Benton County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land
Benton County covers 718 square miles around Vinton. Hunters reported 1,060 deer here in the 2025 season, 444 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is down 6% from 2024. 1.2% of Benton County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (5,145 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 atlasNational wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areasCounty conservation board and city landBenton CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 459,769 acres (718 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 1,060 (444 antlered bucks, 85 button bucks, 514 does and doe fawns) |
| Deer zone (2026) | Zone A |
| Public land | 1.2% (5,691 acres) |
| Hunting areas | 14 (5,138 acres inside Benton County) |
| IHAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Vinton, Belle Plaine, Urbana, Walford, Dysart and Elberon |
How many deer are harvested in Benton County?
Hunters reported 1,060 deer in Benton County in 2025: 444 antlered bucks, 85 button bucks, 514 does and doe fawns and 17 bucks that had shed their antlers.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Doe fawns | Shed-antler bucks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,060 | 444 | 85 | 492 | 22 | 17 |
| 2024 | 1,127 | 466 | 102 | 516 | 26 | 17 |
| 2023 | 1,082 | 468 | 81 | 497 | 24 | 12 |
| 2022 | 992 | 427 | 89 | 448 | 13 | 15 |
| 2021 | 922 | 391 | 84 | 429 | 16 | 2 |
Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Benton County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.
How much public land is in Benton County?
5,691 of Benton County's 459,769 acres are public land open to the public (1.2%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 5,145 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Benton County |
|---|---|---|
| Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas | 5,145 | 1.1% |
| County conservation board and city land | 500 | 0.1% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 41 | under 0.1% |
| Other DNR land | 5 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 5,691 | 1.2% |
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 Benton County
Public hunting areas in Benton County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Dudgeon Lake Wildlife Area: 2,048 acres
- Iowa River Corridor Wildlife Area - USFWS: 1,421 acres
- Pleasant Creek State Recreation Area: 511 acres
- Winegar Lake-Tobin Park Access: 452 acres
- Red Fox Wildlife Area: 198 acres
- Wildcat Bluff Access: 133 acres
- Atkins Roundhouse Area: 76 acres
- Hoefle-Dulin Area Park: 65 acres
- Minnie Estema Access: 64 acres
- Cedar Island Wildlife Area: 55 acres
- Butterfield Island Wildlife Area: 40 acres
- County Care Facility Wildlife Area: 30 acres
- Iowa River Corridor Wildlife Area: 26 acres
- Benton-Fry Access: 19 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge (1,438 acres).
How do you get to Benton County?
Highways through it: US 218 (about 51 miles inside), US 30 (about 35 miles inside), I-380 (about 18 miles inside), IA 21 (about 17 miles inside) and IA 150 (about 17 miles inside). Towns inside: Vinton, Belle Plaine, Urbana, Atkins, Van Horne and Shellsburg. Nearby: Walford (on the line), Dysart (on the line), Elberon (on the line) and La Porte City (on the line).
Which counties border Benton County?
Benton County touches 7 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | IHAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa County | 1,355 | 2025 | 3.9% | 2 |
| Linn County | 2,454 | 2025 | 3.6% | |
| Tama County | 1,239 | 2025 | 2.2% | |
| Johnson County | 1,968 | 2025 | 9.9% | |
| Buchanan County | 1,032 | 2025 | 1.1% | 1 |
| Poweshiek County | 736 | 2025 | 0.6% | |
| Black Hawk County | 938 | 2025 | 3% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Benton County in 2025?
Hunters reported 1,060 deer: 444 antlered bucks, 85 button bucks and 514 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 1,127.
Is there public hunting land in Benton County?
Yes. 5,691 acres, 1.2% 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 (5,145 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 14 public hunting areas here.
Does Benton 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 Iowa County Linn County Tama County Johnson County Buchanan County Poweshiek County Black Hawk County