Jefferson County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land
Jefferson County covers 437 square miles around Fairfield. Hunters reported 1,446 deer here in the 2025 season, 507 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is down 1% from 2024. 0.6% of Jefferson County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (821 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 landJefferson CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 279,602 acres (437 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 1,446 (507 antlered bucks, 118 button bucks, 811 does and doe fawns) |
| Deer zone (2026) | Zone A |
| Public land | 0.6% (1,583 acres) |
| Hunting areas | 5 (822 acres inside Jefferson County) |
| IHAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Fairfield, Maharishi Vedic City, Pleasant Plain, Coppock, Brighton and Richland |
How many deer are harvested in Jefferson County?
Hunters reported 1,446 deer in Jefferson County in 2025: 507 antlered bucks, 118 button bucks, 811 does and doe fawns and 10 bucks that had shed their antlers.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Doe fawns | Shed-antler bucks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,446 | 507 | 118 | 781 | 30 | 10 |
| 2024 | 1,463 | 516 | 123 | 778 | 31 | 15 |
| 2023 | 1,510 | 560 | 136 | 758 | 48 | 8 |
| 2022 | 1,675 | 602 | 158 | 866 | 41 | 8 |
| 2021 | 1,415 | 558 | 120 | 691 | 33 | 13 |
Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Jefferson County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.
How much public land is in Jefferson County?
1,583 of Jefferson County's 279,602 acres are public land open to the public (0.6%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 821 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Jefferson County |
|---|---|---|
| Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas | 821 | 0.3% |
| County conservation board and city land | 633 | 0.2% |
| Other DNR land | 129 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 1,583 | 0.6% |
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 Jefferson County
Public hunting areas in Jefferson County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Turkey Run Wildlife Area - Jefferson: 397 acres
- Cedar Creek Timber & Wetland: 247 acres
- Livingston Timber: 74 acres
- Maccoon Access: 74 acres
- Gantz-Hewett Timber: 30 acres
How do you get to Jefferson County?
Highways through it: US 34 (about 61 miles inside), IA 1 (about 19 miles inside) and IA 78 (about 3 miles inside). Towns inside: Fairfield, Maharishi Vedic City, Pleasant Plain, Packwood, Lockridge and Batavia. Nearby: Coppock (on the line), Brighton (on the line), Richland (2 miles) and Birmingham (2 miles).
Which counties border Jefferson County?
Jefferson County touches 6 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | IHAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davis County | 1,611 | 2025 | 1.8% | 1 |
| Henry County | 1,448 | 2025 | 0.9% | |
| Keokuk County | 1,152 | 2025 | 1.1% | 5 |
| Wapello County | 1,310 | 2025 | 1.5% | |
| Van Buren County | 2,181 | 2025 | 3.2% | |
| Washington County | 1,585 | 2025 | 1.1% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Jefferson County in 2025?
Hunters reported 1,446 deer: 507 antlered bucks, 118 button bucks and 811 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 1,463.
Is there public hunting land in Jefferson County?
Yes. 1,583 acres, 0.6% 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 (821 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 5 public hunting areas here.
Does Jefferson 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 Davis County Henry County Keokuk County Wapello County Van Buren County Washington County