Emmet County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land
Emmet County covers 402 square miles around Estherville. Hunters reported 237 deer here in the 2025 season, 145 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is up 2% from 2024. 5.3% of Emmet County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (12,837 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 landEmmet CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 257,532 acres (402 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 237 (145 antlered bucks, 14 button bucks, 74 does and doe fawns) |
| Deer zone (2026) | Zone A |
| Public land | 5.3% (13,545 acres) |
| Hunting areas | 27 (12,829 acres inside Emmet County) |
| IHAP land | 1 site, 150 acres |
| Towns in and near it | Estherville, Ringsted, Wallingford, Graettinger, Superior and Fenton |
How many deer are harvested in Emmet County?
Hunters reported 237 deer in Emmet County in 2025: 145 antlered bucks, 14 button bucks, 74 does and doe fawns and 4 bucks that had shed their antlers.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Doe fawns | Shed-antler bucks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 237 | 145 | 14 | 73 | 1 | 4 |
| 2024 | 232 | 151 | 11 | 64 | 5 | 1 |
| 2023 | 211 | 130 | 12 | 67 | 1 | 1 |
| 2022 | 260 | 159 | 15 | 82 | 3 | 1 |
| 2021 | 245 | 152 | 14 | 74 | 4 | 1 |
Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Emmet County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.
How much public land is in Emmet County?
13,545 of Emmet County's 257,532 acres are public land open to the public (5.3%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 12,837 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Emmet County |
|---|---|---|
| Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas | 12,837 | 5% |
| County conservation board and city land | 283 | 0.1% |
| State parks and recreation areas | 269 | 0.1% |
| Other DNR land | 125 | under 0.1% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 31 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 13,545 | 5.3% |
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 Emmet County
Public hunting areas in Emmet County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Ingham-High Wetland Complex: 2,447 acres
- Tuttle Lake Wetland Complex: 1,526 acres
- West Swan Lake: 993 acres
- Anderson Prairie Complex: 896 acres
- East Swan Lake: 837 acres
- Ingham-High Wetland Complex WPA: 769 acres
- Burr Oak Lake: 593 acres
- Eagle Lake WPA - Emmet: 538 acres
- Iowa Lake - Emmet: 522 acres
- Ryan Lake: 405 acres
- Twelve Mile Lake - Emmet: 395 acres
- Cheever Lake: 382 acres
- Four Mile Lake: 347 acres
- Eagle Lake - Emmet: 325 acres
- Tuttle Lake Wetland Complex WPA: 310 acres
- Four Mile Lake WPA: 280 acres
- Burr Oak Lake WPA: 184 acres
- Iowa Lake Marsh: 183 acres
- Grass Lake: 176 acres
- Twelve Mile Lake WPA: 161 acres
- West Swan Lake WPA: 149 acres
- Birge Lake: 136 acres
- Cheever Lake WPA: 134 acres
- Ringham Habitat Area: 80 acres
- East Des Moines River Access: 44 acres
- Tuttle Lake Recreation Area: 12 acres
- Iowa Lake (emmet) WMA: 5 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Emmet County Waterfowl Production Area (2,543 acres).
IHAP land in Emmet County
The DNR's IHAP layer shows 1 tract in Emmet County, 150 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 Emmet County?
Highways through it: IA 4 (about 19 miles inside) and IA 15 (about 17 miles inside). Towns inside: Estherville, Ringsted, Wallingford, Armstrong, Dolliver and Gruver. Nearby: Graettinger (on the line), Superior (2 miles), Fenton (3 miles) and Terril (3 miles).
Which counties border Emmet County?
Emmet County touches 4 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | IHAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clay County | 461 | 2025 | 3.9% | 5 |
| Kossuth County | 382 | 2025 | 1.6% | 8 |
| Dickinson County | 304 | 2025 | 11.1% | 1 |
| Palo Alto County | 279 | 2025 | 3.1% | 5 |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Emmet County in 2025?
Hunters reported 237 deer: 145 antlered bucks, 14 button bucks and 74 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 232.
Is there public hunting land in Emmet County?
Yes. 13,545 acres, 5.3% 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 (12,837 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 27 public hunting areas here.
Does Emmet County have IHAP land?
Yes. 1 tract, 150 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 Clay County Kossuth County Dickinson County Palo Alto County