Delaware County, Ohio: deer harvest and public hunting land
Delaware County covers 457 square miles around Delaware. Hunters checked 1,877 deer here in the 2025-26 season, 1,134 of them by archers, by the Division of Wildlife's final report. That is up 3% from 2024, and the most in the 4 years shown. 7.6% of Delaware County is public land open to the public, the largest share land on ODNR's hunting map (14,249 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 lakesMetro parks, county and city landLand trusts and other open landDelaware CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 292,680 acres (457 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025-26 | 1,877 (903 antlered, 974 antlerless) |
| Archery and gun, 2025-26 | 1,134 archery, 743 gun |
| Public land | 7.6% (22,329 acres) |
| ODNR hunting areas | 3 (14,248 acres inside Delaware County) |
| Towns in and near it | Delaware, Powell, Sunbury, Westerville, Magnetic Springs and Prospect |
How many deer are harvested in Delaware County?
Hunters checked 1,877 deer in Delaware County in 2025-26: 903 antlered and 974 antlerless. Archers took 1,134 and gun hunters 743.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered | Antlerless | Archery | Gun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 1,877 | 903 | 974 | 1,134 | 743 |
| 2024-25 | 1,818 | 885 | 933 | 1,112 | 706 |
| 2023-24 | 1,712 | 879 | 833 | 1,082 | |
| 2021-22 | 1,631 |
Source: the Division of Wildlife's 2025-26, 2024-25 and 2023-24 final deer harvest reports and Publication 5304 (2021-22), Delaware County. 2022-23 is not shown. For 2021-22 Publication 5304 gives 797 bucks, 680 does and 154 button bucks; the final reports of later seasons count bucks with shed or very short antlers as antlerless.
How much public land is in Delaware County?
22,329 of Delaware County's 292,680 acres are public land open to the public (7.6%). The biggest share is land on ODNR's hunting map: 14,249 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Delaware County |
|---|---|---|
| Land on ODNR's hunting map | 14,249 | 4.9% |
| Metro parks, county and city land | 4,631 | 1.6% |
| Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes | 1,659 | 0.6% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 1,595 | 0.5% |
| National forest | 181 | 0.1% |
| Other state land | 14 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 22,329 | 7.6% |
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 Delaware County
ODNR areas open to hunting in Delaware County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Alum Creek State Park: 8,352 acres
- Delaware Wildlife Area: 3,893 acres
- Delaware State Park: 2,003 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Alum Creek Recreation Area (9,161 acres), Delaware Recreation Area (6,606 acres) and Forest I&D OH. Lab. Experimental Area (181 acres).
How do you get to Delaware County?
Highways through it: OH 37 (about 36 miles inside), I-71 (about 35 miles inside), OH 257 (about 23 miles inside), OH 3 (about 16 miles inside) and US 23 (about 14 miles inside). Towns inside: Delaware, Powell, Sunbury, Galena, Ostrander and Ashley. Nearby: Westerville (on the line), Magnetic Springs (on the line), Prospect (on the line) and Waldo (2 miles).
Which counties border Delaware County?
Delaware County touches 6 other counties. Their latest ODNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knox County | 6,704 | 2025 | 1.3% |
| Union County | 1,401 | 2025 | 1.1% |
| Marion County | 1,384 | 2025 | 4.2% |
| Morrow County | 2,767 | 2025 | 0.5% |
| Licking County | 5,770 | 2025 | 2% |
| Franklin County | 709 | 2025 | 9% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Delaware County in 2025-26?
1,877: 903 antlered and 974 antlerless (Division of Wildlife). In 2024-25: 1,818.
Is there public hunting land in Delaware County?
22,329 acres, 7.6% 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 (14,249 acres). ODNR's layer shows 3 areas open to hunting here.
How many deer do archers take in Delaware County?
1,134 of the 1,877 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 Knox County Union County Marion County Morrow County Licking County Franklin County