Stark County, Ohio: deer harvest and public hunting land
Stark County covers 580 square miles around Canton. Hunters checked 4,466 deer here in the 2025-26 season, 2,381 of them by archers, by the Division of Wildlife's final report. That is up 9% from 2024, and the most in the 4 years shown. 4.3% of Stark County is public land open to the public, the largest share metro parks, county and city land (6,913 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 landStark CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 371,503 acres (580 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025-26 | 4,466 (1,890 antlered, 2,576 antlerless) |
| Archery and gun, 2025-26 | 2,381 archery, 2,085 gun |
| Public land | 4.3% (16,027 acres) |
| ODNR hunting areas | 5 (5,062 acres inside Stark County) |
| Towns in and near it | Canton, Massillon, Alliance, Bolivar, Clinton and Lakemore |
How many deer are harvested in Stark County?
Hunters checked 4,466 deer in Stark County in 2025-26: 1,890 antlered and 2,576 antlerless. Archers took 2,381 and gun hunters 2,085.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered | Antlerless | Archery | Gun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 4,466 | 1,890 | 2,576 | 2,381 | 2,085 |
| 2024-25 | 4,114 | 1,648 | 2,466 | 2,161 | 1,953 |
| 2023-24 | 3,627 | 1,516 | 2,111 | 2,031 | |
| 2021-22 | 3,201 |
Source: the Division of Wildlife's 2025-26, 2024-25 and 2023-24 final deer harvest reports and Publication 5304 (2021-22), Stark County. 2022-23 is not shown. For 2021-22 Publication 5304 gives 1,427 bucks, 1,482 does and 292 button bucks; the final reports of later seasons count bucks with shed or very short antlers as antlerless.
How much public land is in Stark County?
16,027 of Stark County's 371,503 acres are public land open to the public (4.3%). The biggest share is metro parks, county and city land: 6,913 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Stark County |
|---|---|---|
| Metro parks, county and city land | 6,913 | 1.9% |
| Land on ODNR's hunting map | 5,067 | 1.4% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 3,984 | 1.1% |
| Other state land | 63 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 16,027 | 4.3% |
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 Stark County
ODNR areas open to hunting in Stark County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Berlin Lake Wildlife Area: 2,267 acres
- Walborn Reservoir Public Access: 1,234 acres
- Bolivar Dam Hunt Area: 817 acres
- Quail Hollow State Park: 700 acres
- Beach City Lake Hunt Area: 44 acres
How do you get to Stark County?
Highways through it: US 62 (about 63 miles inside), US 30 (about 51 miles inside), I-77 (about 37 miles inside), OH 21 (about 35 miles inside) and OH 43 (about 31 miles inside). Towns inside: Canton, Massillon, Alliance, North Canton, Louisville and Canal Fulton. Nearby: Bolivar (on the line), Clinton (on the line), Lakemore (2 miles) and Malvern (2 miles).
Which counties border Stark County?
Stark County touches 8 other counties. Their latest ODNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne County | 3,562 | 2025 | 2.2% |
| Holmes County | 5,717 | 2025 | 0.6% |
| Summit County | 1,922 | 2025 | 14.3% |
| Carroll County | 6,077 | 2025 | 3.2% |
| Portage County | 3,498 | 2025 | 8% |
| Mahoning County | 2,768 | 2025 | 5.4% |
| Columbiana County | 5,245 | 2025 | 2.8% |
| Tuscarawas County | 7,623 | 2025 | 1.1% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Stark County in 2025-26?
4,466: 1,890 antlered and 2,576 antlerless (Division of Wildlife). In 2024-25: 4,114.
Is there public hunting land in Stark County?
16,027 acres, 4.3% of the county, are public land open to the public by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and ODNR's land boundaries, the largest share metro parks, county and city land (6,913 acres). ODNR's layer shows 5 areas open to hunting here.
How many deer do archers take in Stark County?
2,381 of the 4,466 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 Wayne County Holmes County Summit County Carroll County Portage County Mahoning County Columbiana County Tuscarawas County