Tama County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land
Tama County covers 722 square miles around Tama. Hunters reported 1,239 deer here in the 2025 season, 608 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is up 1% from 2024. 2.2% of Tama County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (8,415 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 areasOther DNR landState parks and recreation areasCounty conservation board and city landTama CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 462,136 acres (722 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 1,239 (608 antlered bucks, 61 button bucks, 542 does and doe fawns) |
| Deer zone (2026) | Zone A |
| Public land | 2.2% (10,052 acres) |
| Hunting areas | 15 (8,418 acres inside Tama County) |
| IHAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Tama, Toledo, Traer, Le Grand, Gilman and Belle Plaine |
How many deer are harvested in Tama County?
Hunters reported 1,239 deer in Tama County in 2025: 608 antlered bucks, 61 button bucks, 542 does and doe fawns and 28 bucks that had shed their antlers.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Doe fawns | Shed-antler bucks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,239 | 608 | 61 | 512 | 30 | 28 |
| 2024 | 1,230 | 545 | 95 | 545 | 28 | 17 |
| 2023 | 1,486 | 719 | 114 | 602 | 38 | 13 |
| 2022 | 1,506 | 707 | 101 | 659 | 32 | 7 |
| 2021 | 1,299 | 631 | 106 | 520 | 33 | 9 |
Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Tama County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.
How much public land is in Tama County?
10,052 of Tama County's 462,136 acres are public land open to the public (2.2%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 8,415 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Tama County |
|---|---|---|
| Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas | 8,415 | 1.8% |
| County conservation board and city land | 1,118 | 0.2% |
| State parks and recreation areas | 308 | 0.1% |
| Other DNR land | 136 | under 0.1% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 75 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 10,052 | 2.2% |
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 Tama County
Public hunting areas in Tama County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Otter Creek Marsh: 3,589 acres
- Iowa River Corridor Wildlife Area - USFWS: 2,252 acres
- Iowa River Corridor Wildlife Area: 981 acres
- Oxbow Bottoms WMA: 269 acres
- Otter Creek Lake & Park: 179 acres
- Casey's Paha State Preserve: 175 acres
- Kunch Wildlife Area: 162 acres
- Columbia Wildlife Area: 159 acres
- Salt Creek Wildlife Area: 117 acres
- Spring Grove Wildlife Area: 117 acres
- Vermace Woods: 116 acres
- Union Grove Wildlife Area: 109 acres
- Iowa River Natural Wildlife Area: 100 acres
- West Salt Creek Wildlife Area: 86 acres
- Highway 21 - Tama: 7 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge (1,808 acres).
How do you get to Tama County?
Highways through it: US 30 (about 44 miles inside), US 63 (about 37 miles inside), IA 21 (about 16 miles inside), IA 96 (about 10 miles inside) and IA 8 (about 9 miles inside). Towns inside: Tama, Toledo, Traer, Dysart, Chelsea and Garwin. Nearby: Le Grand (on the line), Gilman (on the line), Belle Plaine (on the line) and Reinbeck (2 miles).
Which counties border Tama County?
Tama County touches 7 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | IHAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa County | 1,355 | 2025 | 3.9% | 2 |
| Benton County | 1,060 | 2025 | 1.2% | |
| Grundy County | 143 | 2025 | 0.3% | |
| Jasper County | 934 | 2025 | 3.1% | |
| Marshall County | 608 | 2025 | 0.9% | 1 |
| Poweshiek County | 736 | 2025 | 0.6% | |
| Black Hawk County | 938 | 2025 | 3% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Tama County in 2025?
Hunters reported 1,239 deer: 608 antlered bucks, 61 button bucks and 542 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 1,230.
Is there public hunting land in Tama County?
Yes. 10,052 acres, 2.2% 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 (8,415 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 15 public hunting areas here.
Does Tama 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 Iowa County Benton County Grundy County Jasper County Marshall County Poweshiek County Black Hawk County