Dubuque County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land
Dubuque County covers 616 square miles around Dubuque. Hunters reported 2,390 deer here in the 2025 season, 867 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is down 4% from 2024. 3.1% of Dubuque County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (6,891 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 atlasNational wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areasFederal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakesOther DNR landState parks and recreation areasCounty conservation board and city landLand trusts and other open landIHAP landDubuque CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 394,496 acres (616 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 2,390 (867 antlered bucks, 209 button bucks, 1,280 does and doe fawns) |
| Deer zone (2026) | Zone A |
| Public land | 3.1% (12,327 acres) |
| Hunting areas | 14 (6,890 acres inside Dubuque County) |
| IHAP land | 1 site, 39 acres |
| Towns in and near it | Dubuque, Dyersville, Asbury, St. Donatus, North Buena Vista and La Motte |
How many deer are harvested in Dubuque County?
Hunters reported 2,390 deer in Dubuque County in 2025: 867 antlered bucks, 209 button bucks, 1,280 does and doe fawns and 34 bucks that had shed their antlers.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Doe fawns | Shed-antler bucks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,390 | 867 | 209 | 1,206 | 74 | 34 |
| 2024 | 2,481 | 911 | 236 | 1,225 | 93 | 16 |
| 2023 | 2,200 | 774 | 196 | 1,134 | 77 | 19 |
| 2022 | 2,193 | 765 | 233 | 1,115 | 71 | 9 |
| 2021 | 1,982 | 736 | 210 | 959 | 61 | 16 |
Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Dubuque County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.
How much public land is in Dubuque County?
12,327 of Dubuque County's 394,496 acres are public land open to the public (3.1%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 6,891 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Dubuque County |
|---|---|---|
| Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas | 6,891 | 1.7% |
| County conservation board and city land | 2,533 | 0.6% |
| Other DNR land | 2,166 | 0.5% |
| Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes | 583 | 0.1% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 72 | under 0.1% |
| State parks and recreation areas | 50 | under 0.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 32 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 12,327 | 3.1% |
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 Dubuque County
Public hunting areas in Dubuque County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Upper Mississippi River Fish & Wildlife Refuge: 3,191 acres
- Mines of Spain State Recreation Area: 1,375 acres
- White Pine Hollow State Preserve: 759 acres
- White Pine Hollow Wildlife Area: 268 acres
- Whitewater Canyon Wildlife Area: 187 acres
- New Wine Park: 170 acres
- Ringneck Ridge Wildlife Area: 158 acres
- Proving Grounds Recreation Area: 145 acres
- Whitewater Wildlife Area: 140 acres
- Bankston Park: 124 acres
- Finley's Landing Park: 107 acres
- McCarthy Wildlife Area: 102 acres
- Bowstring Wildlife Area: 84 acres
- Ram Hollow Wildlife Area: 80 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Ms Rv Pools 11-22 Recreation Area (2,223 acres) and Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife And Fish Refuge (166 acres).
IHAP land in Dubuque County
The DNR's IHAP layer shows 1 tract in Dubuque County, 39 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 Dubuque County?
Highways through it: US 151 (about 57 miles inside), US 20 (about 53 miles inside), US 52 (about 44 miles inside), US 61 (about 34 miles inside) and IA 3 (about 30 miles inside). Towns inside: Dubuque, Dyersville, Asbury, Peosta, Cascade and Epworth. Nearby: St. Donatus (on the line), North Buena Vista (2 miles), La Motte (2 miles) and Colesburg (3 miles).
Which counties border Dubuque County?
Dubuque County touches 4 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | IHAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jones County | 2,022 | 2025 | 1.4% | 1 |
| Clayton County | 4,248 | 2025 | 4.6% | 4 |
| Jackson County | 2,486 | 2025 | 5.5% | 1 |
| Delaware County | 1,732 | 2025 | 1.7% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Dubuque County in 2025?
Hunters reported 2,390 deer: 867 antlered bucks, 209 button bucks and 1,280 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 2,481.
Is there public hunting land in Dubuque County?
Yes. 12,327 acres, 3.1% 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 (6,891 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 14 public hunting areas here.
Does Dubuque County have IHAP land?
Yes. 1 tract, 39 acres, on the DNR's IHAP layer.
Get a Iowa hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Iowa are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Iowa included.
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 Jones County Clayton County Jackson County Delaware County