Williams County, Ohio: deer harvest and public hunting land
Williams County covers 423 square miles around Bryan. Hunters checked 2,842 deer here in the 2025-26 season, 1,235 of them by archers, by the Division of Wildlife's final report. That is up 16% from 2024, and the most in the 4 years shown. 1.7% of Williams County is public land open to the public, the largest share land on ODNR's hunting map (3,271 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 mapMetro parks, county and city landLand trusts and other open landWilliams CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 270,840 acres (423 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer checked, 2025-26 | 2,842 (1,198 antlered, 1,644 antlerless) |
| Archery and gun, 2025-26 | 1,235 archery, 1,607 gun |
| Public land | 1.7% (4,606 acres) |
| ODNR hunting areas | 4 (3,269 acres inside Williams County) |
| Towns in and near it | Bryan, Montpelier, Holiday City, Archbold, Ney and Fayette |
How many deer are harvested in Williams County?
Hunters checked 2,842 deer in Williams County in 2025-26: 1,198 antlered and 1,644 antlerless. Archers took 1,235 and gun hunters 1,607.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered | Antlerless | Archery | Gun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 2,842 | 1,198 | 1,644 | 1,235 | 1,607 |
| 2024-25 | 2,443 | 1,041 | 1,402 | 1,048 | 1,395 |
| 2023-24 | 2,156 | 957 | 1,199 | 999 | |
| 2021-22 | 1,857 |
Source: the Division of Wildlife's 2025-26, 2024-25 and 2023-24 final deer harvest reports and Publication 5304 (2021-22), Williams County. 2022-23 is not shown. For 2021-22 Publication 5304 gives 807 bucks, 854 does and 196 button bucks; the final reports of later seasons count bucks with shed or very short antlers as antlerless.
How much public land is in Williams County?
4,606 of Williams County's 270,840 acres are public land open to the public (1.7%). The biggest share is land on ODNR's hunting map: 3,271 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Williams County |
|---|---|---|
| Land on ODNR's hunting map | 3,271 | 1.2% |
| Metro parks, county and city land | 678 | 0.3% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 647 | 0.2% |
| Other state land | 10 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 4,606 | 1.7% |
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 Williams County
ODNR areas open to hunting in Williams County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Lake La Su An Wildlife Area: 2,612 acres
- Fish Creek Wildlife Area: 308 acres
- St Joseph River Wildlife Area: 196 acres
- Parkersburg Wildlife Area: 153 acres
How do you get to Williams County?
Highways through it: I-80 (about 44 miles inside), I-90 (about 44 miles inside), OH 34 (about 28 miles inside), OH 49 (about 21 miles inside) and OH 576 (about 21 miles inside). Towns inside: Bryan, Montpelier, Holiday City, Pioneer, Edgerton and West Unity. Nearby: Archbold (2 miles), Ney (3 miles), Fayette (4 miles) and Hicksville (9 miles).
Which counties border Williams County?
Williams County touches 3 other counties. Their latest ODNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Henry County | 1,181 | 2025 | 0.8% |
| Fulton County | 1,489 | 2025 | 1% |
| Defiance County | 1,887 | 2025 | 0.8% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Williams County in 2025-26?
2,842: 1,198 antlered and 1,644 antlerless (Division of Wildlife). In 2024-25: 2,443.
Is there public hunting land in Williams County?
4,606 acres, 1.7% 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 (3,271 acres). ODNR's layer shows 4 areas open to hunting here.
How many deer do archers take in Williams County?
1,235 of the 2,842 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.