Marshall County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land
Marshall County covers 573 square miles around Marshalltown. Hunters reported 608 deer here in the 2025 season, 331 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is up 11% from 2024, and the most in the 5 years shown. 0.9% of Marshall County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (2,297 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 landMarshall CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 366,821 acres (573 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 608 (331 antlered bucks, 29 button bucks, 233 does and doe fawns) |
| Deer zone (2026) | Zone A |
| Public land | 0.9% (3,432 acres) |
| Hunting areas | 15 (2,297 acres inside Marshall County) |
| IHAP land | 1 site, 130 acres |
| Towns in and near it | Marshalltown, Le Grand, Rhodes, Beaman, Conrad and Union |
How many deer are harvested in Marshall County?
Hunters reported 608 deer in Marshall County in 2025: 331 antlered bucks, 29 button bucks, 233 does and doe fawns and 15 bucks that had shed their antlers.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Doe fawns | Shed-antler bucks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 608 | 331 | 29 | 218 | 15 | 15 |
| 2024 | 547 | 302 | 31 | 198 | 13 | 3 |
| 2023 | 566 | 293 | 38 | 211 | 18 | 6 |
| 2022 | 595 | 303 | 40 | 239 | 6 | 7 |
| 2021 | 569 | 299 | 34 | 219 | 8 | 9 |
Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Marshall County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.
How much public land is in Marshall County?
3,432 of Marshall County's 366,821 acres are public land open to the public (0.9%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 2,297 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Marshall County |
|---|---|---|
| Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas | 2,297 | 0.6% |
| County conservation board and city land | 1,105 | 0.3% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 27 | under 0.1% |
| Other DNR land | 3 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 3,432 | 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 Marshall County
Public hunting areas in Marshall County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Iowa River Wildlife Management Area: 467 acres
- Winter Bottoms: 361 acres
- Klauenberg Prairie Preserve: 235 acres
- Marietta Sand Prairie State Preserve: 228 acres
- Mann Wetlands: 214 acres
- Arney Bend Wildlife Area: 203 acres
- Timmons Grove North Wildlife Area: 130 acres
- Nicholson Ford Wildlife Area: 89 acres
- Mag Holland Access Area: 88 acres
- Forest Reserve & Access Area: 84 acres
- Hendrickson Marsh: 74 acres
- Rhodes Timber: 68 acres
- Iowa River Wildlife Area: 27 acres
- Bear Grove Forest Management Area: 18 acres
- Wehrmann Prairie Preserve: 11 acres
IHAP land in Marshall County
The DNR's IHAP layer shows 1 tract in Marshall County, 130 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 Marshall County?
Highways through it: US 30 (about 49 miles inside), IA 330 (about 43 miles inside), IA 14 (about 27 miles inside), IA 146 (about 9 miles inside) and IA 96 (about 7 miles inside). Towns inside: Marshalltown, Le Grand, Rhodes, Liscomb, State Center and St. Anthony. Nearby: Beaman (on the line), Conrad (on the line), Union (2 miles) and Montour (3 miles).
Which counties border Marshall County?
Marshall County touches 6 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | IHAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tama County | 1,239 | 2025 | 2.2% | |
| Story County | 573 | 2025 | 1.7% | 3 |
| Grundy County | 143 | 2025 | 0.3% | |
| Hardin County | 958 | 2025 | 1.2% | |
| Jasper County | 934 | 2025 | 3.1% | |
| Poweshiek County | 736 | 2025 | 0.6% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Marshall County in 2025?
Hunters reported 608 deer: 331 antlered bucks, 29 button bucks and 233 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 547.
Is there public hunting land in Marshall County?
Yes. 3,432 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 public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (2,297 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 15 public hunting areas here.
Does Marshall County have IHAP land?
Yes. 1 tract, 130 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 Tama County Story County Grundy County Hardin County Jasper County Poweshiek County