Cuyahoga County, Ohio: deer harvest and public hunting land
Cuyahoga County covers 459 square miles around Cleveland. Hunters checked 822 deer here in the 2025-26 season, 764 of them by archers, by the Division of Wildlife's final report. That is up 2% from 2024. 9.6% of Cuyahoga County is public land open to the public, the largest share metro parks, county and city land (20,881 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.
National park landOther state landMetro parks, county and city landLand trusts and other open landCuyahoga CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 293,638 acres (459 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025-26 | 822 (339 antlered, 483 antlerless) |
| Archery and gun, 2025-26 | 764 archery, 58 gun |
| Public land | 9.6% (28,123 acres) |
| ODNR hunting areas | None mapped |
| Towns in and near it | Cleveland, Strongsville, North Royalton, Northfield, Willoughby Hills and Wickliffe |
How many deer are harvested in Cuyahoga County?
Hunters checked 822 deer in Cuyahoga County in 2025-26: 339 antlered and 483 antlerless. Archers took 764 and gun hunters 58.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered | Antlerless | Archery | Gun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 822 | 339 | 483 | 764 | 58 |
| 2024-25 | 806 | 312 | 494 | 769 | 37 |
| 2023-24 | 912 | 357 | 555 | 875 | |
| 2021-22 | 889 |
Source: the Division of Wildlife's 2025-26, 2024-25 and 2023-24 final deer harvest reports and Publication 5304 (2021-22), Cuyahoga County. 2022-23 is not shown. For 2021-22 Publication 5304 gives 345 bucks, 451 does and 93 button bucks; the final reports of later seasons count bucks with shed or very short antlers as antlerless.
How much public land is in Cuyahoga County?
28,123 of Cuyahoga County's 293,638 acres are public land open to the public (9.6%). The biggest share is metro parks, county and city land: 20,881 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Cuyahoga County |
|---|---|---|
| Metro parks, county and city land | 20,881 | 7.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 4,382 | 1.5% |
| National park land | 2,711 | 0.9% |
| Other state land | 149 | 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 28,123 | 9.6% |
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.
How do you get to Cuyahoga County?
Highways through it: I-480 (about 60 miles inside), I-90 (about 60 miles inside), OH 2 (about 52 miles inside), I-71 (about 39 miles inside) and US 20 (about 38 miles inside). Towns inside: Cleveland, Strongsville, North Royalton, Solon, Parma and Brecksville. Nearby: Northfield (on the line), Willoughby Hills (on the line), Wickliffe (on the line) and Willowick (on the line).
Which counties border Cuyahoga County?
Cuyahoga County touches 6 other counties. Their latest ODNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake County | 1,245 | 2025 | 8.5% |
| Geauga County | 3,215 | 2025 | 10.1% |
| Lorain County | 2,799 | 2025 | 5.1% |
| Medina County | 3,133 | 2025 | 4.3% |
| Summit County | 1,922 | 2025 | 14.3% |
| Portage County | 3,498 | 2025 | 8% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Cuyahoga County in 2025-26?
822: 339 antlered and 483 antlerless (Division of Wildlife). In 2024-25: 806.
Is there public hunting land in Cuyahoga County?
28,123 acres, 9.6% of the county, are public land open to the public by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and ODNR's land boundaries, the largest share metro parks, county and city land (20,881 acres).
How many deer do archers take in Cuyahoga County?
764 of the 822 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 Lake County Geauga County Lorain County Medina County Summit County Portage County