Allen County, Ohio: deer harvest and public hunting land
Allen County covers 407 square miles around Lima. Hunters checked 1,831 deer here in the 2025-26 season, 804 of them by archers, by the Division of Wildlife's final report. That is up 11% from 2024, and the most in the 4 years shown. 1.1% of Allen County is public land open to the public, the largest share land trusts and other open land (1,288 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and ODNR's land boundaries.
Data updated October 2026. Harvest: the Division of Wildlife's harvest reports, 2021-22 to 2025-26. Land: PAD-US 4.1 and ODNR's land layer.
Other state landMetro parks, county and city landLand trusts and other open landAllen CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 260,474 acres (407 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025-26 | 1,831 (801 antlered, 1,030 antlerless) |
| Archery and gun, 2025-26 | 804 archery, 1,027 gun |
| Public land | 1.1% (2,741 acres) |
| ODNR hunting areas | None mapped |
| Towns in and near it | Lima, Bluffton, Delphos, Cridersville, Columbus Grove and Pandora |
How many deer are harvested in Allen County?
Hunters checked 1,831 deer in Allen County in 2025-26: 801 antlered and 1,030 antlerless. Archers took 804 and gun hunters 1,027.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered | Antlerless | Archery | Gun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 1,831 | 801 | 1,030 | 804 | 1,027 |
| 2024-25 | 1,650 | 741 | 909 | 750 | 900 |
| 2023-24 | 1,479 | 678 | 801 | 751 | |
| 2021-22 | 1,024 |
Source: the Division of Wildlife's 2025-26, 2024-25 and 2023-24 final deer harvest reports and Publication 5304 (2021-22), Allen County. 2022-23 is not shown. For 2021-22 Publication 5304 gives 491 bucks, 433 does and 100 button bucks; the final reports of later seasons count bucks with shed or very short antlers as antlerless.
How much public land is in Allen County?
2,741 of Allen County's 260,474 acres are public land open to the public (1.1%). The biggest share is land trusts and other open land: 1,288 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Allen County |
|---|---|---|
| Land trusts and other open land | 1,288 | 0.5% |
| Metro parks, county and city land | 1,237 | 0.5% |
| Other state land | 216 | 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 2,741 | 1.1% |
Measured by FilledTag inside the county line from USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public) and ODNR's land boundaries with hunting status. Hunting rules differ by manager: ODNR wildlife areas, hunting areas and forests marked open follow Ohio's statewide seasons, and those marked restricted limit hunting by place, season or permit; national forest is open; refuges follow U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rules; Corps of Engineers lake land is open in many places under each project's own rules; metro parks and city land are closed to most hunting.
How do you get to Allen County?
Highways through it: US 30 (about 48 miles inside), I-75 (about 46 miles inside), OH 81 (about 32 miles inside), OH 117 (about 29 miles inside) and OH 309 (about 29 miles inside). Towns inside: Lima, Bluffton, Delphos, Elida, Spencerville and Beaverdam. Nearby: Cridersville (on the line), Columbus Grove (on the line), Pandora (2 miles) and Alger (2 miles).
Which counties border Allen County?
Allen County touches 5 other counties. Their latest ODNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardin County | 2,053 | 2025 | 0.4% |
| Putnam County | 1,376 | 2025 | 0.1% |
| Hancock County | 2,345 | 2025 | 0.8% |
| Auglaize County | 1,621 | 2025 | 1.4% |
| Van Wert County | 968 | 2025 | 0.2% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Allen County in 2025-26?
1,831: 801 antlered and 1,030 antlerless (Division of Wildlife). In 2024-25: 1,650.
Is there public hunting land in Allen County?
2,741 acres, 1.1% of the county, are public land open to the public by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and ODNR's land boundaries, the largest share land trusts and other open land (1,288 acres).
How many deer do archers take in Allen County?
804 of the 1,831 deer checked in 2025-26 were taken with a crossbow or longbow (Division of Wildlife).
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Where these numbers come from
- Deer harvest: the Division of Wildlife's 2025-26, 2024-25 and 2023-24 final deer harvest reports and Publication 5304 (2021-22).
- Public land: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public) and ODNR's land boundaries with hunting status. ODNR areas open to hunting: ODNR lands hunting status.
- 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 Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife. Numbers are copied from ODNR and the federal sources above, or measured from their maps; nothing on this page is estimated by FilledTag.
Ohio hunting Hardin County Putnam County Hancock County Auglaize County Van Wert County