Fayette County, Ohio: deer harvest and public hunting land
Fayette County covers 407 square miles around Washington Court House. Hunters checked 591 deer here in the 2025-26 season, 270 of them by archers, by the Division of Wildlife's final report. That is up 7% from 2024, and the most in the 4 years shown. 1.4% of Fayette County is public land open to the public, the largest share land on ODNR's hunting map (3,092 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 landFayette CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 260,444 acres (407 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025-26 | 591 (281 antlered, 310 antlerless) |
| Archery and gun, 2025-26 | 270 archery, 321 gun |
| Public land | 1.4% (3,557 acres) |
| ODNR hunting areas | 13 (3,095 acres inside Fayette County) |
| Towns in and near it | Washington Court House, Jeffersonville, Bloomingburg, New Holland, Mount Sterling and South Solon |
How many deer are harvested in Fayette County?
Hunters checked 591 deer in Fayette County in 2025-26: 281 antlered and 310 antlerless. Archers took 270 and gun hunters 321.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered | Antlerless | Archery | Gun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 591 | 281 | 310 | 270 | 321 |
| 2024-25 | 551 | 273 | 278 | 239 | 312 |
| 2023-24 | 449 | 260 | 189 | 222 | |
| 2021-22 | 315 |
Source: the Division of Wildlife's 2025-26, 2024-25 and 2023-24 final deer harvest reports and Publication 5304 (2021-22), Fayette County. 2022-23 is not shown. For 2021-22 Publication 5304 gives 207 bucks, 90 does and 18 button bucks; the final reports of later seasons count bucks with shed or very short antlers as antlerless.
How much public land is in Fayette County?
3,557 of Fayette County's 260,444 acres are public land open to the public (1.4%). The biggest share is land on ODNR's hunting map: 3,092 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Fayette County |
|---|---|---|
| Land on ODNR's hunting map | 3,092 | 1.2% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 193 | 0.1% |
| Metro parks, county and city land | 154 | 0.1% |
| Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes | 95 | under 0.1% |
| Other state land | 23 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 3,557 | 1.4% |
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 Fayette County
ODNR areas open to hunting in Fayette County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Deer Creek Wildlife Area: 2,350 acres
- Deer Creek State Park: 239 acres
- Wildlife Production Area 2 Wildlife Area: 89 acres
- Wildlife Production Area 38 Wildlife Area: 62 acres
- Wildlife Production Area 53 Wildlife Area: 55 acres
- Wildlife Production Area 15 Wildlife Area: 53 acres
- Wildlife Production Area 60 Wildlife Area: 50 acres
- Wildlife Production Area 56 Wildlife Area: 40 acres
- Wildlife Production Area 17 Wildlife Area: 39 acres
- Wildlife Production Area 16 Wildlife Area: 33 acres
- Wildlife Production Area 24 Wildlife Area: 33 acres
- Wildlife Production Area 57 Wildlife Area: 30 acres
- Paint Creek Fishing Access: 22 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Deer Creek Recreation Area (2,601 acres).
How do you get to Fayette County?
Highways through it: OH 41 (about 29 miles inside), I-71 (about 29 miles inside), OH 3 (about 22 miles inside), OH 729 (about 15 miles inside) and OH 753 (about 13 miles inside). Towns inside: Washington Court House, Jeffersonville, Bloomingburg, Octa, Milledgeville and Good Hope. Nearby: New Holland (on the line), Mount Sterling (on the line), South Solon (2 miles) and Greenfield (2 miles).
Which counties border Fayette County?
Fayette County touches 6 other counties. Their latest ODNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ross County | 3,402 | 2025 | 7.6% |
| Greene County | 1,076 | 2025 | 4.1% |
| Clinton County | 1,173 | 2025 | 1.6% |
| Madison County | 767 | 2025 | 0.8% |
| Highland County | 3,389 | 2025 | 5% |
| Pickaway County | 1,153 | 2025 | 3.3% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Fayette County in 2025-26?
591: 281 antlered and 310 antlerless (Division of Wildlife). In 2024-25: 551.
Is there public hunting land in Fayette County?
3,557 acres, 1.4% 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 (3,092 acres). ODNR's layer shows 13 areas open to hunting here.
How many deer do archers take in Fayette County?
270 of the 591 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 Ross County Greene County Clinton County Madison County Highland County Pickaway County