Polk County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land
Polk County covers 592 square miles around Des Moines. Hunters reported 966 deer here in the 2025 season, 323 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is down 3% from 2024. 12.3% of Polk County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (24,125 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 atlasNational wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areasFederal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakesOther DNR landState parks and recreation areasCounty conservation board and city landLand trusts and other open landIHAP landPolk CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 378,817 acres (592 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 966 (323 antlered bucks, 79 button bucks, 555 does and doe fawns) |
| Deer zone (2026) | Zone A |
| Public land | 12.3% (46,574 acres) |
| Hunting areas | 14 (24,124 acres inside Polk County) |
| IHAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Des Moines, West Des Moines, Ankeny, Sheldahl, Granger and Madrid |
How many deer are harvested in Polk County?
Hunters reported 966 deer in Polk County in 2025: 323 antlered bucks, 79 button bucks, 555 does and doe fawns and 9 bucks that had shed their antlers.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Doe fawns | Shed-antler bucks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 966 | 323 | 79 | 527 | 28 | 9 |
| 2024 | 997 | 327 | 101 | 523 | 32 | 14 |
| 2023 | 1,007 | 349 | 93 | 523 | 32 | 10 |
| 2022 | 1,037 | 344 | 86 | 564 | 33 | 10 |
| 2021 | 962 | 328 | 93 | 503 | 29 | 9 |
Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Polk County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.
How much public land is in Polk County?
46,574 of Polk County's 378,817 acres are public land open to the public (12.3%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 24,125 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Polk County |
|---|---|---|
| Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas | 24,125 | 6.4% |
| County conservation board and city land | 13,640 | 3.6% |
| Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes | 8,064 | 2.1% |
| State parks and recreation areas | 390 | 0.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 232 | 0.1% |
| Other DNR land | 120 | under 0.1% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 3 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 46,574 | 12.3% |
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 Polk County
Public hunting areas in Polk County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Saylorville Lake: 6,476 acres
- Chichaqua Bottoms Greenbelt: 5,148 acres
- Red Rock - USACOE: 4,955 acres
- Chichaqua Wildlife Area - CCB: 1,761 acres
- Big Creek Wildlife Area: 1,344 acres
- Saylorville Wildlife Area - ACOE: 1,021 acres
- Big Creek State Park: 729 acres
- Big Creek Wildlife Area - USACOE: 688 acres
- Sycamore Wildlife Area: 652 acres
- Jester Park: 581 acres
- Chichaqua Wildlife Area: 382 acres
- Paul Errington Marsh: 196 acres
- Paul Errington Marsh WPA: 145 acres
- Engeldinger Marsh: 46 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Saylorville Recreation Area (17,674 acres).
How do you get to Polk County?
Highways through it: I-35 (about 69 miles inside), I-80 (about 54 miles inside), US 65 (about 50 miles inside), US 6 (about 39 miles inside) and US 69 (about 33 miles inside). Towns inside: Des Moines, West Des Moines, Ankeny, Urbandale, Johnston and Altoona. Nearby: Sheldahl (on the line), Granger (on the line), Madrid (on the line) and Valeria (on the line).
Which counties border Polk County?
Polk County touches 7 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | IHAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boone County | 1,162 | 2025 | 3.5% | 1 |
| Story County | 573 | 2025 | 1.7% | 3 |
| Dallas County | 1,172 | 2025 | 2.3% | |
| Jasper County | 934 | 2025 | 3.1% | |
| Marion County | 1,652 | 2025 | 12% | |
| Warren County | 2,385 | 2025 | 4% | 2 |
| Madison County | 2,470 | 2025 | 1.4% | 1 |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Polk County in 2025?
Hunters reported 966 deer: 323 antlered bucks, 79 button bucks and 555 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 997.
Is there public hunting land in Polk County?
Yes. 46,574 acres, 12.3% 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 (24,125 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 14 public hunting areas here.
Does Polk 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 Boone County Story County Dallas County Jasper County Marion County Warren County Madison County