Muskingum County, Ohio: deer harvest and public hunting land
Muskingum County covers 673 square miles around Zanesville. Hunters checked 6,283 deer here in the 2025-26 season, 2,587 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. 17.1% of Muskingum County is public land open to the public, the largest share land on ODNR's hunting map (47,302 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 landMuskingum CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 430,560 acres (673 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025-26 | 6,283 (2,558 antlered, 3,725 antlerless) |
| Archery and gun, 2025-26 | 2,587 archery, 3,696 gun |
| Public land | 17.1% (73,827 acres) |
| ODNR hunting areas | 13 (47,293 acres inside Muskingum County) |
| Towns in and near it | Zanesville, New Concord, Dresden, Gratiot, Roseville and Crooksville |
How many deer are harvested in Muskingum County?
Hunters checked 6,283 deer in Muskingum County in 2025-26: 2,558 antlered and 3,725 antlerless. Archers took 2,587 and gun hunters 3,696.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered | Antlerless | Archery | Gun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 6,283 | 2,558 | 3,725 | 2,587 | 3,696 |
| 2024-25 | 6,269 | 2,493 | 3,776 | 2,616 | 3,653 |
| 2023-24 | 5,789 | 2,587 | 3,202 | 2,628 | |
| 2021-22 | 5,331 |
Source: the Division of Wildlife's 2025-26, 2024-25 and 2023-24 final deer harvest reports and Publication 5304 (2021-22), Muskingum County. 2022-23 is not shown. For 2021-22 Publication 5304 gives 2,574 bucks, 2,356 does and 401 button bucks; the final reports of later seasons count bucks with shed or very short antlers as antlerless.
How much public land is in Muskingum County?
73,827 of Muskingum County's 430,560 acres are public land open to the public (17.1%). The biggest share is land on ODNR's hunting map: 47,302 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Muskingum County |
|---|---|---|
| Land on ODNR's hunting map | 47,302 | 11% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 18,885 | 4.4% |
| Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes | 7,016 | 1.6% |
| Metro parks, county and city land | 336 | 0.1% |
| Other state land | 288 | 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 73,827 | 17.1% |
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 Muskingum County
ODNR areas open to hunting in Muskingum County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Tri-Valley Wildlife Area: 16,506 acres
- Appalachian Hills Wildlife Area: 14,111 acres
- Blue Rock State Forest: 4,499 acres
- Dillon Wildlife Area: 3,733 acres
- Dillon State Park: 2,904 acres
- Powelson Wildlife Area: 2,775 acres
- Conesville Public Recreation Area: 1,516 acres
- West Blue Rock State Forest: 675 acres
- Blue Rock State Park: 301 acres
- Zanesville Nursery: 197 acres
- Meiners Wildlife Area: 36 acres
- Munro Basin Wildlife Area: 23 acres
- Wills Creek Lake Hunt Area: 17 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Dillon Recreation Area (13,465 acres).
How do you get to Muskingum County?
Highways through it: I-70 (about 54 miles inside), OH 60 (about 37 miles inside), OH 93 (about 35 miles inside), OH 146 (about 35 miles inside) and OH 16 (about 26 miles inside). Towns inside: Zanesville, New Concord, Dresden, Frazeysburg, South Zanesville and Philo. Nearby: Gratiot (on the line), Roseville (on the line), Crooksville (on the line) and Cumberland (2 miles).
Which counties border Muskingum County?
Muskingum County touches 6 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% |
| Morgan County | 1,529 | 2025 | 21.2% |
| Licking County | 5,770 | 2025 | 2% |
| Guernsey County | 4,804 | 2025 | 7.9% |
| Coshocton County | 8,527 | 2025 | 11.5% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Muskingum County in 2025-26?
6,283: 2,558 antlered and 3,725 antlerless (Division of Wildlife). In 2024-25: 6,269.
Is there public hunting land in Muskingum County?
73,827 acres, 17.1% 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 (47,302 acres). ODNR's layer shows 13 areas open to hunting here.
How many deer do archers take in Muskingum County?
2,587 of the 6,283 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 Morgan County Licking County Guernsey County Coshocton County