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Clayton County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land

Clayton County covers 793 square miles around Guttenberg. Hunters reported 4,248 deer here in the 2025 season, 1,527 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is down 2% from 2024. 4.6% of Clayton County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (16,939 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 Clayton County: public land by manager, IHAP land, the counties around it, highways US 52, IA 13 and US 18; towns: Guttenberg, Strawberry Point, Marquette, Edgewood and Postville

Public hunting areas on the DNR atlasNational wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areasFederal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakesOther DNR landState parks and recreation areasCounty conservation board and city landIHAP landClayton CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway

Clayton County at a glance
Size507,369 acres (793 square miles)
Deer reported, 20254,248 (1,527 antlered bucks, 275 button bucks, 2,371 does and doe fawns)
Deer zone (2026)Zone A
Public land4.6% (23,270 acres)
Hunting areas20 (16,936 acres inside Clayton County)
IHAP land4 sites, 570 acres
Towns in and near itGuttenberg, Strawberry Point, Marquette, Edgewood, Postville and Colesburg

How many deer are harvested in Clayton County?

Hunters reported 4,248 deer in Clayton County in 2025: 1,527 antlered bucks, 275 button bucks, 2,371 does and doe fawns and 75 bucks that had shed their antlers.

SeasonDeer reportedAntlered bucksButton bucksDoesDoe fawnsShed-antler bucks
20254,2481,5272752,25012175
20244,3241,6353152,18911768
20234,0231,5343241,99912343
20224,1371,4693182,2019059
20213,9241,5123291,9668037

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

How much public land is in Clayton County?

23,270 of Clayton County's 507,369 acres are public land open to the public (4.6%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 16,939 acres.

ManagerAcresShare of Clayton County
Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas16,9393.3%
National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas2,1460.4%
Other DNR land1,6460.3%
State parks and recreation areas1,0530.2%
County conservation board and city land7640.2%
Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes7220.1%
All public land open to the public23,2704.6%

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 Clayton County

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

Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife And Fish Refuge (5,126 acres), Ms Rv Pools 11-22 Recreation Area (2,424 acres), Driftless Area National Wildlife Refuge (866 acres) and Effigy Mounds National Monument (515 acres).

IHAP land in Clayton County

The DNR's IHAP layer shows 4 tracts in Clayton County, 570 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 Clayton County?

Highways through it: US 52 (about 46 miles inside), IA 13 (about 32 miles inside), US 18 (about 24 miles inside), IA 56 (about 12 miles inside) and IA 3 (about 10 miles inside). Towns inside: Guttenberg, Strawberry Point, Marquette, Elkader, Monona and McGregor. Nearby: Edgewood (on the line), Postville (on the line), Colesburg (on the line) and Elgin (on the line).

Which counties border Clayton County?

Clayton County touches 6 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:

CountyDeer harvestedYearPublic landIHAP land sites
Dubuque County2,39020253.1%1
Fayette County2,12820251.8%5
Buchanan County1,03220251.1%1
Delaware County1,73220251.7%
Allamakee County3,498202510.8%1
Winneshiek County2,51920252.3%5

Questions hunters ask

How many deer were harvested in Clayton County in 2025?

Hunters reported 4,248 deer: 1,527 antlered bucks, 275 button bucks and 2,371 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 4,324.

Is there public hunting land in Clayton County?

Yes. 23,270 acres, 4.6% 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 (16,939 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 20 public hunting areas here.

Does Clayton County have IHAP land?

Yes. 4 tracts, 570 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 Dubuque County Fayette County Buchanan County Delaware County Allamakee County Winneshiek County