Ottawa County, Ohio: deer harvest and public hunting land
Ottawa County covers 264 square miles around Marblehead. Hunters checked 851 deer here in the 2025-26 season, 474 of them by archers, by the Division of Wildlife's final report. That is up 4% from 2024, and the most in the 4 years shown. 9.6% of Ottawa County is public land open to the public, the largest share land trusts and other open land (5,495 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 wildlife refugesNational park landOther state landMetro parks, county and city landLand trusts and other open landOttawa CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 169,001 acres (264 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025-26 | 851 (344 antlered, 507 antlerless) |
| Archery and gun, 2025-26 | 474 archery, 377 gun |
| Public land | 9.6% (16,199 acres) |
| ODNR hunting areas | 11 (4,753 acres inside Ottawa County) |
| Towns in and near it | Marblehead, Port Clinton, Genoa, Millbury, Woodville and Bay View |
How many deer are harvested in Ottawa County?
Hunters checked 851 deer in Ottawa County in 2025-26: 344 antlered and 507 antlerless. Archers took 474 and gun hunters 377.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered | Antlerless | Archery | Gun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 851 | 344 | 507 | 474 | 377 |
| 2024-25 | 821 | 323 | 498 | 441 | 380 |
| 2023-24 | 731 | 329 | 402 | 439 | |
| 2021-22 | 560 |
Source: the Division of Wildlife's 2025-26, 2024-25 and 2023-24 final deer harvest reports and Publication 5304 (2021-22), Ottawa County. 2022-23 is not shown. For 2021-22 Publication 5304 gives 250 bucks, 257 does and 53 button bucks; the final reports of later seasons count bucks with shed or very short antlers as antlerless.
How much public land is in Ottawa County?
16,199 of Ottawa County's 169,001 acres are public land open to the public (9.6%). The biggest share is land trusts and other open land: 5,495 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Ottawa County |
|---|---|---|
| Land trusts and other open land | 5,495 | 3.3% |
| National wildlife refuges | 5,380 | 3.2% |
| Land on ODNR's hunting map | 4,759 | 2.8% |
| Metro parks, county and city land | 271 | 0.2% |
| Other state land | 270 | 0.2% |
| National park land | 24 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 16,199 | 9.6% |
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 Ottawa County
ODNR areas open to hunting in Ottawa County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Magee Marsh Wildlife Area: 1,750 acres
- East Harbor State Park: 1,622 acres
- North Bass Island State Park: 425 acres
- Little Portage Wildlife Area: 356 acres
- Toussaint Creek Wildlife Area: 217 acres
- Fox's Marsh Wildlife Area: 132 acres
- West Harbor Wildlife Area: 77 acres
- Dempsey Sandusky Bay Wildlife Area: 67 acres
- Wildlife Production Area 22 Wildlife Area: 65 acres
- Wildlife Production Area 65 Wildlife Area: 31 acres
- Portage River Fishing Access: 11 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge (5,391 acres).
How do you get to Ottawa County?
Highways through it: OH 2 (about 39 miles inside), OH 163 (about 38 miles inside), OH 53 (about 24 miles inside), OH 105 (about 12 miles inside) and OH 51 (about 10 miles inside). Towns inside: Marblehead, Port Clinton, Genoa, Oak Harbor, Clay Center and Rocky Ridge. Nearby: Millbury (on the line), Woodville (on the line), Bay View (on the line) and Lindsey (3 miles).
Which counties border Ottawa County?
Ottawa County touches 3 other counties. Their latest ODNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wood County | 1,434 | 2025 | 0.8% |
| Lucas County | 965 | 2025 | 10% |
| Sandusky County | 1,485 | 2025 | 3.4% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Ottawa County in 2025-26?
851: 344 antlered and 507 antlerless (Division of Wildlife). In 2024-25: 821.
Is there public hunting land in Ottawa County?
16,199 acres, 9.6% 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 trusts and other open land (5,495 acres). ODNR's layer shows 11 areas open to hunting here.
How many deer do archers take in Ottawa County?
474 of the 851 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.