Morgan County, Ohio: deer harvest and public hunting land
Morgan County covers 422 square miles around McConnelsville. Hunters checked 1,529 deer here in the 2025-26 season, 489 of them by archers, by the Division of Wildlife's final report. That is down 61% from 2024, and the fewest in the 4 years shown. 21.2% of Morgan County is public land open to the public, the largest share land on ODNR's hunting map (35,272 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 forestFederal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakesOther state landMetro parks, county and city landLand trusts and other open landMorgan CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 269,896 acres (422 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025-26 | 1,529 (574 antlered, 955 antlerless) |
| Archery and gun, 2025-26 | 489 archery, 1,040 gun |
| Public land | 21.2% (57,278 acres) |
| ODNR hunting areas | 5 (35,274 acres inside Morgan County) |
| Towns in and near it | McConnelsville, Chesterhill, Malta, Crooksville, Jacksonville and Trimble |
How many deer are harvested in Morgan County?
Hunters checked 1,529 deer in Morgan County in 2025-26: 574 antlered and 955 antlerless. Archers took 489 and gun hunters 1,040.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered | Antlerless | Archery | Gun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 1,529 | 574 | 955 | 489 | 1,040 |
| 2024-25 | 3,890 | 1,576 | 2,314 | 1,469 | 2,421 |
| 2023-24 | 3,281 | 1,358 | 1,923 | 1,314 | |
| 2021-22 | 3,235 |
Source: the Division of Wildlife's 2025-26, 2024-25 and 2023-24 final deer harvest reports and Publication 5304 (2021-22), Morgan County. 2022-23 is not shown. For 2021-22 Publication 5304 gives 1,465 bucks, 1,506 does and 264 button bucks; the final reports of later seasons count bucks with shed or very short antlers as antlerless.
How much public land is in Morgan County?
57,278 of Morgan County's 269,896 acres are public land open to the public (21.2%). The biggest share is land on ODNR's hunting map: 35,272 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Morgan County |
|---|---|---|
| Land on ODNR's hunting map | 35,272 | 13.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 18,467 | 6.8% |
| National forest | 3,351 | 1.2% |
| Other state land | 118 | under 0.1% |
| Metro parks, county and city land | 70 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 57,278 | 21.2% |
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 Morgan County
ODNR areas open to hunting in Morgan County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Appalachian Hills Wildlife Area: 20,631 acres
- Jesse Owens Wildlife Area: 4,832 acres
- Wolf Creek Wildlife Area: 3,981 acres
- Burr Oak State Park: 3,040 acres
- Jesse Owens State Park: 2,790 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Wayne National Forest (3,356 acres).
How do you get to Morgan County?
Highways through it: OH 78 (about 37 miles inside), OH 555 (about 27 miles inside), OH 60 (about 22 miles inside), OH 669 (about 19 miles inside) and OH 376 (about 19 miles inside). Towns inside: McConnelsville, Chesterhill, Malta, Stockport and Rose Farm. Nearby: Crooksville (on the line), Jacksonville (on the line), Trimble (on the line) and Glouster (2 miles).
Which counties border Morgan County?
Morgan County touches 5 other counties. Their latest ODNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noble County | 2,260 | 2025 | 12.5% |
| Perry County | 2,989 | 2025 | 11.7% |
| Athens County | 917 | 2025 | 11.9% |
| Muskingum County | 6,283 | 2025 | 17.1% |
| Washington County | 783 | 2025 | 10.9% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Morgan County in 2025-26?
1,529: 574 antlered and 955 antlerless (Division of Wildlife). In 2024-25: 3,890.
Is there public hunting land in Morgan County?
57,278 acres, 21.2% 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 (35,272 acres). ODNR's layer shows 5 areas open to hunting here.
How many deer do archers take in Morgan County?
489 of the 1,529 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 Noble County Perry County Athens County Muskingum County Washington County