Licking County, Ohio: deer harvest and public hunting land
Licking County covers 687 square miles around Pataskala. Hunters checked 5,770 deer here in the 2025-26 season, 2,789 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. 2% of Licking County is public land open to the public, the largest share land trusts and other open land (2,536 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 landLicking CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 439,866 acres (687 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025-26 | 5,770 (2,515 antlered, 3,255 antlerless) |
| Archery and gun, 2025-26 | 2,789 archery, 2,981 gun |
| Public land | 2% (8,798 acres) |
| ODNR hunting areas | 3 (1,790 acres inside Licking County) |
| Towns in and near it | Pataskala, Newark, Heath, Reynoldsburg, New Albany and Thornville |
How many deer are harvested in Licking County?
Hunters checked 5,770 deer in Licking County in 2025-26: 2,515 antlered and 3,255 antlerless. Archers took 2,789 and gun hunters 2,981.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered | Antlerless | Archery | Gun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 5,770 | 2,515 | 3,255 | 2,789 | 2,981 |
| 2024-25 | 5,754 | 2,421 | 3,333 | 2,841 | 2,913 |
| 2023-24 | 5,429 | 2,418 | 3,011 | 2,885 | |
| 2021-22 | 5,244 |
Source: the Division of Wildlife's 2025-26, 2024-25 and 2023-24 final deer harvest reports and Publication 5304 (2021-22), Licking County. 2022-23 is not shown. For 2021-22 Publication 5304 gives 2,341 bucks, 2,491 does and 412 button bucks; the final reports of later seasons count bucks with shed or very short antlers as antlerless.
How much public land is in Licking County?
8,798 of Licking County's 439,866 acres are public land open to the public (2%). The biggest share is land trusts and other open land: 2,536 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Licking County |
|---|---|---|
| Land trusts and other open land | 2,536 | 0.6% |
| Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes | 2,341 | 0.5% |
| Metro parks, county and city land | 2,102 | 0.5% |
| Land on ODNR's hunting map | 1,790 | 0.4% |
| Other state land | 29 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 8,798 | 2% |
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 Licking County
ODNR areas open to hunting in Licking County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Buckeye Lake State Park: 809 acres
- Dillon Wildlife Area: 747 acres
- Hebron Fish Hatchery: 234 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Dillon Recreation Area (3,085 acres).
How do you get to Licking County?
Highways through it: I-70 (about 58 miles inside), OH 16 (about 52 miles inside), OH 79 (about 37 miles inside), US 40 (about 35 miles inside) and OH 37 (about 30 miles inside). Towns inside: Pataskala, Newark, Heath, Granville, Johnstown and Hebron. Nearby: Reynoldsburg (on the line), New Albany (on the line), Thornville (2 miles) and Centerburg (2 miles).
Which counties border Licking County?
Licking County touches 7 other counties. Their latest ODNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knox County | 6,704 | 2025 | 1.3% |
| Perry County | 2,989 | 2025 | 11.7% |
| Delaware County | 1,877 | 2025 | 7.6% |
| Franklin County | 709 | 2025 | 9% |
| Coshocton County | 8,527 | 2025 | 11.5% |
| Fairfield County | 2,351 | 2025 | 1.9% |
| Muskingum County | 6,283 | 2025 | 17.1% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Licking County in 2025-26?
5,770: 2,515 antlered and 3,255 antlerless (Division of Wildlife). In 2024-25: 5,754.
Is there public hunting land in Licking County?
8,798 acres, 2% 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 trusts and other open land (2,536 acres). ODNR's layer shows 3 areas open to hunting here.
How many deer do archers take in Licking County?
2,789 of the 5,770 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 Knox County Perry County Delaware County Franklin County Coshocton County Fairfield County Muskingum County