Winnebago County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land
Winnebago County covers 402 square miles around Forest City. Hunters reported 338 deer here in the 2025 season, 188 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is up 18% from 2024, and the most in the 5 years shown. 4.6% of Winnebago County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (11,421 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 atlasOther DNR landState parks and recreation areasCounty conservation board and city landIHAP landWinnebago CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 257,029 acres (402 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 338 (188 antlered bucks, 13 button bucks, 123 does and doe fawns) |
| Deer zone (2026) | Zone A |
| Public land | 4.6% (11,848 acres) |
| Hunting areas | 45 (11,421 acres inside Winnebago County) |
| IHAP land | 5 sites, 689 acres |
| Towns in and near it | Forest City, Lake Mills, Leland, Woden, Joice and Crystal Lake |
How many deer are harvested in Winnebago County?
Hunters reported 338 deer in Winnebago County in 2025: 188 antlered bucks, 13 button bucks, 123 does and doe fawns and 14 bucks that had shed their antlers.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Doe fawns | Shed-antler bucks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 338 | 188 | 13 | 113 | 10 | 14 |
| 2024 | 287 | 174 | 13 | 89 | 5 | 6 |
| 2023 | 296 | 179 | 17 | 87 | 9 | 4 |
| 2022 | 312 | 175 | 23 | 106 | 4 | 4 |
| 2021 | 290 | 163 | 11 | 105 | 9 | 2 |
Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Winnebago County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.
How much public land is in Winnebago County?
11,848 of Winnebago County's 257,029 acres are public land open to the public (4.6%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 11,421 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Winnebago County |
|---|---|---|
| Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas | 11,421 | 4.4% |
| County conservation board and city land | 388 | 0.2% |
| State parks and recreation areas | 29 | under 0.1% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 6 | under 0.1% |
| Other DNR land | 4 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 11,848 | 4.6% |
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 Winnebago County
Public hunting areas in Winnebago County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Rice Lake Wildlife Area: 1,472 acres
- Good Neighbors Marsh: 1,471 acres
- Harmon Lake: 991 acres
- Hogsback Marsh Wildlife Area: 672 acres
- Pilot Knob WMA: 671 acres
- Hogsback Marsh WPA: 665 acres
- Myre Slough: 430 acres
- Lande River Conservation Area: 422 acres
- Wood Duck Marsh: 384 acres
- Winnebago County Home Farm: 370 acres
- C. A. Block Wildlife Area: 314 acres
- Rice Lake WPA: 296 acres
- Good Neighbors Marsh WPA: 201 acres
- Quam Wildlife Area: 198 acres
- Pilot Knob WPA: 196 acres
- Lenze McCoy Wildlife Area: 190 acres
- Rauk-Rasmussen Tract: 184 acres
- Gruis Recreation Area: 181 acres
- Buffalo Center Potholes: 159 acres
- Osmundson Slough: 158 acres
- Eight Mile Pits: 158 acres
- Pilot Knob Recreation Area: 158 acres
- Thorpe Park: 148 acres
- Ambroson Recreation Area: 117 acres
- Hogsback Wildlife Area: 115 acres
- Myre Slough WPA: 111 acres
- Jensen Tract: 97 acres
- Russ Wildlife Area: 90 acres
- Nieman Wildlife Area: 84 acres
- Jack Rabbit Slough: 79 acres
- Wood Duck Marsh WPA: 75 acres
- Larson-Tweed Wildlife Area: 72 acres
- Tenold Tract: 55 acres
- Hogsback Wildlife Area Annex: 54 acres
- Luke Rossister Wildlife Area: 48 acres
- Kvale Tract: 46 acres
- Winnebago River Recreation Area: 45 acres
- Grant Township Wildlife Area: 42 acres
- Ruger Tract: 40 acres
- Dearing Tract: 39 acres
And 5 smaller ones.
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Winnebago County Waterfowl Production Area Of Ia (1,547 acres).
IHAP land in Winnebago County
The DNR's IHAP layer shows 5 tracts in Winnebago County, 689 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 Winnebago County?
Highways through it: IA 9 (about 31 miles inside) and US 69 (about 22 miles inside). Towns inside: Forest City, Lake Mills, Leland, Buffalo Center, Thompson and Rake. Nearby: Woden (2 miles), Joice (2 miles), Crystal Lake (2 miles) and Fertile (4 miles).
Which counties border Winnebago County?
Winnebago County touches 4 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | IHAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worth County | 468 | 2025 | 3.7% | |
| Hancock County | 334 | 2025 | 2.4% | 6 |
| Kossuth County | 382 | 2025 | 1.6% | 8 |
| Cerro Gordo County | 544 | 2025 | 3.4% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Winnebago County in 2025?
Hunters reported 338 deer: 188 antlered bucks, 13 button bucks and 123 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 287.
Is there public hunting land in Winnebago County?
Yes. 11,848 acres, 4.6% 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 (11,421 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 45 public hunting areas here.
Does Winnebago County have IHAP land?
Yes. 5 tracts, 689 acres, on the DNR's IHAP layer.
Get a Iowa hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Iowa are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Iowa included.
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 Worth County Hancock County Kossuth County Cerro Gordo County