Jones County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land
Jones County covers 577 square miles around Monticello. Hunters reported 2,022 deer here in the 2025 season, 717 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is up 2% from 2024, and the most in the 5 years shown. 1.4% of Jones County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (4,632 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 landIHAP landJones CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 369,327 acres (577 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 2,022 (717 antlered bucks, 175 button bucks, 1,088 does and doe fawns) |
| Deer zone (2026) | Zone A |
| Public land | 1.4% (5,295 acres) |
| Hunting areas | 14 (4,623 acres inside Jones County) |
| IHAP land | 1 site, 51 acres |
| Towns in and near it | Monticello, Anamosa, Olin, Cascade, Monmouth and Lisbon |
How many deer are harvested in Jones County?
Hunters reported 2,022 deer in Jones County in 2025: 717 antlered bucks, 175 button bucks, 1,088 does and doe fawns and 42 bucks that had shed their antlers.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Doe fawns | Shed-antler bucks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,022 | 717 | 175 | 1,043 | 45 | 42 |
| 2024 | 1,986 | 755 | 195 | 978 | 42 | 16 |
| 2023 | 1,920 | 726 | 178 | 934 | 67 | 15 |
| 2022 | 1,780 | 704 | 143 | 888 | 34 | 11 |
| 2021 | 1,711 | 658 | 179 | 827 | 37 | 10 |
Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Jones County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.
How much public land is in Jones County?
5,295 of Jones County's 369,327 acres are public land open to the public (1.4%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 4,632 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Jones County |
|---|---|---|
| Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas | 4,632 | 1.3% |
| County conservation board and city land | 313 | 0.1% |
| State parks and recreation areas | 291 | 0.1% |
| Other DNR land | 59 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 5,295 | 1.4% |
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 Jones County
Public hunting areas in Jones County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Indian Bluffs Wildlife Area: 830 acres
- Muskrat Slough Wildlife Area: 741 acres
- Pictured Rocks Wildlife Area: 726 acres
- Eby's Mill Wildlife Area: 588 acres
- Oxford Junction Wildlife Area: 561 acres
- Hale Wildlife Area: 419 acres
- Whitewater Canyon Wildlife Area: 311 acres
- Wapsipinicon State Park: 108 acres
- Hamilton & Tapken Prairie Preserve: 81 acres
- Scotch Grove Prairie: 75 acres
- North Fork Wildlands Wildlife Area: 69 acres
- Pictured Rocks County Park: 63 acres
- Mon-Maq Access: 44 acres
- Rose Wildlife Area: 7 acres
IHAP land in Jones County
The DNR's IHAP layer shows 1 tract in Jones County, 51 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 Jones County?
Highways through it: US 151 (about 53 miles inside), IA 38 (about 29 miles inside), IA 136 (about 29 miles inside), IA 64 (about 21 miles inside) and IA 1 (about 4 miles inside). Towns inside: Monticello, Anamosa, Olin, Oxford Junction, Wyoming and Martelle. Nearby: Cascade (on the line), Monmouth (on the line), Lisbon (2 miles) and Mechanicsville (3 miles).
Which counties border Jones County?
Jones County touches 6 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | IHAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linn County | 2,454 | 2025 | 3.6% | |
| Cedar County | 1,221 | 2025 | 0.3% | |
| Clinton County | 1,414 | 2025 | 3.7% | 1 |
| Dubuque County | 2,390 | 2025 | 3.1% | 1 |
| Jackson County | 2,486 | 2025 | 5.5% | 1 |
| Delaware County | 1,732 | 2025 | 1.7% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Jones County in 2025?
Hunters reported 2,022 deer: 717 antlered bucks, 175 button bucks and 1,088 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 1,986.
Is there public hunting land in Jones County?
Yes. 5,295 acres, 1.4% 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 (4,632 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 14 public hunting areas here.
Does Jones County have IHAP land?
Yes. 1 tract, 51 acres, 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.
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