AmmoSight

Iowa Draw Odds

Iowa runs a pure preference-point draw for its 6,000 nonresident any-deer licenses, split across 10 zones with no more than 35% of each zone going to the bow season - the gun pools in a few zones still draw at 0-1 points while the best bow zones (4, 5, 6, 9) now take 4-7+ points. You front the whole cost (about $644: $131 license + $15 habitat fee + $498 deer/antlerless combo) when you apply in the May 2 - June 7 window, and if you miss you get it back minus a mandatory $60.50 preference-point fee that buys the point for next year. The separate nonresident spring turkey draw (2,300-license cap, zones 4-8, four April seasons, January application) uses the same point system but most pools are undersubscribed and leftovers sell over the counter in February.

Every figure below cites the agency document it came from. Last verified September 1, 2026.

Odds by species

White-tailed / Mule Deer
20 hunt codes · draws 2021–2026 · 6,000 NR tags
10 zones mapped · harvest 2024
Wild Turkey
21 hunt codes · draws 2021–2026 · 2,298 NR tags
5 zones mapped

How the draw works

White-tailed / Mule Deer · nonresident

Preference points

Worked example. Tags go to the applicants with the most preference points, one level at a time. If the last level that draws has more applicants than tags remaining, those applicants are chosen at random. Everyone below that level is unsuccessful and earns a point.

Max choices
1
Lower choices burn points
No
Point only purchase allowed
Yes
Points expire
No
Group apps average points
No

Iowa Code 483A.8(3)(e); IAC 571-106.7, 571-106.8 · verified Sep 1, 2026

Wild Turkey · nonresident

Preference points

Worked example. Tags go to the applicants with the most preference points, one level at a time. If the last level that draws has more applicants than tags remaining, those applicants are chosen at random. Everyone below that level is unsuccessful and earns a point.

Max choices
1
Lower choices burn points
No
Point only purchase allowed
Yes
Points expire
No
Group apps average points
No

Iowa Code 483A.7(3)(b); IAC 571-98.13 · verified Sep 1, 2026

Nonresident allocation

White-tailed / Mule Deer: — fixed count — Statute caps nonresident any-deer (antlered/any-sex) licenses at 6,000 statewide, allocated among the 10 nonresident zones by deer population; no more than 35% of the 6,000 (and of each zone quota) may be bow-season licenses. Residents are not part of this quota (resident gun/bow general licenses are unlimited), so nonresidents draw only against nonresidents. Iowa Code 483A.8(3)(c)-(d); IAC 571-106.7, 106.8(1)
Wild Turkey: — fixed count — Statute caps nonresident spring turkey licenses at 2,300, of which 150 are muzzleloading-shotgun-only. Current rule allocates 2,148 combination gun/bow licenses (zone 4: 262, zone 5: 55, zone 6: 165, zone 7: 35, zone 8: 20 per each of the 4 seasons) plus 150 muzzleloader statewide. Zones 1-3 and 9 are not open to nonresident turkey hunting. Iowa Code 483A.7(3)(a); IAC 571-98.11, 98.13(1)

Nonresident fees (2026)

Showing nonresident fees. Switch to resident

FeeAmount Paid at applicationRefundableSource
Nonresident annual hunting license (18 and older) $131 Yes Yes 2026 Nonresident Iowa Deer Application Instructions
Wildlife habitat fee $15 Yes Yes 2026 Nonresident Iowa Deer Application Instructions
Preference point (deer or turkey) $60.50 If drawn No 2026 Nonresident Iowa Deer Application Instructions
General any-deer + mandatory antlerless-only combination license (White-tailed / Mule Deer) $498 Yes Yes 2026 Nonresident Iowa Deer Application Instructions
Nonresident spring turkey license (Wild Turkey) $119 Yes Yes 2026 Nonresident Spring Turkey Hunting guide

Deadlines (2026)

Wild Turkey · nonresident: opens Jan 1, closes Jan 25, 2027 (expected); results ~Feb 7. (2026 ran Jan 1 – Jan 25.) You front the full tag fee when you apply. Guide: applications Jan 1 - Jan 25, 2026 (last Sunday in January); IAC 571-98.13(1) says applications are accepted from December 15 - discrepancy noted in README. Hunters are emailed their draw status before the excess sale that starts Feb 7, 2026; turkey licenses are mailed in March. 2026 Nonresident Spring Turkey Hunting guide
White-tailed / Mule Deer · nonresident: opens May 2, closes Jun 7, 2027 (expected). (2026 ran May 2 – Jun 7.) You front the full tag fee when you apply (refunds in about 21 days). Point-only purchase: May 2 – Jun 7. Rule: first Saturday in May through first Sunday in June (571-106.8(1)). Results emailed in June (2026 draw statistics were published before the July 25 excess sale); licenses mailed in August. Refunds credited to the applicant's card ~2-3 weeks after the draw (DNR nonresident licenses page). 2026 Nonresident Iowa Deer Application Instructions

Legal cartridges in Iowa

Drew a tag? Check which cartridges are legal for your species and weapon on the Iowa hunting laws page.

Sources

2022 Nonresident Spring Turkey Hunting guide (Wayback capture 2021-12-29) Iowa Department of Natural Resources (via Wayback Machine) · retrieved September 1, 2026 · 2021, 2022
2023 Nonresident Spring Turkey Hunting guide (Wayback capture 2023-08-16) Iowa Department of Natural Resources (via Wayback Machine) · retrieved September 1, 2026 · 2022, 2023
2024 Nonresident Spring Turkey Hunting guide (Wayback capture 2024-04-06) Iowa Department of Natural Resources (via Wayback Machine) · retrieved September 1, 2026 · 2023, 2024
2025 Nonresident Iowa Deer Application Instructions Iowa Department of Natural Resources (via Wayback Machine; identical file also at https://publications.iowa.gov/52136/1/nrdeer2025.pdf) · retrieved September 1, 2026 · 2024, 2025
2025 Nonresident Spring Turkey Hunting guide (Wayback capture 2025-02-07) Iowa Department of Natural Resources (via Wayback Machine) · retrieved September 1, 2026 · 2024, 2025
2026 Nonresident Deer Draw - preference points of successful applicants by zone (Gun/Bow) Iowa Department of Natural Resources · retrieved September 1, 2026 · 2026
2026 Nonresident Iowa Deer Application Instructions Iowa Department of Natural Resources · retrieved September 1, 2026 · 2025, 2026
2026 Nonresident Spring Turkey Hunting guide Iowa Department of Natural Resources · retrieved September 1, 2026 · 2025, 2026
Iowa Code §483A.7 - Wild turkey hunting license and tag (Iowa Code 2026) Iowa Legislature · retrieved September 1, 2026 · 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026
Iowa Code §483A.8 - Deer hunting license and tag (Iowa Code 2026) Iowa Legislature · retrieved September 1, 2026 · 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026
Nonresident Deer Draw statistics - 2021 draw (Wayback capture 2021-06-28 of nrd_draw.pdf; archived only, not loaded into CSVs) Iowa Department of Natural Resources (via Wayback Machine) · retrieved September 1, 2026 · 2021
Nonresident Deer Draw statistics - 2022 draw (Wayback capture 2022-07-24 of nrd_draw.pdf) Iowa Department of Natural Resources (via Wayback Machine) · retrieved September 1, 2026 · 2022
Nonresident Deer Draw statistics - 2023 draw (Wayback capture 2023-08-16 of nrd_draw.pdf) Iowa Department of Natural Resources (via Wayback Machine) · retrieved September 1, 2026 · 2023
Nonresident Deer Draw statistics - 2024 draw (Wayback capture 2025-02-07 of nrd_draw.pdf) Iowa Department of Natural Resources (via Wayback Machine) · retrieved September 1, 2026 · 2024
Nonresident Deer Draw statistics - 2025 draw (Wayback capture 2025-06-14 of media/1698; internal disclaimer year '2024' is stale, see README §9) Iowa Department of Natural Resources (via Wayback Machine) · retrieved September 1, 2026 · 2025
Spot a data error on this page? Tell us.

Every report is checked against the agency source before we change anything.

How to read these numbers

Every percentage on this page is a prior-draw probability: the chance an applicant with that many points would have drawn in the draw year shown, computed from the agency's published results. It is not a forecast — quotas, applicant numbers, and point creep change every year. Every figure links to the agency document it came from. Where a state does not publish a number, we show a dash, never a zero. Hunts with fewer than five tags show counts instead of percentages. Fees show the fee year used. Read the methodology for the engine details.

Not an application service

This page is informational only. Draw rules, quotas, fees, and deadlines are set by the state agency and change by commission action — confirm everything on the agency's own site before you apply, and apply through the agency, not here. We disclaim all liability for reliance on this page.