Grundy County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land
Grundy County covers 502 square miles around Grundy Center. Hunters reported 143 deer here in the 2025 season, 93 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is down 14% from 2024, and the fewest in the 5 years shown. 0.3% of Grundy County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (587 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 atlasState parks and recreation areasCounty conservation board and city landGrundy CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 321,242 acres (502 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 143 (93 antlered bucks, 2 button bucks, 47 does and doe fawns) |
| Deer zone (2026) | Zone A |
| Public land | 0.3% (876 acres) |
| Hunting areas | 7 (588 acres inside Grundy County) |
| IHAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Grundy Center, Reinbeck, Dike, Whitten, New Hartford and Parkersburg |
How many deer are harvested in Grundy County?
Hunters reported 143 deer in Grundy County in 2025: 93 antlered bucks, 2 button bucks, 47 does and doe fawns and 1 bucks that had shed their antlers.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Doe fawns | Shed-antler bucks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 143 | 93 | 2 | 45 | 2 | 1 |
| 2024 | 167 | 99 | 8 | 55 | 2 | 3 |
| 2023 | 157 | 92 | 13 | 47 | 4 | 1 |
| 2022 | 147 | 99 | 3 | 43 | 1 | 1 |
| 2021 | 155 | 94 | 10 | 49 | 1 | 1 |
Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Grundy County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.
How much public land is in Grundy County?
876 of Grundy County's 321,242 acres are public land open to the public (0.3%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 587 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Grundy County |
|---|---|---|
| Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas | 587 | 0.2% |
| County conservation board and city land | 289 | 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 876 | 0.3% |
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 Grundy County
Public hunting areas in Grundy County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Grundy County Lake: 258 acres
- Wolf Creek Recreation Area: 89 acres
- Grundy County Greenbelt: 68 acres
- Black Hawk Creek Wildlife Area: 54 acres
- Holland Marsh: 47 acres
- South Fork Wildlife Area: 44 acres
- Buckles Wildlife Area: 28 acres
How do you get to Grundy County?
Highways through it: US 20 (about 48 miles inside), IA 14 (about 31 miles inside), IA 175 (about 25 miles inside) and IA 57 (about 8 miles inside). Towns inside: Grundy Center, Reinbeck, Dike, Conrad, Wellsburg and Stout. Nearby: Whitten (on the line), New Hartford (on the line), Parkersburg (on the line) and Liscomb (on the line).
Which counties border Grundy County?
Grundy County touches 6 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | IHAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tama County | 1,239 | 2025 | 2.2% | |
| Butler County | 1,211 | 2025 | 2.8% | 1 |
| Hardin County | 958 | 2025 | 1.2% | |
| Franklin County | 527 | 2025 | 0.9% | |
| Marshall County | 608 | 2025 | 0.9% | 1 |
| Black Hawk County | 938 | 2025 | 3% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Grundy County in 2025?
Hunters reported 143 deer: 93 antlered bucks, 2 button bucks and 47 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 167.
Is there public hunting land in Grundy County?
Yes. 876 acres, 0.3% 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 (587 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 7 public hunting areas here.
Does Grundy County have IHAP land?
Not 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 Tama County Butler County Hardin County Franklin County Marshall County Black Hawk County