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Iowa County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land

Iowa County covers 587 square miles around Williamsburg. Hunters reported 1,355 deer here in the 2025 season, 663 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is down 8% from 2024. 3.9% of Iowa County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (8,303 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.

Map of Iowa's Iowa County: public land by manager, IHAP land, the counties around it, highways I-80, US 6 and IA 149; towns: Williamsburg, Marengo, North English, Walford and Oxford

Public hunting areas on the DNR atlasNational wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areasFederal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakesOther DNR landCounty conservation board and city landIHAP landIowa CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway

Iowa County at a glance
Size375,989 acres (587 square miles)
Deer reported, 20251,355 (663 antlered bucks, 98 button bucks, 574 does and doe fawns)
Deer zone (2026)Zone A
Public land3.9% (14,506 acres)
Hunting areas16 (8,307 acres inside Iowa County)
IHAP land2 sites, 145 acres
Towns in and near itWilliamsburg, Marengo, North English, Walford, Oxford and Belle Plaine

How many deer are harvested in Iowa County?

Hunters reported 1,355 deer in Iowa County in 2025: 663 antlered bucks, 98 button bucks, 574 does and doe fawns and 20 bucks that had shed their antlers.

SeasonDeer reportedAntlered bucksButton bucksDoesDoe fawnsShed-antler bucks
20251,355663985462820
20241,4727111245754121
20231,3896531305623014
20221,417704915852314
20211,351641110558357

Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Iowa County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.

How much public land is in Iowa County?

14,506 of Iowa County's 375,989 acres are public land open to the public (3.9%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 8,303 acres.

ManagerAcresShare of Iowa County
Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas8,3032.2%
Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes5,2561.4%
County conservation board and city land6670.2%
National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas2730.1%
Other DNR land4under 0.1%
State parks and recreation areas2under 0.1%
Land trusts and other open land1under 0.1%
All public land open to the public14,5063.9%

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 Iowa County

Public hunting areas in Iowa County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:

Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge (6,051 acres) and Coralville Recreation Area (5,256 acres).

IHAP land in Iowa County

The DNR's IHAP layer shows 2 tracts in Iowa County, 145 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 Iowa County?

Highways through it: I-80 (about 48 miles inside), US 6 (about 25 miles inside), IA 149 (about 16 miles inside), US 151 (about 15 miles inside) and IA 212 (about 12 miles inside). Towns inside: Williamsburg, Marengo, North English, Victor, Ladora and Parnell. Nearby: Walford (on the line), Oxford (2 miles), Belle Plaine (2 miles) and Hartwick (2 miles).

Which counties border Iowa County?

Iowa County touches 7 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:

CountyDeer harvestedYearPublic landIHAP land sites
Linn County2,45420253.6%
Tama County1,23920252.2%
Benton County1,06020251.2%
Keokuk County1,15220251.1%5
Johnson County1,96820259.9%
Poweshiek County73620250.6%
Washington County1,58520251.1%

Questions hunters ask

How many deer were harvested in Iowa County in 2025?

Hunters reported 1,355 deer: 663 antlered bucks, 98 button bucks and 574 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 1,472.

Is there public hunting land in Iowa County?

Yes. 14,506 acres, 3.9% 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 (8,303 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 16 public hunting areas here.

Does Iowa County have IHAP land?

Yes. 2 tracts, 145 acres, on the DNR's IHAP layer.

Get a Iowa hunt plan when they open

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Where these numbers come from

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 Linn County Tama County Benton County Keokuk County Johnson County Poweshiek County Washington County