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Dickinson County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land

Dickinson County covers 404 square miles around Spirit Lake. Hunters reported 304 deer here in the 2025 season, 172 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is up 19% from 2024. 11.1% of Dickinson County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (21,630 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.

Map of Iowa's Dickinson County: public land by manager, IHAP land, the counties around it, highways US 71, IA 9 and IA 86; towns: Spirit Lake, Milford, Okoboji, Fostoria and Harris

Public hunting areas on the DNR atlasOther DNR landState parks and recreation areasCounty conservation board and city landLand trusts and other open landIHAP landDickinson CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway

Dickinson County at a glance
Size258,541 acres (404 square miles)
Deer reported, 2025304 (172 antlered bucks, 15 button bucks, 110 does and doe fawns)
Deer zone (2026)Zone A
Public land11.1% (28,633 acres)
Hunting areas41 (21,629 acres inside Dickinson County)
IHAP land1 site, 43 acres
Towns in and near itSpirit Lake, Milford, Okoboji, Fostoria, Harris and Estherville

How many deer are harvested in Dickinson County?

Hunters reported 304 deer in Dickinson County in 2025: 172 antlered bucks, 15 button bucks, 110 does and doe fawns and 7 bucks that had shed their antlers.

SeasonDeer reportedAntlered bucksButton bucksDoesDoe fawnsShed-antler bucks
20253041721510557
2024255136229070
2023246148137294
20223261832510666
2021272161168762

Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Dickinson County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.

How much public land is in Dickinson County?

28,633 of Dickinson County's 258,541 acres are public land open to the public (11.1%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 21,630 acres.

ManagerAcresShare of Dickinson County
Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas21,6308.4%
Other DNR land6,0262.3%
State parks and recreation areas4870.2%
County conservation board and city land4250.2%
National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas50under 0.1%
Land trusts and other open land15under 0.1%
All public land open to the public28,63311.1%

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 Dickinson County

Public hunting areas in Dickinson County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:

And 1 smaller ones.

Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Dickinson County Waterfowl Production Area (6,724 acres).

IHAP land in Dickinson County

The DNR's IHAP layer shows 1 tract in Dickinson County, 43 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 Dickinson County?

Highways through it: US 71 (about 31 miles inside), IA 9 (about 20 miles inside) and IA 86 (about 13 miles inside). Towns inside: Spirit Lake, Milford, Okoboji, Arnolds Park, Lake Park and West Okoboji. Nearby: Fostoria (on the line), Harris (2 miles), Estherville (4 miles) and Wallingford (6 miles).

Which counties border Dickinson County?

Dickinson County touches 5 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:

CountyDeer harvestedYearPublic landIHAP land sites
Clay County46120253.9%5
Emmet County23720255.3%1
O'Brien County16320250.9%
Osceola County12120251.2%1
Palo Alto County27920253.1%5

Questions hunters ask

How many deer were harvested in Dickinson County in 2025?

Hunters reported 304 deer: 172 antlered bucks, 15 button bucks and 110 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 255.

Is there public hunting land in Dickinson County?

Yes. 28,633 acres, 11.1% 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 (21,630 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 41 public hunting areas here.

Does Dickinson County have IHAP land?

Yes. 1 tract, 43 acres, on the DNR's IHAP layer.

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Where these numbers come from

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 Clay County Emmet County O'Brien County Osceola County Palo Alto County