Washington County, Iowa: deer harvest and public hunting land
Washington County covers 571 square miles around Washington. Hunters reported 1,585 deer here in the 2025 season, 555 of them antlered bucks, through the DNR's harvest reporting. That is down 2% from 2024, and the fewest in the 5 years shown. 1.1% of Washington County is public land open to the public, the largest share public hunting areas on the DNR atlas (1,757 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 landLand trusts and other open landIHAP landWashington CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 365,307 acres (571 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer reported, 2025 | 1,585 (555 antlered bucks, 132 button bucks, 879 does and doe fawns) |
| Deer zone (2026) | Zone A |
| Public land | 1.1% (4,055 acres) |
| Hunting areas | 11 (1,757 acres inside Washington County) |
| IHAP land | None mapped this year |
| Towns in and near it | Washington, Kalona, Riverside, Keota, Pleasant Plain and Wayland |
How many deer are harvested in Washington County?
Hunters reported 1,585 deer in Washington County in 2025: 555 antlered bucks, 132 button bucks, 879 does and doe fawns and 19 bucks that had shed their antlers.
| Season | Deer reported | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Doe fawns | Shed-antler bucks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,585 | 555 | 132 | 827 | 52 | 19 |
| 2024 | 1,622 | 598 | 147 | 805 | 58 | 14 |
| 2023 | 1,685 | 650 | 160 | 789 | 70 | 16 |
| 2022 | 1,862 | 713 | 179 | 897 | 61 | 12 |
| 2021 | 1,705 | 677 | 152 | 819 | 52 | 5 |
Source: Iowa DNR harvest reporting (2021 to 2025 seasons), Washington County. Every county's numbers add up to the DNR's statewide row for each season shown.
How much public land is in Washington County?
4,055 of Washington County's 365,307 acres are public land open to the public (1.1%). The biggest share is public hunting areas on the DNR atlas: 1,757 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Washington County |
|---|---|---|
| Public hunting areas on the DNR atlas | 1,757 | 0.5% |
| State parks and recreation areas | 1,421 | 0.4% |
| County conservation board and city land | 829 | 0.2% |
| Other DNR land | 27 | under 0.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 21 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 4,055 | 1.1% |
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 Washington County
Public hunting areas in Washington County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- English River Wildlife Area: 469 acres
- Rubio Access: 428 acres
- Clemmons Creek Wildlife and Recreation Area: 297 acres
- Sockum Ridge Park: 224 acres
- Rubio Wildlife Area: 99 acres
- Schmitter Heritage Area: 77 acres
- Nolan Addition To English River Wildlife Area: 68 acres
- Fern Cliff: 52 acres
- Brighton Access: 18 acres
- English River Access: 14 acres
- McKain Access: 11 acres
How do you get to Washington County?
Highways through it: US 218 (about 49 miles inside), IA 1 (about 33 miles inside), IA 92 (about 27 miles inside), IA 22 (about 24 miles inside) and IA 78 (about 9 miles inside). Towns inside: Washington, Kalona, Riverside, Wellman, Brighton and Ainsworth. Nearby: Keota (on the line), Pleasant Plain (on the line), Wayland (on the line) and Cotter (on the line).
Which counties border Washington County?
Washington County touches 6 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 |
| Henry County | 1,448 | 2025 | 0.9% | |
| Keokuk County | 1,152 | 2025 | 1.1% | 5 |
| Louisa County | 1,556 | 2025 | 9.6% | |
| Johnson County | 1,968 | 2025 | 9.9% | |
| Jefferson County | 1,446 | 2025 | 0.6% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Washington County in 2025?
Hunters reported 1,585 deer: 555 antlered bucks, 132 button bucks and 879 does and doe fawns (DNR). In 2024: 1,622.
Is there public hunting land in Washington County?
Yes. 4,055 acres, 1.1% 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 (1,757 acres). The DNR's atlas shows 11 public hunting areas here.
Does Washington 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 Iowa County Henry County Keokuk County Louisa County Johnson County Jefferson County