Athens County, Ohio: deer harvest and public hunting land
Athens County covers 508 square miles around Athens. Hunters checked 917 deer here in the 2025-26 season, 436 of them by archers, by the Division of Wildlife's final report. That is down 75% from 2024, and the fewest in the 4 years shown. 11.9% of Athens County is public land open to the public, the largest share national forest (18,807 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 mapNational forestFederal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakesOther state landMetro parks, county and city landLand trusts and other open landAthens CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 325,313 acres (508 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025-26 | 917 (473 antlered, 444 antlerless) |
| Archery and gun, 2025-26 | 436 archery, 481 gun |
| Public land | 11.9% (38,712 acres) |
| ODNR hunting areas | 10 (16,535 acres inside Athens County) |
| Towns in and near it | Athens, Nelsonville, Albany, Murray City, Hemlock and Chesterhill |
How many deer are harvested in Athens County?
Hunters checked 917 deer in Athens County in 2025-26: 473 antlered and 444 antlerless. Archers took 436 and gun hunters 481.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered | Antlerless | Archery | Gun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 917 | 473 | 444 | 436 | 481 |
| 2024-25 | 3,663 | 1,674 | 1,989 | 1,588 | 2,075 |
| 2023-24 | 2,924 | 1,334 | 1,590 | 1,307 | |
| 2021-22 | 3,540 |
Source: the Division of Wildlife's 2025-26, 2024-25 and 2023-24 final deer harvest reports and Publication 5304 (2021-22), Athens County. 2022-23 is not shown. For 2021-22 Publication 5304 gives 1,717 bucks, 1,547 does and 276 button bucks; the final reports of later seasons count bucks with shed or very short antlers as antlerless.
How much public land is in Athens County?
38,712 of Athens County's 325,313 acres are public land open to the public (11.9%). The biggest share is national forest: 18,807 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Athens County |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 18,807 | 5.8% |
| Land on ODNR's hunting map | 16,533 | 5.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 1,685 | 0.5% |
| Other state land | 1,230 | 0.4% |
| Metro parks, county and city land | 361 | 0.1% |
| Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes | 96 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 38,712 | 11.9% |
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 Athens County
ODNR areas open to hunting in Athens County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Wallace H. O'Dowd Wildlife Area: 4,419 acres
- Zaleski State Forest: 3,499 acres
- Waterloo Wildlife Area: 2,656 acres
- Strouds Run State Park: 2,567 acres
- Taylor Ridge Wildlife Area: 1,226 acres
- Poston Plant Lands Hunting Area: 1,159 acres
- Fox Lake Wildlife Area: 450 acres
- Gifford State Forest: 314 acres
- Burr Oak State Park: 237 acres
- Acadia Cliffs Wildlife Area: 8 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Wayne National Forest (17,992 acres), Wayne Purchase Unit (844 acres) and Burr Oak Recreation Area (195 acres).
How do you get to Athens County?
Highways through it: OH 32 (about 77 miles inside), US 50 (about 76 miles inside), US 33 (about 45 miles inside), OH 329 (about 20 miles inside) and OH 550 (about 19 miles inside). Towns inside: Athens, Nelsonville, Albany, Glouster, Coolville and Trimble. Nearby: Murray City (on the line), Hemlock (3 miles), Chesterhill (3 miles) and Corning (3 miles).
Which counties border Athens County?
Athens County touches 6 other counties. Their latest ODNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meigs County | 1,060 | 2025 | 3.8% |
| Perry County | 2,989 | 2025 | 11.7% |
| Morgan County | 1,529 | 2025 | 21.2% |
| Vinton County | 1,931 | 2025 | 18.9% |
| Hocking County | 2,643 | 2025 | 17.5% |
| Washington County | 783 | 2025 | 10.9% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Athens County in 2025-26?
917: 473 antlered and 444 antlerless (Division of Wildlife). In 2024-25: 3,663.
Is there public hunting land in Athens County?
38,712 acres, 11.9% of the county, are public land open to the public by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and ODNR's land boundaries, the largest share national forest (18,807 acres). ODNR's layer shows 10 areas open to hunting here.
How many deer do archers take in Athens County?
436 of the 917 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 Meigs County Perry County Morgan County Vinton County Hocking County Washington County