Washington County, Ohio: deer harvest and public hunting land
Washington County covers 640 square miles around Marietta. Hunters checked 783 deer here in the 2025-26 season, 290 of them by archers, by the Division of Wildlife's final report. That is down 83% from 2024, and the fewest in the 4 years shown. 10.9% of Washington County is public land open to the public, the largest share national forest (39,314 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 landWashington CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 409,541 acres (640 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025-26 | 783 (451 antlered, 332 antlerless) |
| Archery and gun, 2025-26 | 290 archery, 493 gun |
| Public land | 10.9% (44,779 acres) |
| ODNR hunting areas | 4 (753 acres inside Washington County) |
| Towns in and near it | Marietta, Belpre, Beverly, Dexter City, Chesterhill and Stockport |
How many deer are harvested in Washington County?
Hunters checked 783 deer in Washington County in 2025-26: 451 antlered and 332 antlerless. Archers took 290 and gun hunters 493.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered | Antlerless | Archery | Gun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 783 | 451 | 332 | 290 | 493 |
| 2024-25 | 4,492 | 1,933 | 2,559 | 1,666 | 2,826 |
| 2023-24 | 3,797 | 1,783 | 2,014 | 1,503 | |
| 2021-22 | 3,380 |
Source: the Division of Wildlife's 2025-26, 2024-25 and 2023-24 final deer harvest reports and Publication 5304 (2021-22), Washington County. 2022-23 is not shown. For 2021-22 Publication 5304 gives 1,739 bucks, 1,422 does and 219 button bucks; the final reports of later seasons count bucks with shed or very short antlers as antlerless.
How much public land is in Washington County?
44,779 of Washington County's 409,541 acres are public land open to the public (10.9%). The biggest share is national forest: 39,314 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Washington County |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 39,314 | 9.6% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 4,224 | 1% |
| Land on ODNR's hunting map | 752 | 0.2% |
| Metro parks, county and city land | 236 | 0.1% |
| Other state land | 183 | under 0.1% |
| Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes | 70 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 44,779 | 10.9% |
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 Washington County
ODNR areas open to hunting in Washington County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Veto Lake Wildlife Area: 465 acres
- Acadia Cliffs Wildlife Area: 160 acres
- Acadia Cliffs State Nature Preserve: 108 acres
- Ohio River Lock & Dam 18 Wildlife Area: 20 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Wayne National Forest (39,075 acres) and Wayne Purchase Unit (239 acres).
How do you get to Washington County?
Highways through it: OH 7 (about 74 miles inside), I-77 (about 35 miles inside), OH 26 (about 30 miles inside), OH 339 (about 25 miles inside) and OH 676 (about 24 miles inside). Towns inside: Marietta, Belpre, Beverly, Matamoras (New Matamoras), Lowell and Macksburg. Nearby: Dexter City (on the line), Chesterhill (2 miles), Stockport (4 miles) and Coolville (4 miles).
Which counties border Washington County?
Washington County touches 4 other counties. Their latest ODNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noble County | 2,260 | 2025 | 12.5% |
| Athens County | 917 | 2025 | 11.9% |
| Monroe County | 2,195 | 2025 | 10.6% |
| Morgan County | 1,529 | 2025 | 21.2% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Washington County in 2025-26?
783: 451 antlered and 332 antlerless (Division of Wildlife). In 2024-25: 4,492.
Is there public hunting land in Washington County?
44,779 acres, 10.9% of the county, are public land open to the public by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and ODNR's land boundaries, the largest share national forest (39,314 acres). ODNR's layer shows 4 areas open to hunting here.
How many deer do archers take in Washington County?
290 of the 783 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 Noble County Athens County Monroe County Morgan County