Fremont County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land
Fremont County covers 517 square miles around Hamburg. Hunters reported 379 deer here in the 2025 season, 283 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is down 12% from 2024. 5.8% of Fremont County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (16,831 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 atlasOther DNR landState parks and recreation areasCounty conservation board and city landIHAP landFremont CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 330,682 acres (517 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 379 (283 antlered bucks, 9 button bucks, 85 does and doe fawns) |
| Deer zone (2026) | Zone A |
| Public land | 5.8% (19,047 acres) |
| Hunting areas | 22 (16,829 acres inside Fremont County) |
| IHAP land | 3 sites, 728 acres |
| Towns in and near it | Hamburg, Sidney, Tabor, Shenandoah, Essex and Northboro |
How many deer are harvested in Fremont County?
Hunters reported 379 deer in Fremont County in 2025: 283 antlered bucks, 9 button bucks, 85 does and doe fawns and 2 bucks that had shed their antlers.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Doe fawns | Shed-antler bucks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 379 | 283 | 9 | 81 | 4 | 2 |
| 2024 | 432 | 320 | 12 | 89 | 3 | 8 |
| 2023 | 414 | 262 | 21 | 121 | 7 | 3 |
| 2022 | 406 | 255 | 21 | 125 | 3 | 2 |
| 2021 | 378 | 239 | 26 | 104 | 5 | 4 |
Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Fremont County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.
How much public land is in Fremont County?
19,047 of Fremont County's 330,682 acres are public land open to the public (5.8%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 16,831 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Fremont County |
|---|---|---|
| Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas | 16,831 | 5.1% |
| State parks and recreation areas | 1,888 | 0.6% |
| County conservation board and city land | 237 | 0.1% |
| Other DNR land | 91 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 19,047 | 5.8% |
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 Fremont County
Public hunting areas in Fremont County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Riverton Wildlife Area - Fremont: 4,069 acres
- Copeland Bend - USACOE: 2,995 acres
- Auldon Bar: 2,004 acres
- M U Payne Wildlife Area: 1,292 acres
- Lake Shawtee: 1,165 acres
- Forney Lake: 1,137 acres
- Green Hollow Wildlife Area: 624 acres
- Copeland Bend Wildlife Area: 528 acres
- Draper Bottoms Wildlife Area: 517 acres
- Eli Slusher Wildlife Area: 516 acres
- Botna Bottoms Wildlife Area: 441 acres
- Lower Hamburg Bend: 323 acres
- Cooper Creek Wildlife Area: 260 acres
- McPaul I-29 Wildlife Area: 169 acres
- Possum Hollow Wildlife Area: 162 acres
- O.s. Wing Wildlife Area: 138 acres
- Forney Lake - CCB: 91 acres
- Scott I-29 Wildlife Area: 88 acres
- Waubonsie Access: 86 acres
- Percival I-29 Wildlife Area: 80 acres
- Blackburn Wildlife Area: 79 acres
- Bartlett I-29 Wildlife Area: 65 acres
IHAP land in Fremont County
The DNR's IHAP layer shows 3 tracts in Fremont County, 728 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 Fremont County?
Highways through it: I-29 (about 51 miles inside), IA 2 (about 31 miles inside), US 275 (about 25 miles inside), US 59 (about 16 miles inside) and IA 333 (about 11 miles inside). Towns inside: Hamburg, Sidney, Tabor, Riverton, Thurman and Imogene. Nearby: Shenandoah (on the line), Essex (4 miles), Northboro (4 miles) and Coburg (6 miles).
Which counties border Fremont County?
Fremont County touches 3 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | IHAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Page County | 358 | 2025 | 0.3% | 1 |
| Mills County | 381 | 2025 | 2.9% | |
| Montgomery County | 316 | 2025 | 0.7% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Fremont County in 2025?
Hunters reported 379 deer: 283 antlered bucks, 9 button bucks and 85 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 432.
Is there public hunting land in Fremont County?
Yes. 19,047 acres, 5.8% 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 (16,831 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 22 public hunting areas here.
Does Fremont County have IHAP land?
Yes. 3 tracts, 728 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.