Louisa County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land
Louisa County covers 418 square miles around Columbus Junction. Hunters reported 1,556 deer here in the 2025 season, 608 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is up 12% from 2024, and the most in the 5 years shown. 9.6% of Louisa County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (18,829 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 atlasNational wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areasFederal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakesOther DNR landCounty conservation board and city landLand trusts and other open landLouisa CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 267,262 acres (418 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 1,556 (608 antlered bucks, 159 button bucks, 781 does and doe fawns) |
| Deer zone (2026) | Zone A |
| Public land | 9.6% (25,785 acres) |
| Hunting areas | 16 (18,830 acres inside Louisa County) |
| IHAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Columbus Junction, Wapello, Morning Sun, Fruitland, Conesville and Winfield |
How many deer are harvested in Louisa County?
Hunters reported 1,556 deer in Louisa County in 2025: 608 antlered bucks, 159 button bucks, 781 does and doe fawns and 8 bucks that had shed their antlers.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Doe fawns | Shed-antler bucks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,556 | 608 | 159 | 726 | 55 | 8 |
| 2024 | 1,394 | 605 | 116 | 619 | 36 | 18 |
| 2023 | 1,309 | 555 | 127 | 574 | 44 | 9 |
| 2022 | 1,248 | 549 | 121 | 543 | 26 | 9 |
| 2021 | 1,214 | 506 | 118 | 546 | 31 | 13 |
Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Louisa County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.
How much public land is in Louisa County?
25,785 of Louisa County's 267,262 acres are public land open to the public (9.6%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 18,829 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Louisa County |
|---|---|---|
| Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas | 18,829 | 7% |
| Other DNR land | 3,499 | 1.3% |
| Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes | 2,888 | 1.1% |
| County conservation board and city land | 502 | 0.2% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 67 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 25,785 | 9.6% |
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 Louisa County
Public hunting areas in Louisa County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Odessa Wildlife Area - USACOE: 4,069 acres
- Wapello Bottoms Wildlife Area: 2,814 acres
- Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge - Horseshoe Bend Division: 2,603 acres
- Mississippi River Islands: 1,883 acres
- Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge - Big Timber Division: 1,769 acres
- Millrace Flats: 1,346 acres
- Indian Slough Wildlife Area: 1,094 acres
- Cone Marsh Wildlife Area: 728 acres
- Klum Lake Wildlife Area: 689 acres
- Cairo Woods Wildlife Area: 524 acres
- Chinkapin Bluffs Recreation Area: 399 acres
- Deadwood Wildlife Area: 343 acres
- Spur Island Wildlife Area: 283 acres
- Virginia Grove Recreation Area: 158 acres
- Odessa Wildlife Area: 109 acres
- Baird Timber: 19 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Ms Rv Pools 11-22 Recreation Area (9,731 acres) and Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge (2,588 acres).
How do you get to Louisa County?
Highways through it: US 61 (about 19 miles inside), IA 92 (about 19 miles inside), IA 99 (about 13 miles inside), IA 78 (about 10 miles inside) and IA 70 (about 4 miles inside). Towns inside: Columbus Junction, Wapello, Morning Sun, Letts, Oakville and Columbus City. Nearby: Fruitland (on the line), Conesville (on the line), Winfield (3 miles) and Crawfordsville (3 miles).
Which counties border Louisa County?
Louisa County touches 5 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | IHAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry County | 1,448 | 2025 | 0.9% | |
| Johnson County | 1,968 | 2025 | 9.9% | |
| Muscatine County | 1,393 | 2025 | 4.1% | |
| Des Moines County | 1,561 | 2025 | 5.8% | |
| Washington County | 1,585 | 2025 | 1.1% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Louisa County in 2025?
Hunters reported 1,556 deer: 608 antlered bucks, 159 button bucks and 781 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 1,394.
Is there public hunting land in Louisa County?
Yes. 25,785 acres, 9.6% 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 (18,829 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 16 public hunting areas here.
Does Louisa 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 Henry County Johnson County Muscatine County Des Moines County Washington County