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Hancock County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land

Hancock County covers 573 square miles around Garner. Hunters reported 334 deer here in the 2025 season, 155 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is up 17% from 2024. 2.4% of Hancock County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (8,324 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 Hancock County: public land by manager, IHAP land, the counties around it, highways US 69, US 18 and IA 17; towns: Garner, Kanawha, Corwith, Forest City and Wesley

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

Hancock County at a glance
Size366,762 acres (573 square miles)
Deer reported, 2025334 (155 antlered bucks, 19 button bucks, 149 does and doe fawns)
Deer zone (2026)Zone A
Public land2.4% (8,950 acres)
Hunting areas36 (8,325 acres inside Hancock County)
IHAP land6 sites, 599 acres
Towns in and near itGarner, Kanawha, Corwith, Forest City, Wesley and Meservey

How many deer are harvested in Hancock County?

Hunters reported 334 deer in Hancock County in 2025: 155 antlered bucks, 19 button bucks, 149 does and doe fawns and 11 bucks that had shed their antlers.

SeasonDeer reportedAntlered bucksButton bucksDoesDoe fawnsShed-antler bucks
202533415519141811
20242851311513243
202329914221123121
20223471721915051
20212931662010223

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

How much public land is in Hancock County?

8,950 of Hancock County's 366,762 acres are public land open to the public (2.4%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 8,324 acres.

ManagerAcresShare of Hancock County
Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas8,3242.3%
Other DNR land2560.1%
County conservation board and city land2260.1%
State parks and recreation areas138under 0.1%
National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas6under 0.1%
All public land open to the public8,9502.4%

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 Hancock County

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

Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Hancock County Waterfowl Production Area (809 acres).

IHAP land in Hancock County

The DNR's IHAP layer shows 6 tracts in Hancock County, 599 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 Hancock County?

Highways through it: US 69 (about 25 miles inside), US 18 (about 24 miles inside) and IA 17 (about 3 miles inside). Towns inside: Garner, Kanawha, Corwith, Britt, Klemme and Woden. Nearby: Forest City (on the line), Wesley (on the line), Meservey (on the line) and Ventura (2 miles).

Which counties border Hancock County?

Hancock County touches 7 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:

CountyDeer harvestedYearPublic landIHAP land sites
Worth County46820253.7%
Wright County36520252.1%
Kossuth County38220251.6%8
Franklin County52720250.9%
Humboldt County21420250.5%1
Winnebago County33820254.6%5
Cerro Gordo County54420253.4%

Questions hunters ask

How many deer were harvested in Hancock County in 2025?

Hunters reported 334 deer: 155 antlered bucks, 19 button bucks and 149 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 285.

Is there public hunting land in Hancock County?

Yes. 8,950 acres, 2.4% 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 (8,324 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 36 public hunting areas here.

Does Hancock County have IHAP land?

Yes. 6 tracts, 599 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 Worth County Wright County Kossuth County Franklin County Humboldt County Winnebago County Cerro Gordo County