Ashland County, Ohio: deer harvest and public hunting land
Ashland County covers 427 square miles around Ashland. Hunters checked 5,108 deer here in the 2025-26 season, 2,173 of them by archers, by the Division of Wildlife's final report. That is up 9% from 2024, and the most in the 4 years shown. 3.8% of Ashland County is public land open to the public, the largest share land on ODNR's hunting map (8,022 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.
Land on ODNR's hunting mapOther state landMetro parks, county and city landLand trusts and other open landAshland CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 273,189 acres (427 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025-26 | 5,108 (1,869 antlered, 3,239 antlerless) |
| Archery and gun, 2025-26 | 2,173 archery, 2,935 gun |
| Public land | 3.8% (10,388 acres) |
| ODNR hunting areas | 6 (8,017 acres inside Ashland County) |
| Towns in and near it | Ashland, Loudonville, Polk, New London, West Salem and Lucas |
How many deer are harvested in Ashland County?
Hunters checked 5,108 deer in Ashland County in 2025-26: 1,869 antlered and 3,239 antlerless. Archers took 2,173 and gun hunters 2,935.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered | Antlerless | Archery | Gun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 5,108 | 1,869 | 3,239 | 2,173 | 2,935 |
| 2024-25 | 4,678 | 1,741 | 2,937 | 1,924 | 2,754 |
| 2023-24 | 4,074 | 1,546 | 2,528 | 1,845 | |
| 2021-22 | 3,650 |
Source: the Division of Wildlife's 2025-26, 2024-25 and 2023-24 final deer harvest reports and Publication 5304 (2021-22), Ashland County. 2022-23 is not shown. For 2021-22 Publication 5304 gives 1,522 bucks, 1,757 does and 371 button bucks; the final reports of later seasons count bucks with shed or very short antlers as antlerless.
How much public land is in Ashland County?
10,388 of Ashland County's 273,189 acres are public land open to the public (3.8%). The biggest share is land on ODNR's hunting map: 8,022 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Ashland County |
|---|---|---|
| Land on ODNR's hunting map | 8,022 | 2.9% |
| Other state land | 1,253 | 0.5% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 584 | 0.2% |
| Metro parks, county and city land | 529 | 0.2% |
| All public land open to the public | 10,388 | 3.8% |
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.
ODNR areas open to hunting in Ashland County
ODNR areas open to hunting in Ashland County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Mohican-Memorial State Forest: 4,629 acres
- Charles Mill Lake Hunt Area: 1,823 acres
- Pleasant Hill Lake Hunt Area: 713 acres
- Funk Bottoms Wildlife Area: 539 acres
- Cool Springs Wildlife Conservation Park: 192 acres
- Black Fork Bottom Hunting Area: 121 acres
How do you get to Ashland County?
Highways through it: OH 60 (about 33 miles inside), I-71 (about 32 miles inside), OH 511 (about 28 miles inside), US 30 (about 26 miles inside) and US 250 (about 25 miles inside). Towns inside: Ashland, Loudonville, Polk, Perrysville, Hayesville and Savannah. Nearby: New London (on the line), West Salem (on the line), Lucas (3 miles) and Spencer (4 miles).
Which counties border Ashland County?
Ashland County touches 7 other counties. Their latest ODNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knox County | 6,704 | 2025 | 1.3% |
| Huron County | 3,520 | 2025 | 0.9% |
| Wayne County | 3,562 | 2025 | 2.2% |
| Holmes County | 5,717 | 2025 | 0.6% |
| Lorain County | 2,799 | 2025 | 5.1% |
| Medina County | 3,133 | 2025 | 4.3% |
| Richland County | 5,151 | 2025 | 1.4% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Ashland County in 2025-26?
5,108: 1,869 antlered and 3,239 antlerless (Division of Wildlife). In 2024-25: 4,678.
Is there public hunting land in Ashland County?
10,388 acres, 3.8% 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 on ODNR's hunting map (8,022 acres). ODNR's layer shows 6 areas open to hunting here.
How many deer do archers take in Ashland County?
2,173 of the 5,108 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 Knox County Huron County Wayne County Holmes County Lorain County Medina County Richland County