | |
| Guthrie County | 1,613 | 2025 | 3.2% | |
| Crawford County | 245 | 2025 | 0.4% | 2 |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Audubon County in 2025?
Hunters reported 204 deer: 115 antlered bucks, 10 button bucks and 78 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 200.
Is there public hunting land in Audubon County?
Yes. 527 acres, 0.2% of the county, are public land open to the public by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and the DNR's public hunting area boundaries, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (522 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 3 public hunting areas here.
Does Audubon County have IHAP land?
Yes. 6 tracts, 727 acres, on the DNR's IHAP layer.
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Where these numbers come from
- Deer harvest: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons).
- Public land: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public) and the DNR's public hunting area boundaries. public hunting areas: Iowa DNR public hunting areas (Hunting Atlas layer). IHAP land: Iowa DNR Iowa Habitat and Access Program (IHAP) tracts.
- Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 cartographic county boundaries. Highways and towns: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 primary and secondary roads; U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer, places.
FilledTag is not part of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Numbers are copied from the DNR and the federal sources above, or measured from their maps; nothing on this page is estimated by FilledTag.
Iowa hunting Cass County Adair County Shelby County Carroll County Guthrie County Crawford County