Clay County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land
Clay County covers 573 square miles around Spencer. Hunters reported 461 deer here in the 2025 season, 269 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is up 8% from 2024. 3.9% of Clay County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (13,437 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 atlasNational wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areasOther DNR landState parks and recreation areasCounty conservation board and city landIHAP landClay CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 366,502 acres (573 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 461 (269 antlered bucks, 18 button bucks, 162 does and doe fawns) |
| Deer zone (2026) | Zone A |
| Public land | 3.9% (14,331 acres) |
| Hunting areas | 36 (13,437 acres inside Clay County) |
| IHAP land | 5 sites, 838 acres |
| Towns in and near it | Spencer, Everly, Dickens, Ruthven, Linn Grove and Sioux Rapids |
How many deer are harvested in Clay County?
Hunters reported 461 deer in Clay County in 2025: 269 antlered bucks, 18 button bucks, 162 does and doe fawns and 12 bucks that had shed their antlers.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Doe fawns | Shed-antler bucks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 461 | 269 | 18 | 156 | 6 | 12 |
| 2024 | 427 | 245 | 27 | 135 | 17 | 3 |
| 2023 | 462 | 240 | 35 | 179 | 3 | 5 |
| 2022 | 509 | 280 | 24 | 190 | 9 | 6 |
| 2021 | 459 | 282 | 34 | 134 | 6 | 3 |
Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Clay County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.
How much public land is in Clay County?
14,331 of Clay County's 366,502 acres are public land open to the public (3.9%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 13,437 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Clay County |
|---|---|---|
| Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas | 13,437 | 3.7% |
| County conservation board and city land | 847 | 0.2% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 33 | under 0.1% |
| Other DNR land | 14 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 14,331 | 3.9% |
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 Clay County
Public hunting areas in Clay County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Dewey's Pasture Complex: 2,865 acres
- Hawk Valley Wildlife Area: 1,560 acres
- Barringer Slough Wildlife Area: 1,282 acres
- Little Sioux Wildlife Area: 1,081 acres
- Fen Valley Wildlife Area: 824 acres
- Ocheyedan Wildlife Area: 604 acres
- Dan Green Slough: 492 acres
- Elk Lake Wetland Complex: 467 acres
- Kindlespire Little Sioux Access: 385 acres
- Kindlespire Complex - Heissel Addition: 380 acres
- Reiter Wildlife Area: 348 acres
- Barringer Slough WPA: 336 acres
- Dewey's Pasture Complex WPA: 266 acres
- Dry Mud Lake: 258 acres
- Bertram Reservation: 237 acres
- Du Marsh: 229 acres
- Dan Green Slough WPA: 206 acres
- Elk Lake Wetland Complex WPA: 189 acres
- Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge: 159 acres
- Riverton Wildlife Area - Clay: 156 acres
- Burr Wildlife Area: 154 acres
- Tom Tuttle Marsh: 141 acres
- High Bridge Wildlife Area: 129 acres
- Thompson Wildlife Area: 119 acres
- Donahoo Wildlife Area: 114 acres
- Barringer Slough - CCB: 106 acres
- Nelson/Reng Wildlife Area: 73 acres
- Du Marsh WPA: 49 acres
- Schmerse Wildlife Area: 46 acres
- Kindlespire Complex - Burr Cemetery: 41 acres
- Dickens Pit: 40 acres
- Mori Prairie: 38 acres
- Pickerel Lake: 20 acres
- Bruegmann Wildlife Area: 20 acres
- Vera and Gilbert James Wildlife Area: 13 acres
- Burr Access: 10 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Clay County Waterfowl Production Area Of Iowa (1,056 acres) and Clay County Waterfowl Production Area Of Ia (1,056 acres).
IHAP land in Clay County
The DNR's IHAP layer shows 5 tracts in Clay County, 838 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 Clay County?
Highways through it: US 71 (about 31 miles inside), US 18 (about 29 miles inside) and IA 10 (about 13 miles inside). Towns inside: Spencer, Everly, Dickens, Peterson, Webb and Fostoria. Nearby: Ruthven (on the line), Linn Grove (on the line), Sioux Rapids (on the line) and Marathon (3 miles).
Which counties border Clay County?
Clay County touches 8 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | IHAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emmet County | 237 | 2025 | 5.3% | 1 |
| O'Brien County | 163 | 2025 | 0.9% | |
| Osceola County | 121 | 2025 | 1.2% | 1 |
| Cherokee County | 247 | 2025 | 0.4% | 5 |
| Dickinson County | 304 | 2025 | 11.1% | 1 |
| Palo Alto County | 279 | 2025 | 3.1% | 5 |
| Pocahontas County | 136 | 2025 | 1.3% | |
| Buena Vista County | 174 | 2025 | 1.5% | 1 |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Clay County in 2025?
Hunters reported 461 deer: 269 antlered bucks, 18 button bucks and 162 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 427.
Is there public hunting land in Clay County?
Yes. 14,331 acres, 3.9% 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 (13,437 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 36 public hunting areas here.
Does Clay County have IHAP land?
Yes. 5 tracts, 838 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 Emmet County O'Brien County Osceola County Cherokee County Dickinson County Palo Alto County Pocahontas County Buena Vista County