Van Wert County, Ohio: deer harvest and public hunting land
Van Wert County covers 410 square miles around Van Wert. Hunters checked 968 deer here in the 2025-26 season, 382 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. 0.2% of Van Wert County is public land open to the public, the largest share metro parks, county and city land (401 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.
Other state landMetro parks, county and city landLand trusts and other open landVan Wert CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 262,699 acres (410 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025-26 | 968 (417 antlered, 551 antlerless) |
| Archery and gun, 2025-26 | 382 archery, 586 gun |
| Public land | 0.2% (604 acres) |
| ODNR hunting areas | 1 (9 acres inside Van Wert County) |
| Towns in and near it | Van Wert, Scott, Convoy, Delphos, Haviland and Grover Hill |
How many deer are harvested in Van Wert County?
Hunters checked 968 deer in Van Wert County in 2025-26: 417 antlered and 551 antlerless. Archers took 382 and gun hunters 586.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered | Antlerless | Archery | Gun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 968 | 417 | 551 | 382 | 586 |
| 2024-25 | 953 | 395 | 558 | 367 | 586 |
| 2023-24 | 798 | 371 | 427 | 331 | |
| 2021-22 | 593 |
Source: the Division of Wildlife's 2025-26, 2024-25 and 2023-24 final deer harvest reports and Publication 5304 (2021-22), Van Wert County. 2022-23 is not shown. For 2021-22 Publication 5304 gives 307 bucks, 231 does and 55 button bucks; the final reports of later seasons count bucks with shed or very short antlers as antlerless.
How much public land is in Van Wert County?
604 of Van Wert County's 262,699 acres are public land open to the public (0.2%). The biggest share is metro parks, county and city land: 401 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Van Wert County |
|---|---|---|
| Metro parks, county and city land | 401 | 0.2% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 194 | 0.1% |
| Land on ODNR's hunting map | 9 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 604 | 0.2% |
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 Van Wert County
ODNR areas open to hunting in Van Wert County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Whitey Case Wildlife Production Area: 9 acres
How do you get to Van Wert County?
Highways through it: US 30 (about 52 miles inside), US 224 (about 28 miles inside), OH 49 (about 24 miles inside), OH 81 (about 22 miles inside) and OH 116 (about 20 miles inside). Towns inside: Van Wert, Scott, Convoy, Middle Point, Ohio City and Willshire. Nearby: Delphos (on the line), Haviland (2 miles), Grover Hill (2 miles) and Ottoville (2 miles).
Which counties border Van Wert County?
Van Wert County touches 5 other counties. Their latest ODNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allen County | 1,831 | 2025 | 1.1% |
| Mercer County | 1,432 | 2025 | 4.3% |
| Putnam County | 1,376 | 2025 | 0.1% |
| Auglaize County | 1,621 | 2025 | 1.4% |
| Paulding County | 1,286 | 2025 | 0.3% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Van Wert County in 2025-26?
968: 417 antlered and 551 antlerless (Division of Wildlife). In 2024-25: 953.
Is there public hunting land in Van Wert County?
604 acres, 0.2% 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 (401 acres). ODNR's layer shows 1 area open to hunting here.
How many deer do archers take in Van Wert County?
382 of the 968 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 Allen County Mercer County Putnam County Auglaize County Paulding County