Worth County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land
Worth County covers 402 square miles around Northwood. Hunters reported 468 deer here in the 2025 season, 241 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is down 1% from 2024. 3.7% of Worth County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (9,491 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 landWorth CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 257,222 acres (402 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 468 (241 antlered bucks, 21 button bucks, 198 does and doe fawns) |
| Deer zone (2026) | Zone A |
| Public land | 3.7% (9,615 acres) |
| Hunting areas | 33 (9,486 acres inside Worth County) |
| IHAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Northwood, Manly, Joice, Carpenter, Plymouth and Lake Mills |
How many deer are harvested in Worth County?
Hunters reported 468 deer in Worth County in 2025: 241 antlered bucks, 21 button bucks, 198 does and doe fawns and 8 bucks that had shed their antlers.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Doe fawns | Shed-antler bucks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 468 | 241 | 21 | 192 | 6 | 8 |
| 2024 | 471 | 255 | 23 | 180 | 7 | 6 |
| 2023 | 447 | 243 | 22 | 168 | 11 | 3 |
| 2022 | 405 | 237 | 26 | 130 | 5 | 7 |
| 2021 | 387 | 228 | 30 | 117 | 10 | 2 |
Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Worth County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.
How much public land is in Worth County?
9,615 of Worth County's 257,222 acres are public land open to the public (3.7%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 9,491 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Worth County |
|---|---|---|
| Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas | 9,491 | 3.7% |
| County conservation board and city land | 102 | under 0.1% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 14 | under 0.1% |
| Other DNR land | 8 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 9,615 | 3.7% |
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 Worth County
Public hunting areas in Worth County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Elk Creek Marsh: 2,669 acres
- Rice Lake Wildlife Area: 1,149 acres
- Hanlontown Slough WPA: 940 acres
- Willow Creek: 540 acres
- Elk Creek Marsh WPA: 538 acres
- Brights Lake: 519 acres
- Silver Lake - Worth: 415 acres
- Panicum Prairie: 363 acres
- Christianson-Taylor Wildlife Area: 326 acres
- Winan's Creek: 265 acres
- Land of Two Waters: 251 acres
- Stimes Woods: 159 acres
- Ochee Yahola Park: 158 acres
- Grass Lake WPA: 145 acres
- Lost Cabin Grove: 143 acres
- Turkeyfoot Prairie: 134 acres
- Harrier Wetland: 130 acres
- Shellrock Wildlife Management Area: 103 acres
- Sidney Swensrud Wildlife Area: 77 acres
- Deer Creek Forest: 63 acres
- Peterson Potholes: 45 acres
- Deer Creek Wildlife Area - Worth: 41 acres
- Pilot Knob WMA: 40 acres
- Northern Prairie WMA: 39 acres
- Deer Creek Rest Area: 38 acres
- Plymouth Pits Wildlife Area: 35 acres
- Tuvold Woods: 35 acres
- Wood Duck Hollow: 30 acres
- Silver Lake Wildlife Area: 27 acres
- Sawin Wildlife Area: 24 acres
- Brunsvold-Haugen Timber: 20 acres
- Wally's Woods: 19 acres
- Hanson Area: 6 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Worth County Waterfowl Production Area (1,609 acres).
How do you get to Worth County?
Highways through it: I-35 (about 34 miles inside), IA 27 (about 34 miles inside), IA 9 (about 25 miles inside) and US 65 (about 18 miles inside). Towns inside: Northwood, Manly, Joice, Kensett, Hanlontown and Fertile. Nearby: Carpenter (on the line), Plymouth (on the line), Lake Mills (2 miles) and Rock Falls (3 miles).
Which counties border Worth County?
Worth County touches 4 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | IHAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hancock County | 334 | 2025 | 2.4% | 6 |
| Mitchell County | 936 | 2025 | 0.8% | |
| Winnebago County | 338 | 2025 | 4.6% | 5 |
| Cerro Gordo County | 544 | 2025 | 3.4% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Worth County in 2025?
Hunters reported 468 deer: 241 antlered bucks, 21 button bucks and 198 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 471.
Is there public hunting land in Worth County?
Yes. 9,615 acres, 3.7% 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 (9,491 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 33 public hunting areas here.
Does Worth 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 Hancock County Mitchell County Winnebago County Cerro Gordo County