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Johnson County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land

Johnson County covers 623 square miles around Iowa City. Hunters reported 1,968 deer here in the 2025 season, 751 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is up 9% from 2024, and the most in the 5 years shown. 9.9% of Johnson County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (21,621 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 Johnson County: public land by manager, the counties around it, highways US 218, IA 27 and I-80; towns: Iowa City, Coralville, North Liberty, West Branch and Walford

Public hunting areas on the DNR atlasFederal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakesOther DNR landState parks and recreation areasCounty conservation board and city landLand trusts and other open landJohnson CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway

Johnson County at a glance
Size398,774 acres (623 square miles)
Deer reported, 20251,968 (751 antlered bucks, 172 button bucks, 1,016 does and doe fawns)
Deer zone (2026)Zone A
Public land9.9% (39,664 acres)
Hunting areas13 (21,620 acres inside Johnson County)
IHAP landNone mapped this year
Towns in and near itIowa City, Coralville, North Liberty, West Branch, Walford and Ely

How many deer are harvested in Johnson County?

Hunters reported 1,968 deer in Johnson County in 2025: 751 antlered bucks, 172 button bucks, 1,016 does and doe fawns and 29 bucks that had shed their antlers.

SeasonDeer reportedAntlered bucksButton bucksDoesDoe fawnsShed-antler bucks
20251,9687511729734329
20241,8057511478395117
20231,7557531517954313
20221,7356661428654517
20211,533589139754438

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

How much public land is in Johnson County?

39,664 of Johnson County's 398,774 acres are public land open to the public (9.9%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 21,621 acres.

ManagerAcresShare of Johnson County
Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas21,6215.4%
Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes10,4122.6%
County conservation board and city land4,2371.1%
Other DNR land2,4640.6%
State parks and recreation areas5570.1%
Land trusts and other open land3730.1%
All public land open to the public39,6649.9%

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 Johnson County

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

Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Coralville Recreation Area (29,257 acres).

How do you get to Johnson County?

Highways through it: US 218 (about 53 miles inside), IA 27 (about 53 miles inside), I-80 (about 49 miles inside), IA 1 (about 36 miles inside) and US 6 (about 31 miles inside). Towns inside: Iowa City, Coralville, North Liberty, Tiffin, Shueyville and Solon. Nearby: West Branch (on the line), Walford (on the line), Ely (on the line) and Kalona (2 miles).

Which counties border Johnson County?

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

CountyDeer harvestedYearPublic landIHAP land sites
Iowa County1,35520253.9%2
Linn County2,45420253.6%
Cedar County1,22120250.3%
Benton County1,06020251.2%
Louisa County1,55620259.6%
Muscatine County1,39320254.1%
Washington County1,58520251.1%

Questions hunters ask

How many deer were harvested in Johnson County in 2025?

Hunters reported 1,968 deer: 751 antlered bucks, 172 button bucks and 1,016 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 1,805.

Is there public hunting land in Johnson County?

Yes. 39,664 acres, 9.9% 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 (21,621 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 13 public hunting areas here.

Does Johnson County have IHAP land?

Not on the DNR's IHAP layer.

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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 Iowa County Linn County Cedar County Benton County Louisa County Muscatine County Washington County