Butler County, Ohio: deer harvest and public hunting land
Butler County covers 470 square miles around Middletown. Hunters checked 1,466 deer here in the 2025-26 season, 916 of them by archers, by the Division of Wildlife's final report. That is down 1% from 2024. 1.7% of Butler County is public land open to the public, the largest share metro parks, county and city land (3,244 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 landButler CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 300,804 acres (470 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025-26 | 1,466 (647 antlered, 819 antlerless) |
| Archery and gun, 2025-26 | 916 archery, 550 gun |
| Public land | 1.7% (5,168 acres) |
| ODNR hunting areas | 2 (1,085 acres inside Butler County) |
| Towns in and near it | Middletown, Hamilton, Fairfield, College Corner, Springdale and Forest Park |
How many deer are harvested in Butler County?
Hunters checked 1,466 deer in Butler County in 2025-26: 647 antlered and 819 antlerless. Archers took 916 and gun hunters 550.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered | Antlerless | Archery | Gun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 1,466 | 647 | 819 | 916 | 550 |
| 2024-25 | 1,478 | 682 | 796 | 926 | 552 |
| 2023-24 | 1,254 | 587 | 667 | 802 | |
| 2021-22 | 1,627 |
Source: the Division of Wildlife's 2025-26, 2024-25 and 2023-24 final deer harvest reports and Publication 5304 (2021-22), Butler County. 2022-23 is not shown. For 2021-22 Publication 5304 gives 744 bucks, 737 does and 146 button bucks; the final reports of later seasons count bucks with shed or very short antlers as antlerless.
How much public land is in Butler County?
5,168 of Butler County's 300,804 acres are public land open to the public (1.7%). The biggest share is metro parks, county and city land: 3,244 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Butler County |
|---|---|---|
| Metro parks, county and city land | 3,244 | 1.1% |
| Land on ODNR's hunting map | 1,085 | 0.4% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 510 | 0.2% |
| Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes | 218 | 0.1% |
| Other state land | 111 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 5,168 | 1.7% |
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 Butler County
ODNR areas open to hunting in Butler County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Hueston Woods State Park: 893 acres
- Pater Wildlife Area: 192 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Fernald Preserve (218 acres).
How do you get to Butler County?
Highways through it: OH 4 (about 39 miles inside), OH 129 (about 36 miles inside), OH 73 (about 29 miles inside), I-75 (about 23 miles inside) and US 27 (about 23 miles inside). Towns inside: Middletown, Hamilton, Fairfield, Monroe, Oxford and Trenton. Nearby: College Corner (on the line), Springdale (on the line), Forest Park (on the line) and Sharonville (on the line).
Which counties border Butler County?
Butler County touches 4 other counties. Their latest ODNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preble County | 1,354 | 2025 | 2.1% |
| Warren County | 1,377 | 2025 | 6% |
| Hamilton County | 1,058 | 2025 | 11.1% |
| Montgomery County | 980 | 2025 | 6.5% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Butler County in 2025-26?
1,466: 647 antlered and 819 antlerless (Division of Wildlife). In 2024-25: 1,478.
Is there public hunting land in Butler County?
5,168 acres, 1.7% of the county, are public land open to the public by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and ODNR's land boundaries, the largest share metro parks, county and city land (3,244 acres). ODNR's layer shows 2 areas open to hunting here.
How many deer do archers take in Butler County?
916 of the 1,466 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 Preble County Warren County Hamilton County Montgomery County