Knox County, Ohio: deer harvest and public hunting land
Knox County covers 530 square miles around Mount Vernon. Hunters checked 6,704 deer here in the 2025-26 season, 2,993 of them by archers, by the Division of Wildlife's final report. That is about the same as 2024. 1.3% of Knox County is public land open to the public, the largest share land on ODNR's hunting map (2,555 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 landKnox CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 338,943 acres (530 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025-26 | 6,704 (2,539 antlered, 4,165 antlerless) |
| Archery and gun, 2025-26 | 2,993 archery, 3,711 gun |
| Public land | 1.3% (4,307 acres) |
| ODNR hunting areas | 4 (2,555 acres inside Knox County) |
| Towns in and near it | Mount Vernon, Fredericktown, Centerburg, Utica, Chesterville and Hartford (Croton) |
How many deer are harvested in Knox County?
Hunters checked 6,704 deer in Knox County in 2025-26: 2,539 antlered and 4,165 antlerless. Archers took 2,993 and gun hunters 3,711.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered | Antlerless | Archery | Gun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 6,704 | 2,539 | 4,165 | 2,993 | 3,711 |
| 2024-25 | 6,730 | 2,366 | 4,364 | 2,997 | 3,733 |
| 2023-24 | 5,625 | 2,161 | 3,464 | 2,684 | |
| 2021-22 | 5,290 |
Source: the Division of Wildlife's 2025-26, 2024-25 and 2023-24 final deer harvest reports and Publication 5304 (2021-22), Knox County. 2022-23 is not shown. For 2021-22 Publication 5304 gives 2,083 bucks, 2,714 does and 493 button bucks; the final reports of later seasons count bucks with shed or very short antlers as antlerless.
How much public land is in Knox County?
4,307 of Knox County's 338,943 acres are public land open to the public (1.3%). The biggest share is land on ODNR's hunting map: 2,555 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Knox County |
|---|---|---|
| Land on ODNR's hunting map | 2,555 | 0.8% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 1,077 | 0.3% |
| Metro parks, county and city land | 645 | 0.2% |
| Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes | 23 | under 0.1% |
| Other state land | 7 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 4,307 | 1.3% |
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 Knox County
ODNR areas open to hunting in Knox County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Kokosing Lake Wildlife Area: 1,210 acres
- Knox Lake Wildlife Area: 764 acres
- Mohawk Lake Hunt Area: 338 acres
- Mohican River Wildlife Area: 243 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: North Branch Kokosing Rv Recreation Area (195 acres).
How do you get to Knox County?
Highways through it: US 36 (about 36 miles inside), OH 3 (about 35 miles inside), OH 13 (about 29 miles inside), OH 229 (about 25 miles inside) and US 62 (about 23 miles inside). Towns inside: Mount Vernon, Fredericktown, Centerburg, Gambier, Danville and Gann (Brinkhaven). Nearby: Utica (on the line), Chesterville (2 miles), Hartford (Croton) (2 miles) and Butler (3 miles).
Which counties border Knox County?
Knox County touches 7 other counties. Their latest ODNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holmes County | 5,717 | 2025 | 0.6% |
| Morrow County | 2,767 | 2025 | 0.5% |
| Ashland County | 5,108 | 2025 | 3.8% |
| Licking County | 5,770 | 2025 | 2% |
| Delaware County | 1,877 | 2025 | 7.6% |
| Richland County | 5,151 | 2025 | 1.4% |
| Coshocton County | 8,527 | 2025 | 11.5% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Knox County in 2025-26?
6,704: 2,539 antlered and 4,165 antlerless (Division of Wildlife). In 2024-25: 6,730.
Is there public hunting land in Knox County?
4,307 acres, 1.3% 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 (2,555 acres). ODNR's layer shows 4 areas open to hunting here.
How many deer do archers take in Knox County?
2,993 of the 6,704 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 Holmes County Morrow County Ashland County Licking County Delaware County Richland County Coshocton County