Franklin County hunting
Hunting Near Gahanna
City in Franklin County, wildlife district 1. The closest open public land is Alum Creek State Park, 11 miles out.
Photo: Paul Hurtado (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Gahanna as a hunting base
Gahanna is one of the Ohio cities of 25,000 or more people, inside Franklin County and ODNR District 1. Population, per the 2024 Census estimate: 35,544 for Gahanna. There is no wildlife area, state forest or public hunting area within 10 miles of Gahanna. The first one out is Alum Creek State Park, 11 miles out. Deer hunters based in Gahanna work under the Franklin County bag limit of 4 for 2026-27.
Town point, population and land area from the Census 2024 Gazetteer and Vintage 2024 estimates; wildlife district from the ODNR County Contacts layer; public land rings from ODNR and PAD-US boundaries (GIS acres); deer limit from the 2026-27 deer bag limit map. Checked November 6, 2026.
Public tracts ranked by distance from Gahanna
Rows are sorted by distance from Gahanna to the edge of each property, the way places.json measured them. Within 25 miles of Gahanna: 4 state wildlife areas, 3 state parks and 1 hatchery property. Delaware Wildlife Area is the largest block within 25 miles of Gahanna, roughly 4,670 acres. Species lists exist for 7 of these tracts: deer appears on 4, waterfowl on 6, pheasant on 2. Restricted in the status column means ODNR limits hunting there in some way; the property page gives the detail.
| Place and distance | Land type | Acres | Open? | Quarry | Drawings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alum Creek State Park · 11 mi | State park | 4,630 | Restricted | deer, squirrel + | 2 lotteries |
| Mackey Ford Wildlife Area · 19 mi | Wildlife area | 200 | Open | deer, squirrel + | – |
| Buckeye Lake State Park · 20 mi | State park | 176 | Restricted | waterfowl, furbearer trapping | 1 lottery |
| Hebron Fish Hatchery · 21 mi | Fish hatchery | 155 | Restricted | deer, waterfowl + | 5 lotteries |
| Rock Mill Lake Wildlife Area · 22 mi | Wildlife area | 89 | Open | furbearer trapping | 1 lottery |
| Greenfield Dam Wildlife Area · 22 mi | Wildlife area | 46 | Restricted | Ohio seasons | – |
| Delaware Wildlife Area · 24 mi | Wildlife area | 4,670 | Open | pheasant, waterfowl + | 1 lottery |
| Delaware State Park · 25 mi | State park | 1,686 | Restricted | deer, squirrel + | 2 lotteries |
Distances and acres from places.json and lands.json (ODNR_LANDS and hunting-status layers, PAD-US 4.1, USFS layers; GIS measures, not surveyed acreage); status from the ODNR hunting-status layer; lotteries from the 2026 controlled hunting access lists. Checked November 6, 2026.
Gahanna nearest properties in detail
Alum Creek State Park, 11 mi
Located near Ohio's capital city, Alum Creek State Park is a popular boating and camping destination. Game here: deer, squirrel, rabbit, waterfowl, upland game birds, furbearer trapping. Some hunting here goes by lottery: 2 drawn hunts for 2026.
Mackey Ford Wildlife Area, 19 mi
The 200-acre wildlife area is located within Pickaway County, 3.5 miles east of Commercial Point and four miles north of South Bloomfield. Game here: deer, squirrel, rabbit, dove, waterfowl, raccoon.
Buckeye Lake State Park, 20 mi
Ohio's oldest state park remains a beloved day-use destination. Game here: waterfowl, furbearer trapping. Some hunting here goes by lottery: 1 drawn hunt for 2026.
Descriptions, species, dove fields and access from each property’s ODNR page and the ODNR property details layer, or the agency page linked on the land page (lands.json); lotteries from the 2026 controlled hunting lists. Checked November 6, 2026.
Deer and turkey numbers around Gahanna
In 2025-26 the game check system logged 709 deer from Franklin County. Through November 3, 2026, 2026-27 hunters had checked 164 deer in Franklin County. Gun hunters checked 164 deer in Franklin County during 2025-26, against 287 for crossbow hunters. The 2026 spring turkey count for Franklin County was 12.
| Season | Deer total | Antlered bucks | Antlerless deer | Archery | Gun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 818 | 376 | 442 | 573 | – |
| 2023-24 | 794 | 355 | 439 | 534 | – |
| 2024-25 | 638 | 257 | 381 | 413 | 225 |
| 2025-26 | 709 | 325 | 384 | 480 | 229 |
Final weekly deer harvest reports: 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25, 2025-26; 2026-27 to date from the in-season report; spring turkey from the 2026 spring turkey results; 2025-26 by method from the 2025-26 deer summary. County totals, not town figures. Checked November 6, 2026.
Bag limit and zone lines around Gahanna
Bag rules near Gahanna start with the county class, four-deer, then the Ohio cap of 6 deer and 1 antlered. Hunters near Gahanna are outside the Disease Surveillance Area and its extra deer rules. Waterfowl: all of Franklin County is in Zone C under the new three-zone layout. Spring turkey uses the South zone rows (2026 dates until ODNR publishes 2027), and fall turkey is open in Franklin County. Further, river otter trapping is in Otter Zone B. Hunters from out of state buy the $180.96 nonresident license before any hunt near Gahanna; the resident version is $19.00. Hunter orange becomes mandatory in the youth gun, regular gun, bonus gun and muzzleloader seasons for nearly everyone afield. Every deer goes through game check by noon the following day.
Deer limits from the 2026-27 deer bag limit map and regulations; DSA from OAC 1501:31-19-03; CWD detections from ODNR; waterfowl zones from the 2026-27 regulations; turkey zones from the turkey rules. Checked November 6, 2026.
ODNR contacts nearest Gahanna
From Gahanna, ODNR Division of Wildlife Headquarters is the closest Division of Wildlife office (5 miles). Closest wildlife area headquarters to the Franklin County centre: Deer Creek Wildlife Area headquarters, phone (740) 869-2365. ODNR assigns Brad Kiger as the Franklin County wildlife officer.
District offices from the ODNR wildlife contacts page and Districts layer; county wildlife officers from the ODNR County Contacts layer; nearest offices measured from the town point (services.json); ranger district offices from the USFS office layer (places.json). Checked November 6, 2026.
Gahanna hunting seasons, 2026-27
Ohio runs one statewide calendar for most game, so the rows that change around Gahanna are the waterfowl zone, the turkey zone and the deer bag limit, which is 4 here.
| Species | Hunt | Area | First day | Last day | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 B | 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.
Ohio hunting events around Gahanna
About 30 miles out from Gahanna there are 7 dates ahead.
| On | Listing | Away | Venue and county | Button | Read at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 6, 2026 | ODNR Hunter Education Class (Ashley) · hunter education class, Ashley | 27 | Ashley, Delaware County | Register | Source |
| Nov 14, 2026 | Fairfield County Dinner · DU dinner, Lancaster | 26 | Lancaster, Fairfield County | Tickets | Source |
| Jan 16, 2027 | RMEF Central Ohio Chapter Banquet · RMEF banquet, Orient | 21 | Orient, Pickaway County | Tickets | Source |
| Jan 29, 2027 | Buckeye Conservation Chapter NWTF Banquet · NWTF banquet, Pickerington | 12 | Pickerington, Fairfield County | Event details | Source |
| Mar 19–21, 2027 | Open Season Sportsman's Expo Ohio 2027 · sportsman’s expo, Columbus | 7 | Columbus, Franklin County | Ticket page | Source |
| Mar 20, 2027 | RMEF Two Rivers Chapter Banquet · RMEF banquet, Delaware | 20 | Delaware, Delaware County | Tickets | Source |
| Apr 11, 2027 | Buckeye Toms Banquet · NWTF banquet, Marengo | 25 | Marengo, Morrow County | Tickets | Source |
Gahanna: three ranges within a short drive
Each card gives the entry rule for Gahanna shooters.
Hebron Fish Hatchery Shooting Range, about 20 miles away, is the public range nearest Gahanna. See it
Straight-line miles from the town centre; ranges checked November 6, 2026.
Gahanna sporting goods and deer care
Inside 25 miles of Gahanna: 1 deer or meat processor, 9 taxidermists, 53 gear stores.
Listings from Yellow Pages, store locators, Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry and the ODNR office list (services.json); not every listing was checked as open, so call first. Checked November 6, 2026.
Legal light in Gahanna
The sun comes up roughly a quarter hour later in Defiance than in Marietta, so use the times worked out for Gahanna rather than a Columbus table.
| Day | Marker | Sun up | Sun down | Deer hours | Duck hours | Upland hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 2026 | Archery deer opens | 7:22 a.m. | 7:24 p.m. | 6:52 a.m. to 7:54 p.m. | 6:52 a.m. to 7:24 p.m. | 7:22 a.m. to 7:24 p.m. |
| Oct 1, 2026 | Fall turkey | 7:26 a.m. | 7:16 p.m. | 6:56 a.m. to 7:46 p.m. | 6:56 a.m. to 7:16 p.m. | 7:26 a.m. to 7:16 p.m. |
| Nov 6, 2026 | Rabbit and pheasant | 7:06 a.m. | 5:25 p.m. | 6:36 a.m. to 5:55 p.m. | 6:36 a.m. to 5:25 p.m. | 7:06 a.m. to 5:25 p.m. |
| Nov 30, 2026 | Deer gun week | 7:33 a.m. | 5:08 p.m. | 7:03 a.m. to 5:38 p.m. | 7:03 a.m. to 5:08 p.m. | 7:33 a.m. to 5:08 p.m. |
| Dec 12, 2026 | Second duck split | 7:44 a.m. | 5:07 p.m. | 7:14 a.m. to 5:37 p.m. | 7:14 a.m. to 5:07 p.m. | 7:44 a.m. to 5:07 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:50 a.m. | 5:09 p.m. | 7:20 a.m. to 5:39 p.m. | 7:20 a.m. to 5:09 p.m. | 7:50 a.m. to 5:09 p.m. |
| Jan 2, 2027 | Muzzleloader | 7:53 a.m. | 5:16 p.m. | 7:23 a.m. to 5:46 p.m. | 7:23 a.m. to 5:16 p.m. | 7:53 a.m. to 5:16 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.
Quick answers for the Gahanna area
What does the services list show for Gahanna?
Inside 25 miles of Gahanna: 53 shops, 1 processors, 9 taxidermists and 0 guides or preserves.
Do any areas near Gahanna need a lottery permit?
6 of the 8 properties within 25 miles host 2026 lottery hunts; the land table counts them per property.
Did deer numbers in Franklin County rise or fall in 2025-26?
They rose, from 638 to 709.
How many public tracts lie within 25 miles of Gahanna?
8 of them, the first being Alum Creek State Park at 11 mi.
How many antlerless deer may I take near Gahanna?
The county class is four-deer; on public hunting areas a hunter may take at most 2 antlerless deer per license year, with listed exceptions.
May deer be baited on private ground around Gahanna?
On private land here, yes: baiting deer is legal outside the DSA. On any public hunting area it stays illegal.
Do Gahanna goose hunters use Zone A, B or C dates?
Zone C dates for the whole county.
Does Franklin County get a fall turkey hunt?
It does: October 1 to October 25, 2026, shotguns only per the data.
How do I tell which seasons are live near Gahanna?
Look at the last column of the season table: it compares each row with the date you open the page. On November 6, 2026 the count was 14.
Where can Gahanna hunters buy maps or ask ODNR staff?
Start at ODNR Division of Wildlife Headquarters in Columbus, roughly 5 miles from Gahanna.
When must deer hunters near Gahanna quit for the evening?
Thirty minutes past sunset, which put the close at 5:55 p.m. on November 6, 2026.
Answers from places.json, lands.json, regs.json, harvest.json and services.json, the 2026-27 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations and the 2026-27 hunting seasons list. Checked November 6, 2026.
Next steps out of Gahanna
Everything above is for Gahanna; the county page adds every public acre and the full harvest history for Franklin County.
Other photos on this page: Scott Bauer, USDA NRCS (Public domain); Art Anderson (CC BY-SA 3.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0).