Preble County, Ohio: deer harvest and public hunting land
Preble County covers 427 square miles around Eaton. Hunters checked 1,354 deer here in the 2025-26 season, 718 of them by archers, by the Division of Wildlife's final report. That is up 11% from 2024, and the most in the 4 years shown. 2.1% of Preble County is public land open to the public, the largest share land on ODNR's hunting map (5,268 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 mapOther state landMetro parks, county and city landLand trusts and other open landPreble CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 272,997 acres (427 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025-26 | 1,354 (592 antlered, 762 antlerless) |
| Archery and gun, 2025-26 | 718 archery, 636 gun |
| Public land | 2.1% (5,696 acres) |
| ODNR hunting areas | 3 (5,268 acres inside Preble County) |
| Towns in and near it | Eaton, Camden, Lewisburg, Gordon, Castine and Ithaca |
How many deer are harvested in Preble County?
Hunters checked 1,354 deer in Preble County in 2025-26: 592 antlered and 762 antlerless. Archers took 718 and gun hunters 636.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered | Antlerless | Archery | Gun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 1,354 | 592 | 762 | 718 | 636 |
| 2024-25 | 1,225 | 515 | 710 | 654 | 571 |
| 2023-24 | 1,116 | 526 | 590 | 607 | |
| 2021-22 | 1,060 |
Source: the Division of Wildlife's 2025-26, 2024-25 and 2023-24 final deer harvest reports and Publication 5304 (2021-22), Preble County. 2022-23 is not shown. For 2021-22 Publication 5304 gives 515 bucks, 459 does and 86 button bucks; the final reports of later seasons count bucks with shed or very short antlers as antlerless.
How much public land is in Preble County?
5,696 of Preble County's 272,997 acres are public land open to the public (2.1%). The biggest share is land on ODNR's hunting map: 5,268 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Preble County |
|---|---|---|
| Land on ODNR's hunting map | 5,268 | 1.9% |
| Metro parks, county and city land | 276 | 0.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 142 | 0.1% |
| Other state land | 10 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 5,696 | 2.1% |
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 Preble County
ODNR areas open to hunting in Preble County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Hueston Woods State Park: 2,398 acres
- Woodland Trails Wildlife Area: 1,705 acres
- Rush Run Wildlife Area: 1,165 acres
How do you get to Preble County?
Highways through it: I-70 (about 35 miles inside), US 127 (about 25 miles inside), OH 503 (about 25 miles inside), OH 122 (about 24 miles inside) and US 35 (about 23 miles inside). Towns inside: Eaton, Camden, Lewisburg, Gratis, West Alexandria and New Paris. Nearby: Gordon (on the line), Castine (on the line), Ithaca (on the line) and Jacksonburg (2 miles).
Which counties border Preble County?
Preble County touches 3 other counties. Their latest ODNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darke County | 1,356 | 2025 | 0.4% |
| Butler County | 1,466 | 2025 | 1.7% |
| Montgomery County | 980 | 2025 | 6.5% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Preble County in 2025-26?
1,354: 592 antlered and 762 antlerless (Division of Wildlife). In 2024-25: 1,225.
Is there public hunting land in Preble County?
5,696 acres, 2.1% 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 (5,268 acres). ODNR's layer shows 3 areas open to hunting here.
How many deer do archers take in Preble County?
718 of the 1,354 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.