Mills County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land
Mills County covers 441 square miles around Glenwood. Hunters reported 381 deer here in the 2025 season, 259 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is up 26% from 2024. 2.9% of Mills County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (6,221 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 atlasFederal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakesOther DNR landCounty conservation board and city landMills CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 281,956 acres (441 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 381 (259 antlered bucks, 19 button bucks, 95 does and doe fawns) |
| Deer zone (2026) | Zone A |
| Public land | 2.9% (8,074 acres) |
| Hunting areas | 11 (6,222 acres inside Mills County) |
| IHAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Glenwood, Malvern, Pacific Junction, Tabor, Imogene and Randolph |
How many deer are harvested in Mills County?
Hunters reported 381 deer in Mills County in 2025: 259 antlered bucks, 19 button bucks, 95 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 | 381 | 259 | 19 | 87 | 8 | 8 |
| 2024 | 302 | 210 | 6 | 78 | 4 | 4 |
| 2023 | 353 | 222 | 19 | 103 | 5 | 4 |
| 2022 | 405 | 237 | 23 | 136 | 7 | 2 |
| 2021 | 429 | 214 | 23 | 181 | 10 | 1 |
Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Mills County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.
How much public land is in Mills County?
8,074 of Mills County's 281,956 acres are public land open to the public (2.9%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 6,221 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Mills County |
|---|---|---|
| Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas | 6,221 | 2.2% |
| County conservation board and city land | 1,759 | 0.6% |
| Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes | 58 | under 0.1% |
| Other DNR land | 36 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 8,074 | 2.9% |
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 Mills County
Public hunting areas in Mills County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- St. Mary's Island - USACOE: 2,381 acres
- Noddleman Island: 1,542 acres
- Haynie Slough: 797 acres
- Willow Slough: 597 acres
- Green Hill Wildlife Area: 457 acres
- St. Mary's Island: 163 acres
- Keg Creek I-29 Wildlife Area: 107 acres
- Folsom Lake: 97 acres
- Mile Hill Lake: 35 acres
- P.j. I-29 Wildlife Area: 26 acres
- Fisher Wildlife Area: 20 acres
How do you get to Mills County?
Highways through it: US 34 (about 45 miles inside), I-29 (about 37 miles inside), US 275 (about 27 miles inside), US 59 (about 18 miles inside) and IA 385 (about 4 miles inside). Towns inside: Glenwood, Malvern, Pacific Junction, Hastings, Emerson and Silver City. Nearby: Tabor (on the line), Imogene (2 miles), Randolph (2 miles) and Macedonia (2 miles).
Which counties border Mills County?
Mills County touches 4 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | IHAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Page County | 358 | 2025 | 0.3% | 1 |
| Fremont County | 379 | 2025 | 5.8% | 3 |
| Montgomery County | 316 | 2025 | 0.7% | |
| Pottawattamie County | 530 | 2025 | 1.1% | 1 |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Mills County in 2025?
Hunters reported 381 deer: 259 antlered bucks, 19 button bucks and 95 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 302.
Is there public hunting land in Mills County?
Yes. 8,074 acres, 2.9% 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 (6,221 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 11 public hunting areas here.
Does Mills 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.
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