Iowa County, Wisconsin: deer harvest and public hunting land
Iowa County is its own deer management unit, 768 square miles around Dodgeville. Hunters registered 2,948 deer here in 2025, 1,578 of them bucks, by the DNR's Deer Metrics. That is down 2% from 2024. 5% of Iowa County is public land open to the public, the largest share state wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land (22,644 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
Data updated October 2026. Harvest: DNR Deer Metrics. Land: PAD-US 4.1, the DNR's managed lands and VPA layers.
State wildlife areas, forests and other DNR landCounty forestOther federal landOther county, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landVoluntary Public Access landIowa CountyNeighboring deer management unitsLakeHighway
| Counties | Iowa County |
|---|---|
| Size | 491,495 acres (768 square miles) |
| Deer registered, 2025 | 2,948 (1,578 bucks, 1,370 antlerless) |
| Yearly average, 2016 to 2025 | 4,225 deer |
| Public land | 5% (24,391 acres) |
| Properties | 22 (21,085 acres inside Iowa County) |
| Voluntary Public Access land | 3 sites, 553 acres |
| Towns in and near it | Dodgeville, Mineral Point, Avoca, Muscoda, Blanchardville and Montfort |
How many deer are harvested in Iowa County?
The DNR registered 2,948 deer in Iowa County in 2025: 1,578 bucks and 1,370 antlerless deer, 46% of the harvest antlerless. Over the 10 years shown, the harvest averaged 4,225 deer a year; the most bucks were registered in 2016 (2,509).
| Year | Deer registered | Bucks | Antlerless | Antlerless share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,948 | 1,578 | 1,370 | 46% |
| 2024 | 3,020 | 1,555 | 1,465 | 49% |
| 2023 | 3,533 | 1,879 | 1,654 | 47% |
| 2022 | 3,650 | 1,731 | 1,919 | 53% |
| 2021 | 3,743 | 1,780 | 1,963 | 52% |
| 2020 | 5,410 | 2,325 | 3,085 | 57% |
| 2019 | 4,647 | 2,147 | 2,500 | 54% |
| 2018 | 5,424 | 2,503 | 2,921 | 54% |
| 2017 | 4,760 | 2,214 | 2,546 | 53% |
| 2016 | 5,110 | 2,509 | 2,601 | 51% |
Source: Wisconsin DNR Deer Metrics, harvest history for Iowa County. Deer registered is the DNR's buck and antlerless harvest added together. The DNR's Deer Metrics shows every year back to 1960 for most counties.
How much public land is in Iowa County?
24,391 of Iowa County's 491,495 acres are public land open to the public (5%). The biggest share is state wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land: 22,644 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Iowa County |
|---|---|---|
| State wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land | 22,644 | 4.6% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 1,440 | 0.3% |
| Other federal land | 206 | under 0.1% |
| Other county, city and regional land | 52 | under 0.1% |
| State parks | 49 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 24,391 | 5% |
Measured by FilledTag inside the DNR's boundary from USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). Hunting rules differ by manager: DNR wildlife areas and state forests are open to hunting unless posted; county forests are open to hunting in most cases (check the county forest's rules); national forest land is open in season; refuges follow U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rules; state parks allow hunting only in listed seasons and areas; national park land is closed to hunting.
DNR properties in Iowa County
DNR properties in Iowa County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Lower Wisconsin State Riverway: 9,753 acres
- Governor Dodge State Park: 5,284 acres
- Blackhawk Lake Wildlife Area: 2,044 acres
- Blue Mound State Park: 956 acres
- Trout Creek Fishery Area-Iowa: 954 acres
- Ridgeway Pine Relict State Natural Area: 551 acres
- Barreltown Grasslands SHA - SWGSCA: 361 acres
- Military Ridge State Trail: 226 acres
- Cox Hollow Streambank Protection Area: 124 acres
- Smith-Conley Creek SBE Area: 123 acres
- Conley-Lewis Creek SBE Area: 111 acres
- Gordon Creek SBE Area: 109 acres
- Pecatonica River Woods State Natural Area: 106 acres
- Tower Hill State Park: 96 acres
- James J Rule Timber Demo Forest: 81 acres
- Middle Dodge Branch SBE Area: 70 acres
- Lower Dodge Branch SBE Area: 62 acres
- Kittleson Valley Creek SBE Area: 25 acres
- Headwaters East Branch Pecatonica River SBE Area: 17 acres
- Mineral Point Branch SBE Area: 15 acres
- Smith-Conley Creek SHA: 10 acres
- Middle East Branch Pecatonica River SBE Area: 7 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Muehllehner Addition To Barneveld Prairie (898 acres), Thomson Memorial Prairie (475 acres) and Barneveld Prairie (300 acres).
Voluntary Public Access land in Iowa County
The DNR's 2026 lease map shows 3 properties in Iowa County, 553 acres of private land open to the public; one of them is spring-turkey-only Turkey Hunter Access land. No landowner permission is needed. DNR VPA program.
How do you get to Iowa County?
Highways through it: US 151 (about 57 miles inside), US 18 (about 45 miles inside), WI 80 (about 31 miles inside), WI 39 (about 31 miles inside) and WI 23 (about 28 miles inside). Towns inside: Dodgeville, Mineral Point, Avoca, Barneveld, Ridgeway and Arena. Nearby: Muscoda (on the line), Blanchardville (on the line), Montfort (on the line) and Livingston (on the line).
Which deer management units border Iowa County?
Iowa County touches 6 other deer management units. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| DMU | Deer harvested | Year | Public land | Voluntary Public Access land sites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dane County | 4,438 | 2025 | 5.7% | 7 |
| Sauk County | 6,025 | 2025 | 7.9% | 1 |
| Grant County | 5,741 | 2025 | 4.6% | 7 |
| Green County | 2,562 | 2025 | 1.7% | 5 |
| Richland County | 4,744 | 2025 | 3.3% | 9 |
| Lafayette County | 2,042 | 2025 | 1.6% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Iowa County in 2025?
2,948 deer were registered: 1,578 bucks and 1,370 antlerless deer (DNR Deer Metrics). In 2024: 3,020.
Is there public hunting land in Iowa County?
Yes. 24,391 acres, 5% of the unit, are public land open to the public by PAD-US 4.1, the largest share state wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land (22,644 acres). The DNR's map shows 22 DNR properties open to hunting here.
Does Iowa County have VPA land?
Yes. The DNR's 2026 lease map shows 3 properties, 553 acres.
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Where these numbers come from
- Deer harvest: Wisconsin DNR Deer Metrics (registered harvest by deer management unit).
- Public land: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public). DNR properties: Wisconsin DNR managed lands open to hunting. Voluntary Public Access land: Wisconsin DNR Voluntary Public Access and Turkey Hunting Program lands.
- Boundaries: Wisconsin DNR deer management units. 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 Wisconsin 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.
Wisconsin hunting Dane County Sauk County Grant County Green County Richland County Lafayette County