Putnam County, Ohio: deer harvest and public hunting land
Putnam County covers 484 square miles around Ottawa. Hunters checked 1,376 deer here in the 2025-26 season, 640 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. 0.1% of Putnam County is public land open to the public, the largest share land on ODNR's hunting map (226 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 landPutnam CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 309,887 acres (484 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025-26 | 1,376 (529 antlered, 847 antlerless) |
| Archery and gun, 2025-26 | 640 archery, 736 gun |
| Public land | 0.1% (318 acres) |
| ODNR hunting areas | 6 (227 acres inside Putnam County) |
| Towns in and near it | Ottawa, Leipsic, Glandorf, Delphos, Oakwood and Bluffton |
How many deer are harvested in Putnam County?
Hunters checked 1,376 deer in Putnam County in 2025-26: 529 antlered and 847 antlerless. Archers took 640 and gun hunters 736.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered | Antlerless | Archery | Gun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 1,376 | 529 | 847 | 640 | 736 |
| 2024-25 | 1,242 | 491 | 751 | 547 | 695 |
| 2023-24 | 1,275 | 522 | 753 | 567 | |
| 2021-22 | 877 |
Source: the Division of Wildlife's 2025-26, 2024-25 and 2023-24 final deer harvest reports and Publication 5304 (2021-22), Putnam County. 2022-23 is not shown. For 2021-22 Publication 5304 gives 424 bucks, 361 does and 92 button bucks; the final reports of later seasons count bucks with shed or very short antlers as antlerless.
How much public land is in Putnam County?
318 of Putnam County's 309,887 acres are public land open to the public (0.1%). The biggest share is land on ODNR's hunting map: 226 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Putnam County |
|---|---|---|
| Land on ODNR's hunting map | 226 | 0.1% |
| Metro parks, county and city land | 78 | under 0.1% |
| Other state land | 14 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 318 | 0.1% |
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 Putnam County
ODNR areas open to hunting in Putnam County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Putnam County Wildlife Area #4: 64 acres
- Wildlife Production Area 54 Wildlife Area: 41 acres
- Wildlife Production Area 52 Wildlife Area: 41 acres
- Wildlife Production Area 51 Wildlife Area: 39 acres
- Cascade Wayside Wildlife Area: 35 acres
- Ottoville Quarry Wildlife Area: 7 acres
How do you get to Putnam County?
Highways through it: OH 15 (about 27 miles inside), OH 613 (about 25 miles inside), OH 65 (about 23 miles inside), OH 634 (about 18 miles inside) and OH 115 (about 17 miles inside). Towns inside: Ottawa, Leipsic, Glandorf, Kalida, Columbus Grove and Continental. Nearby: Delphos (on the line), Oakwood (2 miles), Bluffton (2 miles) and Cairo (2 miles).
Which counties border Putnam County?
Putnam County touches 7 other counties. Their latest ODNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wood County | 1,434 | 2025 | 0.8% |
| Allen County | 1,831 | 2025 | 1.1% |
| Henry County | 1,181 | 2025 | 0.8% |
| Hancock County | 2,345 | 2025 | 0.8% |
| Defiance County | 1,887 | 2025 | 0.8% |
| Paulding County | 1,286 | 2025 | 0.3% |
| Van Wert County | 968 | 2025 | 0.2% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Putnam County in 2025-26?
1,376: 529 antlered and 847 antlerless (Division of Wildlife). In 2024-25: 1,242.
Is there public hunting land in Putnam County?
318 acres, 0.1% 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 (226 acres). ODNR's layer shows 6 areas open to hunting here.
How many deer do archers take in Putnam County?
640 of the 1,376 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 Wood County Allen County Henry County Hancock County Defiance County Paulding County Van Wert County