Henry County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land
Henry County covers 437 square miles around Mount Pleasant. Hunters reported 1,448 deer here in the 2025 season, 528 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is up 7% from 2024. 0.9% of Henry County is public land open to the public, the largest share state parks and recreation areas (1,156 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 atlasState parks and recreation areasCounty conservation board and city landLand trusts and other open landHenry CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 279,397 acres (437 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 1,448 (528 antlered bucks, 133 button bucks, 777 does and doe fawns) |
| Deer zone (2026) | Zone A |
| Public land | 0.9% (2,391 acres) |
| Hunting areas | 7 (641 acres inside Henry County) |
| IHAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Mount Pleasant, New London, Wayland, Coppock, Lockridge and Houghton |
How many deer are harvested in Henry County?
Hunters reported 1,448 deer in Henry County in 2025: 528 antlered bucks, 133 button bucks, 777 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 | 1,448 | 528 | 133 | 739 | 38 | 10 |
| 2024 | 1,350 | 514 | 111 | 667 | 42 | 16 |
| 2023 | 1,349 | 498 | 135 | 643 | 61 | 12 |
| 2022 | 1,486 | 614 | 135 | 679 | 43 | 15 |
| 2021 | 1,330 | 556 | 120 | 612 | 33 | 9 |
Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Henry County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.
How much public land is in Henry County?
2,391 of Henry County's 279,397 acres are public land open to the public (0.9%). The biggest share is state parks and recreation areas: 1,156 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Henry County |
|---|---|---|
| State parks and recreation areas | 1,156 | 0.4% |
| Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas | 641 | 0.2% |
| County conservation board and city land | 584 | 0.2% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 10 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 2,391 | 0.9% |
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 Henry County
Public hunting areas in Henry County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Ketchum Switch Recreation Area: 283 acres
- Gibson Recreation Area: 160 acres
- Mud Creek Park: 51 acres
- Heron Marsh Youth Hunting Area: 49 acres
- Hoaglin Woods: 40 acres
- Little Cedar Wildlife Area: 33 acres
- Big Creek Park: 25 acres
How do you get to Henry County?
Highways through it: US 218 (about 52 miles inside), US 34 (about 43 miles inside) and IA 78 (about 23 miles inside). Towns inside: Mount Pleasant, New London, Wayland, Winfield, Salem and Hillsboro. Nearby: Coppock (on the line), Lockridge (2 miles), Houghton (2 miles) and Danville (3 miles).
Which counties border Henry County?
Henry County touches 6 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | IHAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lee County | 2,257 | 2025 | 6.3% | |
| Louisa County | 1,556 | 2025 | 9.6% | |
| Jefferson County | 1,446 | 2025 | 0.6% | |
| Van Buren County | 2,181 | 2025 | 3.2% | |
| Des Moines County | 1,561 | 2025 | 5.8% | |
| Washington County | 1,585 | 2025 | 1.1% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Henry County in 2025?
Hunters reported 1,448 deer: 528 antlered bucks, 133 button bucks and 777 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 1,350.
Is there public hunting land in Henry County?
Yes. 2,391 acres, 0.9% 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 state parks and recreation areas (1,156 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 7 public hunting areas here.
Does Henry 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.
Iowa hunting Lee County Louisa County Jefferson County Van Buren County Des Moines County Washington County