Cerro Gordo County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land
Cerro Gordo County covers 575 square miles around Mason City. Hunters reported 544 deer here in the 2025 season, 289 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is down 7% from 2024, and the fewest in the 5 years shown. 3.4% of Cerro Gordo County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (6,954 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 atlasOther DNR landState parks and recreation areasCounty conservation board and city landIHAP landCerro Gordo CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 368,093 acres (575 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 544 (289 antlered bucks, 35 button bucks, 210 does and doe fawns) |
| Deer zone (2026) | Zone A |
| Public land | 3.4% (12,376 acres) |
| Hunting areas | 35 (6,958 acres inside Cerro Gordo County) |
| IHAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Mason City, Clear Lake, Rockwell, Fertile, Nora Springs and Sheffield |
How many deer are harvested in Cerro Gordo County?
Hunters reported 544 deer in Cerro Gordo County in 2025: 289 antlered bucks, 35 button bucks, 210 does and doe fawns and 10 bucks that had shed their antlers.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Doe fawns | Shed-antler bucks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 544 | 289 | 35 | 196 | 14 | 10 |
| 2024 | 584 | 292 | 41 | 235 | 13 | 3 |
| 2023 | 586 | 311 | 36 | 218 | 11 | 10 |
| 2022 | 549 | 276 | 36 | 221 | 10 | 6 |
| 2021 | 548 | 289 | 44 | 202 | 11 | 2 |
Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Cerro Gordo County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.
How much public land is in Cerro Gordo County?
12,376 of Cerro Gordo County's 368,093 acres are public land open to the public (3.4%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 6,954 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Cerro Gordo County |
|---|---|---|
| Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas | 6,954 | 1.9% |
| Other DNR land | 3,640 | 1% |
| County conservation board and city land | 1,609 | 0.4% |
| State parks and recreation areas | 159 | under 0.1% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 11 | under 0.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 3 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 12,376 | 3.4% |
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 Cerro Gordo County
Public hunting areas in Cerro Gordo County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Union Hills WPA: 2,126 acres
- Ventura Marsh Wildlife Area: 708 acres
- Zirbel Slough: 331 acres
- Walch Wildlife Area: 306 acres
- Shellrock River Greenbelt: 286 acres
- McIntosh Wildlife Area: 252 acres
- Prairie Land Trail: 248 acres
- Mallard Marsh: 228 acres
- Hansen Wildlife Area: 199 acres
- Bailey Creek WPA: 159 acres
- Wild Goose Marsh Wildlife Area: 156 acres
- Mike Zack Wildlife Area: 152 acres
- Beaverdam WPA: 152 acres
- Teal Basins WPA: 151 acres
- Ring-Neck Wildlife Area: 148 acres
- Prairie Pothole Wildlife Area: 143 acres
- Kingfisher Hollow: 130 acres
- Sandpiper Hills WPA: 125 acres
- Grover's Meadow: 119 acres
- Lekwa Marsh Wildlife Area: 105 acres
- Winnebago Oxbow: 77 acres
- Kuhn Wildlife Area: 76 acres
- Haugen Wildlife Area: 73 acres
- Winter Garden: 72 acres
- Otter Bend Wildlife Area: 64 acres
- Blue-Bill Wildlife Area: 61 acres
- Union Hills: 52 acres
- Wally's Woods: 50 acres
- Claybanks Forest: 46 acres
- White Wildlife Area: 43 acres
- Bluewing Marsh - Cerro Gordo: 41 acres
- Clear Lake Pond Wildlife Area: 41 acres
- Lime Creek Conservation Area: 20 acres
- Blazingstar Prairie: 10 acres
- Stille Wildlife Area: 8 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Cerro Gordo County Waterfowl Production Area (2,723 acres).
How do you get to Cerro Gordo County?
Highways through it: IA 27 (about 55 miles inside), I-35 (about 49 miles inside), US 18 (about 47 miles inside), US 65 (about 27 miles inside) and IA 122 (about 20 miles inside). Towns inside: Mason City, Clear Lake, Rockwell, Ventura, Meservey and Thornton. Nearby: Fertile (on the line), Nora Springs (on the line), Sheffield (on the line) and Hanlontown (2 miles).
Which counties border Cerro Gordo County?
Cerro Gordo County touches 8 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | IHAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floyd County | 1,063 | 2025 | 0.7% | |
| Worth County | 468 | 2025 | 3.7% | |
| Butler County | 1,211 | 2025 | 2.8% | 1 |
| Wright County | 365 | 2025 | 2.1% | |
| Hancock County | 334 | 2025 | 2.4% | 6 |
| Franklin County | 527 | 2025 | 0.9% | |
| Mitchell County | 936 | 2025 | 0.8% | |
| Winnebago County | 338 | 2025 | 4.6% | 5 |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Cerro Gordo County in 2025?
Hunters reported 544 deer: 289 antlered bucks, 35 button bucks and 210 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 584.
Is there public hunting land in Cerro Gordo County?
Yes. 12,376 acres, 3.4% 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 (6,954 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 35 public hunting areas here.
Does Cerro Gordo County have IHAP land?
Not 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.
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