Hocking County, Ohio: deer harvest and public hunting land
Hocking County covers 424 square miles around Logan. Hunters checked 2,643 deer here in the 2025-26 season, 1,033 of them by archers, by the Division of Wildlife's final report. That is down 10% from 2024. 17.5% of Hocking County is public land open to the public, the largest share national forest (25,942 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 mapNational forestOther state landMetro parks, county and city landLand trusts and other open landHocking CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 271,136 acres (424 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025-26 | 2,643 (1,236 antlered, 1,407 antlerless) |
| Archery and gun, 2025-26 | 1,033 archery, 1,610 gun |
| Public land | 17.5% (47,387 acres) |
| ODNR hunting areas | 7 (19,723 acres inside Hocking County) |
| Towns in and near it | Logan, Murray City, Laurelville, Buchtel, Adelphi and Nelsonville |
How many deer are harvested in Hocking County?
Hunters checked 2,643 deer in Hocking County in 2025-26: 1,236 antlered and 1,407 antlerless. Archers took 1,033 and gun hunters 1,610.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered | Antlerless | Archery | Gun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 2,643 | 1,236 | 1,407 | 1,033 | 1,610 |
| 2024-25 | 2,929 | 1,399 | 1,530 | 1,204 | 1,725 |
| 2023-24 | 2,573 | 1,162 | 1,411 | 1,131 | |
| 2021-22 | 2,918 |
Source: the Division of Wildlife's 2025-26, 2024-25 and 2023-24 final deer harvest reports and Publication 5304 (2021-22), Hocking County. 2022-23 is not shown. For 2021-22 Publication 5304 gives 1,466 bucks, 1,251 does and 201 button bucks; the final reports of later seasons count bucks with shed or very short antlers as antlerless.
How much public land is in Hocking County?
47,387 of Hocking County's 271,136 acres are public land open to the public (17.5%). The biggest share is national forest: 25,942 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Hocking County |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 25,942 | 9.6% |
| Land on ODNR's hunting map | 19,722 | 7.3% |
| Other state land | 1,300 | 0.5% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 283 | 0.1% |
| Metro parks, county and city land | 140 | 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 47,387 | 17.5% |
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 Hocking County
ODNR areas open to hunting in Hocking County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Hocking State Forest: 9,363 acres
- Wallace H. O'Dowd Wildlife Area: 5,731 acres
- Hocking Hills State Park: 2,499 acres
- Tar Hollow State Forest: 1,180 acres
- Lake Logan State Park: 717 acres
- Tar Hollow State Park: 211 acres
- Zaleski State Forest: 22 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Wayne National Forest (25,987 acres).
How do you get to Hocking County?
Highways through it: US 33 (about 40 miles inside), OH 374 (about 25 miles inside), OH 664 (about 25 miles inside), OH 93 (about 23 miles inside) and OH 56 (about 21 miles inside). Towns inside: Logan, Murray City, Laurelville, Hide-A-Way Hills, Haydenville and Carbon Hill. Nearby: Buchtel (on the line), Adelphi (on the line), Nelsonville (on the line) and New Straitsville (on the line).
Which counties border Hocking County?
Hocking 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% |
| Perry County | 2,989 | 2025 | 11.7% |
| Athens County | 917 | 2025 | 11.9% |
| Vinton County | 1,931 | 2025 | 18.9% |
| Pickaway County | 1,153 | 2025 | 3.3% |
| Fairfield County | 2,351 | 2025 | 1.9% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Hocking County in 2025-26?
2,643: 1,236 antlered and 1,407 antlerless (Division of Wildlife). In 2024-25: 2,929.
Is there public hunting land in Hocking County?
47,387 acres, 17.5% of the county, are public land open to the public by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and ODNR's land boundaries, the largest share national forest (25,942 acres). ODNR's layer shows 7 areas open to hunting here.
How many deer do archers take in Hocking County?
1,033 of the 2,643 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 Perry County Athens County Vinton County Pickaway County Fairfield County