Taylor County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land
Taylor County covers 535 square miles around Lenox. Hunters reported 1,329 deer here in the 2025 season, 557 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is down 3% from 2024, and the fewest in the 5 years shown. 0.5% of Taylor County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (827 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 landLand trusts and other open landIHAP landTaylor CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 342,242 acres (535 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 1,329 (557 antlered bucks, 90 button bucks, 673 does and doe fawns) |
| Deer zone (2026) | Zone A |
| Public land | 0.5% (1,754 acres) |
| Hunting areas | 4 (827 acres inside Taylor County) |
| IHAP land | 1 site, 157 acres |
| Towns in and near it | Lenox, Bedford, Clearfield, Nodaway, Maloy and Villisca |
How many deer are harvested in Taylor County?
Hunters reported 1,329 deer in Taylor County in 2025: 557 antlered bucks, 90 button bucks, 673 does and doe fawns and 9 bucks that had shed their antlers.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Doe fawns | Shed-antler bucks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,329 | 557 | 90 | 645 | 28 | 9 |
| 2024 | 1,372 | 635 | 74 | 620 | 34 | 9 |
| 2023 | 1,588 | 673 | 123 | 751 | 34 | 7 |
| 2022 | 1,746 | 739 | 92 | 860 | 45 | 10 |
| 2021 | 1,584 | 714 | 108 | 717 | 32 | 13 |
Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Taylor County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.
How much public land is in Taylor County?
1,754 of Taylor County's 342,242 acres are public land open to the public (0.5%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 827 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Taylor County |
|---|---|---|
| Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas | 827 | 0.2% |
| State parks and recreation areas | 685 | 0.2% |
| County conservation board and city land | 201 | 0.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 41 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 1,754 | 0.5% |
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 Taylor County
Public hunting areas in Taylor County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Lake of Three Fires State Park: 407 acres
- Sand's Timber Recreation Area: 231 acres
- Siam Tract: 105 acres
- Simmons WMA: 84 acres
IHAP land in Taylor County
The DNR's IHAP layer shows 1 tract in Taylor County, 157 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 Taylor County?
Highways through it: IA 2 (about 27 miles inside), IA 148 (about 25 miles inside) and IA 25 (about 6 miles inside). Towns inside: Lenox, Bedford, Clearfield, Blockton, New Market and Sharpsburg. Nearby: Nodaway (2 miles), Maloy (3 miles), Villisca (3 miles) and Redding (5 miles).
Which counties border Taylor County?
Taylor County touches 5 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | IHAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Page County | 358 | 2025 | 0.3% | 1 |
| Adams County | 518 | 2025 | 0.8% | 2 |
| Union County | 1,051 | 2025 | 2.6% | 5 |
| Ringgold County | 1,353 | 2025 | 2.5% | 5 |
| Montgomery County | 316 | 2025 | 0.7% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Taylor County in 2025?
Hunters reported 1,329 deer: 557 antlered bucks, 90 button bucks and 673 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 1,372.
Is there public hunting land in Taylor County?
Yes. 1,754 acres, 0.5% 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 (827 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 4 public hunting areas here.
Does Taylor County have IHAP land?
Yes. 1 tract, 157 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.
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