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Fayette County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land

Fayette County covers 731 square miles around Oelwein. Hunters reported 2,128 deer here in the 2025 season, 790 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is up 8% from 2024, and the most in the 5 years shown. 1.8% of Fayette County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (7,635 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 Fayette County: public land by manager, IHAP land, the counties around it, highways IA 150, US 18 and IA 3; towns: Oelwein, West Union, Fayette, Stanley and Fairbank

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

Fayette County at a glance
Size467,991 acres (731 square miles)
Deer reported, 20252,128 (790 antlered bucks, 156 button bucks, 1,136 does and doe fawns)
Deer zone (2026)Zone A
Public land1.8% (8,629 acres)
Hunting areas12 (7,634 acres inside Fayette County)
IHAP land5 sites, 776 acres
Towns in and near itOelwein, West Union, Fayette, Stanley, Fairbank and Sumner

How many deer are harvested in Fayette County?

Hunters reported 2,128 deer in Fayette County in 2025: 790 antlered bucks, 156 button bucks, 1,136 does and doe fawns and 46 bucks that had shed their antlers.

SeasonDeer reportedAntlered bucksButton bucksDoesDoe fawnsShed-antler bucks
20252,1287901561,0845246
20241,9678021559275825
20231,9217331679564025
20221,9776951911,0263827
20211,8106861499194115

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

How much public land is in Fayette County?

8,629 of Fayette County's 467,991 acres are public land open to the public (1.8%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 7,635 acres.

ManagerAcresShare of Fayette County
Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas7,6351.6%
County conservation board and city land7260.2%
Other DNR land2670.1%
State parks and recreation areas1under 0.1%
All public land open to the public8,6291.8%

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 Fayette County

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

IHAP land in Fayette County

The DNR's IHAP layer shows 5 tracts in Fayette County, 776 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 Fayette County?

Highways through it: IA 150 (about 36 miles inside), US 18 (about 29 miles inside), IA 3 (about 27 miles inside), IA 187 (about 16 miles inside) and IA 56 (about 12 miles inside). Towns inside: Oelwein, West Union, Fayette, Clermont, Arlington and Maynard. Nearby: Stanley (on the line), Fairbank (on the line), Sumner (on the line) and Jackson Junction (on the line).

Which counties border Fayette County?

Fayette County touches 8 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:

CountyDeer harvestedYearPublic landIHAP land sites
Bremer County1,25420253.3%
Clayton County4,24820254.6%4
Buchanan County1,03220251.1%1
Delaware County1,73220251.7%
Allamakee County3,498202510.8%1
Chickasaw County1,19720251.1%1
Black Hawk County93820253%
Winneshiek County2,51920252.3%5

Questions hunters ask

How many deer were harvested in Fayette County in 2025?

Hunters reported 2,128 deer: 790 antlered bucks, 156 button bucks and 1,136 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 1,967.

Is there public hunting land in Fayette County?

Yes. 8,629 acres, 1.8% 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 (7,635 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 12 public hunting areas here.

Does Fayette County have IHAP land?

Yes. 5 tracts, 776 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 Bremer County Clayton County Buchanan County Delaware County Allamakee County Chickasaw County Black Hawk County Winneshiek County