Madison County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land
Madison County covers 562 square miles around Winterset. Hunters reported 2,470 deer here in the 2025 season, 914 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is down 3% from 2024, and the fewest in the 5 years shown. 1.4% of Madison County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (4,267 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 landIHAP landMadison CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 359,862 acres (562 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 2,470 (914 antlered bucks, 181 button bucks, 1,342 does and doe fawns) |
| Deer zone (2026) | Zone A |
| Public land | 1.4% (5,196 acres) |
| Hunting areas | 9 (4,266 acres inside Madison County) |
| IHAP land | 1 site, 58 acres |
| Towns in and near it | Winterset, Macksburg, Truro, Bevington, Dexter and Cumming |
How many deer are harvested in Madison County?
Hunters reported 2,470 deer in Madison County in 2025: 914 antlered bucks, 181 button bucks, 1,342 does and doe fawns and 33 bucks that had shed their antlers.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Doe fawns | Shed-antler bucks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,470 | 914 | 181 | 1,272 | 70 | 33 |
| 2024 | 2,555 | 907 | 183 | 1,356 | 78 | 31 |
| 2023 | 2,759 | 1,009 | 236 | 1,436 | 59 | 19 |
| 2022 | 2,936 | 1,008 | 194 | 1,630 | 68 | 36 |
| 2021 | 2,675 | 1,010 | 188 | 1,410 | 50 | 17 |
Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Madison County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.
How much public land is in Madison County?
5,196 of Madison County's 359,862 acres are public land open to the public (1.4%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 4,267 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Madison County |
|---|---|---|
| Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas | 4,267 | 1.2% |
| County conservation board and city land | 695 | 0.2% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 234 | 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 5,196 | 1.4% |
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 Madison County
Public hunting areas in Madison County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Badger Creek Recreation Area: 1,154 acres
- Clanton Creek Recreation Wildlife Area: 1,072 acres
- Heritage Hills Wildlife Area: 779 acres
- Kirke Woods: 679 acres
- Rolling Hills Wildlife Area: 239 acres
- Jensen Marsh: 162 acres
- Guye Woods: 80 acres
- Fellowship Forest: 63 acres
- Goeldner Woods: 38 acres
IHAP land in Madison County
The DNR's IHAP layer shows 1 tract in Madison County, 58 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 Madison County?
Highways through it: US 169 (about 26 miles inside), IA 92 (about 23 miles inside), US 6 (about 4 miles inside), I-80 (about 4 miles inside) and IA 322 (about 3 miles inside). Towns inside: Winterset, Macksburg, Truro, Earlham, East Peru and St. Charles. Nearby: Bevington (on the line), Dexter (on the line), Cumming (on the line) and Van Meter (on the line).
Which counties border Madison County?
Madison County touches 7 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | IHAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County | 966 | 2025 | 12.3% | |
| Adair County | 679 | 2025 | 0.6% | |
| Union County | 1,051 | 2025 | 2.6% | 5 |
| Clarke County | 1,531 | 2025 | 1.4% | 4 |
| Dallas County | 1,172 | 2025 | 2.3% | |
| Warren County | 2,385 | 2025 | 4% | 2 |
| Guthrie County | 1,613 | 2025 | 3.2% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Madison County in 2025?
Hunters reported 2,470 deer: 914 antlered bucks, 181 button bucks and 1,342 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 2,555.
Is there public hunting land in Madison County?
Yes. 5,196 acres, 1.4% 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 (4,267 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 9 public hunting areas here.
Does Madison County have IHAP land?
Yes. 1 tract, 58 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 Polk County Adair County Union County Clarke County Dallas County Warren County Guthrie County