Northeast Ohio · District 3
Hunting Near Strongsville
City located in Cuyahoga County. Public hunting ground starts 12 miles away, at Camp Belden Wildlife Area.
Photo: David Waldron (CC0 1.0)
Sizing up Strongsville for a season afield
With more than 25,000 residents, Strongsville is a large Cuyahoga County city in the Northeast Ohio district, which covers the snowbelt woods and wetlands along Lake Erie, the reclaimed strip-mine hills of the east and the Mosquito Creek, Grand River and Berlin Lake country. 45,768 people call Strongsville home, according to the 2024 Census estimates. Hunting from Strongsville means a drive: nothing public lies within 10 miles, and Camp Belden Wildlife Area (12 miles out) is the closest. The 2026-27 county limit around Strongsville is 4 deer, set by ODNR for Cuyahoga County.
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.
Strongsville deer limit and zones
Deer: Cuyahoga County is listed as four-deer for 2026-27; across Ohio one hunter may take 6 deer in all, only 1 of them antlered. Cuyahoga County sits outside Disease Surveillance Area 2021-01. Duck and goose dates for Strongsville follow Zone B. Turkey: Cuyahoga County is in the spring Northeast zone; fall turkey hunting is allowed there. Worth knowing in Cuyahoga County: river otter trapping is in Otter Zone B. Residents pay $19.00 for a license and $31.20 per either-sex deer permit in 2026-27. Camouflage orange counts the same as solid orange for the gun-week garment rule. Report a deer through game check by noon the day after it is taken.
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.
How far Strongsville sits from public ground
Distances are straight-line miles from the Strongsville town point to the nearest edge of each property; road miles run longer. The 25-mile ring around Strongsville takes in 3 state wildlife areas and 2 state parks. Only 5 properties fall inside 25 miles, so the nearest farther places follow, measured to their centre point. For elbow room, Findley State Park offers the most ground nearby: 838 acres on the record. Read across the game column and 2 of 4 listed tracts name deer, 0 name doves and 1 name turkeys. Where a row says restricted, part of the ground or some methods are off limits; the area map shows which. Where a row says check with ODNR, the code list and the parcel layer do not agree on hunting there; call the district office first.
| Land, miles out | Category | Acreage | Layer status | Game listed | Lotteries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camp Belden Wildlife Area · 12 mi | Wildlife area | 610 | Restricted | pheasant | – |
| Spencer Lake Wildlife Area · 19 mi | Wildlife area | 618 | Open | deer, turkey + | 1 lottery |
| Findley State Park · 23 mi | State park | 838 | Restricted | deer, waterfowl + | 1 lottery |
| Tinkers Creek State Park · 24 mi check with ODNR | State park | 397 | Check rules | woodcock, waterfowl + | – |
| Wellington Wildlife Area · 24 mi | Wildlife area | 203 | Open | Ohio seasons | – |
| Portage Path Conservation Area · 25 mi to centre | Wildlife area | 90 | Open | Ohio seasons | – |
| Portage Lakes State Park · 28 mi to centre | State park | 411 | Restricted | deer, turkey + | 1 lottery |
| Nimisila Reservoir · 30 mi to centre check with ODNR | Controlled hunt area | – | – | waterfowl | 5 lotteries |
| Auburn Marsh Wildlife Area · 31 mi to centre | Wildlife area | 466 | Restricted | Ohio seasons | – |
| Mogadore Reservoir · 32 mi to centre | Public access area | 1,380 | Restricted | waterfowl | 1 lottery |
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.
The nearest ground to Strongsville, property by property
Camp Belden Wildlife Area, 12 mi
Camp Belden Wildlife Area is a 610-acre state wildlife area located 3 miles north of Litchfield. Open to: pheasant.
Spencer Lake Wildlife Area, 19 mi
This 618-acre wildlife area is situated in northeastern Ohio in Medina County, approximately two miles east of the village of Spencer, north of State Route 162. Open to: deer, turkey, squirrel, rabbit, pheasant, waterfowl. 1 of the 2026 controlled hunts are held on this property.
Findley State Park, 23 mi
Located in northeast Ohio, the 838-acre Findley State Park was once a state forest and is heavily wooded with stately pines and various hardwoods. Open to: deer, waterfowl, raccoon, fox, furbearer trapping. 1 of the 2026 controlled hunts are held on this property.
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.
Strongsville area harvest by season
822 deer were checked in Cuyahoga County during 2025-26, compared with 929 four seasons earlier. The in-season report through November 3, 2026 shows 366 so far. Archery tackle matters here: 549 crossbow and 184 longbow deer in 2025-26, next to 74 from the gun season. In spring 2026, 12 turkeys were checked in the county.
| Season | All deer | Antlered | Does and fawns | Archery | Firearms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 929 | 357 | 572 | 896 | – |
| 2023-24 | 912 | 357 | 555 | 875 | – |
| 2024-25 | 806 | 312 | 494 | 769 | 37 |
| 2025-26 | 822 | 339 | 483 | 764 | 58 |
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.
The Cuyahoga County season grid for Strongsville
Deer gun, youth gun, bonus gun and muzzleloader dates are the same in all 88 counties; the Strongsville deer limit is what differs.
| Quarry | Season type | Where | Begins | Ends | Open now? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 B | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | |
| Ducks | Ducks (split 2) | Zone B | Nov 21, 2026 | Jan 10, 2027 | |
| Geese and brant | Geese (split 1) | Zone B | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | |
| Geese and brant | Geese (split 2) | Zone B | 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.
Shops, processors and taxidermists near Strongsville
Services near Strongsville within 25 miles: 0 guide or preserves, 70 shops, 11 taxidermists. No deer processor is listed within 25 miles of Strongsville; many custom butchers take deer, so call around.
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.
Strongsville ODNR contacts
ODNR Wildlife District 3: Northeast Ohio sits roughly 26 miles from Strongsville, closer than any other ODNR wildlife office. From the middle of Cuyahoga County, the nearest wildlife area headquarters is Grand River Wildlife Area headquarters, about 36 miles. For law questions or a violation in Cuyahoga County, the county wildlife officer on file is Zach Hillman.
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.
Strongsville: closest lines for a slug-gun zero
York Road Archery Range is the closest range to central Strongsville, 4 miles away.
No dues at Spencer Lake Wildlife Area Shooting Range, 19 miles from Strongsville; entry is free (Class D). Open
Straight-line miles from the town centre; ranges checked November 6, 2026.
Strongsville hours on key season dates
Around Strongsville, deer light opens 30 minutes before sunrise and ends 30 minutes after sunset; rabbit and pheasant hunters keep strict sunrise to sunset.
| Date | Why it matters | Sunrise | Sunset | Deer window | Ducks and squirrels | Sunrise birds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 2026 | Archery deer opens | 7:17 a.m. | 7:20 p.m. | 6:47 a.m. to 7:50 p.m. | 6:47 a.m. to 7:20 p.m. | 7:17 a.m. to 7:20 p.m. |
| Oct 1, 2026 | Fall turkey | 7:23 a.m. | 7:11 p.m. | 6:53 a.m. to 7:41 p.m. | 6:53 a.m. to 7:11 p.m. | 7:23 a.m. to 7:11 p.m. |
| Nov 6, 2026 | Rabbit and pheasant | 7:04 a.m. | 5:18 p.m. | 6:34 a.m. to 5:48 p.m. | 6:34 a.m. to 5:18 p.m. | 7:04 a.m. to 5:18 p.m. |
| Nov 21, 2026 | Second duck split | 7:22 a.m. | 5:05 p.m. | 6:52 a.m. to 5:35 p.m. | 6:52 a.m. to 5:05 p.m. | 7:22 a.m. to 5:05 p.m. |
| Nov 30, 2026 | Deer gun week | 7:32 a.m. | 5:00 p.m. | 7:02 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. | 7:02 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. | 7:32 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:49 a.m. | 5:01 p.m. | 7:19 a.m. to 5:31 p.m. | 7:19 a.m. to 5:01 p.m. | 7:49 a.m. to 5:01 p.m. |
| Jan 2, 2027 | Muzzleloader | 7:53 a.m. | 5:08 p.m. | 7:23 a.m. to 5:38 p.m. | 7:23 a.m. to 5:08 p.m. | 7:53 a.m. to 5:08 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.
Straight answers on hunting near Strongsville
Do chronic wasting disease rules bind hunters near Strongsville?
Only the statewide carcass and game check rules; the extra DSA rules stop short of Cuyahoga County.
What deer permits do I need near Strongsville?
A hunting license plus an either-sex deer permit ($31.20 for residents) or a deer management permit ($15.00, antlerless only). Cuyahoga County allows 4 deer.
What were the spring gobbler dates for Strongsville hunters?
May 2 to May 31, 2026 in the Northeast zone. Treat them as last year’s dates; 2027 was not out when checked.
Is the Strongsville area split by a waterfowl zone line?
No. All of Cuyahoga County sits in Zone B.
How far is Strongsville from an ODNR wildlife office?
26 miles, to ODNR Wildlife District 3: Northeast Ohio.
How many hunting seasons are open in Cuyahoga County today?
14 season rows on November 6, 2026 (Deer, Squirrels, Cottontail, Pheasant and Chukar).
Where would a Strongsville hunter take a buck to be mounted?
11 taxidermists sit within 25 miles of Strongsville; the services band names the closest.
At what minute does legal deer light begin at Strongsville?
Thirty minutes ahead of sunrise. Sunrise at Strongsville on November 6, 2026 was 7:04 a.m., so deer light opened at 6:34 a.m.
What did Cuyahoga County produce in deer last season?
822 checked deer in 2025-26, of which 339 carried antlers.
What lottery hunts are within 25 miles of Strongsville?
2 drawn hunts on 2 properties within 25 miles. Deer taken on them do not count toward the county limit.
From Strongsville, how many miles is it to the closest public hunting tract?
Camp Belden Wildlife Area (wildlife area) sits 12 miles out. The 10-mile circle around Strongsville is empty; 5 tracts fall inside 25.
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.
Setting up the Strongsville trip
From Strongsville, the next stops are the Cuyahoga County guide and the land pages.
Other photos on this page: OhioOakTree (CC BY-SA 4.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0); Scott Bauer, USDA NRCS (Public domain); Art Anderson (CC BY-SA 3.0).