Shelby County, Ohio: deer harvest and public hunting land
Shelby County covers 411 square miles around Sidney. Hunters checked 1,562 deer here in the 2025-26 season, 741 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. 1.4% of Shelby County is public land open to the public, the largest share land on ODNR's hunting map (1,903 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 landShelby CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 262,821 acres (411 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025-26 | 1,562 (633 antlered, 929 antlerless) |
| Archery and gun, 2025-26 | 741 archery, 821 gun |
| Public land | 1.4% (3,690 acres) |
| ODNR hunting areas | 2 (1,903 acres inside Shelby County) |
| Towns in and near it | Sidney, Jackson Center, Botkins, New Knoxville, Minster and New Bremen |
How many deer are harvested in Shelby County?
Hunters checked 1,562 deer in Shelby County in 2025-26: 633 antlered and 929 antlerless. Archers took 741 and gun hunters 821.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered | Antlerless | Archery | Gun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 1,562 | 633 | 929 | 741 | 821 |
| 2024-25 | 1,485 | 630 | 855 | 633 | 852 |
| 2023-24 | 1,359 | 580 | 779 | 636 | |
| 2021-22 | 1,104 |
Source: the Division of Wildlife's 2025-26, 2024-25 and 2023-24 final deer harvest reports and Publication 5304 (2021-22), Shelby County. 2022-23 is not shown. For 2021-22 Publication 5304 gives 450 bucks, 505 does and 149 button bucks; the final reports of later seasons count bucks with shed or very short antlers as antlerless.
How much public land is in Shelby County?
3,690 of Shelby County's 262,821 acres are public land open to the public (1.4%). The biggest share is land on ODNR's hunting map: 1,903 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Shelby County |
|---|---|---|
| Land on ODNR's hunting map | 1,903 | 0.7% |
| Metro parks, county and city land | 832 | 0.3% |
| Other state land | 708 | 0.3% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 247 | 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 3,690 | 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 Shelby County
ODNR areas open to hunting in Shelby County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Lake Loramie State Park: 1,801 acres
- Vernon A Luthman Tecumseh Wildlife Area: 102 acres
How do you get to Shelby County?
Highways through it: I-75 (about 41 miles inside), OH 29 (about 28 miles inside), OH 47 (about 27 miles inside), OH 274 (about 18 miles inside) and OH 119 (about 16 miles inside). Towns inside: Sidney, Jackson Center, Botkins, Anna, Fort Loramie and Kettlersville. Nearby: New Knoxville (on the line), Minster (on the line), New Bremen (2 miles) and Quincy (2 miles).
Which counties border Shelby County?
Shelby County touches 6 other counties. Their latest ODNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darke County | 1,356 | 2025 | 0.4% |
| Logan County | 2,712 | 2025 | 2.6% |
| Miami County | 1,090 | 2025 | 1.5% |
| Mercer County | 1,432 | 2025 | 4.3% |
| Auglaize County | 1,621 | 2025 | 1.4% |
| Champaign County | 1,867 | 2025 | 0.9% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Shelby County in 2025-26?
1,562: 633 antlered and 929 antlerless (Division of Wildlife). In 2024-25: 1,485.
Is there public hunting land in Shelby County?
3,690 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 (1,903 acres). ODNR's layer shows 2 areas open to hunting here.
How many deer do archers take in Shelby County?
741 of the 1,562 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.
Ohio hunting Darke County Logan County Miami County Mercer County Auglaize County Champaign County