Jefferson County, Ohio: deer harvest and public hunting land
Jefferson County covers 411 square miles around Steubenville. Hunters checked 3,691 deer here in the 2025-26 season, 1,507 of them by archers, by the Division of Wildlife's final report. That is up 2% from 2024, and the most in the 4 years shown. 4.1% of Jefferson County is public land open to the public, the largest share land on ODNR's hunting map (8,172 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 mapMetro parks, county and city landLand trusts and other open landJefferson CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 262,957 acres (411 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025-26 | 3,691 (1,837 antlered, 1,854 antlerless) |
| Archery and gun, 2025-26 | 1,507 archery, 2,184 gun |
| Public land | 4.1% (10,884 acres) |
| ODNR hunting areas | 3 (8,172 acres inside Jefferson County) |
| Towns in and near it | Steubenville, Wintersville, Mingo Junction, Harrisville, Yorkville and Hopedale |
How many deer are harvested in Jefferson County?
Hunters checked 3,691 deer in Jefferson County in 2025-26: 1,837 antlered and 1,854 antlerless. Archers took 1,507 and gun hunters 2,184.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered | Antlerless | Archery | Gun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 3,691 | 1,837 | 1,854 | 1,507 | 2,184 |
| 2024-25 | 3,601 | 1,757 | 1,844 | 1,506 | 2,095 |
| 2023-24 | 3,065 | 1,560 | 1,505 | 1,352 | |
| 2021-22 | 2,352 |
Source: the Division of Wildlife's 2025-26, 2024-25 and 2023-24 final deer harvest reports and Publication 5304 (2021-22), Jefferson County. 2022-23 is not shown. For 2021-22 Publication 5304 gives 1,352 bucks, 851 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 Jefferson County?
10,884 of Jefferson County's 262,957 acres are public land open to the public (4.1%). The biggest share is land on ODNR's hunting map: 8,172 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Jefferson County |
|---|---|---|
| Land on ODNR's hunting map | 8,172 | 3.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 2,548 | 1% |
| Metro parks, county and city land | 153 | 0.1% |
| Other state land | 11 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 10,884 | 4.1% |
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 Jefferson County
ODNR areas open to hunting in Jefferson County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Brush Creek Wildlife Area: 4,187 acres
- Fernwood State Forest: 3,025 acres
- Jefferson Lake State Park: 960 acres
How do you get to Jefferson County?
Highways through it: OH 7 (about 69 miles inside), US 22 (about 33 miles inside), OH 152 (about 26 miles inside), OH 43 (about 22 miles inside) and OH 213 (about 19 miles inside). Towns inside: Steubenville, Wintersville, Mingo Junction, Toronto, Irondale and Bergholz. Nearby: Harrisville (on the line), Yorkville (on the line), Hopedale (on the line) and Salineville (2 miles).
Which counties border Jefferson County?
Jefferson County touches 4 other counties. Their latest ODNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belmont County | 3,725 | 2025 | 7.8% |
| Carroll County | 6,077 | 2025 | 3.2% |
| Harrison County | 4,959 | 2025 | 8.9% |
| Columbiana County | 5,245 | 2025 | 2.8% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Jefferson County in 2025-26?
3,691: 1,837 antlered and 1,854 antlerless (Division of Wildlife). In 2024-25: 3,601.
Is there public hunting land in Jefferson County?
10,884 acres, 4.1% of the county, are public land open to the public by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and ODNR's land boundaries, the largest share land on ODNR's hunting map (8,172 acres). ODNR's layer shows 3 areas open to hunting here.
How many deer do archers take in Jefferson County?
1,507 of the 3,691 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 Belmont County Carroll County Harrison County Columbiana County