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Northeast Ohio wildlife district
Tuscarawas County Hunting Rules and Places
Plan a Tuscarawas County hunt around its own rules: deer limit and CWD status, every dated season, duck and turkey zones, deer and turkey harvest by year, and public land in and around the county.
Photo: Brian Rawson-Ketchum (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Tuscarawas County deer: bag limit and harvest
The bag limit map puts Tuscarawas County at 3 deer per hunter, counted only for deer taken within the county. No neighbouring Ohio county differs: all are 3-deer counties too. Whatever the mix of counties, Ohio stops a hunter at six deer, one of them antlered.
Budget $31.20 (resident) or $218.40 (nonresident) per either-sex permit; the $15.00 deer management permit covers antlerless deer through the full season. The county cap ignores deer killed on controlled hunts.
CWD picture in Tuscarawas County
ODNR has not placed Tuscarawas County in the Disease Surveillance Area, and its June 2026 breakdown of wild detections names other counties only. Closest DSA county: Morrow, near 70 miles off. Hunters returning from the DSA or another state must follow the ODNR carcass part limits.
Tuscarawas County harvest history
ODNR's final 2025-26 tally for Tuscarawas County is 7,623 deer, an increase of 3% on the season before. By total deer it was the 2nd county in the state that season. About 48% came during archery season and 39% were antlered. 1,778 deer were on the 2026-27 books for Tuscarawas County as of November 3, 2026. In the 2025 season summary the gun season led the county with 2,761 deer.
| Year | All deer | Bucks | Does and fawns | Bow | Gun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 7,028 | 2,735 | 4,293 | 3,325 | — |
| 2023-24 | 7,023 | 2,832 | 4,191 | 3,434 | — |
| 2024-25 | 7,373 | 2,846 | 4,527 | 3,380 | 3,993 |
| 2025-26 | 7,623 | 3,010 | 4,613 | 3,652 | 3,971 |
Tuscarawas County 2025 harvest by method
| Season | Antlered | Does | Button bucks | Deer | Prior avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gun | 819 | 1,639 | 303 | 2,761 | 2,418 |
| Crossbow | 1,365 | 1,011 | 134 | 2,510 | 2,316 |
| Longbow | 521 | 522 | 50 | 1,093 | 1,028 |
| Bonus Gun | 110 | 300 | 52 | 462 | 502 |
| Muzzleloader | 105 | 295 | 49 | 449 | 406 |
| Youth | 144 | 96 | 34 | 274 | 384 |
| Total | 3,089 | 3,908 | 627 | 7,624 | 7,141 |
Bag limit from the 2026-27 deer bag limit map and deer rules (digest pp. 6-11); DSA from OAC 1501:31-19-03 and CWD rules; detections from the ODNR CWD page and tests from the 2025-26 CWD summary; harvest from the 2022-23 final weekly report; 2023-24 final weekly report; 2024-25 final weekly report; 2025-26 final weekly report, the 2026-27 report through Nov. 3 and the 2025-26 deer summary; permit prices from the license list. Checked November 6, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Tuscarawas County Hunting Guide
Tuscarawas County hunting and trapping calendar
Deer gun, youth gun, bonus gun and muzzleloader dates are the same in all 88 counties; the Tuscarawas County deer limit is what differs.
| Game | Season | Applies | Opens | Closes | Today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | Archery | Statewide | Sep 26, 2026 | Feb 7, 2027 | |
| Deer | Youth gun | Statewide | Nov 21, 2026 | Nov 22, 2026 | |
| Deer | Gun | Statewide | Nov 30, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | |
| Deer | Bonus gun | Statewide | Dec 19, 2026 | Dec 20, 2026 | |
| Deer | Muzzleloader | Statewide | Jan 2, 2027 | Jan 5, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Fall | Fall counties | Oct 1, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | |
| Squirrels | Regular | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| Cottontail | Youth small game weekend | Statewide | Oct 24, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | |
| Cottontail | Youth small game weekend | Statewide | Oct 31, 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 | |
| Cottontail | Regular | Statewide | Nov 6, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Pheasant | Youth small game weekend | Statewide | Oct 24, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | |
| Pheasant | Youth small game weekend | Statewide | Oct 31, 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 | |
| Pheasant | Regular | Statewide | Nov 6, 2026 | Jan 10, 2027 | |
| Chukar | Youth small game weekend | Statewide | Oct 24, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | |
| Chukar | Youth small game weekend | Statewide | Oct 31, 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 | |
| Chukar | Regular | Statewide | Nov 6, 2026 | Jan 10, 2027 | |
| Mourning dove | Dove | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Nov 8, 2026 | |
| Mourning dove | Dove | Statewide | Dec 12, 2026 | Jan 1, 2027 | |
| Teal | Early teal | Statewide | Sep 5, 2026 | Sep 13, 2026 | |
| Canada goose | Early Canada goose | Statewide | Sep 5, 2026 | Sep 13, 2026 | |
| Ducks | Veterans and military | Statewide | Oct 3, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 | |
| Ducks | Youth waterfowl | Statewide | Oct 3, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 | |
| Ducks | Ducks (split 1) | Zone C | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | |
| Ducks | Ducks (split 2) | Zone C | Dec 12, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| Geese and brant | Geese (split 1) | Zone C | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | |
| Geese and brant | Geese (split 2) | Zone C | Nov 21, 2026 | Feb 15, 2027 | |
| Woodcock | Woodcock | Statewide | Oct 16, 2026 | Nov 29, 2026 | |
| Snipe | Snipe | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Nov 25, 2026 | |
| Snipe | Snipe | Statewide | Dec 12, 2026 | Jan 1, 2027 | |
| Rails | Rail | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Nov 9, 2026 | |
| Gallinule | Gallinule | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Nov 9, 2026 | |
| Crow | Crow (Fri-Sun) | Statewide | Jun 5, 2026 | Mar 7, 2027 | |
| Groundhog | No closed season | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Aug 31, 2027 | |
| Coyote | Hunting (no closed season) | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Aug 31, 2027 | |
| Coyote | Trapping (no closed season) | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Aug 31, 2027 | |
| Red fox | Hunting | Statewide | Nov 10, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| Red fox | Trapping | Statewide | Nov 10, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| Gray fox | Hunting | Statewide | Nov 10, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| Gray fox | Trapping | Statewide | Nov 10, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| Raccoon | Hunting | Statewide | Nov 10, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| Raccoon | Trapping | Statewide | Nov 10, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| Skunk | Hunting | Statewide | Nov 10, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| Opossum | Hunting | Statewide | Nov 10, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| Weasel | Hunting | Statewide | Nov 10, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| Skunk | Trapping | Statewide | Nov 10, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| Opossum | Trapping | Statewide | Nov 10, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| Weasel | Trapping | 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 | |
| River otter | Trapping | Otter Zone A | Dec 26, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Beaver | Trapping | Statewide | Dec 26, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 |
From the 2026-27 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations and the 2026-27 hunting seasons list (ODNR Division of Wildlife), checked November 6, 2026.
Tuscarawas County seasons beyond deer
Waterfowl seasons and stamps for Tuscarawas County
For ducks and geese, Tuscarawas County is entirely Zone C country this season. Second-split ducks in Zone C: December 12, 2026 to January 31, 2027. Last goose day in Zone C: February 15, 2027. The September teal and early goose days (September 5 to September 13, 2026) and the October 3 to October 4, 2026 youth and military hunts are statewide. Dove fields open September 1, 2026; the late dove split starts December 12, and timberdoodles are legal October 16 to November 29, 2026. Ducks and geese mean HIP plus two stamps: $15.00 for Ohio wetlands and $25.00 federal, from age 16.
| Waterfowl zone | Duck splits | Goose splits |
|---|---|---|
| Zone C | Oct 17-25 Dec 12-Jan 31 | Oct 17-25 Nov 21-Feb 15 |
Turkey zone and gobbler counts for Tuscarawas County
For gobblers, Tuscarawas County belongs to the South zone, where the 2026 season was April 25 to May 24, 2026; spring 2027 dates were not yet published. Youth hunters had April 18 to April 19, 2026 in 2026. From 408 in 2023 to 433 in 2026: that is the Tuscarawas County spring turkey trend, which ranks 2nd statewide for 2026. A fall season reaches Tuscarawas County: October 1 to October 25, 2026, any sex, with archery tackle no longer allowed. ODNR counted 19 fall turkeys for Tuscarawas County in 2025.
| Spring | Checked | Adult gobblers | Juveniles | Hens |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 408 | 326 | 74 | 8 |
| 2024 | 449 | 377 | 62 | 10 |
| 2025 | 401 | 315 | 81 | 5 |
| 2026 | 433 | 379 | 46 | 8 |
| Autumn | Checked |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 24 |
| 2024 | 11 |
| 2025 | 19 |
Tuscarawas County small game and fur
Quail hunting is closed here; the open counties are in the south and southwest. Small game begins with squirrels on September 1; cottontails, pheasants and chukar follow on November 6. Tuscarawas County trappers fall in otter Zone A, with furbearers from November 10 and beaver and otter from December 26 to February 28, 2027. Otters are capped as 3 total, max. 1 from Zone B. Mink and muskrat trapping lasts until February 28, 2027.
Zones from OAC 1501:31-7-07 and the digest waterfowl pages; seasons from the 2026-27 season dates; turkey from the turkey rules with spring and fall results (2023 spring; 2024 spring; 2025 spring; 2026 spring; 2023 fall; 2024 fall; 2025 fall); quail from OAC 1501:31-15-21; otter zones from the trapping pages; stamps from the license list. Checked November 6, 2026.
Tuscarawas County public acres and places
Roughly 0.9% of Tuscarawas County (3,241 GIS acres) is public land where hunting is allowed, 42nd among Ohio counties. The biggest public unit here is Atwood Lake Hunt Area, 4,565 acres including land beyond the county line. ODNR lists 1 L/HAP farm in Tuscarawas County, open by free daily permit.
| Category | Acres |
|---|---|
| State wildlife areas | 572 |
| Corps of Engineers land | 140 |
| Public hunting areas | 2,530 |
Atwood Lake Hunt Area and Beach City Wildlife Area offer controlled hunts, 2 in all, drawn by lottery.
Tuscarawas County wildlife areas and forests
Tuscarawas County: nearby public ground
- Keen Wildlife Area13 miles · Harrison County
- Leesville Wildlife Area15 miles · Carroll County
- Leesville Lake Hunt Area16 miles · Carroll County
- Bolivar Dam Hunt Area16 miles · Stark County
- Tappan Lake Hunt Area17 miles · Harrison County
- Clendening Lake Hunt Area19 miles · Harrison County
GIS acres from the ODNR lands layer, PAD-US 4.1 and the Census county file as compiled in counties.json (polygons, not official acreage; large water removed); lands and acreage from each land record; L/HAP counts from the ODNR L/HAP page; controlled hunts from the 2026 controlled hunt list. Checked November 6, 2026.
Hunting events in Tuscarawas County, ahead and held
Inside the county line: 0 dates ahead and 2 past rows. Checked November 5, 2026.
| Date run | Event | Where held | Result | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 31, 2026 | ODNR Hunter Education Class (New Philadelphia) · hunter education class, New Philadelphia | New Philadelphia, Tuscarawas County | Source | |
| Oct 17, 2026 | ODNR Hunter Education Class (Sugarcreek) · hunter education class, Sugarcreek | Source |
Tuscarawas County wildlife officer and services
The Division of Wildlife handles Tuscarawas County from its Northeast Ohio district office in Akron, where Pete Novotny is district manager. Michael Budd is the state wildlife officer assigned to Tuscarawas County ((614) 230-6347). For area maps and local conditions, Salt Fork Wildlife Area headquarters in Lore City is the nearest headquarters (22 miles).
Census figures put 92,048 people in Tuscarawas County in 2024, on 568 square miles, with New Philadelphia as the seat.
Tuscarawas County town guides
1 town guide on this site sits in Tuscarawas County, each with public land within 10 and 25 miles.
- New Philadelphia17,378 people
Within the county lines: 3 deer processors, 3 taxidermists, 11 sporting goods stores and 2 guide or preserves.
Processing for Tuscarawas County deer
Taxidermy shops around Tuscarawas County
Tuscarawas County gun and archery shops
Preserves near Tuscarawas County
District offices, officers and wildlife area headquarters from the digest wildlife officer page and the ODNR county contacts and work units layers (counties.json); population from the Census 2024 estimates; services from store locators, Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry and Yellow Pages listings (not individually verified). Checked November 6, 2026.
Sighting in a deer gun around Tuscarawas County
4 ranges turn up inside Tuscarawas County, from conservation league benches to indoor bays.
Salt Fork Wildlife Area Shooting Range is the ODNR-listed range nearest Tuscarawas County, 22 miles away; entry is the shooting range permit for adults ($5.00 a day). Details
Ranges from ODNR’s public range list, ranges’ own sites, the ATA club list and directory listings, checked November 6, 2026.
Tuscarawas County legal shooting light
The sun comes up roughly a quarter hour later in Defiance than in Marietta, so use the times worked out for Tuscarawas County rather than a Columbus table.
| Day | Marker | Sun up | Sun down | Deer hours | Duck hours | Upland hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 2026 | Archery deer opens | 7:16 a.m. | 7:18 p.m. | 6:46 a.m. to 7:48 p.m. | 6:46 a.m. to 7:18 p.m. | 7:16 a.m. to 7:18 p.m. |
| Oct 1, 2026 | Fall turkey | 7:21 a.m. | 7:10 p.m. | 6:51 a.m. to 7:40 p.m. | 6:51 a.m. to 7:10 p.m. | 7:21 a.m. to 7:10 p.m. |
| Nov 6, 2026 | Rabbit and pheasant | 7:01 a.m. | 5:19 p.m. | 6:31 a.m. to 5:49 p.m. | 6:31 a.m. to 5:19 p.m. | 7:01 a.m. to 5:19 p.m. |
| Nov 30, 2026 | Deer gun week | 7:28 a.m. | 5:01 p.m. | 6:58 a.m. to 5:31 p.m. | 6:58 a.m. to 5:01 p.m. | 7:28 a.m. to 5:01 p.m. |
| Dec 12, 2026 | Second duck split | 7:39 a.m. | 5:00 p.m. | 7:09 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. | 7:09 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. | 7:39 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:45 a.m. | 5:02 p.m. | 7:15 a.m. to 5:32 p.m. | 7:15 a.m. to 5:02 p.m. | 7:45 a.m. to 5:02 p.m. |
| Jan 2, 2027 | Muzzleloader | 7:49 a.m. | 5:10 p.m. | 7:19 a.m. to 5:40 p.m. | 7:19 a.m. to 5:10 p.m. | 7:49 a.m. to 5:10 p.m. |
Hours rules from the 2026-27 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations; sunrise and sunset worked out for this location with the NOAA solar formula (Eastern Time); checked November 6, 2026. Legal hours for every county.
Permits, orange and bait rules in Tuscarawas County
License first: $19.00 resident, $180.96 nonresident, $10.00 for youth or seniors, valid from March 1 to the end of February. The orange rule covers all hunters other than waterfowlers in every firearm deer season, and the garment may be solid or camouflage orange.
Bait is a private-land option for deer here, never for gobblers, doves or ducks, and never on public hunting areas. Report deer through HuntFish OH, the website, the toll-free line or an agent by noon the next day; turkeys the same night by 11:30 p.m. Hunt any day of the week; Ohio law carries no Sunday ban. First-time license buyers need hunter education unless they buy an apprentice license and hunt with a licensed adult 21 or older. Big Ohio bucks are scored and listed by the Buckeye Big Buck Club, not by ODNR.
From the license and permit list, hunter orange rule, baiting rules, game check, season calendar, hunter education and the Buckeye Big Buck Club notice in the 2026-27 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations. Checked November 6, 2026.
Tuscarawas County hunting questions
Do Tuscarawas County bowhunters get the early DSA archery start?
No; archery here opens with the rest of Ohio on September 26, 2026.
Does a waterfowl zone boundary cut through Tuscarawas County?
No, all of it is Zone C.
Does Tuscarawas County open for fall turkeys in 2026-27?
Yes, October 1 to October 25, 2026, shotgun only.
Does Tuscarawas County contain any state wildlife areas?
Yes, the ODNR layer names Beach City Dam Wildlife Area and Beach City Wildlife Area inside the county.
How far is the closest ODNR office from Tuscarawas County?
Roughly 39 miles straight line, at Akron.
What is the 2026-27 deer tally so far in Tuscarawas County?
1,778 through November 3, 2026.
May I bait on public hunting land in Tuscarawas County?
No, not on any public hunting area.
What orange clothing does gun week require in Tuscarawas County?
A vest, coat, jacket or coveralls in solid or camouflage hunter orange.
When are beaver sets legal in Tuscarawas County?
Beaver trapping runs December 26, 2026 to February 28, 2027.
Is Sunday a legal hunting day in Tuscarawas County?
Yes; Ohio has no statewide Sunday ban.
Answers from the 2026-27 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations, the deer bag limit map, the DSA rule, the waterfowl zone rule, shooting hours and the sources above. Checked November 6, 2026.
A note on Tuscarawas County data
This Tuscarawas County page is rebuilt from ODNR data; when the Wildlife Council or the 2027 spring turkey notice changes a date, the page follows.
Other photos on this page: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0); Art Anderson (CC BY-SA 3.0); James St. John (CC BY 2.0).