O'Brien County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land
O'Brien County covers 573 square miles around Sheldon, in the DNR's new Zone B. Hunters reported 163 deer here in the 2025 season, 115 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is down 3% from 2024, and the fewest in the 5 years shown. 0.9% of O'Brien County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (2,871 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 atlasCounty conservation board and city landIHAP landO'Brien CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 366,830 acres (573 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 163 (115 antlered bucks, 11 button bucks, 36 does and doe fawns) |
| Deer zone (2026) | Zone B: general licenses antlered-buck only, no party hunting |
| Public land | 0.9% (3,322 acres) |
| Hunting areas | 12 (2,872 acres inside O'Brien County) |
| IHAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Sheldon, Sanborn, Primghar, Granville, Melvin and Hospers |
How many deer are harvested in O'Brien County?
Hunters reported 163 deer in O'Brien County in 2025: 115 antlered bucks, 11 button bucks, 36 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 | 163 | 115 | 11 | 33 | 3 | 1 |
| 2024 | 168 | 100 | 11 | 56 | 1 | 0 |
| 2023 | 223 | 138 | 12 | 69 | 4 | 0 |
| 2022 | 254 | 140 | 11 | 99 | 2 | 2 |
| 2021 | 279 | 156 | 15 | 105 | 1 | 2 |
Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), O'Brien County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.
How much public land is in O'Brien County?
3,322 of O'Brien County's 366,830 acres are public land open to the public (0.9%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 2,871 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of O'Brien County |
|---|---|---|
| Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas | 2,871 | 0.8% |
| County conservation board and city land | 434 | 0.1% |
| Other DNR land | 17 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 3,322 | 0.9% |
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 O'Brien County
Public hunting areas in O'Brien County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Waterman Prairie Complex: 1,923 acres
- Waterman Creek Wildlife Area: 223 acres
- Hannibal Waterman Wildlife Area: 159 acres
- Crosbie Wildlife & Nature Youth Center: 158 acres
- Waterman Wildlife Addition: 131 acres
- Williams Wetland: 119 acres
- Waterman Prairie Complex WPA: 101 acres
- Negus Wildlife Area: 16 acres
- Mill Creek Wildlife Area: 13 acres
- Hagen Wildlife Area: 11 acres
- Weale Wildlife Area: 9 acres
- Litka Park: 9 acres
How do you get to O'Brien County?
Highways through it: US 59 (about 28 miles inside), IA 10 (about 26 miles inside), IA 60 (about 24 miles inside), US 18 (about 24 miles inside) and IA 143 (about 5 miles inside). Towns inside: Sheldon, Sanborn, Primghar, Hartley, Paullina and Sutherland. Nearby: Granville (on the line), Melvin (2 miles), Hospers (2 miles) and Peterson (2 miles).
Which counties border O'Brien County?
O'Brien County touches 8 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | IHAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clay County | 461 | 2025 | 3.9% | 5 |
| Lyon County | 226 | 2025 | 0.8% | 1 |
| Sioux County | 165 | 2025 | 0.6% | 1 |
| Osceola County | 121 | 2025 | 1.2% | 1 |
| Cherokee County | 247 | 2025 | 0.4% | 5 |
| Plymouth County | 294 | 2025 | 1% | |
| Dickinson County | 304 | 2025 | 11.1% | 1 |
| Buena Vista County | 174 | 2025 | 1.5% | 1 |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in O'Brien County in 2025?
Hunters reported 163 deer: 115 antlered bucks, 11 button bucks and 36 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 168.
Is there public hunting land in O'Brien County?
Yes. 3,322 acres, 0.9% 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 (2,871 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 12 public hunting areas here.
Does O'Brien 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 Clay County Lyon County Sioux County Osceola County Cherokee County Plymouth County Dickinson County Buena Vista County