Franklin County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land
Franklin County covers 583 square miles around Sheffield. Hunters reported 527 deer here in the 2025 season, 266 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is down 1% from 2024. 0.9% of Franklin County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (2,569 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 atlasState parks and recreation areasCounty conservation board and city landFranklin CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 372,828 acres (583 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 527 (266 antlered bucks, 30 button bucks, 213 does and doe fawns) |
| Deer zone (2026) | Zone A |
| Public land | 0.9% (3,357 acres) |
| Hunting areas | 16 (2,562 acres inside Franklin County) |
| IHAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Sheffield, Hampton, Alexander, Dows, Ackley and Meservey |
How many deer are harvested in Franklin County?
Hunters reported 527 deer in Franklin County in 2025: 266 antlered bucks, 30 button bucks, 213 does and doe fawns and 18 bucks that had shed their antlers.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Doe fawns | Shed-antler bucks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 527 | 266 | 30 | 207 | 6 | 18 |
| 2024 | 530 | 266 | 47 | 196 | 14 | 7 |
| 2023 | 618 | 304 | 49 | 240 | 20 | 5 |
| 2022 | 513 | 261 | 44 | 200 | 2 | 6 |
| 2021 | 487 | 244 | 40 | 195 | 5 | 3 |
Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Franklin County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.
How much public land is in Franklin County?
3,357 of Franklin County's 372,828 acres are public land open to the public (0.9%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 2,569 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Franklin County |
|---|---|---|
| Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas | 2,569 | 0.7% |
| County conservation board and city land | 498 | 0.1% |
| State parks and recreation areas | 290 | 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 3,357 | 0.9% |
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 Franklin County
Public hunting areas in Franklin County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Whitetail Flats Wildlife Area - Wright, Franklin: 507 acres
- Creeden Prairie: 408 acres
- Maynes Grove: 271 acres
- West Fork Wildlife Area - Franklin: 241 acres
- Oakland-Iowa River Conservation Area: 193 acres
- West Fork WMA: 188 acres
- Coulter Marsh Wildlife Area: 185 acres
- Buffalo Basins Wildlife Area: 146 acres
- Long Spur Habitat Area-Lukes Wetland: 100 acres
- Thorn Apple Woods: 92 acres
- Deer Meadow Wildlife Area: 83 acres
- Spring Creek Wildlife Area: 56 acres
- Beeds Lake Wildlife Area: 32 acres
- Interstate Lake Park: 27 acres
- Toft Wildlife Area: 19 acres
- Sheffield Game Management Area: 14 acres
How do you get to Franklin County?
Highways through it: I-35 (about 45 miles inside), US 65 (about 27 miles inside), IA 3 (about 24 miles inside), IA 107 (about 9 miles inside) and IA 57 (about 4 miles inside). Towns inside: Sheffield, Hampton, Alexander, Coulter, Latimer and Popejoy. Nearby: Dows (on the line), Ackley (on the line), Meservey (on the line) and Dougherty (on the line).
Which counties border Franklin County?
Franklin County touches 8 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | IHAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floyd County | 1,063 | 2025 | 0.7% | |
| Butler County | 1,211 | 2025 | 2.8% | 1 |
| Grundy County | 143 | 2025 | 0.3% | |
| Hardin County | 958 | 2025 | 1.2% | |
| Wright County | 365 | 2025 | 2.1% | |
| Hancock County | 334 | 2025 | 2.4% | 6 |
| Hamilton County | 395 | 2025 | 1.3% | 1 |
| Cerro Gordo County | 544 | 2025 | 3.4% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Franklin County in 2025?
Hunters reported 527 deer: 266 antlered bucks, 30 button bucks and 213 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 530.
Is there public hunting land in Franklin County?
Yes. 3,357 acres, 0.9% 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 (2,569 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 16 public hunting areas here.
Does Franklin County have IHAP land?
Not 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 Floyd County Butler County Grundy County Hardin County Wright County Hancock County Hamilton County Cerro Gordo County