Montgomery County, Ohio: deer harvest and public hunting land
Montgomery County covers 464 square miles around Dayton. Hunters checked 980 deer here in the 2025-26 season, 641 of them by archers, by the Division of Wildlife's final report. That is up 11% from 2024, and the most in the 4 years shown. 6.5% of Montgomery County is public land open to the public, the largest share metro parks, county and city land (13,289 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 landMontgomery CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 297,114 acres (464 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025-26 | 980 (434 antlered, 546 antlerless) |
| Archery and gun, 2025-26 | 641 archery, 339 gun |
| Public land | 6.5% (19,396 acres) |
| ODNR hunting areas | 1 (2,395 acres inside Montgomery County) |
| Towns in and near it | Dayton, Trotwood, Huber Heights, Carlisle, Verona and Bellbrook |
How many deer are harvested in Montgomery County?
Hunters checked 980 deer in Montgomery County in 2025-26: 434 antlered and 546 antlerless. Archers took 641 and gun hunters 339.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered | Antlerless | Archery | Gun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 980 | 434 | 546 | 641 | 339 |
| 2024-25 | 884 | 374 | 510 | 583 | 301 |
| 2023-24 | 843 | 398 | 445 | 574 | |
| 2021-22 | 866 |
Source: the Division of Wildlife's 2025-26, 2024-25 and 2023-24 final deer harvest reports and Publication 5304 (2021-22), Montgomery County. 2022-23 is not shown. For 2021-22 Publication 5304 gives 368 bucks, 417 does and 81 button bucks; the final reports of later seasons count bucks with shed or very short antlers as antlerless.
How much public land is in Montgomery County?
19,396 of Montgomery County's 297,114 acres are public land open to the public (6.5%). The biggest share is metro parks, county and city land: 13,289 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Montgomery County |
|---|---|---|
| Metro parks, county and city land | 13,289 | 4.5% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 3,490 | 1.2% |
| Land on ODNR's hunting map | 2,400 | 0.8% |
| Other state land | 216 | 0.1% |
| National park land | 1 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 19,396 | 6.5% |
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 Montgomery County
ODNR areas open to hunting in Montgomery County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Sycamore State Park: 2,395 acres
How do you get to Montgomery County?
Highways through it: I-75 (about 50 miles inside), I-70 (about 47 miles inside), OH 4 (about 34 miles inside), OH 48 (about 28 miles inside) and US 35 (about 25 miles inside). Towns inside: Dayton, Trotwood, Huber Heights, Kettering, Clayton and Vandalia. Nearby: Carlisle (on the line), Verona (on the line), Bellbrook (on the line) and Gordon (on the line).
Which counties border Montgomery County?
Montgomery County touches 7 other counties. Their latest ODNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clark County | 954 | 2025 | 3.4% |
| Darke County | 1,356 | 2025 | 0.4% |
| Miami County | 1,090 | 2025 | 1.5% |
| Butler County | 1,466 | 2025 | 1.7% |
| Greene County | 1,076 | 2025 | 4.1% |
| Preble County | 1,354 | 2025 | 2.1% |
| Warren County | 1,377 | 2025 | 6% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Montgomery County in 2025-26?
980: 434 antlered and 546 antlerless (Division of Wildlife). In 2024-25: 884.
Is there public hunting land in Montgomery County?
19,396 acres, 6.5% of the county, are public land open to the public by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and ODNR's land boundaries, the largest share metro parks, county and city land (13,289 acres). ODNR's layer shows 1 area open to hunting here.
How many deer do archers take in Montgomery County?
641 of the 980 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 Clark County Darke County Miami County Butler County Greene County Preble County Warren County