Osceola County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land
Osceola County covers 399 square miles around Sibley. Hunters reported 121 deer here in the 2025 season, 77 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is down 8% from 2024. 1.2% of Osceola County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (2,242 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 areasCounty conservation board and city landIHAP landOsceola CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 255,627 acres (399 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 121 (77 antlered bucks, 8 button bucks, 35 does and doe fawns) |
| Deer zone (2026) | Zone A |
| Public land | 1.2% (3,118 acres) |
| Hunting areas | 30 (2,225 acres inside Osceola County) |
| IHAP land | 1 site, 144 acres |
| Towns in and near it | Sibley, Ocheyedan, Ashton, Little Rock, Lake Park and Matlock |
How many deer are harvested in Osceola County?
Hunters reported 121 deer in Osceola County in 2025: 77 antlered bucks, 8 button bucks, 35 does and doe fawns and 1 bucks that had shed their antlers.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Doe fawns | Shed-antler bucks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 121 | 77 | 8 | 32 | 3 | 1 |
| 2024 | 132 | 91 | 7 | 31 | 2 | 1 |
| 2023 | 113 | 78 | 8 | 27 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 134 | 85 | 5 | 41 | 1 | 2 |
| 2021 | 133 | 91 | 8 | 30 | 2 | 2 |
Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Osceola County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.
How much public land is in Osceola County?
3,118 of Osceola County's 255,627 acres are public land open to the public (1.2%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 2,242 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Osceola County |
|---|---|---|
| Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas | 2,242 | 0.9% |
| County conservation board and city land | 762 | 0.3% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 113 | under 0.1% |
| Other DNR land | 1 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 3,118 | 1.2% |
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 Osceola County
Public hunting areas in Osceola County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Rush Lake - Osceola: 347 acres
- Loof Wildlife Management Area: 239 acres
- Swalve Wildlife Management Area: 167 acres
- Schnepf Wildlife Area: 164 acres
- Devil's Ridge Wildlife Management Area: 158 acres
- Leinen Pits: 157 acres
- Ackermen's River Woods: 143 acres
- Iowa Lake - Osceola: 113 acres
- Wolter's Prairie: 106 acres
- Ashton Pits WMA: 99 acres
- Willow Creek County Recreation Area: 95 acres
- Thomas Pit Shooting Range: 52 acres
- Sutton Lake Marsh WMA: 50 acres
- Sibley Unit - Otter Creek Wildlife Management Area: 43 acres
- Willow Creek Fen Wetland Area: 34 acres
- Roelf Wildlife Area: 33 acres
- Ocheyedan Pits County Recreation Area: 33 acres
- Wasmund Slough: 28 acres
- Dagel Unit - Otter Creek Wildlife Management Area: 23 acres
- Ocheyedan Mound State Preserve: 23 acres
- Boerhave Wildlife Area: 20 acres
- Peter's Pit: 20 acres
- Ruf Wildlife Area: 17 acres
- Strouth Wildlife Management Area: 16 acres
- East Holman Wildlife Management Area: 15 acres
- May City Wildlife Area: 7 acres
- Veldboom Wildlife Management Area: 6 acres
- Swanson Wildlife Management Area: 6 acres
- Dirk's Wildlife Management Area: 6 acres
- Wilson Pit: 5 acres
IHAP land in Osceola County
The DNR's IHAP layer shows 1 tract in Osceola County, 144 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 Osceola County?
Highways through it: IA 60 (about 40 miles inside), IA 9 (about 24 miles inside) and US 59 (about 17 miles inside). Towns inside: Sibley, Ocheyedan, Ashton, Harris and Melvin. Nearby: Little Rock (on the line), Lake Park (3 miles), Matlock (4 miles) and Hartley (5 miles).
Which counties border Osceola County?
Osceola County touches 5 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | IHAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clay County | 461 | 2025 | 3.9% | 5 |
| Lyon County | 226 | 2025 | 0.8% | 1 |
| Sioux County | 165 | 2025 | 0.6% | 1 |
| O'Brien County | 163 | 2025 | 0.9% | |
| Dickinson County | 304 | 2025 | 11.1% | 1 |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Osceola County in 2025?
Hunters reported 121 deer: 77 antlered bucks, 8 button bucks and 35 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 132.
Is there public hunting land in Osceola County?
Yes. 3,118 acres, 1.2% 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 (2,242 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 30 public hunting areas here.
Does Osceola County have IHAP land?
Yes. 1 tract, 144 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 Clay County Lyon County Sioux County O'Brien County Dickinson County