Plymouth County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land
Plymouth County covers 864 square miles around Le Mars, in the DNR's new Zone B. Hunters reported 294 deer here in the 2025 season, 199 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is up 16% from 2024. 1% of Plymouth County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (4,636 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 landPlymouth CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 552,821 acres (864 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 294 (199 antlered bucks, 12 button bucks, 79 does and doe fawns) |
| Deer zone (2026) | Zone B: general licenses antlered-buck only, no party hunting |
| Public land | 1% (5,264 acres) |
| Hunting areas | 18 (4,632 acres inside Plymouth County) |
| IHAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Le Mars, Kingsley, Remsen, Chatsworth, Pierson and Marcus |
How many deer are harvested in Plymouth County?
Hunters reported 294 deer in Plymouth County in 2025: 199 antlered bucks, 12 button bucks, 79 does and doe fawns and 4 bucks that had shed their antlers.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Doe fawns | Shed-antler bucks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 294 | 199 | 12 | 77 | 2 | 4 |
| 2024 | 253 | 172 | 8 | 66 | 4 | 3 |
| 2023 | 327 | 195 | 20 | 102 | 5 | 5 |
| 2022 | 432 | 284 | 23 | 111 | 8 | 6 |
| 2021 | 416 | 250 | 24 | 134 | 3 | 5 |
Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Plymouth County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.
How much public land is in Plymouth County?
5,264 of Plymouth County's 552,821 acres are public land open to the public (1%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 4,636 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Plymouth County |
|---|---|---|
| Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas | 4,636 | 0.8% |
| County conservation board and city land | 540 | 0.1% |
| Other DNR land | 83 | under 0.1% |
| State parks and recreation areas | 5 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 5,264 | 1% |
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 Plymouth County
Public hunting areas in Plymouth County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Deer Creek Wildlife Area - Plymouth: 1,031 acres
- Five Ridge Prairie State Preserve: 982 acres
- Heendah Hills Wildlife Area: 823 acres
- Hillview Recreation Area: 412 acres
- Ec Lippke Wetland: 307 acres
- Birkley's Bend: 239 acres
- Stone State Recreation Area: 225 acres
- Buryanek's Wildlife Area: 160 acres
- Doorenbos-Ford Tract: 127 acres
- Boyd's Bend: 111 acres
- River's Bend Wildlife Area: 66 acres
- Southeast Wildwood Park: 41 acres
- O'Brien Prairie: 39 acres
- Big Sioux County Park: 25 acres
- Millsite Access: 15 acres
- Herb & Eileen Kohler Family Wildlife Area: 12 acres
- Rufus B. Hatch Memorial Grassland: 12 acres
- Meadow Wildlife Area: 5 acres
How do you get to Plymouth County?
Highways through it: US 75 (about 45 miles inside), IA 3 (about 44 miles inside), IA 12 (about 27 miles inside), IA 140 (about 19 miles inside) and IA 60 (about 16 miles inside). Towns inside: Le Mars, Kingsley, Remsen, Akron, Hinton and Merrill. Nearby: Chatsworth (on the line), Pierson (on the line), Marcus (3 miles) and Maurice (4 miles).
Which counties border Plymouth County?
Plymouth County touches 4 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | IHAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sioux County | 165 | 2025 | 0.6% | 1 |
| O'Brien County | 163 | 2025 | 0.9% | |
| Cherokee County | 247 | 2025 | 0.4% | 5 |
| Woodbury County | 406 | 2025 | 2.8% | 6 |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Plymouth County in 2025?
Hunters reported 294 deer: 199 antlered bucks, 12 button bucks and 79 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 253.
Is there public hunting land in Plymouth County?
Yes. 5,264 acres, 1% 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 (4,636 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 18 public hunting areas here.
Does Plymouth 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 Sioux County O'Brien County Cherokee County Woodbury County