Scott County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land
Scott County covers 468 square miles around Davenport. Hunters reported 830 deer here in the 2025 season, 353 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is up 4% from 2024, and the most in the 5 years shown. 5% of Scott County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (5,526 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 atlasFederal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakesOther DNR landState parks and recreation areasCounty conservation board and city landScott CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 299,650 acres (468 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 830 (353 antlered bucks, 57 button bucks, 406 does and doe fawns) |
| Deer zone (2026) | Zone A |
| Public land | 5% (15,090 acres) |
| Hunting areas | 8 (5,522 acres inside Scott County) |
| IHAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Davenport, Bettendorf, Eldridge, Stockton, Durant and DeWitt |
How many deer are harvested in Scott County?
Hunters reported 830 deer in Scott County in 2025: 353 antlered bucks, 57 button bucks, 406 does and doe fawns and 14 bucks that had shed their antlers.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Doe fawns | Shed-antler bucks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 830 | 353 | 57 | 377 | 29 | 14 |
| 2024 | 795 | 345 | 62 | 359 | 18 | 11 |
| 2023 | 793 | 355 | 48 | 361 | 20 | 9 |
| 2022 | 733 | 310 | 50 | 342 | 21 | 10 |
| 2021 | 667 | 252 | 61 | 331 | 17 | 6 |
Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Scott County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.
How much public land is in Scott County?
15,090 of Scott County's 299,650 acres are public land open to the public (5%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 5,526 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Scott County |
|---|---|---|
| Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas | 5,526 | 1.8% |
| Other DNR land | 4,940 | 1.6% |
| County conservation board and city land | 4,162 | 1.4% |
| Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes | 443 | 0.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 13 | under 0.1% |
| State parks and recreation areas | 6 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 15,090 | 5% |
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 Scott County
Public hunting areas in Scott County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Upper Mississippi River Fish & Wildlife Refuge: 2,100 acres
- Lost Grove Lake Wildlife Area: 1,698 acres
- Princeton Wildlife Area - USACOE: 743 acres
- Princeton Wildlife Area: 443 acres
- Buena Vista Public Use Area: 175 acres
- McCausland Wildlife Area: 168 acres
- Allen's Grove Park: 141 acres
- Crow Creek Wildlife Area: 54 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Ms Rv Pools 11-22 Recreation Area (2,821 acres) and Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife And Fish Refuge (310 acres).
How do you get to Scott County?
Highways through it: I-80 (about 57 miles inside), US 61 (about 50 miles inside), US 6 (about 39 miles inside), US 67 (about 27 miles inside) and I-280 (about 18 miles inside). Towns inside: Davenport, Bettendorf, Eldridge, Buffalo, Le Claire and Princeton. Nearby: Stockton (on the line), Durant (on the line), DeWitt (3 miles) and Bennett (4 miles).
Which counties border Scott County?
Scott County touches 3 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | IHAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar County | 1,221 | 2025 | 0.3% | |
| Clinton County | 1,414 | 2025 | 3.7% | 1 |
| Muscatine County | 1,393 | 2025 | 4.1% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Scott County in 2025?
Hunters reported 830 deer: 353 antlered bucks, 57 button bucks and 406 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 795.
Is there public hunting land in Scott County?
Yes. 15,090 acres, 5% 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 (5,526 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 8 public hunting areas here.
Does Scott County have IHAP land?
Not on the DNR's IHAP layer.
Get a Iowa hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Iowa are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Iowa included.
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.