Monona County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land
Monona County covers 699 square miles around Onawa. Hunters reported 452 deer here in the 2025 season, 292 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is up 30% from 2024. 4% of Monona County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (16,422 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 landState parks and recreation areasCounty conservation board and city landIHAP landMonona CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 447,316 acres (699 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 452 (292 antlered bucks, 17 button bucks, 137 does and doe fawns) |
| Deer zone (2026) | Zone A |
| Public land | 4% (17,783 acres) |
| Hunting areas | 27 (16,423 acres inside Monona County) |
| IHAP land | 8 sites, 1,400 acres |
| Towns in and near it | Onawa, Mapleton, Whiting, Hornick, Smithland and Sloan |
How many deer are harvested in Monona County?
Hunters reported 452 deer in Monona County in 2025: 292 antlered bucks, 17 button bucks, 137 does and doe fawns and 6 bucks that had shed their antlers.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Doe fawns | Shed-antler bucks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 452 | 292 | 17 | 132 | 5 | 6 |
| 2024 | 347 | 234 | 17 | 91 | 2 | 3 |
| 2023 | 560 | 295 | 38 | 206 | 17 | 4 |
| 2022 | 697 | 338 | 35 | 307 | 14 | 3 |
| 2021 | 718 | 335 | 58 | 305 | 17 | 3 |
Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Monona County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.
How much public land is in Monona County?
17,783 of Monona County's 447,316 acres are public land open to the public (4%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 16,422 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Monona County |
|---|---|---|
| Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas | 16,422 | 3.7% |
| State parks and recreation areas | 584 | 0.1% |
| Other DNR land | 382 | 0.1% |
| County conservation board and city land | 370 | 0.1% |
| Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes | 25 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 17,783 | 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 Monona County
Public hunting areas in Monona County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Loess Hills State Forest - Preparation Canyon Unit: 5,020 acres
- Loess Hills Wildlife Area: 3,116 acres
- Blue Lake Wildlife Area: 1,329 acres
- Badger Lake Wildlife Area: 1,108 acres
- Turin Preserve Wildlife Area: 1,107 acres
- Tieville Bend Wildlife Area: 903 acres
- Upper Decatur Bend Wildlife Area: 630 acres
- Blackbird Bend Wildlife Area: 459 acres
- Louisville Bend Wildlife Area: 348 acres
- Grant Center Wildlife Area: 346 acres
- Middle Decatur Bend Wildlife Area: 340 acres
- Ivy Island Wildlife Area: 313 acres
- Blackbird Bend: 232 acres
- Gramm Wetland: 217 acres
- Omaha Mission Bend Wildlife Area: 138 acres
- Tieville Bend - USACOE: 124 acres
- Upper Monona Bend Wildlife Area: 123 acres
- Louisville Bend - USACOE: 87 acres
- Upper Blencoe Bend Wildlife Area: 85 acres
- Whiting Woods: 79 acres
- Lower Blencoe Bend Wildlife Area: 63 acres
- Beaver Run - Monona: 63 acres
- Davs Wetland: 54 acres
- Winnebago Bend Wildlife Area: 46 acres
- Grays Landing: 43 acres
- I - 29 Wildlife Area: 25 acres
- Savery Pond: 25 acres
IHAP land in Monona County
The DNR's IHAP layer shows 8 tracts in Monona County, 1,400 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 Monona County?
Highways through it: I-29 (about 52 miles inside), IA 175 (about 33 miles inside), IA 37 (about 19 miles inside), IA 141 (about 19 miles inside) and IA 183 (about 18 miles inside). Towns inside: Onawa, Mapleton, Whiting, Castana, Blencoe and Ute. Nearby: Hornick (on the line), Smithland (on the line), Sloan (on the line) and Danbury (2 miles).
Which counties border Monona County?
Monona County touches 4 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | IHAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ida County | 70 | 2025 | 0.2% | |
| Crawford County | 245 | 2025 | 0.4% | 2 |
| Harrison County | 532 | 2025 | 3.9% | 15 |
| Woodbury County | 406 | 2025 | 2.8% | 6 |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Monona County in 2025?
Hunters reported 452 deer: 292 antlered bucks, 17 button bucks and 137 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 347.
Is there public hunting land in Monona County?
Yes. 17,783 acres, 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 (16,422 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 27 public hunting areas here.
Does Monona County have IHAP land?
Yes. 8 tracts, 1,400 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 Ida County Crawford County Harrison County Woodbury County