Perry County, Ohio: deer harvest and public hunting land
Perry County covers 413 square miles around Shawnee. Hunters checked 2,989 deer here in the 2025-26 season, 1,139 of them by archers, by the Division of Wildlife's final report. That is down 6% from 2024. 11.7% of Perry County is public land open to the public, the largest share national forest (22,404 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 landPerry CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 264,004 acres (413 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025-26 | 2,989 (1,188 antlered, 1,801 antlerless) |
| Archery and gun, 2025-26 | 1,139 archery, 1,850 gun |
| Public land | 11.7% (30,803 acres) |
| ODNR hunting areas | 8 (6,325 acres inside Perry County) |
| Towns in and near it | Shawnee, New Lexington, Crooksville, Buckeye Lake, Fultonham and Rushville |
How many deer are harvested in Perry County?
Hunters checked 2,989 deer in Perry County in 2025-26: 1,188 antlered and 1,801 antlerless. Archers took 1,139 and gun hunters 1,850.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered | Antlerless | Archery | Gun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 2,989 | 1,188 | 1,801 | 1,139 | 1,850 |
| 2024-25 | 3,179 | 1,315 | 1,864 | 1,305 | 1,874 |
| 2023-24 | 2,804 | 1,239 | 1,565 | 1,212 | |
| 2021-22 | 2,730 |
Source: the Division of Wildlife's 2025-26, 2024-25 and 2023-24 final deer harvest reports and Publication 5304 (2021-22), Perry County. 2022-23 is not shown. For 2021-22 Publication 5304 gives 1,298 bucks, 1,197 does and 235 button bucks; the final reports of later seasons count bucks with shed or very short antlers as antlerless.
How much public land is in Perry County?
30,803 of Perry County's 264,004 acres are public land open to the public (11.7%). The biggest share is national forest: 22,404 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Perry County |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 22,404 | 8.5% |
| Land on ODNR's hunting map | 6,328 | 2.4% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 1,925 | 0.7% |
| Metro parks, county and city land | 141 | 0.1% |
| Other state land | 5 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 30,803 | 11.7% |
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 Perry County
ODNR areas open to hunting in Perry County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Perry State Forest: 4,781 acres
- Buckeye Lake State Park: 619 acres
- Rush Creek Lake Public Hunting and Fishing Areas: 499 acres
- Flagdale Lake Public Hunting Area: 132 acres
- Imhoff Preserve Wildlife Area: 106 acres
- Clouse Lake Wildlife Area: 96 acres
- Twin Churches Lake Public Hunting Area: 72 acres
- Hanby Wildlife Area: 20 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Wayne National Forest (22,406 acres).
How do you get to Perry County?
Highways through it: OH 13 (about 40 miles inside), OH 93 (about 29 miles inside), OH 668 (about 26 miles inside), OH 37 (about 21 miles inside) and OH 204 (about 19 miles inside). Towns inside: Shawnee, New Lexington, Crooksville, New Straitsville, Somerset and Roseville. Nearby: Buckeye Lake (on the line), Fultonham (on the line), Rushville (on the line) and West Rushville (3 miles).
Which counties border Perry County?
Perry County touches 6 other counties. Their latest ODNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athens County | 917 | 2025 | 11.9% |
| Morgan County | 1,529 | 2025 | 21.2% |
| Hocking County | 2,643 | 2025 | 17.5% |
| Licking County | 5,770 | 2025 | 2% |
| Fairfield County | 2,351 | 2025 | 1.9% |
| Muskingum County | 6,283 | 2025 | 17.1% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Perry County in 2025-26?
2,989: 1,188 antlered and 1,801 antlerless (Division of Wildlife). In 2024-25: 3,179.
Is there public hunting land in Perry County?
30,803 acres, 11.7% of the county, are public land open to the public by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and ODNR's land boundaries, the largest share national forest (22,404 acres). ODNR's layer shows 8 areas open to hunting here.
How many deer do archers take in Perry County?
1,139 of the 2,989 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 Athens County Morgan County Hocking County Licking County Fairfield County Muskingum County