Howard County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land
Howard County covers 474 square miles around Cresco. Hunters reported 832 deer here in the 2025 season, 315 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is up 3% from 2024, and the most in the 5 years shown. 1% of Howard County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (2,491 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 landHoward CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 303,085 acres (474 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 832 (315 antlered bucks, 58 button bucks, 438 does and doe fawns) |
| Deer zone (2026) | Zone A |
| Public land | 1% (2,885 acres) |
| Hunting areas | 25 (2,483 acres inside Howard County) |
| IHAP land | 1 site, 46 acres |
| Towns in and near it | Cresco, Chester, Elma, Alta Vista, McIntire and Colwell |
How many deer are harvested in Howard County?
Hunters reported 832 deer in Howard County in 2025: 315 antlered bucks, 58 button bucks, 438 does and doe fawns and 21 bucks that had shed their antlers.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Doe fawns | Shed-antler bucks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 832 | 315 | 58 | 412 | 26 | 21 |
| 2024 | 810 | 321 | 66 | 386 | 26 | 11 |
| 2023 | 782 | 315 | 43 | 393 | 25 | 6 |
| 2022 | 738 | 272 | 75 | 355 | 29 | 7 |
| 2021 | 749 | 301 | 56 | 359 | 28 | 5 |
Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Howard County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.
How much public land is in Howard County?
2,885 of Howard County's 303,085 acres are public land open to the public (1%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 2,491 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Howard County |
|---|---|---|
| Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas | 2,491 | 0.8% |
| County conservation board and city land | 393 | 0.1% |
| Other DNR land | 1 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 2,885 | 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 Howard County
Public hunting areas in Howard County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Turkey River Wildlife Area: 410 acres
- Crane Creek Wildlife Area: 279 acres
- Hayden Prairie State Preserve: 242 acres
- Hart Pond Wildlife Area: 238 acres
- Souhrada Wildlife Area: 160 acres
- Elma Wildlife Area: 154 acres
- Mullen Wildlife Area: 140 acres
- Lylah's Marsh: 125 acres
- Reis Wildlife Area: 116 acres
- Souhrada Forest: 112 acres
- Eagle View Wildlife Area: 102 acres
- Miner Wildlife Area: 66 acres
- Kleckner Wildlife Area: 54 acres
- Thomson Marsh: 40 acres
- Wittenbreer Marsh: 40 acres
- Cleghorn Wildlife Area: 40 acres
- Evans-Hughes Forest: 38 acres
- Martinek Wildlife Area: 25 acres
- Joachim Woods Wildlife Area: 20 acres
- Turkey Bend Wildlife Area: 19 acres
- Dieken Wildlife Area: 16 acres
- Bonair Shooting Range: 15 acres
- Meirick's Pond Access: 13 acres
- Crossman Prairie State Preserve: 11 acres
- Upper Iowa Access: 8 acres
IHAP land in Howard County
The DNR's IHAP layer shows 1 tract in Howard County, 46 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 Howard County?
Highways through it: IA 9 (about 24 miles inside) and US 63 (about 22 miles inside). Towns inside: Cresco, Chester, Elma, Riceville, Lime Springs and Protivin. Nearby: Alta Vista (on the line), McIntire (2 miles), Colwell (4 miles) and Ridgeway (4 miles).
Which counties border Howard County?
Howard County touches 4 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% | |
| Mitchell County | 936 | 2025 | 0.8% | |
| Chickasaw County | 1,197 | 2025 | 1.1% | 1 |
| Winneshiek County | 2,519 | 2025 | 2.3% | 5 |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Howard County in 2025?
Hunters reported 832 deer: 315 antlered bucks, 58 button bucks and 438 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 810.
Is there public hunting land in Howard County?
Yes. 2,885 acres, 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 (2,491 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 25 public hunting areas here.
Does Howard County have IHAP land?
Yes. 1 tract, 46 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 Mitchell County Chickasaw County Winneshiek County