Pocahontas County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land
Pocahontas County covers 579 square miles around Pocahontas. Hunters reported 136 deer here in the 2025 season, 98 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is down 1% from 2024, and the fewest in the 5 years shown. 1.3% of Pocahontas County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (4,711 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 landIHAP landPocahontas CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 370,267 acres (579 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 136 (98 antlered bucks, 4 button bucks, 32 does and doe fawns) |
| Deer zone (2026) | Zone A |
| Public land | 1.3% (4,920 acres) |
| Hunting areas | 30 (4,711 acres inside Pocahontas County) |
| IHAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Pocahontas, Rolfe, Fonda, Gilmore City, Pomeroy and Bradgate |
How many deer are harvested in Pocahontas County?
Hunters reported 136 deer in Pocahontas County in 2025: 98 antlered bucks, 4 button bucks, 32 does and doe fawns and 2 bucks that had shed their antlers.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Doe fawns | Shed-antler bucks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 136 | 98 | 4 | 30 | 2 | 2 |
| 2024 | 137 | 90 | 10 | 36 | 1 | 0 |
| 2023 | 169 | 131 | 7 | 27 | 2 | 2 |
| 2022 | 202 | 141 | 8 | 51 | 1 | 1 |
| 2021 | 214 | 155 | 11 | 44 | 4 | 0 |
Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Pocahontas County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.
How much public land is in Pocahontas County?
4,920 of Pocahontas County's 370,267 acres are public land open to the public (1.3%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 4,711 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Pocahontas County |
|---|---|---|
| Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas | 4,711 | 1.3% |
| County conservation board and city land | 206 | 0.1% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 2 | under 0.1% |
| Other DNR land | 1 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 4,920 | 1.3% |
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 Pocahontas County
Public hunting areas in Pocahontas County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Shimon Marsh Wetland Complex: 776 acres
- Shimon Marsh Wetland Complex WPA: 492 acres
- Lizard Lake: 469 acres
- Swan Lake - Pocahontas: 384 acres
- Schlensig Wildlife Area: 247 acres
- Struthers Wildlife Area: 226 acres
- Miller's Wildlife Area: 164 acres
- Crotty Wetland Area: 161 acres
- Kalsow Prairie: 160 acres
- Westmoreland Wetland Complex: 159 acres
- Plover WPA: 159 acres
- Little Clear Lake: 158 acres
- Stoddard Wildlife Area: 141 acres
- Brabec Farms Wetland Area: 122 acres
- Post Prairie & Wetland: 121 acres
- Ted Fariss Wildlife Area "lundberg Slough": 109 acres
- Martin Wildlife Area: 92 acres
- Lizard Creek Wildlife Area - Pocahontas: 82 acres
- Hansen Breon Wetland Site: 81 acres
- Stearn's Woods: 72 acres
- Voss Prairie Wetland: 53 acres
- Pilot Creek Wildlife Area: 52 acres
- Three Rivers Trail: 49 acres
- Moore Recreation Area: 45 acres
- Whitetail Ridge: 42 acres
- Wiegert Prairie: 28 acres
- Hams Wildlife Area: 20 acres
- Toben Wildlife Preserve: 19 acres
- Little Clear Lake Outdoor Recreation Area: 18 acres
- Little Clear Lake Wildlife Area: 10 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Pocahontas County Waterfowl Production Area (649 acres).
How do you get to Pocahontas County?
Highways through it: IA 4 (about 24 miles inside), IA 3 (about 24 miles inside), IA 15 (about 16 miles inside), IA 7 (about 14 miles inside) and IA 10 (about 12 miles inside). Towns inside: Pocahontas, Rolfe, Fonda, Laurens, Plover and Havelock. Nearby: Gilmore City (on the line), Pomeroy (on the line), Bradgate (on the line) and Albert City (2 miles).
Which counties border Pocahontas County?
Pocahontas County touches 8 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | IHAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sac County | 285 | 2025 | 1.7% | 3 |
| Clay County | 461 | 2025 | 3.9% | 5 |
| Calhoun County | 84 | 2025 | 0.6% | 1 |
| Kossuth County | 382 | 2025 | 1.6% | 8 |
| Webster County | 835 | 2025 | 2.5% | |
| Humboldt County | 214 | 2025 | 0.5% | 1 |
| Palo Alto County | 279 | 2025 | 3.1% | 5 |
| Buena Vista County | 174 | 2025 | 1.5% | 1 |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Pocahontas County in 2025?
Hunters reported 136 deer: 98 antlered bucks, 4 button bucks and 32 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 137.
Is there public hunting land in Pocahontas County?
Yes. 4,920 acres, 1.3% 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 (4,711 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 30 public hunting areas here.
Does Pocahontas 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 Sac County Clay County Calhoun County Kossuth County Webster County Humboldt County Palo Alto County Buena Vista County