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Buchanan County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land

Buchanan County covers 573 square miles around Independence. Hunters reported 1,032 deer here in the 2025 season, 458 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is up 5% from 2024, and the most in the 5 years shown. 1.1% of Buchanan County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (3,382 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.

Map of Iowa's Buchanan County: public land by manager, IHAP land, the counties around it, highways US 20, IA 150 and IA 939; towns: Independence, Jesup, Quasqueton, Walker and Masonville

Public hunting areas on the DNR atlasOther DNR landState parks and recreation areasCounty conservation board and city landIHAP landBuchanan CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway

Buchanan County at a glance
Size366,794 acres (573 square miles)
Deer reported, 20251,032 (458 antlered bucks, 111 button bucks, 455 does and doe fawns)
Deer zone (2026)Zone A
Public land1.1% (4,066 acres)
Hunting areas33 (3,377 acres inside Buchanan County)
IHAP land1 site, 100 acres
Towns in and near itIndependence, Jesup, Quasqueton, Walker, Masonville and Oelwein

How many deer are harvested in Buchanan County?

Hunters reported 1,032 deer in Buchanan County in 2025: 458 antlered bucks, 111 button bucks, 455 does and doe fawns and 8 bucks that had shed their antlers.

SeasonDeer reportedAntlered bucksButton bucksDoesDoe fawnsShed-antler bucks
20251,032458111429268
202498242287430358
202391839589394382
2022946392103425206
202184837094364164

Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Buchanan County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.

How much public land is in Buchanan County?

4,066 of Buchanan County's 366,794 acres are public land open to the public (1.1%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 3,382 acres.

ManagerAcresShare of Buchanan County
Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas3,3820.9%
County conservation board and city land5340.1%
Other DNR land111under 0.1%
State parks and recreation areas39under 0.1%
All public land open to the public4,0661.1%

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 Buchanan County

Public hunting areas in Buchanan County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:

IHAP land in Buchanan County

The DNR's IHAP layer shows 1 tract in Buchanan County, 100 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 Buchanan County?

Highways through it: US 20 (about 48 miles inside), IA 150 (about 25 miles inside), IA 939 (about 23 miles inside), I-380 (about 13 miles inside) and IA 187 (about 13 miles inside). Towns inside: Independence, Jesup, Quasqueton, Hazleton, Winthrop and Fairbank. Nearby: Walker (on the line), Masonville (on the line), Oelwein (2 miles) and Dundee (3 miles).

Which counties border Buchanan County?

Buchanan County touches 7 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:

CountyDeer harvestedYearPublic landIHAP land sites
Linn County2,45420253.6%
Benton County1,06020251.2%
Bremer County1,25420253.3%
Clayton County4,24820254.6%4
Fayette County2,12820251.8%5
Delaware County1,73220251.7%
Black Hawk County93820253%

Questions hunters ask

How many deer were harvested in Buchanan County in 2025?

Hunters reported 1,032 deer: 458 antlered bucks, 111 button bucks and 455 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 982.

Is there public hunting land in Buchanan County?

Yes. 4,066 acres, 1.1% 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 (3,382 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 33 public hunting areas here.

Does Buchanan County have IHAP land?

Yes. 1 tract, 100 acres, on the DNR's IHAP layer.

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Where these numbers come from

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 Linn County Benton County Bremer County Clayton County Fayette County Delaware County Black Hawk County