Lucas County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land
Lucas County covers 434 square miles around Chariton. Hunters reported 1,660 deer here in the 2025 season, 736 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is down 6% from 2024, and the fewest in the 5 years shown. 6.9% of Lucas County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (17,351 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 atlasOther DNR landState parks and recreation areasCounty conservation board and city landIHAP landLucas CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 278,051 acres (434 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 1,660 (736 antlered bucks, 125 button bucks, 781 does and doe fawns) |
| Deer zone (2026) | Zone A |
| Public land | 6.9% (19,155 acres) |
| Hunting areas | 19 (17,355 acres inside Lucas County) |
| IHAP land | 2 sites, 260 acres |
| Towns in and near it | Chariton, Russell, Lucas, Lacona, Woodburn and Le Roy |
How many deer are harvested in Lucas County?
Hunters reported 1,660 deer in Lucas County in 2025: 736 antlered bucks, 125 button bucks, 781 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 | 1,660 | 736 | 125 | 743 | 38 | 18 |
| 2024 | 1,761 | 735 | 145 | 814 | 48 | 19 |
| 2023 | 1,845 | 792 | 133 | 857 | 49 | 14 |
| 2022 | 1,966 | 791 | 144 | 969 | 43 | 19 |
| 2021 | 1,712 | 784 | 131 | 755 | 34 | 8 |
Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Lucas County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.
How much public land is in Lucas County?
19,155 of Lucas County's 278,051 acres are public land open to the public (6.9%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 17,351 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Lucas County |
|---|---|---|
| Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas | 17,351 | 6.2% |
| County conservation board and city land | 1,315 | 0.5% |
| State parks and recreation areas | 420 | 0.2% |
| Other DNR land | 56 | under 0.1% |
| Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes | 13 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 19,155 | 6.9% |
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 Lucas County
Public hunting areas in Lucas County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Rathbun Wildlife Area - USACOE: 4,598 acres
- Stephens State Forest - Whitebreast Unit: 3,669 acres
- Stephens State Forest - Cedar Creek Unit: 2,067 acres
- Stephens State Forest - Lucas Unit: 1,208 acres
- Stephens State Forest - Chariton Unit: 944 acres
- Colyn Wildlife Area: 853 acres
- Chariton River Greenbelt: 631 acres
- Stephens State Forest - Thousand Acres Unit: 571 acres
- Stephens State Forest - Woodburn Unit: 533 acres
- Goshen Wildlife Area: 523 acres
- Slab Castle Wildlife Area: 508 acres
- Rathbun Wildlife Area: 347 acres
- Pin Oak Marsh: 261 acres
- Red Haw Wildlife Area: 207 acres
- Brown's Slough: 174 acres
- Williamson Pond WMA: 123 acres
- Cinder Marsh: 59 acres
- Broadhead Woods: 44 acres
- Barber Woods: 35 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Rathbun Recreation Area (3,448 acres).
IHAP land in Lucas County
The DNR's IHAP layer shows 2 tracts in Lucas County, 260 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 Lucas County?
Highways through it: US 34 (about 25 miles inside), IA 14 (about 22 miles inside) and US 65 (about 20 miles inside). Towns inside: Chariton, Russell, Lucas, Williamson and Derby. Nearby: Lacona (2 miles), Woodburn (2 miles), Le Roy (2 miles) and Melrose (2 miles).
Which counties border Lucas County?
Lucas County touches 7 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | IHAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne County | 1,392 | 2025 | 1.6% | |
| Clarke County | 1,531 | 2025 | 1.4% | 4 |
| Marion County | 1,652 | 2025 | 12% | |
| Monroe County | 1,567 | 2025 | 1.9% | |
| Warren County | 2,385 | 2025 | 4% | 2 |
| Decatur County | 1,508 | 2025 | 2.5% | 2 |
| Appanoose County | 2,066 | 2025 | 11.2% | 1 |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Lucas County in 2025?
Hunters reported 1,660 deer: 736 antlered bucks, 125 button bucks and 781 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 1,761.
Is there public hunting land in Lucas County?
Yes. 19,155 acres, 6.9% 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 (17,351 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 19 public hunting areas here.
Does Lucas County have IHAP land?
Yes. 2 tracts, 260 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 Wayne County Clarke County Marion County Monroe County Warren County Decatur County Appanoose County