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Webster County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land

Webster County covers 718 square miles around Fort Dodge. Hunters reported 835 deer here in the 2025 season, 408 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is down 11% from 2024, and the fewest in the 5 years shown. 2.5% of Webster County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (9,256 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 Webster County: public land by manager, the counties around it, highways US 20, US 169 and IA 175; towns: Fort Dodge, Lehigh, Duncombe, Stratford and Farnhamville

Public hunting areas on the DNR atlasOther DNR landState parks and recreation areasCounty conservation board and city landLand trusts and other open landWebster CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway

Webster County at a glance
Size459,835 acres (718 square miles)
Deer reported, 2025835 (408 antlered bucks, 59 button bucks, 357 does and doe fawns)
Deer zone (2026)Zone A
Public land2.5% (11,456 acres)
Hunting areas13 (9,257 acres inside Webster County)
IHAP landNone mapped this year
Towns in and near itFort Dodge, Lehigh, Duncombe, Stratford, Farnhamville and Knierim

How many deer are harvested in Webster County?

Hunters reported 835 deer in Webster County in 2025: 408 antlered bucks, 59 button bucks, 357 does and doe fawns and 11 bucks that had shed their antlers.

SeasonDeer reportedAntlered bucksButton bucksDoesDoe fawnsShed-antler bucks
2025835408593332411
202493644077387257
2023965479553982112
202294549660360218
202188647971318126

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

How much public land is in Webster County?

11,456 of Webster County's 459,835 acres are public land open to the public (2.5%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 9,256 acres.

ManagerAcresShare of Webster County
Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas9,2562%
County conservation board and city land1,1550.3%
State parks and recreation areas9770.2%
Other DNR land67under 0.1%
Land trusts and other open land1under 0.1%
All public land open to the public11,4562.5%

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 Webster County

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

How do you get to Webster County?

Highways through it: US 20 (about 48 miles inside), US 169 (about 41 miles inside), IA 175 (about 26 miles inside), IA 7 (about 11 miles inside) and IA 50 (about 7 miles inside). Towns inside: Fort Dodge, Lehigh, Duncombe, Moorland, Gowrie and Badger. Nearby: Stratford (on the line), Farnhamville (on the line), Knierim (on the line) and Somers (2 miles).

Which counties border Webster County?

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

CountyDeer harvestedYearPublic landIHAP land sites
Boone County1,16220253.5%1
Greene County35120251.7%1
Wright County36520252.1%
Calhoun County8420250.6%1
Hamilton County39520251.3%1
Humboldt County21420250.5%1
Pocahontas County13620251.3%

Questions hunters ask

How many deer were harvested in Webster County in 2025?

Hunters reported 835 deer: 408 antlered bucks, 59 button bucks and 357 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 936.

Is there public hunting land in Webster County?

Yes. 11,456 acres, 2.5% 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 (9,256 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 13 public hunting areas here.

Does Webster County have IHAP land?

Not 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 Boone County Greene County Wright County Calhoun County Hamilton County Humboldt County Pocahontas County