Highland County, Ohio: deer harvest and public hunting land
Highland County covers 558 square miles around Hillsboro. Hunters checked 3,389 deer here in the 2025-26 season, 1,452 of them by archers, by the Division of Wildlife's final report. That is about the same as 2024, and the most in the 4 years shown. 5% of Highland County is public land open to the public, the largest share land on ODNR's hunting map (13,659 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 landHighland CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 357,118 acres (558 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025-26 | 3,389 (1,227 antlered, 2,162 antlerless) |
| Archery and gun, 2025-26 | 1,452 archery, 1,937 gun |
| Public land | 5% (17,819 acres) |
| ODNR hunting areas | 6 (13,659 acres inside Highland County) |
| Towns in and near it | Hillsboro, Greenfield, Leesburg, New Vienna, Sardinia and Mount Orab |
How many deer are harvested in Highland County?
Hunters checked 3,389 deer in Highland County in 2025-26: 1,227 antlered and 2,162 antlerless. Archers took 1,452 and gun hunters 1,937.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered | Antlerless | Archery | Gun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 3,389 | 1,227 | 2,162 | 1,452 | 1,937 |
| 2024-25 | 3,381 | 1,320 | 2,061 | 1,512 | 1,869 |
| 2023-24 | 2,883 | 1,207 | 1,676 | 1,298 | |
| 2021-22 | 2,772 |
Source: the Division of Wildlife's 2025-26, 2024-25 and 2023-24 final deer harvest reports and Publication 5304 (2021-22), Highland County. 2022-23 is not shown. For 2021-22 Publication 5304 gives 1,165 bucks, 1,344 does and 263 button bucks; the final reports of later seasons count bucks with shed or very short antlers as antlerless.
How much public land is in Highland County?
17,819 of Highland County's 357,118 acres are public land open to the public (5%). The biggest share is land on ODNR's hunting map: 13,659 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Highland County |
|---|---|---|
| Land on ODNR's hunting map | 13,659 | 3.8% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 2,351 | 0.7% |
| Metro parks, county and city land | 1,316 | 0.4% |
| Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes | 476 | 0.1% |
| Other state land | 17 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 17,819 | 5% |
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 Highland County
ODNR areas open to hunting in Highland County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Paint Creek Lake Wildlife Area: 4,809 acres
- Rocky Fork State Park: 3,469 acres
- Paint Creek State Park: 2,793 acres
- Fallsville Wildlife Area: 1,786 acres
- Pike State Forest: 662 acres
- Oldaker Wildlife Area: 140 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Paint Creek Recreation Area (7,609 acres).
How do you get to Highland County?
Highways through it: OH 138 (about 34 miles inside), US 50 (about 31 miles inside), US 62 (about 28 miles inside), OH 124 (about 27 miles inside) and OH 73 (about 24 miles inside). Towns inside: Hillsboro, Greenfield, Leesburg, Lynchburg, Mowrystown and Sinking Spring. Nearby: New Vienna (on the line), Sardinia (on the line), Mount Orab (3 miles) and Fayetteville (3 miles).
Which counties border Highland County?
Highland County touches 6 other counties. Their latest ODNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pike County | 2,156 | 2025 | 5.2% |
| Ross County | 3,402 | 2025 | 7.6% |
| Adams County | 3,895 | 2025 | 6.5% |
| Brown County | 3,023 | 2025 | 1.5% |
| Clinton County | 1,173 | 2025 | 1.6% |
| Fayette County | 591 | 2025 | 1.4% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Highland County in 2025-26?
3,389: 1,227 antlered and 2,162 antlerless (Division of Wildlife). In 2024-25: 3,381.
Is there public hunting land in Highland County?
17,819 acres, 5% 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 (13,659 acres). ODNR's layer shows 6 areas open to hunting here.
How many deer do archers take in Highland County?
1,452 of the 3,389 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.
Ohio hunting Pike County Ross County Adams County Brown County Clinton County Fayette County