Monroe County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land
Monroe County covers 434 square miles around Albia. Hunters reported 1,567 deer here in the 2025 season, 639 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is down 9% from 2024, and the fewest in the 5 years shown. 1.9% of Monroe County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (5,032 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 landMonroe CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 277,982 acres (434 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 1,567 (639 antlered bucks, 112 button bucks, 799 does and doe fawns) |
| Deer zone (2026) | Zone A |
| Public land | 1.9% (5,224 acres) |
| Hunting areas | 8 (5,031 acres inside Monroe County) |
| IHAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Albia, Melrose, Lovilia, Blakesburg, Moravia and Eddyville |
How many deer are harvested in Monroe County?
Hunters reported 1,567 deer in Monroe County in 2025: 639 antlered bucks, 112 button bucks, 799 does and doe fawns and 17 bucks that had shed their antlers.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Doe fawns | Shed-antler bucks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,567 | 639 | 112 | 752 | 47 | 17 |
| 2024 | 1,722 | 605 | 130 | 900 | 52 | 35 |
| 2023 | 1,812 | 691 | 141 | 895 | 64 | 21 |
| 2022 | 2,257 | 779 | 167 | 1,206 | 68 | 37 |
| 2021 | 1,958 | 798 | 114 | 984 | 50 | 12 |
Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Monroe County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.
How much public land is in Monroe County?
5,224 of Monroe County's 277,982 acres are public land open to the public (1.9%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 5,032 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Monroe County |
|---|---|---|
| Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas | 5,032 | 1.8% |
| County conservation board and city land | 181 | 0.1% |
| Other DNR land | 9 | under 0.1% |
| Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes | 2 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 5,224 | 1.9% |
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 Monroe County
Public hunting areas in Monroe County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Stephens State Forest - Thousand Acres Unit: 2,386 acres
- Tyrone Wildlife Area: 1,081 acres
- Miami Lake Wildlife Area: 772 acres
- Lahart Wildlife Area: 556 acres
- Rathbun Wildlife Area - USACOE: 91 acres
- Miami Lake Area: 78 acres
- Cottonwood Pits Wildlife Area: 55 acres
- Hardfish Access: 12 acres
How do you get to Monroe County?
Highways through it: US 34 (about 25 miles inside), IA 5 (about 21 miles inside) and IA 137 (about 14 miles inside). Towns inside: Albia, Melrose and Lovilia. Nearby: Blakesburg (on the line), Moravia (on the line), Eddyville (on the line) and Hamilton (on the line).
Which counties border Monroe County?
Monroe County touches 7 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | IHAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davis County | 1,611 | 2025 | 1.8% | 1 |
| Lucas County | 1,660 | 2025 | 6.9% | 2 |
| Wayne County | 1,392 | 2025 | 1.6% | |
| Marion County | 1,652 | 2025 | 12% | |
| Mahaska County | 959 | 2025 | 1.6% | 2 |
| Wapello County | 1,310 | 2025 | 1.5% | |
| Appanoose County | 2,066 | 2025 | 11.2% | 1 |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Monroe County in 2025?
Hunters reported 1,567 deer: 639 antlered bucks, 112 button bucks and 799 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 1,722.
Is there public hunting land in Monroe County?
Yes. 5,224 acres, 1.9% 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 (5,032 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 8 public hunting areas here.
Does Monroe 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 Davis County Lucas County Wayne County Marion County Mahaska County Wapello County Appanoose County