Iowa Deer Z5-BOW
Zone 5 General any-deer + mandatory antlerless combo, bow season in Zone 5, archery only, Oct 1 – Dec 4, 2026, Dec 21 – Jan 10, 2027. 5% public land, mostly Department of Defense.
Your odds at 0 points · 2026 draw
no one below 5 points drew in 2026
You're 5 points below the 2026 cut of 5, which has risen from 4 to 5 points since 2021.
Years to draw on points: 6 yrs (at least 6)
- NR Tags
- 560
- Applicants
- 1,431
- Success
- —
First-choice nonresidents.
Points Needed to Draw, 2021–2026
The cut has risen from 4 to 5 points since 2021. Applicants per tag: 2.7:1 in 2021, 2.6:1 in 2026.
Point creep: drew out at 4 → 5 → 5 → 5 → 5 points (2022–2026), +0.0 points/yr (range +0.0 to +1.0). Years to draw project that pace (the median of the last five draws, capped at 2 points/yr); the agency sets quotas and demand sets the cut.
What It Costs · 2026 NR Fees
Closes Jun 6 · 231 daysThe $131 nonresident annual hunting license (18 and older) is refunded if you miss. The $15 Wildlife habitat fee is refunded if you miss. A preference point (deer or turkey) is $60.50, bought separately. The $498 general any-deer + mandatory antlerless-only combination license is refunded if you miss.
- Opens
- May 1, 2027
- Closes
- Jun 6, 2027
- Point Only
- $60.50, May 1 – Jun 6
Next application window: Open May 1 – Jun 6, 2027 (expected). Dates are last cycle's, rolled forward until Iowa Department of Natural Resources publishes 2027.
▸ Every Fee, With Sources
- Nonresident annual hunting license (18 and older) · paid at application, refundable $131 Iowa DNR 2026 Nonresident Deer Application…
- Wildlife habitat fee · paid at application, refundable $15 Iowa DNR 2026 Nonresident Deer Application…
- Preference point (deer or turkey) · unsuccessful applicants only, to keep building points $60.50 Iowa DNR 2026 Nonresident Deer Application…
- General any-deer + mandatory antlerless-only combination license · paid at application, refundable $498 Iowa DNR 2026 Nonresident Deer Application…
Details
Odds by Point Level · 2026 Draw
| Points | Chance | Applied | Drew |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 ← you | 0% same at every level | — | 0 |
| 5 | 4% the cut | — | 40 |
| 6–10 | 100% same at every level | — | 427 |
Below the level that drew out. A dash means Iowa Department of Natural Resources did not publish a count for that level: it prints exact counts around the cut and folds the rest into a band. Iowa Department of Natural Resources prints tags issued per point level, not applicants: the 0-point applicant count is derived (total applications minus the winners above it), and the agency's own printed percentage divides by all applications. As a lower choice, Z5-BOW drew no one in 2026, so lower-choice odds are left out.
Draw results: Iowa DNR 2026 Nonresident Deer Draw, p. 1, retrieved Sep 1, 2026.
Seasons, 2026
- Oct 1 – Dec 4, 2026 Bow season, first split Iowa DNR 2026 Nonresident Deer Application…, p. 1
- Dec 21 – Jan 10, 2027 Bow season, second split Iowa DNR 2026 Nonresident Deer Application…, p. 1
How It Hunted, 2024
| Who | Hunters | Harvest | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| All of Zone 5 | — | 7,207 | — |
Adding up Iowa Department of Natural Resources' published lines for Zone 5 gives 7,207 deer taken in 2024 (sum of published member-area rows; hunter counts not published). Post-season survey, not draw statistics. Source: Iowa DNR 2024-2025 White-tailed Deer Program Report.
▸ Year-by-Year Numbers 6 draws
The standard draw for nonresidents, one row per year.
| Year | Tags | Applicants | Per Tag | Points Needed | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 560 | 1,431 | 2.6 | 5 | Iowa DNR 2026 Nonresident Deer Draw, p. 1 |
| 2025 | 560 | 1,281 | 2.3 | 5 | Iowa DNR 2025 Nonresident Deer Draw statistics, p. 1 |
| 2024 | 560 | 1,199 | 2.1 | 5 | Iowa DNR 2024 Nonresident Deer Draw statistics, p. 1 |
| 2023 | 560 | 1,419 | 2.5 | 5 | Iowa DNR 2023 Nonresident Deer Draw statistics, p. 1 |
| 2022 | 560 | 1,429 | 2.6 | 4 | Iowa DNR 2022 Nonresident Deer Draw statistics, p. 1 |
| 2021 | 560 | 1,497 | 2.7 | 4 | Iowa DNR 2021 Nonresident Deer Draw statistics, p. 1 |
Other Licenses Valid in Zone 5
- Z5-GUN Zone 5 General any-deer + mandatory antlerless combo, gun pool… Dec 5–9 · 1,040 tags · cut 1 0%
Odds at your points, nonresident. * fewer than 5 tags.
▸ Sources 11
- Iowa DNR 2026 Nonresident Deer Draw, p. 1 · draw results, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- Iowa DNR 2025 Nonresident Deer Draw statistics, p. 1 · earlier draws, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- Iowa DNR 2024 Nonresident Deer Draw statistics, p. 1 · earlier draws, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- Iowa DNR 2023 Nonresident Deer Draw statistics, p. 1 · earlier draws, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- Iowa DNR 2022 Nonresident Deer Draw statistics, p. 1 · earlier draws, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- Iowa DNR 2021 Nonresident Deer Draw statistics, p. 1 · earlier draws, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- Iowa Legislature 2026 Code §483A.8 draw rules, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- Iowa DNR 2026 Nonresident Deer Application… fees, seasons, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- Iowa DNR 2024-2025 White-tailed Deer Program Report harvest, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- US Census Bureau 2024 TIGERweb State_County layer, counties boundary, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- Iowa DNR 2026 Boundaries/Public_Lands land ownership, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
About These Numbers
Odds are from the 2026 draw, the latest on file, computed from Iowa Department of Natural Resources' published results (below the level that drew out). They are what happened in that draw, not a forecast. Under five tags a percentage carries a *, because one applicant either way swings it. A dash means the agency did not publish the number, and a date marked expected is last cycle's schedule rolled forward. How we compute these.
Report an error on this page
We don't take applications: check Iowa Department of Natural Resources's site and apply there.
Prior-draw odds from Iowa Department of Natural Resources' results, not a forecast · Methodology · All Iowa deer hunts