Clarke County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land
Clarke County covers 432 square miles around Osceola. Hunters reported 1,531 deer here in the 2025 season, 640 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is up 4% from 2024. 1.4% of Clarke County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (3,364 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 atlasCounty conservation board and city landIHAP landClarke CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 276,263 acres (432 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 1,531 (640 antlered bucks, 116 button bucks, 765 does and doe fawns) |
| Deer zone (2026) | Zone A |
| Public land | 1.4% (3,824 acres) |
| Hunting areas | 8 (3,365 acres inside Clarke County) |
| IHAP land | 4 sites, 523 acres |
| Towns in and near it | Osceola, Murray, Woodburn, Weldon, New Virginia and Le Roy |
How many deer are harvested in Clarke County?
Hunters reported 1,531 deer in Clarke County in 2025: 640 antlered bucks, 116 button bucks, 765 does and doe fawns and 10 bucks that had shed their antlers.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Doe fawns | Shed-antler bucks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,531 | 640 | 116 | 722 | 43 | 10 |
| 2024 | 1,474 | 608 | 128 | 685 | 42 | 11 |
| 2023 | 1,466 | 612 | 122 | 679 | 33 | 20 |
| 2022 | 1,775 | 649 | 124 | 926 | 60 | 16 |
| 2021 | 1,604 | 701 | 110 | 751 | 37 | 5 |
Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Clarke County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.
How much public land is in Clarke County?
3,824 of Clarke County's 276,263 acres are public land open to the public (1.4%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 3,364 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Clarke County |
|---|---|---|
| Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas | 3,364 | 1.2% |
| County conservation board and city land | 458 | 0.2% |
| Other DNR land | 2 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 3,824 | 1.4% |
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 Clarke County
Public hunting areas in Clarke County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Stephens State Forest - Woodburn Unit: 1,588 acres
- Heritage Hills Wildlife Area: 824 acres
- Coyote Canyon Wildlife Area: 240 acres
- West Lake Wildlife Area: 209 acres
- Vawn Wildlife Area: 205 acres
- Oakwood Grassland: 197 acres
- Turkey Ridge Wildlife Area - Clarke: 62 acres
- Green Pine Wildlife Area: 40 acres
IHAP land in Clarke County
The DNR's IHAP layer shows 4 tracts in Clarke County, 523 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 Clarke County?
Highways through it: I-35 (about 37 miles inside), US 34 (about 25 miles inside) and US 69 (about 22 miles inside). Towns inside: Osceola, Murray and Woodburn. Nearby: Weldon (on the line), New Virginia (on the line), Le Roy (on the line) and Thayer (2 miles).
Which counties border Clarke County?
Clarke County touches 7 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | IHAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lucas County | 1,660 | 2025 | 6.9% | 2 |
| Union County | 1,051 | 2025 | 2.6% | 5 |
| Wayne County | 1,392 | 2025 | 1.6% | |
| Warren County | 2,385 | 2025 | 4% | 2 |
| Decatur County | 1,508 | 2025 | 2.5% | 2 |
| Madison County | 2,470 | 2025 | 1.4% | 1 |
| Ringgold County | 1,353 | 2025 | 2.5% | 5 |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Clarke County in 2025?
Hunters reported 1,531 deer: 640 antlered bucks, 116 button bucks and 765 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 1,474.
Is there public hunting land in Clarke County?
Yes. 3,824 acres, 1.4% 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 (3,364 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 8 public hunting areas here.
Does Clarke County have IHAP land?
Yes. 4 tracts, 523 acres, 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 Lucas County Union County Wayne County Warren County Decatur County Madison County Ringgold County