Marion County, Ohio: deer harvest and public hunting land
Marion County covers 404 square miles around Marion. Hunters checked 1,384 deer here in the 2025-26 season, 455 of them by archers, by the Division of Wildlife's final report. That is up 7% from 2024, and the most in the 4 years shown. 4.2% of Marion County is public land open to the public, the largest share land on ODNR's hunting map (9,150 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 landMarion CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 258,680 acres (404 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025-26 | 1,384 (579 antlered, 805 antlerless) |
| Archery and gun, 2025-26 | 455 archery, 929 gun |
| Public land | 4.2% (10,805 acres) |
| ODNR hunting areas | 3 (9,150 acres inside Marion County) |
| Towns in and near it | Marion, Morral, Prospect, Marseilles, Harpster and Richwood |
How many deer are harvested in Marion County?
Hunters checked 1,384 deer in Marion County in 2025-26: 579 antlered and 805 antlerless. Archers took 455 and gun hunters 929.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered | Antlerless | Archery | Gun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 1,384 | 579 | 805 | 455 | 929 |
| 2024-25 | 1,289 | 590 | 699 | 419 | 870 |
| 2023-24 | 1,060 | 504 | 556 | 393 | |
| 2021-22 | 986 |
Source: the Division of Wildlife's 2025-26, 2024-25 and 2023-24 final deer harvest reports and Publication 5304 (2021-22), Marion County. 2022-23 is not shown. For 2021-22 Publication 5304 gives 486 bucks, 428 does and 72 button bucks; the final reports of later seasons count bucks with shed or very short antlers as antlerless.
How much public land is in Marion County?
10,805 of Marion County's 258,680 acres are public land open to the public (4.2%). The biggest share is land on ODNR's hunting map: 9,150 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Marion County |
|---|---|---|
| Land on ODNR's hunting map | 9,150 | 3.5% |
| Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes | 680 | 0.3% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 557 | 0.2% |
| Metro parks, county and city land | 418 | 0.2% |
| All public land open to the public | 10,805 | 4.2% |
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 Marion County
ODNR areas open to hunting in Marion County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Big Island Wildlife Area: 7,185 acres
- Delaware Wildlife Area: 1,428 acres
- Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area: 537 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Delaware Recreation Area (1,766 acres).
How do you get to Marion County?
Highways through it: US 23 (about 40 miles inside), OH 309 (about 31 miles inside), OH 95 (about 25 miles inside), OH 4 (about 22 miles inside) and OH 423 (about 19 miles inside). Towns inside: Marion, Morral, Prospect, Waldo, La Rue and New Bloomington. Nearby: Marseilles (on the line), Harpster (3 miles), Richwood (3 miles) and Cardington (3 miles).
Which counties border Marion County?
Marion County touches 6 other counties. Their latest ODNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union County | 1,401 | 2025 | 1.1% |
| Hardin County | 2,053 | 2025 | 0.4% |
| Morrow County | 2,767 | 2025 | 0.5% |
| Wyandot County | 2,405 | 2025 | 3.9% |
| Crawford County | 1,881 | 2025 | 0.4% |
| Delaware County | 1,877 | 2025 | 7.6% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Marion County in 2025-26?
1,384: 579 antlered and 805 antlerless (Division of Wildlife). In 2024-25: 1,289.
Is there public hunting land in Marion County?
10,805 acres, 4.2% 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 on ODNR's hunting map (9,150 acres). ODNR's layer shows 3 areas open to hunting here.
How many deer do archers take in Marion County?
455 of the 1,384 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 Union County Hardin County Morrow County Wyandot County Crawford County Delaware County