Kentucky's buck kill climbed in 67 of 84 qualifying counties from 2006 to 2008 to 2022 to 2024, while Iowa's dropped in 60 of 70. A county makes the cut if it killed at least 300 antlered bucks a year in 2006 to 2008. All 84 qualifying Kentucky counties together rose from 46,047 bucks a year to 61,720 for a gain of 34.0%. All 70 qualifying Iowa counties together dropped 17.8% from 48,107 bucks a year to 39,555.
ITwo Paths
Kentucky's 84 Counties Rose 34.0% Together as Iowa's 70 Fell 17.8%
Each figure shows a county's average antlered harvest over three seasons as reported by its state. The comparison includes 299 counties in Kentucky, Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois, the four states whose county buck counts in our files go back to 2006.
Iowa's statewide buck kill topped Kentucky's in 2006 and 2007. Kentucky killed more bucks each season from 2008 to 2024. Its 78,589 bucks in 2024 are its highest season total in the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources harvest figures, which go back to 1999.
- Kentucky
- Iowa
Swipe table to see every column
| State | Counties | Rose | Fell | Bucks a year 2006-08 | Bucks a year 2022-24 | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | 84 | 67 | 17 | 46,047 | 61,720 | +34 |
| Iowa | 70 | 10 | 60 | 48,107 | 39,555 | -17.8 |
| Wisconsin | 57 | 37 | 20 | 133,673 | 139,504 | +4.4 |
| Illinois | 88 | 45 | 42 | 75,512 | 74,183 | -1.8 |
IIMiddle Seasons
Kentucky's Gain and Iowa's Loss Mostly Came by 2014 to 2016
The middle window shows when the shift happened. Kentucky's 84 qualifying counties killed 59,848 bucks a year in 2014 to 2016, a 30.0% rise from 2006 to 2008. They gained just 3.1% more by 2022 to 2024. Iowa's 70 dropped 15.0% by the middle window and another 3.3% afterward.
Some groups kept changing after 2014 to 2016. Kentucky's Southeast Region gained another 20.4% and its Green River Region another 11.6%. Iowa's 10 counties west of 95 degrees dropped another 22.6%. Overall, both states' qualifying counties are now within about 3% of their mid-2010s kill.
Wisconsin and Illinois had little net change, though Illinois fell before climbing back. Its 88 qualifying counties dropped 17.2% by the middle window and gained 18.7% afterward, leaving them down 1.8% overall. Among those 88, 45 gained and 42 dropped. Wisconsin's 57 qualifying counties gained 4.4%, and 37 of them rose. Within that small net shift Vernon County rose from 2,793 bucks a year to 3,719 and Washburn County fell from 3,076 to 1,930. Buffalo County dropped 26.1% from 3,180 bucks a year to 2,350 in the Wisconsin DNR county harvest records. Illinois's Pike County fell 34.9% from 3,375 bucks a year to 2,196. Our Golden Triangle paper covers Pike, Brown and Adams counties in detail, so we leave their story there.
Swipe table to see every column
| Group | Counties | Bucks a year 2006-08 | Bucks a year 2014-16 | Bucks a year 2022-24 | Change to 2014-16 % | Change since 2014-16 % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | 84 | 46,047 | 59,848 | 61,720 | +30 | +3.1 |
| Iowa | 70 | 48,107 | 40,915 | 39,555 | -15 | -3.3 |
| Wisconsin | 57 | 133,673 | 133,339 | 139,504 | -0.2 | +4.6 |
| Illinois | 88 | 75,512 | 62,493 | 74,183 | -17.2 | +18.7 |
| Kentucky Southeast Region | 14 | 5,813 | 8,255 | 9,940 | +42 | +20.4 |
| Kentucky Green River Region | 22 | 12,485 | 17,056 | 19,042 | +36.6 | +11.6 |
| Iowa west of 95 degrees | 10 | 5,289 | 3,459 | 2,676 | -34.6 | -22.6 |
| Iowa, other 60 counties | 60 | 42,818 | 37,456 | 36,879 | -12.5 | -1.5 |
IIIKentucky Regions
Every Qualifying County in Kentucky's Southeast and Green River Regions Gained
Kentucky's gains reached many counties, with the biggest in two of KDFWR's regions. All 14 qualifying counties in the Southeast Region gained, and their combined kill rose from 5,813 bucks a year to 9,940 for a 71.0% gain. All 22 qualifying counties in the Green River Region also gained, with a combined rise of 52.5%. The Bluegrass Region had the smallest gain at 14.8%, and 12 of its 23 qualifying counties rose.
Kentucky's Pike County in the eastern mountains rose more sharply than any county in the comparison, going from 437 bucks a year to 1,152. Hardin County south of Louisville doubled its kill from 796 to 1,608. Kentucky has 14 of the 15 biggest percentage gains, with Wisconsin's Brown County the only other county in that group.
Swipe table to see every column
| KDFWR region | Counties | Rose | Bucks a year 2006-08 | Bucks a year 2022-24 | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southeast | 14 | 14 | 5,813 | 9,940 | +71 |
| Green River | 22 | 22 | 12,485 | 19,042 | +52.5 |
| Purchase | 11 | 8 | 6,943 | 8,521 | +22.7 |
| Northeast | 14 | 11 | 6,738 | 8,065 | +19.7 |
| Bluegrass | 23 | 12 | 14,068 | 16,152 | +14.8 |
Swipe table to see every column
| County | State | 2006-08 | 2022-24 | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pike | KY | 437 | 1,152 | +715 | +163.6 |
| Taylor | KY | 312 | 682 | +370 | +118.6 |
| Bullitt | KY | 409 | 886 | +477 | +116.6 |
| Hardin | KY | 796 | 1,608 | +812 | +102 |
| Adair | KY | 455 | 914 | +459 | +100.9 |
| Laurel | KY | 354 | 706 | +352 | +99.4 |
| Marion | KY | 382 | 754 | +372 | +97.4 |
| Pulaski | KY | 614 | 1,211 | +597 | +97.2 |
| Jackson | KY | 316 | 620 | +304 | +96.2 |
| Metcalfe | KY | 373 | 724 | +351 | +94.1 |
| Washington | KY | 595 | 1,154 | +559 | +93.9 |
| Warren | KY | 428 | 813 | +385 | +90 |
| Brown | WI | 759 | 1,410 | +651 | +85.8 |
| Grayson | KY | 655 | 1,214 | +559 | +85.3 |
| Trigg | KY | 541 | 998 | +457 | +84.5 |
IVWestern Iowa
Ten Counties West of 95 Degrees Lost Nearly Half Their Buck Kill
Iowa's deepest losses were in the west. Ten qualifying Iowa counties have their Census centers west of 95 degrees west longitude. Their combined kill dropped 49.4% from 5,289 bucks a year to 2,676. The remaining 60 qualifying Iowa counties dropped 13.9%. Nine of Iowa's 10 largest percentage drops were in that western group.
Page County dropped from 589 bucks a year to 251, while Pottawattamie fell from 743 to 325. Clayton County in the northeast had the biggest loss in bucks a year among qualifying Iowa counties. Its kill fell from 2,437 a year to 1,545 for a loss of 892 a year.
Adding the Iowa DNR county rows puts Iowa's statewide buck kill at 58,653 in 2006 and 43,017 in 2024. Our seven-state decline paper breaks Iowa's drop into bucks and does.
Swipe table to see every column
| County | State | 2006-08 | 2022-24 | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Page | IA | 589 | 251 | −338 | -57.4 |
| Pottawattamie | IA | 743 | 325 | −418 | -56.3 |
| Crawford | IA | 381 | 176 | −205 | -53.8 |
| Montgomery | IA | 510 | 238 | −272 | -53.3 |
| Mills | IA | 457 | 222 | −235 | -51.4 |
| Monona | IA | 583 | 289 | −294 | -50.4 |
| Woodbury | IA | 555 | 304 | −251 | -45.2 |
| Cass | IA | 446 | 248 | −198 | -44.4 |
| Fremont | IA | 501 | 279 | −222 | -44.3 |
| Harrison | IA | 664 | 375 | −289 | -43.5 |
| Marshall | IA | 481 | 299 | −182 | -37.8 |
| Washburn | WI | 3,076 | 1,930 | −1,146 | -37.3 |
| Clayton | IA | 2,437 | 1,545 | −892 | -36.6 |
| Calhoun | IL | 1,179 | 761 | −418 | -35.5 |
| Pike | IL | 3,375 | 2,196 | −1,179 | -34.9 |
VHarvest Factors
Quotas, Licenses, Seasons and Disease All Change Buck Kill
Antlerless quotas, license numbers, season dates and disease all change the buck kill, so a county with a falling kill may not have fewer deer and one with a rising kill may not have more. The data cannot tell us why Kentucky gained or western Iowa dropped.
Iowa's county figures before 2006 come from survey estimates, so we start the comparison in 2006. Wisconsin's 11 northern forest counties have no buck counts in WDNR's county harvest history after 2013 and are left out of the comparison. Menominee County is left out because state registration does not include the tribal kill. We drop counties below 300 bucks a year in the first period so small counts cannot drive big percentages. Including all counties leaves Kentucky (100 of 120 counties up) and Iowa (75 of 99 down) pointing the same way. The Illinois counts are from the Illinois DNR harvest figures, cover every hunting season and sum to the state's published total. In 14 county seasons from 2022 to 2024 Kentucky's antlered and button buck columns total one deer less than its male column, and we take the antlered column as printed.
VIBefore You Book
Check the Last Three Seasons Ahead of a County's Reputation
Our read is that Kentucky's buck kill is now far above its mid-2000s level, most of all in its Southeast and Green River counties. Kentucky had made most of its gain by the mid-2010s. Iowa's 10 qualifying counties west of 95 degrees kill about half as many bucks as before and kept dropping after 2014 to 2016. Our rule is to get a county's last three seasons of buck harvest and compare them with its mid-2000s numbers before signing a lease or booking a trip, and the tables above make that comparison for the 15 biggest risers and the 15 biggest fallers.
NOTES AND SOURCES
- Source: Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources harvest data (county results by season).
- Also: Iowa DNR harvest reports.
- Also: Wisconsin DNR deer metrics, county harvest history.
- Scope: Antlered harvest by county, average of the 2006, 2007 and 2008 seasons against the 2022, 2023 and 2024 seasons, in Kentucky, Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin, counties averaging at least 300 bucks a year in 2006 to 2008 (299 counties).
- Method: County antlered averages for each three-season window, rounded to whole bucks. change and percent change computed from the rounded averages. Sources: KDFWR online harvest data (antlered visible), Iowa DNR reported harvest (bucks), WDNR registered antlered, IDNR Hunt Illinois API (adult plus yearling males, all seasons). Kentucky county sums equal the agency's Total row every season. Iowa's equal the printed totals in 2006 to 2008 and run 9, 372 and 66 deer short in 2022 to 2024. Illinois county rows sum to the API's statewide query. West of 95 degrees west uses each county's Census centroid.
- Limits: A change in buck harvest is a change in bucks killed and reported. Antlerless quotas, license numbers, season dates and disease all move harvest, so a falling county may not have fewer deer, and a rising one may not have more.
- Limits: Iowa's county figures before 2006 are survey estimates, so 2006 to 2008 is the earliest comparable window.
- Limits: WDNR's county harvest history carries no buck figures for Wisconsin's 11 northern forest counties after 2013, so they are not in the comparison. Menominee County is left out because state registration does not include the tribal harvest.
- Limits: Counties under 300 bucks a year in 2006 to 2008 are left out so that small counts do not produce large percentages.
- Limits: Kentucky's antlered and button buck columns run one deer short of its male column in 14 county seasons from 2022 to 2024. We use the antlered column as printed.
Fully Drawn Research is an independent data analysis desk, not affiliated with any state wildlife agency, transportation agency, mapping provider or outfitter. Fully Drawn Research is an independent data and analysis desk. This paper reports FDR's own analysis of public agency and survey data. Harvest, catch and survey figures describe what hunters and anglers reported or what agencies counted or estimated, not how many animals or fish are present, and they reflect regulations and hunter or angler choices as well as wildlife numbers.
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