Hamilton County, Ohio: deer harvest and public hunting land
Hamilton County covers 413 square miles around Cincinnati. Hunters checked 1,058 deer here in the 2025-26 season, 873 of them by archers, by the Division of Wildlife's final report. That is down 14% from 2024, and the fewest in the 4 years shown. 11.1% of Hamilton County is public land open to the public, the largest share metro parks, county and city land (22,939 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 landHamilton CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 264,093 acres (413 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025-26 | 1,058 (435 antlered, 623 antlerless) |
| Archery and gun, 2025-26 | 873 archery, 185 gun |
| Public land | 11.1% (29,342 acres) |
| ODNR hunting areas | 1 (19 acres inside Hamilton County) |
| Towns in and near it | Cincinnati, The Village of Indian Hill, Sharonville, Milford, Fairfield and New Richmond |
How many deer are harvested in Hamilton County?
Hunters checked 1,058 deer in Hamilton County in 2025-26: 435 antlered and 623 antlerless. Archers took 873 and gun hunters 185.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered | Antlerless | Archery | Gun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 1,058 | 435 | 623 | 873 | 185 |
| 2024-25 | 1,229 | 507 | 722 | 1,033 | 196 |
| 2023-24 | 1,168 | 464 | 704 | 1,004 | |
| 2021-22 | 1,419 |
Source: the Division of Wildlife's 2025-26, 2024-25 and 2023-24 final deer harvest reports and Publication 5304 (2021-22), Hamilton County. 2022-23 is not shown. For 2021-22 Publication 5304 gives 567 bucks, 703 does and 149 button bucks; the final reports of later seasons count bucks with shed or very short antlers as antlerless.
How much public land is in Hamilton County?
29,342 of Hamilton County's 264,093 acres are public land open to the public (11.1%). The biggest share is metro parks, county and city land: 22,939 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Hamilton County |
|---|---|---|
| Metro parks, county and city land | 22,939 | 8.7% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 5,065 | 1.9% |
| Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes | 826 | 0.3% |
| Other state land | 491 | 0.2% |
| Land on ODNR's hunting map | 19 | under 0.1% |
| National park land | 2 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 29,342 | 11.1% |
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 Hamilton County
ODNR areas open to hunting in Hamilton County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Great Miami River Wildlife Area: 19 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Fernald Preserve (826 acres).
How do you get to Hamilton County?
Highways through it: I-275 (about 84 miles inside), US 52 (about 66 miles inside), OH 126 (about 58 miles inside), I-71 (about 40 miles inside) and US 50 (about 39 miles inside). Towns inside: Cincinnati, The Village of Indian Hill, Sharonville, Blue Ash, Forest Park and Harrison. Nearby: Milford (on the line), Fairfield (2 miles), New Richmond (4 miles) and Maineville (5 miles).
Which counties border Hamilton County?
Hamilton County touches 3 other counties. Their latest ODNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butler County | 1,466 | 2025 | 1.7% |
| Warren County | 1,377 | 2025 | 6% |
| Clermont County | 2,759 | 2025 | 6.2% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Hamilton County in 2025-26?
1,058: 435 antlered and 623 antlerless (Division of Wildlife). In 2024-25: 1,229.
Is there public hunting land in Hamilton County?
29,342 acres, 11.1% 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 (22,939 acres). ODNR's layer shows 1 area open to hunting here.
How many deer do archers take in Hamilton County?
873 of the 1,058 deer checked in 2025-26 were taken with a crossbow or longbow (Division of Wildlife).
Get a Ohio hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Ohio are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Ohio included.
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.