Clinton County, Ohio: deer harvest and public hunting land
Clinton County covers 412 square miles around Wilmington. Hunters checked 1,173 deer here in the 2025-26 season, 523 of them by archers, by the Division of Wildlife's final report. That is up 14% from 2024, and the most in the 4 years shown. 1.6% of Clinton County is public land open to the public, the largest share land on ODNR's hunting map (3,572 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 lakesMetro parks, county and city landLand trusts and other open landClinton CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 263,910 acres (412 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025-26 | 1,173 (526 antlered, 647 antlerless) |
| Archery and gun, 2025-26 | 523 archery, 650 gun |
| Public land | 1.6% (4,197 acres) |
| ODNR hunting areas | 3 (3,571 acres inside Clinton County) |
| Towns in and near it | Wilmington, Blanchester, Sabina, Harveysburg, Lynchburg and Highland |
How many deer are harvested in Clinton County?
Hunters checked 1,173 deer in Clinton County in 2025-26: 526 antlered and 647 antlerless. Archers took 523 and gun hunters 650.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered | Antlerless | Archery | Gun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 1,173 | 526 | 647 | 523 | 650 |
| 2024-25 | 1,027 | 450 | 577 | 469 | 558 |
| 2023-24 | 904 | 462 | 442 | 433 | |
| 2021-22 | 627 |
Source: the Division of Wildlife's 2025-26, 2024-25 and 2023-24 final deer harvest reports and Publication 5304 (2021-22), Clinton County. 2022-23 is not shown. For 2021-22 Publication 5304 gives 353 bucks, 229 does and 45 button bucks; the final reports of later seasons count bucks with shed or very short antlers as antlerless.
How much public land is in Clinton County?
4,197 of Clinton County's 263,910 acres are public land open to the public (1.6%). The biggest share is land on ODNR's hunting map: 3,572 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Clinton County |
|---|---|---|
| Land on ODNR's hunting map | 3,572 | 1.4% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 302 | 0.1% |
| Metro parks, county and city land | 274 | 0.1% |
| Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes | 46 | under 0.1% |
| Other state land | 3 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 4,197 | 1.6% |
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 Clinton County
ODNR areas open to hunting in Clinton County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Cowan Lake State Park: 1,786 acres
- Caesar Creek State Park: 1,076 acres
- Caesar Creek Wildlife Area: 709 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Caesar Creek Recreation Area (1,621 acres).
How do you get to Clinton County?
Highways through it: I-71 (about 30 miles inside), OH 73 (about 25 miles inside), OH 3 (about 25 miles inside), OH 134 (about 22 miles inside) and OH 28 (about 18 miles inside). Towns inside: Wilmington, Blanchester, Sabina, New Vienna, Clarksville and Martinsville. Nearby: Harveysburg (on the line), Lynchburg (on the line), Highland (2 miles) and Bowersville (2 miles).
Which counties border Clinton County?
Clinton County touches 6 other counties. Their latest ODNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brown County | 3,023 | 2025 | 1.5% |
| Greene County | 1,076 | 2025 | 4.1% |
| Warren County | 1,377 | 2025 | 6% |
| Fayette County | 591 | 2025 | 1.4% |
| Clermont County | 2,759 | 2025 | 6.2% |
| Highland County | 3,389 | 2025 | 5% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Clinton County in 2025-26?
1,173: 526 antlered and 647 antlerless (Division of Wildlife). In 2024-25: 1,027.
Is there public hunting land in Clinton County?
4,197 acres, 1.6% 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 (3,572 acres). ODNR's layer shows 3 areas open to hunting here.
How many deer do archers take in Clinton County?
523 of the 1,173 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 Brown County Greene County Warren County Fayette County Clermont County Highland County