Chickasaw County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land
Chickasaw County covers 506 square miles around New Hampton. Hunters reported 1,197 deer here in the 2025 season, 424 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is up 10% from 2024, and the most in the 5 years shown. 1.1% of Chickasaw County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (2,908 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 landIHAP landChickasaw CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 323,649 acres (506 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 1,197 (424 antlered bucks, 90 button bucks, 660 does and doe fawns) |
| Deer zone (2026) | Zone A |
| Public land | 1.1% (3,435 acres) |
| Hunting areas | 27 (2,909 acres inside Chickasaw County) |
| IHAP land | 1 site, 243 acres |
| Towns in and near it | New Hampton, Nashua, Lawler, Protivin, Frederika and Jackson Junction |
How many deer are harvested in Chickasaw County?
Hunters reported 1,197 deer in Chickasaw County in 2025: 424 antlered bucks, 90 button bucks, 660 does and doe fawns and 23 bucks that had shed their antlers.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Doe fawns | Shed-antler bucks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,197 | 424 | 90 | 615 | 45 | 23 |
| 2024 | 1,087 | 447 | 102 | 489 | 37 | 12 |
| 2023 | 1,000 | 431 | 85 | 442 | 30 | 12 |
| 2022 | 970 | 432 | 91 | 412 | 21 | 14 |
| 2021 | 942 | 413 | 88 | 389 | 42 | 10 |
Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Chickasaw County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.
How much public land is in Chickasaw County?
3,435 of Chickasaw County's 323,649 acres are public land open to the public (1.1%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 2,908 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Chickasaw County |
|---|---|---|
| Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas | 2,908 | 0.9% |
| County conservation board and city land | 527 | 0.2% |
| All public land open to the public | 3,435 | 1.1% |
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 Chickasaw County
Public hunting areas in Chickasaw County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Upper Wapsi Wildlife Area: 557 acres
- Wapsi Flats Wildlife Area: 536 acres
- Little Wapsie Wildlife Area: 227 acres
- N.j. Koenigsfeld Wildlife Area: 213 acres
- Troyna WMA: 212 acres
- Twin Ponds: 162 acres
- Ackerson-Easterly Wildlife Area: 115 acres
- Wapsie Fjord: 112 acres
- Wapsi Junction: 82 acres
- Nelson Wildlife Area: 81 acres
- Stolz Addition: 80 acres
- Wapsie Access Area: 80 acres
- Ringneck Haven: 74 acres
- Big Wapsi Wildlife Area: 68 acres
- Fredricksburg Wildlife Area: 38 acres
- Justen Wildlife Area: 36 acres
- Deerfield Wildlife Area: 36 acres
- Jerico Wildlife Area: 36 acres
- Herman & Hulda Schroeder Preserve: 32 acres
- Joachim Prairie: 25 acres
- Goodale Conservation Area: 22 acres
- North Wapsi Access: 18 acres
- Johnny Walnutseed Conservation Area: 18 acres
- Jenn Timber: 17 acres
- Devon Woods: 13 acres
- Saude Recreation Area: 11 acres
- Wendt's Woods: 8 acres
IHAP land in Chickasaw County
The DNR's IHAP layer shows 1 tract in Chickasaw County, 243 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 Chickasaw County?
Highways through it: US 18 (about 37 miles inside), US 63 (about 36 miles inside), IA 24 (about 13 miles inside), IA 346 (about 12 miles inside) and US 218 (about 7 miles inside). Towns inside: New Hampton, Nashua, Lawler, Fredericksburg, Alta Vista and Ionia. Nearby: Protivin (on the line), Frederika (2 miles), Jackson Junction (2 miles) and Colwell (2 miles).
Which counties border Chickasaw County?
Chickasaw County touches 7 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% | |
| Bremer County | 1,254 | 2025 | 3.3% | |
| Butler County | 1,211 | 2025 | 2.8% | 1 |
| Howard County | 832 | 2025 | 1% | 1 |
| Fayette County | 2,128 | 2025 | 1.8% | 5 |
| Mitchell County | 936 | 2025 | 0.8% | |
| Winneshiek County | 2,519 | 2025 | 2.3% | 5 |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Chickasaw County in 2025?
Hunters reported 1,197 deer: 424 antlered bucks, 90 button bucks and 660 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 1,087.
Is there public hunting land in Chickasaw County?
Yes. 3,435 acres, 1.1% 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 (2,908 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 27 public hunting areas here.
Does Chickasaw County have IHAP land?
Yes. 1 tract, 243 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 Floyd County Bremer County Butler County Howard County Fayette County Mitchell County Winneshiek County