Zone 10 — Additional, Iowa

North-central Iowa prairie pothole country spanning roughly 5,000 square miles across Kossuth, Winnebago, Worth, Hancock, and Cerro Gordo counties. Elevation runs 1,150-1,450 feet across flat to gently rolling glacial till plains. The zone is dominated by row-crop agriculture — corn and soybeans cover roughly 75-80 percent of the landscape — with scattered woodlots, creek-bottom timber corridors, and shelterbelts. Glacial terrain holds numerous shallow wetlands, prairie potholes, and lakes including Clear Lake (Cerro Gordo) and Rice Lake (Worth). The Des Moines River headwaters and tributaries thread through portions of the zone offering wooded riparian cover. Farmland-to-timber ratio runs approximately 75:10:15 (crops:pasture-grass:timber-wetland).

Low to moderate. Zone 10 receives far less nonresident attention than central or southeastern Iowa zones — the 2026 draw had only 108 gun applications against a quota of 65 and 65 bow applications against a quota of 35, making it one of Iowa's least-competitive nonresident zones. Resident hunting is present but spread across a large geographic footprint. Shotgun season concentrates pressure on the limited WMA parcels; archery hunters can find genuinely low-pressure conditions on IHAP walk-in tracts and private permission ground, particularly mid-week and away from WMA boundaries.

Iowa nonresident deer requires a draw permit applied for May 2-June 7 annually at GoOutdoorsIowa.com using a preference point system. Zone 10 gun quota is 65 licenses (2026); bow quota is 35. With 0 preference points (PPs), gun draw success is approximately 18 percent — most gun tags go to 1-PP applicants. Bow draw success at 0 PPs is 0 percent — most bow tags go to 2-PP applicants, so plan on 1-2 seasons banking points before drawing archery. Each general deer-antlerless combo license ($498 plus fees) includes one any-sex tag and one mandatory antlerless tag. Additional optional antlerless-only licenses ($266.50) go on sale in late July after the main draw. Licenses are zone- and season-locked at application. Iowa has no OTC nonresident deer option. Zone 10 quota has declined from approximately 100 (2020) to 65 (2026).

Deer seasons 2025-26: Archery Oct 1-Dec 5 and Dec 22-Jan 10; Shotgun 1 Dec 6-10; Shotgun 2 Dec 13-21; Early Muzzleloader Oct 11-19; Late Muzzleloader Dec 22-Jan 10; Holiday nonresident Dec 24-Jan 2. Spring turkey April 14-May 31, 2026 (multiple segments, OTC for residents; nonresidents apply through draw); fall turkey archery Oct 1-Dec 5 and Dec 22-Jan 10 with gun legal from Oct 13. Pheasant: Youth Oct 18-19; general season Oct 25-Jan 10 — north-central Iowa holds some of the state's better pheasant populations on CRP and IHAP ground. Waterfowl is a significant draw in Kossuth and Winnebago counties, which hold numerous prairie potholes and managed wetlands. Small game, coyote, and raccoon rounds out multi-species opportunity.

Zone 10 offers a quieter entry into Iowa's nationally renowned whitetail program — far less competitive than the prime central and southeastern zones, with draw odds accessible to hunters who accumulate just one preference point. Deer genetics statewide are exceptional, and north-central animals see comparatively low hunting pressure, increasing chances at mature bucks on private permission ground. The zone doubles as some of Iowa's finest pheasant and waterfowl country, allowing efficient multi-species trips. Rice Lake and Ventura Marsh WMAs provide reliable public access focal points, and the agricultural-community culture makes cold-calling for private land access more productive here than in higher-pressure zones.