Franklin County, Ohio: deer harvest and public hunting land
Franklin County covers 544 square miles around Columbus. Hunters checked 709 deer here in the 2025-26 season, 480 of them by archers, by the Division of Wildlife's final report. That is up 11% from 2024. 9% of Franklin County is public land open to the public, the largest share metro parks, county and city land (26,235 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 landFranklin CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 347,921 acres (544 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025-26 | 709 (325 antlered, 384 antlerless) |
| Archery and gun, 2025-26 | 480 archery, 229 gun |
| Public land | 9% (31,275 acres) |
| ODNR hunting areas | None mapped |
| Towns in and near it | Columbus, Dublin, New Albany, Lithopolis, Commercial Point and Shawnee Hills |
How many deer are harvested in Franklin County?
Hunters checked 709 deer in Franklin County in 2025-26: 325 antlered and 384 antlerless. Archers took 480 and gun hunters 229.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered | Antlerless | Archery | Gun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 709 | 325 | 384 | 480 | 229 |
| 2024-25 | 638 | 257 | 381 | 413 | 225 |
| 2023-24 | 794 | 355 | 439 | 534 | |
| 2021-22 | 813 |
Source: the Division of Wildlife's 2025-26, 2024-25 and 2023-24 final deer harvest reports and Publication 5304 (2021-22), Franklin County. 2022-23 is not shown. For 2021-22 Publication 5304 gives 409 bucks, 337 does and 67 button bucks; the final reports of later seasons count bucks with shed or very short antlers as antlerless.
How much public land is in Franklin County?
31,275 of Franklin County's 347,921 acres are public land open to the public (9%). The biggest share is metro parks, county and city land: 26,235 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Franklin County |
|---|---|---|
| Metro parks, county and city land | 26,235 | 7.5% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 4,916 | 1.4% |
| Other state land | 124 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 31,275 | 9% |
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 Franklin County?
Highways through it: I-270 (about 110 miles inside), I-71 (about 60 miles inside), I-70 (about 50 miles inside), US 33 (about 47 miles inside) and US 62 (about 38 miles inside). Towns inside: Columbus, Dublin, New Albany, Grove City, Hilliard and Westerville. Nearby: Lithopolis (on the line), Commercial Point (on the line), Shawnee Hills (on the line) and Pickerington (2 miles).
Which counties border Franklin County?
Franklin County touches 6 other counties. Their latest ODNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union County | 1,401 | 2025 | 1.1% |
| Licking County | 5,770 | 2025 | 2% |
| Madison County | 767 | 2025 | 0.8% |
| Delaware County | 1,877 | 2025 | 7.6% |
| Pickaway County | 1,153 | 2025 | 3.3% |
| Fairfield County | 2,351 | 2025 | 1.9% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Franklin County in 2025-26?
709: 325 antlered and 384 antlerless (Division of Wildlife). In 2024-25: 638.
Is there public hunting land in Franklin County?
31,275 acres, 9% 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 (26,235 acres).
How many deer do archers take in Franklin County?
480 of the 709 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 Union County Licking County Madison County Delaware County Pickaway County Fairfield County