Wayne County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land
Wayne County covers 527 square miles around Seymour. Hunters reported 1,392 deer here in the 2025 season, 504 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is down 17% from 2024, and the fewest in the 5 years shown. 1.6% of Wayne County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (4,652 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 atlasCounty conservation board and city landLand trusts and other open landWayne CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 337,376 acres (527 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 1,392 (504 antlered bucks, 92 button bucks, 775 does and doe fawns) |
| Deer zone (2026) | Zone A |
| Public land | 1.6% (5,462 acres) |
| Hunting areas | 5 (4,652 acres inside Wayne County) |
| IHAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Seymour, Corydon, Allerton, Le Roy, Derby and Garden Grove |
How many deer are harvested in Wayne County?
Hunters reported 1,392 deer in Wayne County in 2025: 504 antlered bucks, 92 button bucks, 775 does and doe fawns and 21 bucks that had shed their antlers.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Doe fawns | Shed-antler bucks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,392 | 504 | 92 | 725 | 50 | 21 |
| 2024 | 1,668 | 626 | 140 | 808 | 61 | 33 |
| 2023 | 1,886 | 734 | 129 | 943 | 65 | 15 |
| 2022 | 2,066 | 773 | 138 | 1,080 | 55 | 20 |
| 2021 | 2,190 | 797 | 137 | 1,170 | 52 | 34 |
Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Wayne County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.
How much public land is in Wayne County?
5,462 of Wayne County's 337,376 acres are public land open to the public (1.6%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 4,652 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Wayne County |
|---|---|---|
| Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas | 4,652 | 1.4% |
| County conservation board and city land | 755 | 0.2% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 39 | under 0.1% |
| Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes | 16 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 5,462 | 1.6% |
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 Wayne County
Public hunting areas in Wayne County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Rathbun Wildlife Area - USACOE: 3,496 acres
- Medicine Creek Wildlife Area: 1,014 acres
- Rathbun Wildlife Area: 82 acres
- Wolf Hollow Wildlife Area: 40 acres
- Brown's Slough: 20 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Rathbun Recreation Area (3,498 acres).
How do you get to Wayne County?
Highways through it: IA 2 (about 25 miles inside), US 65 (about 23 miles inside), IA 14 (about 10 miles inside), IA 40 (about 4 miles inside) and IA 55 (about 4 miles inside). Towns inside: Seymour, Corydon, Allerton, Lineville, Clio and Humeston. Nearby: Le Roy (2 miles), Derby (2 miles), Garden Grove (3 miles) and Plano (3 miles).
Which counties border Wayne County?
Wayne County touches 5 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | IHAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lucas County | 1,660 | 2025 | 6.9% | 2 |
| Clarke County | 1,531 | 2025 | 1.4% | 4 |
| Monroe County | 1,567 | 2025 | 1.9% | |
| 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 Wayne County in 2025?
Hunters reported 1,392 deer: 504 antlered bucks, 92 button bucks and 775 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 1,668.
Is there public hunting land in Wayne County?
Yes. 5,462 acres, 1.6% 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 (4,652 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 5 public hunting areas here.
Does Wayne County have IHAP land?
Not on the DNR's IHAP layer.
Get a Iowa hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Iowa are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Iowa included.
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 Lucas County Clarke County Monroe County Decatur County Appanoose County