Morrow County, Ohio: deer harvest and public hunting land
Morrow County covers 407 square miles around Mount Gilead. Hunters checked 2,767 deer here in the 2025-26 season, 1,274 of them by archers, by the Division of Wildlife's final report. That is up 13% from 2024, and the most in the 4 years shown. 0.5% of Morrow County is public land open to the public, the largest share land on ODNR's hunting map (463 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 landMorrow CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 260,578 acres (407 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025-26 | 2,767 (1,107 antlered, 1,660 antlerless) |
| Archery and gun, 2025-26 | 1,274 archery, 1,493 gun |
| Public land | 0.5% (1,326 acres) |
| ODNR hunting areas | 1 (463 acres inside Morrow County) |
| Towns in and near it | Mount Gilead, Cardington, Edison, Ashley, Caledonia and Galion |
How many deer are harvested in Morrow County?
Hunters checked 2,767 deer in Morrow County in 2025-26: 1,107 antlered and 1,660 antlerless. Archers took 1,274 and gun hunters 1,493.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered | Antlerless | Archery | Gun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 2,767 | 1,107 | 1,660 | 1,274 | 1,493 |
| 2024-25 | 2,446 | 983 | 1,463 | 1,090 | 1,356 |
| 2023-24 | 2,176 | 994 | 1,182 | 1,074 | |
| 2021-22 | 1,758 |
Source: the Division of Wildlife's 2025-26, 2024-25 and 2023-24 final deer harvest reports and Publication 5304 (2021-22), Morrow County. 2022-23 is not shown. For 2021-22 Publication 5304 gives 817 bucks, 778 does and 163 button bucks; the final reports of later seasons count bucks with shed or very short antlers as antlerless.
How much public land is in Morrow County?
1,326 of Morrow County's 260,578 acres are public land open to the public (0.5%). The biggest share is land on ODNR's hunting map: 463 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Morrow County |
|---|---|---|
| Land on ODNR's hunting map | 463 | 0.2% |
| Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes | 433 | 0.2% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 273 | 0.1% |
| Other state land | 146 | 0.1% |
| Metro parks, county and city land | 11 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 1,326 | 0.5% |
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 Morrow County
ODNR areas open to hunting in Morrow County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Delaware Wildlife Area: 463 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Delaware Recreation Area (823 acres).
How do you get to Morrow County?
Highways through it: I-71 (about 40 miles inside), OH 314 (about 26 miles inside), US 42 (about 26 miles inside), OH 61 (about 25 miles inside) and OH 95 (about 21 miles inside). Towns inside: Mount Gilead, Cardington, Edison, Chesterville, Marengo and Fulton. Nearby: Ashley (on the line), Caledonia (on the line), Galion (2 miles) and Lexington (3 miles).
Which counties border Morrow County?
Morrow County touches 5 other counties. Their latest ODNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knox County | 6,704 | 2025 | 1.3% |
| Marion County | 1,384 | 2025 | 4.2% |
| Crawford County | 1,881 | 2025 | 0.4% |
| Delaware County | 1,877 | 2025 | 7.6% |
| Richland County | 5,151 | 2025 | 1.4% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Morrow County in 2025-26?
2,767: 1,107 antlered and 1,660 antlerless (Division of Wildlife). In 2024-25: 2,446.
Is there public hunting land in Morrow County?
1,326 acres, 0.5% of the county, are public land open to the public by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and ODNR's land boundaries, the largest share land on ODNR's hunting map (463 acres). ODNR's layer shows 1 area open to hunting here.
How many deer do archers take in Morrow County?
1,274 of the 2,767 deer checked in 2025-26 were taken with a crossbow or longbow (Division of Wildlife).
Get a Ohio hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Ohio are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Ohio included.
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 Marion County Crawford County Delaware County Richland County