Guernsey County, Ohio: deer harvest and public hunting land
Guernsey County covers 528 square miles around Cambridge. Hunters checked 4,804 deer here in the 2025-26 season, 2,012 of them by archers, by the Division of Wildlife's final report. That is down 17% from 2024, and the fewest in the 4 years shown. 7.9% of Guernsey County is public land open to the public, the largest share land on ODNR's hunting map (23,529 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 mapOther state landMetro parks, county and city landLand trusts and other open landGuernsey CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 338,102 acres (528 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025-26 | 4,804 (1,957 antlered, 2,847 antlerless) |
| Archery and gun, 2025-26 | 2,012 archery, 2,792 gun |
| Public land | 7.9% (26,718 acres) |
| ODNR hunting areas | 9 (23,529 acres inside Guernsey County) |
| Towns in and near it | Cambridge, Byesville, Old Washington, New Concord, Batesville and Plainfield |
How many deer are harvested in Guernsey County?
Hunters checked 4,804 deer in Guernsey County in 2025-26: 1,957 antlered and 2,847 antlerless. Archers took 2,012 and gun hunters 2,792.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered | Antlerless | Archery | Gun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 4,804 | 1,957 | 2,847 | 2,012 | 2,792 |
| 2024-25 | 5,762 | 2,192 | 3,570 | 2,461 | 3,301 |
| 2023-24 | 5,220 | 2,072 | 3,148 | 2,485 | |
| 2021-22 | 5,104 |
Source: the Division of Wildlife's 2025-26, 2024-25 and 2023-24 final deer harvest reports and Publication 5304 (2021-22), Guernsey County. 2022-23 is not shown. For 2021-22 Publication 5304 gives 2,298 bucks, 2,366 does and 440 button bucks; the final reports of later seasons count bucks with shed or very short antlers as antlerless.
How much public land is in Guernsey County?
26,718 of Guernsey County's 338,102 acres are public land open to the public (7.9%). The biggest share is land on ODNR's hunting map: 23,529 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Guernsey County |
|---|---|---|
| Land on ODNR's hunting map | 23,529 | 7% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 2,670 | 0.8% |
| Other state land | 445 | 0.1% |
| Metro parks, county and city land | 74 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 26,718 | 7.9% |
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.
ODNR areas open to hunting in Guernsey County
ODNR areas open to hunting in Guernsey County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Salt Fork State Park: 20,717 acres
- Senecaville Lake Hunt Area: 1,476 acres
- Salt Fork Wildlife Area: 364 acres
- Egypt Valley Wildlife Area: 274 acres
- Appalachian Hills Wildlife Area: 222 acres
- Buffalo Fork Wildlife Area: 199 acres
- Piedmont Lake Hunt Area: 132 acres
- Dan & Margaret James Wildlife Area: 75 acres
- Wills Creek Lake Hunt Area: 70 acres
How do you get to Guernsey County?
Highways through it: I-70 (about 57 miles inside), I-77 (about 47 miles inside), OH 313 (about 22 miles inside), OH 265 (about 18 miles inside) and OH 513 (about 15 miles inside). Towns inside: Cambridge, Byesville, Old Washington, Quaker City, Cumberland and Senecaville. Nearby: New Concord (on the line), Batesville (3 miles), Plainfield (3 miles) and Freeport (3 miles).
Which counties border Guernsey County?
Guernsey County touches 6 other counties. Their latest ODNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noble County | 2,260 | 2025 | 12.5% |
| Belmont County | 3,725 | 2025 | 7.8% |
| Harrison County | 4,959 | 2025 | 8.9% |
| Coshocton County | 8,527 | 2025 | 11.5% |
| Muskingum County | 6,283 | 2025 | 17.1% |
| Tuscarawas County | 7,623 | 2025 | 1.1% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Guernsey County in 2025-26?
4,804: 1,957 antlered and 2,847 antlerless (Division of Wildlife). In 2024-25: 5,762.
Is there public hunting land in Guernsey County?
26,718 acres, 7.9% of the county, are public land open to the public by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and ODNR's land boundaries, the largest share land on ODNR's hunting map (23,529 acres). ODNR's layer shows 9 areas open to hunting here.
How many deer do archers take in Guernsey County?
2,012 of the 4,804 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 Noble County Belmont County Harrison County Coshocton County Muskingum County Tuscarawas County