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Iowa County Finder

Answer six questions and get Iowa counties ranked by habitat fit, 2026–27 season dates, public land and Iowa DNR reported harvest.

How the Iowa finder works

Iowa hunters report every deer and turkey, and the Iowa DNR publishes the reports by county. This tool scores all 99 counties using deer harvest from the 2021–22 to 2025–26 seasons, fall and spring turkey, USGS land-cover and elevation data, and the share of public land such as wildlife management areas and state forests.

Season fit uses the DNR's 2026/27 dates: youth, archery, early and late muzzleloader, shotgun seasons 1 and 2 and January antlerless deer (with the new Zone B antlered-buck rule), fall and spring turkey, pheasant, quail, partridge and grouse, and the North, Central and South waterfowl zones.

Species covered

  • White-tailed deer
  • Wild turkey

Upland birds (ranked by county)

  • Ring-necked pheasant
  • Gray (Hungarian) partridge
  • Forest grouse
  • Quail

Waterfowl and migratory birds (ranked by county)

  • Ducks
  • Canada and dark geese
  • Snow and Ross's geese
  • Mourning dove
  • American woodcock

About every species on the species page →

Data sources

Iowa hunting FAQ

When are Iowa's 2026 shotgun deer seasons?

Shotgun season 1 runs Dec. 5–9 and season 2 Dec. 12–20, 2026. Archery runs Oct. 1–Dec. 4 and Dec. 21–Jan. 10; early muzzleloader Oct. 17–25.

Which Iowa counties have the most deer?

Clayton, Allamakee, Madison, Winneshiek and Van Buren counties lead the 2021–2025 reported harvest. Pick white-tailed deer to rank every county.

What is Iowa's deer Zone B?

For 2026–27, Crawford, Ida, Lyon, O'Brien, Plymouth, Shelby, Sioux and Woodbury counties are Zone B: antlered bucks only (one forked antler) in most seasons, with limited county any-deer licenses and no party hunting.

Iowa harvest leaders

The counties with the highest average reported harvest for each species. High totals often reflect large areas and many hunters; the tool above also weighs harvest per square mile, hunter success, habitat and access.

White-tailed deer (2021–2025 average)

  1. Clayton County: 4,131 per year
  2. Allamakee County: 3,482 per year
  3. Madison County: 2,679 per year
  4. Winneshiek County: 2,498 per year
  5. Van Buren County: 2,480 per year

Wild turkey (2022–2026 average)

  1. Clayton County: 560 per year
  2. Allamakee County: 520 per year
  3. Jackson County: 403 per year
  4. Warren County: 394 per year
  5. Appanoose County: 380 per year

Ducks (USFWS 10-year average)

  1. Allamakee County: 14,102 per year
  2. Fremont County: 13,651 per year
  3. Jackson County: 8,503 per year
  4. Wright County: 8,005 per year
  5. Louisa County: 7,373 per year

Canada and dark geese (USFWS 10-year average)

  1. Clarke County: 3,176 per year
  2. Winneshiek County: 2,803 per year
  3. Wapello County: 2,651 per year
  4. Union County: 2,272 per year
  5. Monona County: 2,162 per year