Linn County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land
Linn County covers 725 square miles around Cedar Rapids. Hunters reported 2,454 deer here in the 2025 season, 971 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is up 11% from 2024, and the most in the 5 years shown. 3.6% of Linn County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (8,082 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 atlasFederal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakesOther DNR landState parks and recreation areasCounty conservation board and city landLand trusts and other open landLinn CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 463,810 acres (725 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 2,454 (971 antlered bucks, 202 button bucks, 1,239 does and doe fawns) |
| Deer zone (2026) | Zone A |
| Public land | 3.6% (16,795 acres) |
| Hunting areas | 18 (8,086 acres inside Linn County) |
| IHAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Cedar Rapids, Marion, Robins, Martelle, Shueyville and Swisher |
How many deer are harvested in Linn County?
Hunters reported 2,454 deer in Linn County in 2025: 971 antlered bucks, 202 button bucks, 1,239 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 | 2,454 | 971 | 202 | 1,187 | 52 | 42 |
| 2024 | 2,208 | 858 | 178 | 1,081 | 65 | 26 |
| 2023 | 2,128 | 836 | 173 | 1,040 | 59 | 20 |
| 2022 | 1,941 | 794 | 169 | 921 | 35 | 22 |
| 2021 | 1,742 | 731 | 166 | 786 | 42 | 17 |
Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Linn County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.
How much public land is in Linn County?
16,795 of Linn County's 463,810 acres are public land open to the public (3.6%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 8,082 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Linn County |
|---|---|---|
| Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas | 8,082 | 1.7% |
| County conservation board and city land | 8,030 | 1.7% |
| State parks and recreation areas | 450 | 0.1% |
| Other DNR land | 186 | under 0.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 33 | under 0.1% |
| Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes | 14 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 16,795 | 3.6% |
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 Linn County
Public hunting areas in Linn County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Matsell Bridge WMA: 1,895 acres
- Pleasant Creek State Recreation Area: 1,473 acres
- Chain-O-Lakes Wildlife Area: 1,296 acres
- Wickiup Hill Natural Area: 661 acres
- Chain Lakes Natural Area: 454 acres
- Wood Duck Bottoms: 419 acres
- Wakpicada Natural Area: 374 acres
- Linn Learning Farm: 286 acres
- Goose Pond Natural Area: 269 acres
- Pinicon Ridge Park: 208 acres
- South Cedar Natural Area: 143 acres
- Bertram Wildlife Area: 139 acres
- Palo Marsh Natural Area: 110 acres
- Buffalo Creek Natural Area: 91 acres
- Paris Bridge Natural Area: 80 acres
- Rehrauer Natural Area: 80 acres
- Blue Creek Natural Area: 70 acres
- Otter Creek Natural Area: 38 acres
How do you get to Linn County?
Highways through it: US 151 (about 64 miles inside), I-380 (about 55 miles inside), US 30 (about 49 miles inside), IA 13 (about 48 miles inside) and US 218 (about 27 miles inside). Towns inside: Cedar Rapids, Marion, Robins, Hiawatha, Mount Vernon and Fairfax. Nearby: Martelle (on the line), Shueyville (on the line), Swisher (on the line) and Atkins (on the line).
Which counties border Linn County?
Linn County touches 7 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | IHAP land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa County | 1,355 | 2025 | 3.9% | 2 |
| Cedar County | 1,221 | 2025 | 0.3% | |
| Jones County | 2,022 | 2025 | 1.4% | 1 |
| Benton County | 1,060 | 2025 | 1.2% | |
| Johnson County | 1,968 | 2025 | 9.9% | |
| Buchanan County | 1,032 | 2025 | 1.1% | 1 |
| Delaware County | 1,732 | 2025 | 1.7% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Linn County in 2025?
Hunters reported 2,454 deer: 971 antlered bucks, 202 button bucks and 1,239 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 2,208.
Is there public hunting land in Linn County?
Yes. 16,795 acres, 3.6% 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 (8,082 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 18 public hunting areas here.
Does Linn County have IHAP land?
Not on the DNR's IHAP layer.
Get a Iowa hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Iowa are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Iowa included.
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 Iowa County Cedar County Jones County Benton County Johnson County Buchanan County Delaware County