Cherokee County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land
Cherokee County covers 577 square miles around Cherokee. Hunters reported 247 deer here in the 2025 season, 157 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is up 3% from 2024. 0.4% of Cherokee County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (1,390 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 landCherokee CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 369,394 acres (577 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 247 (157 antlered bucks, 5 button bucks, 77 does and doe fawns) |
| Deer zone (2026) | Zone A |
| Public land | 0.4% (1,603 acres) |
| Hunting areas | 18 (1,389 acres inside Cherokee County) |
| IHAP land | 5 sites, 890 acres |
| Towns in and near it | Cherokee, Marcus, Aurelia, Pierson, Peterson and Calumet |
How many deer are harvested in Cherokee County?
Hunters reported 247 deer in Cherokee County in 2025: 157 antlered bucks, 5 button bucks, 77 does and doe fawns and 8 bucks that had shed their antlers.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Doe fawns | Shed-antler bucks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 247 | 157 | 5 | 73 | 4 | 8 |
| 2024 | 240 | 144 | 20 | 69 | 6 | 1 |
| 2023 | 400 | 224 | 17 | 144 | 10 | 5 |
| 2022 | 506 | 273 | 23 | 203 | 3 | 4 |
| 2021 | 483 | 253 | 31 | 192 | 4 | 3 |
Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Cherokee County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.
How much public land is in Cherokee County?
1,603 of Cherokee County's 369,394 acres are public land open to the public (0.4%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 1,390 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Cherokee County |
|---|---|---|
| Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas | 1,390 | 0.4% |
| County conservation board and city land | 213 | 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 1,603 | 0.4% |
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 Cherokee County
Public hunting areas in Cherokee County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Martin Park Area: 245 acres
- Redtail Ridge Habitat Area: 233 acres
- T.h. Steele Prairie State Preserve: 205 acres
- Waterman Prairie Complex: 180 acres
- Silver Sioux Recreation Area: 155 acres
- Ranney Knob Area: 114 acres
- Heinel-Johnson Access Area: 62 acres
- River Road Conservation Area: 58 acres
- Harold Clark Area: 37 acres
- Soo Access: 17 acres
- Stieneke Park Area: 15 acres
- Sue Jordahl Canoe Access: 15 acres
- Pearse Area: 12 acres
- Barnes Access: 12 acres
- Nelson Access: 9 acres
- Maple River Wildlife Area: 7 acres
- Little Sioux Greenbelt: 7 acres
- Prescott Prairie: 6 acres
IHAP land in Cherokee County
The DNR's IHAP layer shows 5 tracts in Cherokee County, 890 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 Cherokee County?
Highways through it: IA 3 (about 25 miles inside), US 59 (about 25 miles inside), IA 31 (about 11 miles inside), IA 143 (about 7 miles inside) and IA 7 (about 4 miles inside). Towns inside: Cherokee, Marcus, Aurelia, Washta, Quimby and Cleghorn. Nearby: Pierson (on the line), Peterson (2 miles), Calumet (2 miles) and Galva (4 miles).
Which counties border Cherokee County?
Cherokee County touches 8 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | IHAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ida County | 70 | 2025 | 0.2% | |
| Sac County | 285 | 2025 | 1.7% | 3 |
| Clay County | 461 | 2025 | 3.9% | 5 |
| Sioux County | 165 | 2025 | 0.6% | 1 |
| O'Brien County | 163 | 2025 | 0.9% | |
| Plymouth County | 294 | 2025 | 1% | |
| Woodbury County | 406 | 2025 | 2.8% | 6 |
| Buena Vista County | 174 | 2025 | 1.5% | 1 |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Cherokee County in 2025?
Hunters reported 247 deer: 157 antlered bucks, 5 button bucks and 77 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 240.
Is there public hunting land in Cherokee County?
Yes. 1,603 acres, 0.4% 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 (1,390 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 18 public hunting areas here.
Does Cherokee County have IHAP land?
Yes. 5 tracts, 890 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 Ida County Sac County Clay County Sioux County O'Brien County Plymouth County Woodbury County Buena Vista County