Sac County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land
Sac County covers 578 square miles around Sac City. Hunters reported 285 deer here in the 2025 season, 180 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is up 26% from 2024. 1.7% of Sac County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (6,240 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 landIHAP landSac CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 370,126 acres (578 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 285 (180 antlered bucks, 16 button bucks, 85 does and doe fawns) |
| Deer zone (2026) | Zone A |
| Public land | 1.7% (6,424 acres) |
| Hunting areas | 24 (6,240 acres inside Sac County) |
| IHAP land | 3 sites, 194 acres |
| Towns in and near it | Sac City, Lake View, Schaller, Yetter, Kiron and Arthur |
How many deer are harvested in Sac County?
Hunters reported 285 deer in Sac County in 2025: 180 antlered bucks, 16 button bucks, 85 does and doe fawns and 4 bucks that had shed their antlers.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Doe fawns | Shed-antler bucks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 285 | 180 | 16 | 80 | 5 | 4 |
| 2024 | 227 | 141 | 14 | 65 | 6 | 1 |
| 2023 | 322 | 185 | 16 | 109 | 9 | 3 |
| 2022 | 361 | 222 | 14 | 114 | 8 | 3 |
| 2021 | 304 | 197 | 20 | 76 | 9 | 2 |
Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Sac County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.
How much public land is in Sac County?
6,424 of Sac County's 370,126 acres are public land open to the public (1.7%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 6,240 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Sac County |
|---|---|---|
| Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas | 6,240 | 1.7% |
| County conservation board and city land | 89 | under 0.1% |
| State parks and recreation areas | 80 | under 0.1% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 12 | under 0.1% |
| Other DNR land | 3 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 6,424 | 1.7% |
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 Sac County
Public hunting areas in Sac County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Black Hawk Wildlife Area - Sac: 1,903 acres
- Kiowa Marsh: 718 acres
- Sac City Wetland Complex: 715 acres
- White Horse Access: 616 acres
- Burrow's Pond WPA: 393 acres
- Tomahawk Marsh: 377 acres
- Kiowa Marsh WPA: 363 acres
- Burrow's Pond: 292 acres
- Black Hawk Marsh WPA: 125 acres
- Reiff Park and Wildlife Area: 116 acres
- McDonald Greenbelt: 108 acres
- Grant Park: 96 acres
- Raccoon River Heritage Corridor: 79 acres
- Sauk Rail Trail: 58 acres
- Whitetail Woods Wildlife Area: 55 acres
- Tomahawk Marsh WPA: 51 acres
- Lubek Woods: 46 acres
- Vogel Access: 40 acres
- Sac City Access: 32 acres
- Almer Noyd Wildlife Area: 23 acres
- Eden Prairie Recreation Area: 13 acres
- Jana Recreation Area: 8 acres
- Raccoon River Oxbow II Mitigation Site: 8 acres
- The Maples: 5 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Sac County Waterfowl Production Area (934 acres).
IHAP land in Sac County
The DNR's IHAP layer shows 3 tracts in Sac County, 194 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 Sac County?
Highways through it: US 20 (about 43 miles inside), US 71 (about 38 miles inside), IA 175 (about 28 miles inside), IA 39 (about 8 miles inside) and IA 196 (about 8 miles inside). Towns inside: Sac City, Lake View, Schaller, Wall Lake, Odebolt and Auburn. Nearby: Yetter (on the line), Kiron (on the line), Arthur (on the line) and Galva (2 miles).
Which counties border Sac County?
Sac County touches 7 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | IHAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ida County | 70 | 2025 | 0.2% | |
| Calhoun County | 84 | 2025 | 0.6% | 1 |
| Carroll County | 199 | 2025 | 0.9% | |
| Cherokee County | 247 | 2025 | 0.4% | 5 |
| Crawford County | 245 | 2025 | 0.4% | 2 |
| Pocahontas County | 136 | 2025 | 1.3% | |
| Buena Vista County | 174 | 2025 | 1.5% | 1 |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Sac County in 2025?
Hunters reported 285 deer: 180 antlered bucks, 16 button bucks and 85 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 227.
Is there public hunting land in Sac County?
Yes. 6,424 acres, 1.7% 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 (6,240 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 24 public hunting areas here.
Does Sac County have IHAP land?
Yes. 3 tracts, 194 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.
Iowa hunting Ida County Calhoun County Carroll County Cherokee County Crawford County Pocahontas County Buena Vista County