Richland County, Ohio: deer harvest and public hunting land
Richland County covers 500 square miles around Mansfield. Hunters checked 5,151 deer here in the 2025-26 season, 2,442 of them by archers, by the Division of Wildlife's final report. That is up 2% from 2024, and the most in the 4 years shown. 1.4% of Richland County is public land open to the public, the largest share land on ODNR's hunting map (3,157 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 landRichland CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 320,069 acres (500 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025-26 | 5,151 (2,063 antlered, 3,088 antlerless) |
| Archery and gun, 2025-26 | 2,442 archery, 2,709 gun |
| Public land | 1.4% (4,585 acres) |
| ODNR hunting areas | 4 (3,155 acres inside Richland County) |
| Towns in and near it | Mansfield, Ontario, Shelby, Plymouth, Mifflin and Crestline |
How many deer are harvested in Richland County?
Hunters checked 5,151 deer in Richland County in 2025-26: 2,063 antlered and 3,088 antlerless. Archers took 2,442 and gun hunters 2,709.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered | Antlerless | Archery | Gun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 5,151 | 2,063 | 3,088 | 2,442 | 2,709 |
| 2024-25 | 5,028 | 1,921 | 3,107 | 2,295 | 2,733 |
| 2023-24 | 4,169 | 1,693 | 2,476 | 2,031 | |
| 2021-22 | 3,793 |
Source: the Division of Wildlife's 2025-26, 2024-25 and 2023-24 final deer harvest reports and Publication 5304 (2021-22), Richland County. 2022-23 is not shown. For 2021-22 Publication 5304 gives 1,630 bucks, 1,766 does and 397 button bucks; the final reports of later seasons count bucks with shed or very short antlers as antlerless.
How much public land is in Richland County?
4,585 of Richland County's 320,069 acres are public land open to the public (1.4%). The biggest share is land on ODNR's hunting map: 3,157 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Richland County |
|---|---|---|
| Land on ODNR's hunting map | 3,157 | 1% |
| Other state land | 859 | 0.3% |
| Metro parks, county and city land | 489 | 0.2% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 80 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 4,585 | 1.4% |
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 Richland County
ODNR areas open to hunting in Richland County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Pleasant Hill Lake Hunt Area: 1,484 acres
- Charles Mill Lake Hunt Area: 1,409 acres
- Cherp's Eagle Valley Wildlife Area: 173 acres
- Richland County Wildife Area 1: 89 acres
How do you get to Richland County?
Highways through it: OH 13 (about 41 miles inside), I-71 (about 41 miles inside), US 30 (about 38 miles inside), OH 39 (about 28 miles inside) and OH 603 (about 22 miles inside). Towns inside: Mansfield, Ontario, Shelby, Lexington, Bellville and Butler. Nearby: Plymouth (on the line), Mifflin (on the line), Crestline (on the line) and Perrysville (on the line).
Which counties border Richland County?
Richland County touches 5 other counties. Their latest ODNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knox County | 6,704 | 2025 | 1.3% |
| Huron County | 3,520 | 2025 | 0.9% |
| Morrow County | 2,767 | 2025 | 0.5% |
| Ashland County | 5,108 | 2025 | 3.8% |
| Crawford County | 1,881 | 2025 | 0.4% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Richland County in 2025-26?
5,151: 2,063 antlered and 3,088 antlerless (Division of Wildlife). In 2024-25: 5,028.
Is there public hunting land in Richland County?
4,585 acres, 1.4% 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 (3,157 acres). ODNR's layer shows 4 areas open to hunting here.
How many deer do archers take in Richland County?
2,442 of the 5,151 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 Knox County Huron County Morrow County Ashland County Crawford County