Scioto County, Ohio: deer harvest and public hunting land
Scioto County covers 616 square miles around Portsmouth. Hunters checked 2,576 deer here in the 2025-26 season, 1,169 of them by archers, by the Division of Wildlife's final report. That is up 3% from 2024, and the most in the 4 years shown. 18.8% of Scioto County is public land open to the public, the largest share other state land (53,753 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 landScioto CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 394,368 acres (616 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025-26 | 2,576 (1,223 antlered, 1,353 antlerless) |
| Archery and gun, 2025-26 | 1,169 archery, 1,407 gun |
| Public land | 18.8% (74,212 acres) |
| ODNR hunting areas | 2 (8,283 acres inside Scioto County) |
| Towns in and near it | Portsmouth, South Webster, New Boston, Hanging Rock, Oak Hill and Ironton |
How many deer are harvested in Scioto County?
Hunters checked 2,576 deer in Scioto County in 2025-26: 1,223 antlered and 1,353 antlerless. Archers took 1,169 and gun hunters 1,407.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered | Antlerless | Archery | Gun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 2,576 | 1,223 | 1,353 | 1,169 | 1,407 |
| 2024-25 | 2,512 | 1,193 | 1,319 | 1,144 | 1,368 |
| 2023-24 | 2,195 | 1,009 | 1,186 | 1,119 | |
| 2021-22 | 2,121 |
Source: the Division of Wildlife's 2025-26, 2024-25 and 2023-24 final deer harvest reports and Publication 5304 (2021-22), Scioto County. 2022-23 is not shown. For 2021-22 Publication 5304 gives 1,035 bucks, 943 does and 143 button bucks; the final reports of later seasons count bucks with shed or very short antlers as antlerless.
How much public land is in Scioto County?
74,212 of Scioto County's 394,368 acres are public land open to the public (18.8%). The biggest share is other state land: 53,753 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Scioto County |
|---|---|---|
| Other state land | 53,753 | 13.6% |
| National forest | 11,725 | 3% |
| Land on ODNR's hunting map | 8,283 | 2.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 304 | 0.1% |
| Metro parks, county and city land | 125 | under 0.1% |
| Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes | 22 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 74,212 | 18.8% |
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 Scioto County
ODNR areas open to hunting in Scioto County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Brush Creek Forest: 8,275 acres
- Shawnee State Forest: 8 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Wayne National Forest (11,725 acres).
How do you get to Scioto County?
Highways through it: US 52 (about 62 miles inside), OH 73 (about 29 miles inside), US 23 (about 28 miles inside), OH 104 (about 20 miles inside) and OH 348 (about 19 miles inside). Towns inside: Portsmouth, South Webster, New Boston, Rarden, Otway and Wheelersburg. Nearby: Hanging Rock (3 miles), Oak Hill (5 miles), Ironton (6 miles) and Beaver (6 miles).
Which counties border Scioto County?
Scioto County touches 4 other counties. Their latest ODNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pike County | 2,156 | 2025 | 5.2% |
| Adams County | 3,895 | 2025 | 6.5% |
| Jackson County | 2,643 | 2025 | 6.5% |
| Lawrence County | 1,682 | 2025 | 28.3% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Scioto County in 2025-26?
2,576: 1,223 antlered and 1,353 antlerless (Division of Wildlife). In 2024-25: 2,512.
Is there public hunting land in Scioto County?
74,212 acres, 18.8% of the county, are public land open to the public by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and ODNR's land boundaries, the largest share other state land (53,753 acres). ODNR's layer shows 2 areas open to hunting here.
How many deer do archers take in Scioto County?
1,169 of the 2,576 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 Pike County Adams County Jackson County Lawrence County