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Built from ODNR Division of Wildlife regulations, reports and maps for 2026-27
Ohio Hunting
392 public hunting places from the Lake Erie marshes to the Wayne National Forest, a guide to each of the 88 counties and 197 base towns, the deer bag limit of every county, all 77 season rows and the 57 license and fee rows. Every date, fee and acreage traces back to ODNR or a federal land agency and was checked on November 6, 2026. The photo looks out from Monroe Outlook in the Wayne National Forest.
Photo: Wayne National Forest (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
Ohio hunting open at the moment
The count runs over all 77 ODNR season rows. Squirrel, dove, rabbit, pheasant and the furbearers all share one statewide calendar; ducks and geese split into three zones, and the deer gun week starts on November 30.
In season on November 6, 2026: 16 rows across 14 species
| Game | Rows open | Earliest close | Latest close |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coyote | 2 | Aug 31, 2027 | Aug 31, 2027 |
| Deer | 2 | Feb 7, 2027 | Feb 7, 2027 |
| Crow | 1 | Mar 7, 2027 | Mar 7, 2027 |
| Woodcock | 1 | Nov 29, 2026 | Nov 29, 2026 |
| Snipe | 1 | Nov 25, 2026 | Nov 25, 2026 |
| Bobwhite quail | 1 | Nov 29, 2026 | Nov 29, 2026 |
| Chukar | 1 | Jan 10, 2027 | Jan 10, 2027 |
| Gallinule | 1 | Nov 9, 2026 | Nov 9, 2026 |
| Cottontail | 1 | Feb 28, 2027 | Feb 28, 2027 |
| Groundhog | 1 | Aug 31, 2027 | Aug 31, 2027 |
| Mourning dove | 1 | Nov 8, 2026 | Nov 8, 2026 |
| Rails | 1 | Nov 9, 2026 | Nov 9, 2026 |
| Pheasant | 1 | Jan 10, 2027 | Jan 10, 2027 |
| Squirrels | 1 | Jan 31, 2027 | Jan 31, 2027 |
Coming up next on the Ohio season chart
| Game | Season | Where | Opens | Closes | Today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opossum | Hunting | Statewide | Nov 10, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| Gray fox | Hunting | Statewide | Nov 10, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| Mink | Trapping | Statewide | Nov 10, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Muskrat | Trapping | Statewide | Nov 10, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Raccoon | Hunting | Statewide | Nov 10, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| Red fox | Hunting | Statewide | Nov 10, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| Skunk | Hunting | Statewide | Nov 10, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| Weasel | Hunting | Statewide | Nov 10, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| Ducks | Ducks (split 2) | Zone A | Nov 14, 2026 | Dec 27, 2026 | |
| Geese and brant | Geese (split 2) | Zone A | Nov 14, 2026 | Feb 1, 2027 |
Groundhog and coyote rows run the whole digest year, September 1, 2026 to August 31, 2027. Falconry rows stay on the species pages. Sources: 2026-27 ODNR hunting seasons PDF; Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations 2026-27, p. 4; Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations 2026-27, p. 5. Checked: digest pages compared on November 6, 2026.
How many deer an Ohio county allows
Ohio has no deer units. Each county carries its own limit, and a hunter may combine deer from several counties up to the statewide six, of which only one may be antlered. 66 counties are three-deer counties outright; the Disease Surveillance Area allows six.
| County group | Deer limit | Counties | Counties in the group |
|---|---|---|---|
| two-deer (max. 1 antlerless) | 2 | 3 | Athens · Meigs · Washington |
| two-deer | 2 | 5 | Hocking · Jackson · Lawrence · Morgan · Vinton |
| three-deer | 3 | 66 | Adams · Ashland · Ashtabula · Auglaize · Belmont · Brown · Butler · Carroll · +58 |
| four-deer | 4 | 5 | Cuyahoga · Franklin · Hamilton · Lucas · Summit |
| DSA (six-deer) | 6 | 4 | Allen · Hardin · Marion · Wyandot |
| three-deer outside the DSA; six-deer in DSA townships | 3 | 5 | Crawford · Delaware · Hancock · Morrow · Union |
Antlered deer = at least one antler 3 inches or longer; antlerless = no antlers or antlers under 3 inches. Allen, Hardin, Marion and Wyandot counties sit wholly inside the Disease Surveillance Area, and townships of Crawford, Delaware, Hancock, Morrow and Union counties join them; ODNR counts 115 CWD-positive deer through June 2026.
Sources: Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations 2026-27, p. 7; 2026-27 ODNR deer bag limit map; OAC 1501:31-19-03; ODNR chronic wasting disease page. Checked: digest pages compared on November 6, 2026.
How Ohio handles season tools and zone maps
Most Ohio game runs on a single calendar for all 88 counties. Where the rules change by place, a separate page lists the counties: the deer limit, the Disease Surveillance Area, the three waterfowl zones, the turkey zones, the quail counties and the river otter zones.
| Season tool | What it holds |
|---|---|
| Season dates | 77 rows, grouped by species |
| Deer limits | Limit, group and harvest by county |
| CWD area | 4 whole counties, 5 partly |
| Waterfowl zones | Zone A 16, B 25, C 53 counties |
| Turkey zones | 70 fall counties, two spring zones |
| Quail counties | 16 counties, two wildlife areas |
| Trapping seasons | Furbearers, otter zones, Lake Erie |
| Controlled hunts | 313 lottery hunts for 2026 |
| Shooting hours | Legal light, 88 counties |
Bobwhite quail is the one small game bird with a county list: outside the open counties and two southern wildlife areas the season stays closed.
Sources: 2026-27 ODNR hunting seasons PDF; OAC 1501:31-7-07; OAC 1501:31-15-10; OAC 1501:31-15-21; Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations 2026-27, p. 23. Checked: digest pages compared on November 6, 2026.
Public hunting land in the Buckeye State
Measured on the GIS layers, the 88 counties hold about 868,129 acres open to public hunting: some 314,170 acres of state wildlife areas, 240,286 of the Wayne National Forest, 201,684 of state forests and 66,657 of public hunting areas run under agreement, plus 106,700 acres of state park land marked open or restricted for hunting.
| Land hub | What it holds |
|---|---|
| Wildlife areas | 225 state wildlife areas |
| State forests | 24 state forests |
| State parks | 61 state parks with hunting |
| Public hunting areas | 36 public hunting areas, 22 access areas |
| Federal land | Wayne NF, two refuges, two bases |
| Access programs | L/HAP, lotteries, dog training |
| Dove fields | Wildlife areas with dove fields |
| Pheasant releases | Wildlife areas with releases |
| Land map | 389 pins |
Another 269 places on the ODNR and federal lists allow no hunting, 152 of them state nature preserves and 53 scenic river areas; the public land hub names each with the reason. Public land hub · Wayne National Forest · L/HAP private land
Tile acres are the figure on each land record; county acres come from GIS polygons and are not official totals. Sources: ODNR L/HAP page; Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations 2026-27, p. 28; Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations 2026-27, p. 6. Checked: digest pages compared on November 6, 2026.
Ohio land pins statewide
389 places carry a map point, from the marsh units along Sandusky Bay to the reclaimed coal ground of the southeast. Larger dots mark places of 10,000 acres or more.
The ODNR districts and their 88 counties
The Division of Wildlife works from five district offices in Columbus, Findlay, Akron, Athens and Xenia, and every county has its own wildlife officer. Each county page names its district, its officer, the nearest wildlife area headquarters, its deer limit and waterfowl zone and the public land inside it.
District 1, Central Ohio
Champaign · Delaware · Fairfield · Fayette · Franklin · Knox · Licking · Logan · Madison · Marion · Morrow · Pickaway · Union
District 2, Northwest Ohio
Allen · Crawford · Defiance · Erie · Fulton · Hancock · Hardin · Henry · Huron · Lucas · Ottawa · Paulding · Putnam · Richland · Sandusky · Seneca · Van Wert · Williams · Wood · Wyandot
District 3, Northeast Ohio
Ashland · Ashtabula · Carroll · Columbiana · Cuyahoga · Geauga · Harrison · Holmes · Jefferson · Lake · Lorain · Mahoning · Medina · Portage · Stark · Summit · Trumbull · Tuscarawas · Wayne
Sources: ODNR contact wildlife page; ODNR Wildlife Work Units map layer. Checked: digest pages compared on November 6, 2026.
The Ohio harvest in figures
Every deer and turkey in Ohio goes through game check, so the ODNR counts are tallies, not survey estimates: 232,142 deer in 2025-26, after 238,137 the season before. Archers took 107,783 of them.
Sources: ODNR weekly deer harvest report, final for 2025-26; ODNR weekly deer harvest report, November 3, 2026; ODNR 2026 spring turkey results, Appendix B; ODNR 2025 fall turkey results; 2025-26 Ohio CWD surveillance summary. Checked: digest pages compared on November 6, 2026.
Ohio game, 40 pages
Whitetails and wild turkeys lead, followed by squirrels in the hardwood hills, rabbits and released pheasants on farm ground, ducks and geese on the Lake Erie marshes and reservoirs, and 11 furbearers for trappers and coon hunters. The pages for black bear, bobcat, porcupine, feral swine, Hungarian Partridge and nongame birds explain why Ohio has no season for them.
Eastern Cottontail · Chukar · Northern Bobwhite · Ruffed Grouse · Groundhog · American Crow · Coyote · Raccoon · Red Fox · Gray Fox · Striped Skunk · Virginia Opossum · Weasels · Mink · Muskrat · Beaver · River Otter · Mergansers · American Coot · Greater White-fronted Goose · Light geese · Brant · Mourning dove · Sora and Virginia Rail · Common Gallinule · Wilson's Snipe · American Woodcock · Falconry · Black Bear · Bobcat · Porcupine · Feral Swine · Hungarian (Gray) Partridge · Nongame birds
Ohio basics in eight cards
License first
A resident adult license costs $19.00 and a nonresident one $180.96; deer, turkey, fur taker permits and the wetlands stamp sit on top.
Hunter orange
A vest, coat, jacket or coveralls in solid or camouflage hunter orange during the youth gun, gun and muzzleloader deer seasons, for everyone except waterfowl hunters.
Bait
Legal for deer on private land outside the Disease Surveillance Area; illegal on public hunting areas, in the DSA, for turkey and for migratory birds.
Sundays
No statewide Sunday ban; crow season runs Friday through Sunday, and some controlled hunts fall on set weekdays.
Game check
Deer by noon the day after the kill, turkeys by 11:30 p.m. the same day, by app, website, phone or license agent.
Legal light
Deer from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset; squirrels, fall turkeys and waterfowl stop at sunset; rabbits and pheasants keep sunrise to sunset.
Lottery hunts
$3 per application: turkey in March, deer, small game, dove and waterfowl in July, trapping drawn in person in October.
Private land access
L/HAP opens 171 enrolled properties, 18,058 acres in 46 counties, through a free online check-in.
Sources: Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations 2026-27, p. 29; Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations 2026-27, p. 5; Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations 2026-27, p. 9; Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations 2026-27, p. 4; Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations 2026-27, p. 14; Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations 2026-27, p. 6; Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations 2026-27, p. 26; ODNR L/HAP page. Checked: digest pages compared on November 6, 2026.
Ohio banquets, classes, services and ranges
49 hunting events are dated from November 6, 2026 on, from conservation banquets to UKC coon hunts and hunter education classes, and 106 shooting matches are on the calendar. The five service directories hold 968 entries, ODNR offices included.
| Date | Event | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 6, 2026 | ODNR Hunter Education Class | Ashley, Delaware County | Class |
| Nov 6, 2026 | ODNR Hunter Education Class | Xenia, Greene County | Class |
| Nov 6, 2026 | Springfield DU Dinner Banquet | Springfield, Clark County | Banquet |
| Nov 7, 2026 | ODNR Hunter Education Class | Chillicothe, Ross County | Class |
| Nov 7, 2026 | ODNR Hunter Education Class | Ravenna, Portage County | Class |
| Nov 7, 2026 | ODNR Hunter Education Class | Wheelersburg, Scioto County | Class |
| Nov 7, 2026 | ODNR Trapper Education Class | Camden, Preble County | Class |
| Nov 9, 2026 | ODNR Hunter Education Class | Bellefontaine, Logan County | Class |
Deer processors
72 processors, including the butchers that take donated deer.
Taxidermists
131 shops for a shoulder mount or a full-strut gobbler.
Guides and preserves
30 guide services, preserves and bird clubs.
Gun and bow shops
706 gun counters, bow shops and outdoor stores, with the chains listed apart.
ODNR offices
29 offices, from the Morse Road headquarters to the wildlife area shops.
Shooting ranges
319 ranges on file, 40 on the ODNR public range list.
Ohio hunting questions
Where has CWD turned up in Ohio?
ODNR reports 115 positive deer through June 2026, most in Wyandot (77), Marion (23) and Hardin (8) counties; the Disease Surveillance Area rules apply there.
Are the waterfowl zones new for 2026-27?
Yes. Ohio now has Zones A, B and C; the waterfowl zone page lists the counties in each and prints the boundary roads for the split counties.
When will the 2027 spring turkey dates be out?
ODNR had not published them when this site was checked; the turkey pages show the 2026 spring dates and say so.
Where can I find a deer processor in Ohio?
The processor directory lists 72 businesses by Wildlife District and county; ODNR publishes no processor list.
How many Ohio public hunting places have a page of their own here?
392 have their own page: 225 state wildlife areas, 61 state parks, 36 public hunting areas, 24 state forests, 22 public access areas, the Wayne National Forest and its two ranger districts, two refuges, two military bases and the access programs.
Does Ohio set deer seasons by county?
The dates are statewide; the bag limit is set by county. Three counties are two-deer counties with a one-antlerless cap, 5 are two-deer, most are three-deer, five are four-deer and the Disease Surveillance Area allows six.
When is the 2026 Ohio deer gun season?
November 30-December 6, 2026, with youth gun on November 21-22, bonus gun on December 19-20 and muzzleloader on January 2-5, 2027.
Does Ohio close any Sunday to hunters?
No. The 2026-27 digest, OAC 1501:31 and ORC 1533 set no statewide Sunday restriction, and the season rows run every day of the week. Some things do go by the day: crow season is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only; controlled waterfowl permits are issued for Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays; controlled deer gun permits are for one Saturday or Sunday; Class A shooting ranges are open Wednesday-Sunday.
Where may an Ohio deer hunter hunt over bait?
Hunting deer over bait is legal on private land outside the Disease Surveillance Area. No hunting deer over bait on any public hunting area.
What does an Ohio hunting license cost?
$19.00 for a resident adult, $180.96 for a nonresident, $10.00 for youth; an either-sex deer permit adds $31.20 for residents.
Plan an Ohio season
Start from a county for its deer limit, zones, officer and public land, from a wildlife area for its parking, fields and lottery hunts, or from a town for the nearest ground, shop and range.
Other photos on this page: Wayne National Forest (Public Domain Mark 1.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0); DanaK~WaterPenny (CC BY 2.0); Art Anderson (CC BY-SA 3.0); James St. John (CC BY 2.0); OhioOakTree (CC BY-SA 4.0); Scott Bauer, USDA NRCS (Public domain); 小福 (CC BY-SA 2.0); U.S. Geological Survey (CC0 1.0); Fabian Roudra Baroi (CC BY-SA 4.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Midwest Region (Public domain); USFWS/Southeast (Public domain); ilouque (CC BY 2.0); DaPuglet (CC BY-SA 2.0); ALAN SCHMIERER (CC0 1.0).