Butler County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land
Butler County covers 582 square miles around Allison. Hunters reported 1,211 deer here in the 2025 season, 548 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is up 11% from 2024, and the most in the 5 years shown. 2.8% of Butler County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (9,408 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.
Public hunting areas on the DNR atlasCounty conservation board and city landIHAP landButler CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 372,317 acres (582 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 1,211 (548 antlered bucks, 96 button bucks, 547 does and doe fawns) |
| Deer zone (2026) | Zone A |
| Public land | 2.8% (10,466 acres) |
| Hunting areas | 11 (9,407 acres inside Butler County) |
| IHAP land | 1 site, 106 acres |
| Towns in and near it | Allison, Dumont, Shell Rock, Plainfield, Dougherty and Ackley |
How many deer are harvested in Butler County?
Hunters reported 1,211 deer in Butler County in 2025: 548 antlered bucks, 96 button bucks, 547 does and doe fawns and 20 bucks that had shed their antlers.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Doe fawns | Shed-antler bucks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,211 | 548 | 96 | 525 | 22 | 20 |
| 2024 | 1,092 | 527 | 74 | 463 | 22 | 6 |
| 2023 | 1,162 | 544 | 96 | 471 | 40 | 11 |
| 2022 | 1,069 | 489 | 82 | 467 | 17 | 14 |
| 2021 | 1,099 | 543 | 78 | 449 | 19 | 10 |
Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Butler County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.
How much public land is in Butler County?
10,466 of Butler County's 372,317 acres are public land open to the public (2.8%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 9,408 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Butler County |
|---|---|---|
| Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas | 9,408 | 2.5% |
| County conservation board and city land | 1,038 | 0.3% |
| Other DNR land | 20 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 10,466 | 2.8% |
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 Butler County
Public hunting areas in Butler County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Big Marsh Wildlife Area: 8,184 acres
- Boylan Creek Wildlife Area: 362 acres
- Shell Rock Bend Wildlife Area: 232 acres
- Blackmun Prairie Wildlife Area: 175 acres
- North Butler Wilderness Area: 150 acres
- West Fork Access: 113 acres
- Lower West Fork Wildlife Area: 69 acres
- West Fork Prairie: 44 acres
- Moore's Access: 31 acres
- North Butler Wildlife Area: 24 acres
- Helt Memorial Reserve: 23 acres
IHAP land in Butler County
The DNR's IHAP layer shows 1 tract in Butler County, 106 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 Butler County?
Highways through it: IA 14 (about 26 miles inside), IA 3 (about 25 miles inside), IA 57 (about 21 miles inside), US 20 (about 13 miles inside) and IA 188 (about 13 miles inside). Towns inside: Allison, Dumont, Shell Rock, Parkersburg, Clarksville and Greene. Nearby: Plainfield (on the line), Dougherty (on the line), Ackley (on the line) and Stout (2 miles).
Which counties border Butler County?
Butler County touches 8 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | IHAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floyd County | 1,063 | 2025 | 0.7% | |
| Bremer County | 1,254 | 2025 | 3.3% | |
| Grundy County | 143 | 2025 | 0.3% | |
| Hardin County | 958 | 2025 | 1.2% | |
| Franklin County | 527 | 2025 | 0.9% | |
| Chickasaw County | 1,197 | 2025 | 1.1% | 1 |
| Black Hawk County | 938 | 2025 | 3% | |
| Cerro Gordo County | 544 | 2025 | 3.4% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Butler County in 2025?
Hunters reported 1,211 deer: 548 antlered bucks, 96 button bucks and 547 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 1,092.
Is there public hunting land in Butler County?
Yes. 10,466 acres, 2.8% 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 (9,408 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 11 public hunting areas here.
Does Butler County have IHAP land?
Yes. 1 tract, 106 acres, on the DNR's IHAP layer.
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Where these numbers come from
- Deer harvest: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons).
- Public land: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public) and the DNR's public hunting area boundaries. public hunting areas: Iowa DNR public hunting areas (Hunting Atlas layer). IHAP land: Iowa DNR Iowa Habitat and Access Program (IHAP) tracts.
- Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 cartographic county boundaries. Highways and towns: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 primary and secondary roads; U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer, places.
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 Floyd County Bremer County Grundy County Hardin County Franklin County Chickasaw County Black Hawk County Cerro Gordo County