Mitchell County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land
Mitchell County covers 470 square miles around Osage. Hunters reported 936 deer here in the 2025 season, 436 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is up 19% from 2024, and the most in the 5 years shown. 0.8% of Mitchell County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (1,954 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 landMitchell CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 300,582 acres (470 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 936 (436 antlered bucks, 54 button bucks, 430 does and doe fawns) |
| Deer zone (2026) | Zone A |
| Public land | 0.8% (2,412 acres) |
| Hunting areas | 25 (1,949 acres inside Mitchell County) |
| IHAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Osage, St. Ansgar, McIntire, Riceville, Grafton and Rock Falls |
How many deer are harvested in Mitchell County?
Hunters reported 936 deer in Mitchell County in 2025: 436 antlered bucks, 54 button bucks, 430 does and doe fawns and 16 bucks that had shed their antlers.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Doe fawns | Shed-antler bucks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 936 | 436 | 54 | 405 | 25 | 16 |
| 2024 | 785 | 395 | 62 | 302 | 20 | 6 |
| 2023 | 787 | 400 | 40 | 317 | 23 | 7 |
| 2022 | 762 | 387 | 51 | 304 | 17 | 3 |
| 2021 | 755 | 378 | 55 | 303 | 14 | 5 |
Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Mitchell County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.
How much public land is in Mitchell County?
2,412 of Mitchell County's 300,582 acres are public land open to the public (0.8%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 1,954 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Mitchell County |
|---|---|---|
| Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas | 1,954 | 0.7% |
| County conservation board and city land | 458 | 0.2% |
| All public land open to the public | 2,412 | 0.8% |
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 Mitchell County
Public hunting areas in Mitchell County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Pinicon Alders Wildlife Area: 317 acres
- Cedar River Greenbelt Trail: 223 acres
- Otranto Wildlife Area: 181 acres
- Brownville Wildlife Area: 167 acres
- Hamlin Garland Wildlife Area: 120 acres
- Schwab Wildlife Area: 116 acres
- Wapsi River Wildlife Area: 114 acres
- Nelson Paradise Wildlife Area: 105 acres
- Falk Wildlife Area & Headquarters: 94 acres
- Rock Creek Wildlife Area - Mitchell: 81 acres
- Boerjan Wildlife Area: 77 acres
- Burr Oak Wetland: 40 acres
- Cedar Block Wildlife Area: 39 acres
- Brownville Bower Addition: 36 acres
- Huffman Wildlife Area: 36 acres
- Feather Fen: 33 acres
- Markham's Pond: 33 acres
- Bennett Access: 28 acres
- Gerbig's Woods: 22 acres
- Rock Creek Access: 19 acres
- Crossman Wildlife Area: 19 acres
- Dale Wildlife Area: 17 acres
- Sleeping Duck Marsh: 15 acres
- Koon's Woods: 11 acres
- County S Wildlife Area: 6 acres
How do you get to Mitchell County?
Highways through it: US 218 (about 30 miles inside) and IA 9 (about 28 miles inside). Towns inside: Osage, St. Ansgar, McIntire, Mitchell, Stacyville and Carpenter. Nearby: Riceville (on the line), Grafton (2 miles), Rock Falls (3 miles) and Colwell (4 miles).
Which counties border Mitchell County?
Mitchell County touches 5 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% | |
| Worth County | 468 | 2025 | 3.7% | |
| Howard County | 832 | 2025 | 1% | 1 |
| Chickasaw County | 1,197 | 2025 | 1.1% | 1 |
| Cerro Gordo County | 544 | 2025 | 3.4% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Mitchell County in 2025?
Hunters reported 936 deer: 436 antlered bucks, 54 button bucks and 430 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 785.
Is there public hunting land in Mitchell County?
Yes. 2,412 acres, 0.8% 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 (1,954 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 25 public hunting areas here.
Does Mitchell 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 Floyd County Worth County Howard County Chickasaw County Cerro Gordo County