Lawrence County, Ohio: deer harvest and public hunting land
Lawrence County covers 457 square miles around Ironton. Hunters checked 1,682 deer here in the 2025-26 season, 663 of them by archers, by the Division of Wildlife's final report. That is down 14% from 2024. 28.3% of Lawrence County is public land open to the public, the largest share national forest (75,178 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 landLawrence CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 292,732 acres (457 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025-26 | 1,682 (861 antlered, 821 antlerless) |
| Archery and gun, 2025-26 | 663 archery, 1,019 gun |
| Public land | 28.3% (82,740 acres) |
| ODNR hunting areas | 3 (7,117 acres inside Lawrence County) |
| Towns in and near it | Ironton, South Point, Coal Grove, Crown City, Oak Hill and South Webster |
How many deer are harvested in Lawrence County?
Hunters checked 1,682 deer in Lawrence County in 2025-26: 861 antlered and 821 antlerless. Archers took 663 and gun hunters 1,019.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered | Antlerless | Archery | Gun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 1,682 | 861 | 821 | 663 | 1,019 |
| 2024-25 | 1,955 | 1,141 | 814 | 809 | 1,146 |
| 2023-24 | 1,738 | 987 | 751 | 791 | |
| 2021-22 | 1,613 |
Source: the Division of Wildlife's 2025-26, 2024-25 and 2023-24 final deer harvest reports and Publication 5304 (2021-22), Lawrence County. 2022-23 is not shown. For 2021-22 Publication 5304 gives 954 bucks, 557 does and 102 button bucks; the final reports of later seasons count bucks with shed or very short antlers as antlerless.
How much public land is in Lawrence County?
82,740 of Lawrence County's 292,732 acres are public land open to the public (28.3%). The biggest share is national forest: 75,178 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Lawrence County |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 75,178 | 25.7% |
| Land on ODNR's hunting map | 7,117 | 2.4% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 237 | 0.1% |
| Other state land | 162 | 0.1% |
| Metro parks, county and city land | 46 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 82,740 | 28.3% |
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 Lawrence County
ODNR areas open to hunting in Lawrence County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Crown City Wildlife Area: 4,194 acres
- Dean State Forest: 2,801 acres
- Symmes Township Wildlife Area: 122 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Wayne National Forest (75,184 acres).
How do you get to Lawrence County?
Highways through it: US 52 (about 45 miles inside), OH 93 (about 27 miles inside), OH 775 (about 24 miles inside), OH 141 (about 23 miles inside) and OH 7 (about 22 miles inside). Towns inside: Ironton, South Point, Coal Grove, Athalia, Hanging Rock and Chesapeake. Nearby: Crown City (on the line), Oak Hill (4 miles), South Webster (4 miles) and Centerville (Thurman) (8 miles).
Which counties border Lawrence County?
Lawrence County touches 3 other counties. Their latest ODNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gallia County | 2,956 | 2025 | 11.8% |
| Scioto County | 2,576 | 2025 | 18.8% |
| Jackson County | 2,643 | 2025 | 6.5% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Lawrence County in 2025-26?
1,682: 861 antlered and 821 antlerless (Division of Wildlife). In 2024-25: 1,955.
Is there public hunting land in Lawrence County?
82,740 acres, 28.3% of the county, are public land open to the public by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and ODNR's land boundaries, the largest share national forest (75,178 acres). ODNR's layer shows 3 areas open to hunting here.
How many deer do archers take in Lawrence County?
663 of the 1,682 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.