Brown County, Ohio: deer harvest and public hunting land
Brown County covers 493 square miles around Mount Orab. Hunters checked 3,023 deer here in the 2025-26 season, 1,385 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. 1.5% of Brown County is public land open to the public, the largest share land on ODNR's hunting map (4,603 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 mapFederal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakesOther state landMetro parks, county and city landLand trusts and other open landBrown CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 315,462 acres (493 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025-26 | 3,023 (1,213 antlered, 1,810 antlerless) |
| Archery and gun, 2025-26 | 1,385 archery, 1,638 gun |
| Public land | 1.5% (4,710 acres) |
| ODNR hunting areas | 4 (4,603 acres inside Brown County) |
| Towns in and near it | Mount Orab, Georgetown, Ripley, Winchester, Mowrystown and Williamsburg |
How many deer are harvested in Brown County?
Hunters checked 3,023 deer in Brown County in 2025-26: 1,213 antlered and 1,810 antlerless. Archers took 1,385 and gun hunters 1,638.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered | Antlerless | Archery | Gun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 3,023 | 1,213 | 1,810 | 1,385 | 1,638 |
| 2024-25 | 2,719 | 1,029 | 1,690 | 1,281 | 1,438 |
| 2023-24 | 2,440 | 1,052 | 1,388 | 1,157 | |
| 2021-22 | 2,493 |
Source: the Division of Wildlife's 2025-26, 2024-25 and 2023-24 final deer harvest reports and Publication 5304 (2021-22), Brown County. 2022-23 is not shown. For 2021-22 Publication 5304 gives 1,080 bucks, 1,212 does and 201 button bucks; the final reports of later seasons count bucks with shed or very short antlers as antlerless.
How much public land is in Brown County?
4,710 of Brown County's 315,462 acres are public land open to the public (1.5%). The biggest share is land on ODNR's hunting map: 4,603 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Brown County |
|---|---|---|
| Land on ODNR's hunting map | 4,603 | 1.5% |
| Metro parks, county and city land | 59 | under 0.1% |
| Other state land | 46 | under 0.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 2 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 4,710 | 1.5% |
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 Brown County
ODNR areas open to hunting in Brown County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Eagle Creek Wildlife Area: 2,344 acres
- Indian Creek Wildlife Area: 1,695 acres
- Grant Lake Wildlife Area: 416 acres
- Della Gates & Edward Charles Bott Wildlife Area: 148 acres
How do you get to Brown County?
Highways through it: OH 32 (about 39 miles inside), US 52 (about 24 miles inside), OH 125 (about 23 miles inside), OH 763 (about 13 miles inside) and OH 774 (about 11 miles inside). Towns inside: Mount Orab, Georgetown, Ripley, Sardinia, Aberdeen and Russellville. Nearby: Winchester (on the line), Mowrystown (2 miles), Williamsburg (2 miles) and Felicity (3 miles).
Which counties border Brown County?
Brown County touches 4 other counties. Their latest ODNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adams County | 3,895 | 2025 | 6.5% |
| Clinton County | 1,173 | 2025 | 1.6% |
| Clermont County | 2,759 | 2025 | 6.2% |
| Highland County | 3,389 | 2025 | 5% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Brown County in 2025-26?
3,023: 1,213 antlered and 1,810 antlerless (Division of Wildlife). In 2024-25: 2,719.
Is there public hunting land in Brown County?
4,710 acres, 1.5% 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 (4,603 acres). ODNR's layer shows 4 areas open to hunting here.
How many deer do archers take in Brown County?
1,385 of the 3,023 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 Adams County Clinton County Clermont County Highland County