Seneca County, Ohio: deer harvest and public hunting land
Seneca County covers 553 square miles around Fostoria. Hunters checked 3,017 deer here in the 2025-26 season, 1,132 of them by archers, by the Division of Wildlife's final report. That is up 5% from 2024, and the most in the 4 years shown. 0.6% of Seneca County is public land open to the public, the largest share land trusts and other open land (718 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 landSeneca CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 353,771 acres (553 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025-26 | 3,017 (1,265 antlered, 1,752 antlerless) |
| Archery and gun, 2025-26 | 1,132 archery, 1,885 gun |
| Public land | 0.6% (2,198 acres) |
| ODNR hunting areas | 10 (682 acres inside Seneca County) |
| Towns in and near it | Fostoria, Tiffin, Republic, Green Springs, Risingsun and Burgoon |
How many deer are harvested in Seneca County?
Hunters checked 3,017 deer in Seneca County in 2025-26: 1,265 antlered and 1,752 antlerless. Archers took 1,132 and gun hunters 1,885.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered | Antlerless | Archery | Gun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 3,017 | 1,265 | 1,752 | 1,132 | 1,885 |
| 2024-25 | 2,881 | 1,198 | 1,683 | 1,062 | 1,819 |
| 2023-24 | 2,448 | 1,085 | 1,363 | 1,005 | |
| 2021-22 | 2,064 |
Source: the Division of Wildlife's 2025-26, 2024-25 and 2023-24 final deer harvest reports and Publication 5304 (2021-22), Seneca County. 2022-23 is not shown. For 2021-22 Publication 5304 gives 895 bucks, 946 does and 223 button bucks; the final reports of later seasons count bucks with shed or very short antlers as antlerless.
How much public land is in Seneca County?
2,198 of Seneca County's 353,771 acres are public land open to the public (0.6%). The biggest share is land trusts and other open land: 718 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Seneca County |
|---|---|---|
| Land trusts and other open land | 718 | 0.2% |
| Land on ODNR's hunting map | 681 | 0.2% |
| Metro parks, county and city land | 545 | 0.2% |
| Other state land | 254 | 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 2,198 | 0.6% |
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 Seneca County
ODNR areas open to hunting in Seneca County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Kildow Sandusky Scenic River Area: 188 acres
- Sugar Creek Wildlife Area: 127 acres
- Wildlife Production Area 62 Wildlife Area: 70 acres
- Seneca County Park District Conservation Area: 56 acres
- Wildlife Production Area 64 Wildlife Area: 49 acres
- Knobbys Prairie Wildlife Area: 48 acres
- Silver Creek Wildlife Area: 42 acres
- Wildlife Production Area 47 Wildlife Area: 40 acres
- Wildlife Production Area 61 Wildlife Area: 40 acres
- Heck Bridge Area - Sandusky Scenic River: 22 acres
How do you get to Seneca County?
Highways through it: OH 18 (about 37 miles inside), US 224 (about 32 miles inside), OH 19 (about 20 miles inside), OH 53 (about 19 miles inside) and OH 199 (about 14 miles inside). Towns inside: Fostoria, Tiffin, Republic, Attica, Bloomville and Bettsville. Nearby: Green Springs (on the line), Risingsun (on the line), Burgoon (on the line) and Bellevue (on the line).
Which counties border Seneca County?
Seneca County touches 6 other counties. Their latest ODNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wood County | 1,434 | 2025 | 0.8% |
| Huron County | 3,520 | 2025 | 0.9% |
| Hancock County | 2,345 | 2025 | 0.8% |
| Wyandot County | 2,405 | 2025 | 3.9% |
| Crawford County | 1,881 | 2025 | 0.4% |
| Sandusky County | 1,485 | 2025 | 3.4% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Seneca County in 2025-26?
3,017: 1,265 antlered and 1,752 antlerless (Division of Wildlife). In 2024-25: 2,881.
Is there public hunting land in Seneca County?
2,198 acres, 0.6% 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 trusts and other open land (718 acres). ODNR's layer shows 10 areas open to hunting here.
How many deer do archers take in Seneca County?
1,132 of the 3,017 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 Huron County Hancock County Wyandot County Crawford County Sandusky County