Van Buren County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land
Van Buren County covers 491 square miles around Milton. Hunters reported 2,181 deer here in the 2025 season, 767 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is down 8% from 2024, and the fewest in the 5 years shown. 3.2% of Van Buren County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (8,196 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 landVan Buren CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 314,012 acres (491 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 2,181 (767 antlered bucks, 218 button bucks, 1,174 does and doe fawns) |
| Deer zone (2026) | Zone A |
| Public land | 3.2% (9,897 acres) |
| Hunting areas | 15 (8,198 acres inside Van Buren County) |
| IHAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Milton, Keosauqua, Stockport, Hillsboro, Eldon and Libertyville |
How many deer are harvested in Van Buren County?
Hunters reported 2,181 deer in Van Buren County in 2025: 767 antlered bucks, 218 button bucks, 1,174 does and doe fawns and 22 bucks that had shed their antlers.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Doe fawns | Shed-antler bucks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,181 | 767 | 218 | 1,105 | 69 | 22 |
| 2024 | 2,365 | 834 | 244 | 1,183 | 82 | 22 |
| 2023 | 2,427 | 874 | 233 | 1,174 | 116 | 30 |
| 2022 | 2,898 | 1,083 | 246 | 1,456 | 84 | 29 |
| 2021 | 2,530 | 1,039 | 209 | 1,204 | 68 | 10 |
Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Van Buren County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.
How much public land is in Van Buren County?
9,897 of Van Buren County's 314,012 acres are public land open to the public (3.2%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 8,196 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Van Buren County |
|---|---|---|
| Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas | 8,196 | 2.6% |
| State parks and recreation areas | 1,514 | 0.5% |
| County conservation board and city land | 179 | 0.1% |
| Other DNR land | 8 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 9,897 | 3.2% |
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 Van Buren County
Public hunting areas in Van Buren County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Lake Sugema Wildlife Area: 2,396 acres
- Lake Sugema - CCB: 1,468 acres
- Shimek State Forest - Farmington Unit: 1,087 acres
- Shimek State Forest - Keosauqua Unit: 1,042 acres
- Fox River Wildlife Area: 799 acres
- Van Buren Wildlife Area: 438 acres
- De Voss-Foster Wildlife Area: 330 acres
- Lindsey Wilderness Area: 199 acres
- Selma Wildlife Area: 135 acres
- Chequest Wildlife Area: 120 acres
- Daughrity Timber: 83 acres
- Bentonsport Timber: 69 acres
- White Timber: 11 acres
- Schulz Conservation Area: 11 acres
- Des Moines River (van Buren) Access: 10 acres
How do you get to Van Buren County?
Highways through it: IA 2 (about 28 miles inside), IA 16 (about 27 miles inside), IA 1 (about 17 miles inside) and IA 81 (about 2 miles inside). Towns inside: Milton, Keosauqua, Stockport, Birmingham, Cantril and Farmington. Nearby: Hillsboro (on the line), Eldon (2 miles), Libertyville (4 miles) and Pulaski (5 miles).
Which counties border Van Buren County?
Van Buren County touches 5 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | IHAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lee County | 2,257 | 2025 | 6.3% | |
| Davis County | 1,611 | 2025 | 1.8% | 1 |
| Henry County | 1,448 | 2025 | 0.9% | |
| Wapello County | 1,310 | 2025 | 1.5% | |
| Jefferson County | 1,446 | 2025 | 0.6% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Van Buren County in 2025?
Hunters reported 2,181 deer: 767 antlered bucks, 218 button bucks and 1,174 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 2,365.
Is there public hunting land in Van Buren County?
Yes. 9,897 acres, 3.2% 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 (8,196 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 15 public hunting areas here.
Does Van Buren 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 Lee County Davis County Henry County Wapello County Jefferson County