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Appanoose County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land

Appanoose County covers 516 square miles around Centerville. Hunters reported 2,066 deer here in the 2025 season, 773 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is about the same as 2024, and the fewest in the 5 years shown. 11.2% of Appanoose County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (34,383 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 Appanoose County: public land by manager, IHAP land, the counties around it, highways IA 5, IA 2 and IA 202; towns: Centerville, Mystic, Cincinnati, Seymour and Promise City

Public hunting areas on the DNR atlasFederal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakesOther DNR landState parks and recreation areasCounty conservation board and city landIHAP landAppanoose CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway

Appanoose County at a glance
Size330,389 acres (516 square miles)
Deer reported, 20252,066 (773 antlered bucks, 181 button bucks, 1,087 does and doe fawns)
Deer zone (2026)Zone A
Public land11.2% (36,950 acres)
Hunting areas9 (34,386 acres inside Appanoose County)
IHAP land1 site, 81 acres
Towns in and near itCenterville, Mystic, Cincinnati, Seymour, Promise City and Blakesburg

How many deer are harvested in Appanoose County?

Hunters reported 2,066 deer in Appanoose County in 2025: 773 antlered bucks, 181 button bucks, 1,087 does and doe fawns and 25 bucks that had shed their antlers.

SeasonDeer reportedAntlered bucksButton bucksDoesDoe fawnsShed-antler bucks
20252,0667731811,0305725
20242,0738101889936517
20232,1368531401,0299222
20222,2048671631,0687729
20212,1488981621,0026521

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

How much public land is in Appanoose County?

36,950 of Appanoose County's 330,389 acres are public land open to the public (11.2%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 34,383 acres.

ManagerAcresShare of Appanoose County
Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas34,38310.4%
Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes1,6710.5%
County conservation board and city land5310.2%
State parks and recreation areas3590.1%
Other DNR land6under 0.1%
All public land open to the public36,95011.2%

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 Appanoose County

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

Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Rathbun Recreation Area (25,715 acres).

IHAP land in Appanoose County

The DNR's IHAP layer shows 1 tract in Appanoose County, 81 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 Appanoose County?

Highways through it: IA 5 (about 26 miles inside), IA 2 (about 25 miles inside) and IA 202 (about 8 miles inside). Towns inside: Centerville, Mystic, Cincinnati, Moravia, Moulton and Exline. Nearby: Seymour (on the line), Promise City (3 miles), Blakesburg (4 miles) and Melrose (6 miles).

Which counties border Appanoose County?

Appanoose County touches 5 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:

CountyDeer harvestedYearPublic landIHAP land sites
Davis County1,61120251.8%1
Lucas County1,66020256.9%2
Wayne County1,39220251.6%
Monroe County1,56720251.9%
Wapello County1,31020251.5%

Questions hunters ask

How many deer were harvested in Appanoose County in 2025?

Hunters reported 2,066 deer: 773 antlered bucks, 181 button bucks and 1,087 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 2,073.

Is there public hunting land in Appanoose County?

Yes. 36,950 acres, 11.2% 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 (34,383 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 9 public hunting areas here.

Does Appanoose County have IHAP land?

Yes. 1 tract, 81 acres, 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 Davis County Lucas County Wayne County Monroe County Wapello County