Jasper County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land
Jasper County covers 733 square miles around Newton. Hunters reported 934 deer here in the 2025 season, 492 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is up 10% from 2024, and the most in the 5 years shown. 3.1% of Jasper County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (8,537 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 areasState parks and recreation areasCounty conservation board and city landLand trusts and other open landJasper CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 469,083 acres (733 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 934 (492 antlered bucks, 88 button bucks, 345 does and doe fawns) |
| Deer zone (2026) | Zone A |
| Public land | 3.1% (14,310 acres) |
| Hunting areas | 22 (8,533 acres inside Jasper County) |
| IHAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Newton, Colfax, Monroe, Mitchellville, Gilman and Laurel |
How many deer are harvested in Jasper County?
Hunters reported 934 deer in Jasper County in 2025: 492 antlered bucks, 88 button bucks, 345 does and doe fawns and 9 bucks that had shed their antlers.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Doe fawns | Shed-antler bucks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 934 | 492 | 88 | 328 | 17 | 9 |
| 2024 | 846 | 451 | 72 | 291 | 17 | 15 |
| 2023 | 846 | 440 | 65 | 311 | 20 | 10 |
| 2022 | 876 | 452 | 68 | 336 | 14 | 6 |
| 2021 | 858 | 420 | 67 | 356 | 11 | 4 |
Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Jasper County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.
How much public land is in Jasper County?
14,310 of Jasper County's 469,083 acres are public land open to the public (3.1%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 8,537 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Jasper County |
|---|---|---|
| Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas | 8,537 | 1.8% |
| National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas | 2,211 | 0.5% |
| State parks and recreation areas | 1,762 | 0.4% |
| County conservation board and city land | 1,372 | 0.3% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 419 | 0.1% |
| Other DNR land | 9 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 14,310 | 3.1% |
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 Jasper County
Public hunting areas in Jasper County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge: 4,233 acres
- Colfax Wildlife Area: 1,194 acres
- Rock Creek Wildlife Area - Jasper: 849 acres
- Chichaqua Wildlife Area: 520 acres
- South Skunk Wildlife Area: 476 acres
- Pheasants Forever Unit South Skunk: 243 acres
- Hoffman Wildlife Area: 152 acres
- Clear Creek Wildlife Area: 143 acres
- Beyer's Bridge Skunk River Acces: 139 acres
- Carpenter Wildlife Area: 120 acres
- Vandalia Wildlife Area: 100 acres
- Kellogg Wildlife Area: 70 acres
- Chichaqua Wildlife Area - CCB: 57 acres
- Red Rock - USACOE: 53 acres
- Bailey Wildlife Area: 46 acres
- Oswalt Bridge Access: 34 acres
- Hartley Heritage Fen: 33 acres
- South Skunk River Wildlife Area: 25 acres
- Foreman Nature Preserve: 17 acres
- Fairview Wildlife Area: 12 acres
- Alderson Wildlife Area: 11 acres
- North Skunk Wildlife Area: 6 acres
How do you get to Jasper County?
Highways through it: I-80 (about 61 miles inside), US 6 (about 48 miles inside), IA 14 (about 34 miles inside), IA 163 (about 32 miles inside) and IA 224 (about 19 miles inside). Towns inside: Newton, Colfax, Monroe, Prairie City, Lynnville and Baxter. Nearby: Mitchellville (on the line), Gilman (on the line), Laurel (on the line) and Runnells (2 miles).
Which counties border Jasper County?
Jasper County touches 7 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | IHAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County | 966 | 2025 | 12.3% | |
| Tama County | 1,239 | 2025 | 2.2% | |
| Story County | 573 | 2025 | 1.7% | 3 |
| Marion County | 1,652 | 2025 | 12% | |
| Mahaska County | 959 | 2025 | 1.6% | 2 |
| Marshall County | 608 | 2025 | 0.9% | 1 |
| Poweshiek County | 736 | 2025 | 0.6% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Jasper County in 2025?
Hunters reported 934 deer: 492 antlered bucks, 88 button bucks and 345 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 846.
Is there public hunting land in Jasper County?
Yes. 14,310 acres, 3.1% 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 (8,537 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 22 public hunting areas here.
Does Jasper 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 Polk County Tama County Story County Marion County Mahaska County Marshall County Poweshiek County