Across the five states we examined, one or two counties repeatedly take first place for total deer harvest: Iowa's Clayton, Missouri's Franklin, Ohio's Coshocton, Wisconsin's Marathon, and Indiana's Harrison and Steuben. We assessed each leader by averaging deer registrations per square mile across 2020 to 2024. Iowa, Missouri and Ohio keep their usual leader at or close to first place under that measure. Wisconsin's falls to 26th among 60 counties. There, nine separate counties have topped statewide harvest totals beginning in 1960.
KEY FINDINGS
- For all 24 seasons, Iowa's top county for deer harvest was Clayton (agency-estimated totals through 2005, registered totals afterward), across 2001 to 2024. It places 3 among 99 counties for harvest per square mile; Van Buren leads at 5.28.
- For 7 straight seasons spanning 2019 to 2025, Coshocton topped Ohio's county harvest. It also places first among 88 for harvest per square mile, at 13.20. No other county in this study leads both rankings.
- Across 9 out of 11 seasons spanning 2015 to 2025, Franklin topped Missouri's county harvest. It places 2 among 113 for harvest per square mile; Jefferson is first at 7.72.
- Wisconsin's total-harvest lead has belonged to nine counties since 1960. Marathon has led most often, in 21 out of 66 seasons, but its per-square-mile position is 26 among 60. Marquette tops that second list at 15.15 and belongs to none of those nine leaders.
ITwo lists
Harvest totals alongside harvest per square mile
A statewide ranking based on counties' total registered harvest tells you which county had the most deer registered by hunters during that season. Larger counties get an advantage here: extra land provides more space for kills. To build the other ranking, we divide the deer registered in each county by its land area, measured in square miles, then average across 2020 to 2024. That gives counties of different sizes a common scale. The figures remain kill counts, blending deer with the effort hunters put in. Forest, Not Corn explains how this measure works and what it captures.
The table lets you compare both rankings directly. County land areas come from county summaries for the Cropland Data Layer. Our dataset lacks a corresponding land layer for Indiana.
Swipe table to see every column
| State | Seasons | Most frequent top county by total harvest | Different leaders | Top county per sq mi (2020 to 2024) | Frequent leader's per-sq-mi rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa | 2001 to 2024 | Clayton (24 of 24) | 1 | Van Buren (5.28) | 3 of 99 |
| Indiana | 2013 to 2024 | Harrison (6 of 12) | 3 | n/a (no land layer) | n/a |
| Missouri | 2015 to 2025 | Franklin (9 of 11) | 3 | Jefferson (7.72) | 2 of 113 |
| Ohio | 2019 to 2025 | Coshocton (7 of 7) | 1 | Coshocton (13.20) | 1 of 88 |
| Wisconsin | 1960 to 2025 | Marathon (21 of 66) | 9 | Marquette (15.15) | 26 of 60 |
IIIowa and Ohio
A single county leads throughout
Across 24 seasons spanning 2001 to 2024, Clayton finished first for Iowa's county harvest every time (agency estimates through 2005, then registered harvest). No other county matched that run. The latest season brought Clayton 4,318 deer, in 2024. Its per-square-mile position is 3 among 99 counties, while Van Buren leads at 5.28. Throughout that span, Van Buren never topped statewide county totals. Clayton kept the lead during an extended drop in statewide harvest, traced in Iowa, County by County.
Coshocton topped Ohio's county harvest every season across the seven-season span of 2019 to 2025. It also leads the per-square-mile ranking among 88 counties, at 13.20. Ohio therefore names the same leader under both measures. Keep two cautions in mind. That seven-season run supports a shorter claim than Iowa's 24. Also, Coshocton's 2025 figure, 8,530 deer, comes from Ohio's final yearly report. When we performed the analysis, discrepancies between that report's county figures and the weekly reports had yet to be reconciled.
IIIMissouri and Indiana
A close runner-up, plus a gap
Missouri's Franklin took first place in 9 out of 11 seasons spanning 2015 to 2025. Texas and Howell each led for one season. Franklin's most recent winning total was 6,751 deer, in 2025. For harvest per square mile, Franklin places 2 among 113 counties; Jefferson leads at 7.72. The county that usually tops Missouri's totals sits close to first under the other measure, although each ranking has a different leader.
Indiana's series spans 2013 to 2024. Harrison took first in 6 out of 12 seasons, followed by Steuben with 5 and Noble with 1. The leader in 2024 was Steuben, registering 3,261 deer. We cannot make a per-square-mile comparison for Indiana. Its ranking uses the unadjusted totals cautioned against in this paper. We would not treat that list as an ordering of county quality.
IVWisconsin
Nine counties have led, but none leads by harvest per square mile
Wisconsin covers the longest span in this study: 66 seasons, beginning in 1960 and ending in 2025. It also has more leading counties than any other state here. Marathon was first for 21 seasons, followed by Jackson with 15, Marinette with 14 and Waupaca with 10. Clark took first twice. Buffalo, Iowa, Sauk and Shawano each led once. In 2025, Marathon again took first, recording 12,041 deer.
Marathon's rank for harvest per square mile is 26 among 60 counties. That puts it in the upper half, well below first place. Wisconsin's leader on that measure is Marquette, at 15.15. It is absent from the nine counties that topped statewide harvest totals in this record. By land area, no Wisconsin county is larger than Marathon. Because larger counties have an advantage in total harvest, size may partly explain its repeated leads on the unadjusted list. This dataset cannot separate that effect from the other factors.
Two Wisconsin counties place near the top under both measures. Waupaca topped total harvest for 10 seasons; on the per-square-mile list, it places third at 12.93. Shawano topped totals for one season and places ninth on that measure at 10.74. See Forest, Not Corn for the complete ranking. For the longer history underlying these counts of leading seasons, read Wisconsin's 87-Season Arc.
VMethod and limits
Keep each comparison within its state
For any season, the leading county is the one whose harvest total is largest in its state's agency records. Iowa's figures covering 2001 to 2005 are agency estimates; all the other series count registered harvest. The records span different lengths: Iowa has 24 seasons, Indiana 12, Missouri 11, Ohio 7 and Wisconsin 66. Within a single state, comparisons over time can use how often a county took first. Those counts cannot be compared across state lines. Ohio's 7 out of 7 spans far fewer seasons than Iowa's 24 out of 24.
The rankings for harvest per square mile come solely from 2020 to 2024. Counts of leading seasons extend years or decades earlier, so these lists describe different time windows. Registered kills are not the living deer population. Our results describe where hunters registered larger harvests, without claiming that those counties hold more deer. The per-square-mile measure accounts for county area while continuing to reflect hunter effort. A county with lots of hunters can therefore place high.
VIIn the field
Check both rankings when choosing a county
Compare differently sized counties through the per-square-mile ranking. Turn to harvest totals to find where registered kills accumulate. Placing high under both measures, as Coshocton does, or as Waupaca does within Wisconsin, means a county has both a large total harvest and a high harvest per square mile. When a county heads only the unadjusted list, as Marathon does, checking its size is worthwhile before calling it a hotspot. Leaders on the per-square-mile list alone, including Marquette, Van Buren and Jefferson, get hidden by the total list. Give those counties a look before choosing the place people keep naming.
Neither ranking measures the ground available for you to hunt or the number of hunters sharing it. For a county that interests you, examine both rankings. Then compare its reputation with the records, following the approach Buying Deer Ground takes for people buying land.
NOTES AND SOURCES
- Source: County harvest registrations reported by state wildlife agencies (IA, IN, MO, OH, WI).
- Large counties have an advantage in harvest totals. Harvest per square mile accounts for size while continuing to reflect hunter effort.
- State records span different periods. Keep comparisons inside a state; cross-state comparisons do not apply.
Fully Drawn Research is an independent data analysis desk, not affiliated with any state wildlife agency, transportation agency, mapping provider or outfitter. Fully Drawn Research is an independent data and analysis desk. This paper reports FDR's analysis of public agency data. Harvest figures describe animals reported or estimated as harvested, not population size, and reflect hunter effort and regulations as well as animal numbers.
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