Ohio’s final 2024-25 deer harvest report released
Hunters across Ohio checked 238,137 white-tailed deer during the 2024-25 hunting season that concluded on Sunday, Feb. 2, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.
The final total, the fourth highest number of deer taken on record, represents all deer bagged during archery, gun, muzzleloader and youth seasons since Sept. 14, 2024.
In 2023-24, deer hunters checked 213,927 deer. The three-year average (2021 to 2023) is 207,295.
Since the deer season opened, Ohio hunters added approximately 12 million pounds of venison to dinner tables and freezers. A deer can yield 50 pounds of nutritious meat for hunters to share with friends and families or donate to food banks around Ohio.
The number of deer bagged in 2024-25 is the highest since 2010-11. Ohio’s five highest deer season totals:
2009-10: 260,442
2008-09: 251,299
2010-11: 238,683
2024-25: 238,137
2006-07: 236,676.
Ohio’s 2024-25 deer checked, by individual season:
Archery: 106,269
Weeklong and two-day gun seasons: 104,565
Four-day muzzleloader season: 13,476
Two-day youth season: 10,449
Controlled firearm hunts: 3,378.
Top 10 counties:
Coshocton: 8,196 (Last season, Coshocton County also led the state with 7,740 deer checked.)
Tuscarawas: 7,373
Knox: 6,730
Muskingum: 6,269
Ashtabula: 6,042
Guernsey: 5,762
Carroll: 5,759
Licking: 5,754
Holmes: 5,684
Richland: 5,028.
Most popular hunting implements:
Crossbow: 78,254 (33 percent)
Straight-walled cartridge rifle: 77,027 (32 percent)
Shotgun: 34,338 (14 percent)
Vertical bow: 30,839 (13 percent)
Muzzleloader: 17,092 (7 percent)
Handgun: 587 (less than 1 percent).
Deer type checked this season:
Does: 115,683 (49 percent)
Antlered bucks: 97,618 (41 percent)
Button bucks: 21,689 (9 percent)
Bucks with shed antlers or antlers shorter than 3 inches: 3,147 (1 percent).
Ohio hunters were issued 431,660 deer permits across all hunting seasons. Hunters from all 50 U.S. states purchased nonresident hunting licenses for use during the 2024-25 seasons, many of them for deer.
States with the highest nonresident license sales include:
Pennsylvania (7,898)
Michigan (5,205)
West Virginia (3,625)
North Carolina (3,287)
New York (3,170).
Keep up with the Division of Wildlife on Facebook and Instagram for instant news stories, outdoor recreation ideas, local wildlife information, wildlife photos, and so much more. Visit wildohio.gov to find locations to hunt, fish, trap, and view wildlife. In preparation for the 2025-26 hunting seasons, download the free HuntFish OH mobile app to purchase licenses and permits, check game and view wildlife area maps.
The mission of the Division of Wildlife is to conserve and improve fish and wildlife resources and their habitats for sustainable use and appreciation by all. Visit wildohio.gov to find out more.
ODNR ensures a balance between wise use and protection of natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR website at ohiodnr.gov.
A county list of all white-tailed deer taken during the 2024-25 hunting season is shown below. The first number following the county’s name shows the harvest numbers for 2024-25, and the three-year average of deer taken from 2021-23 is in parentheses. A three-year average provides a better overall comparison to this year’s numbers, eliminating year-to-year variation because of weather, misaligned season dates, crop harvest, and other unavoidable factors. Numbers below are raw data and subject to change.
Adams: 3,637 (3,139); Allen: 1,650 (1,264); Ashland: 4,678 (3,906); Ashtabula: 6,042 (5,557); Athens: 3,663 (3,265); Auglaize: 1,415 (1,226); Belmont: 4,023 (3,177); Brown: 2,719 (2,500); Butler: 1,478 (1,383); Carroll: 5,759 (4,700); Champaign: 1,864 (1,535); Clark: 945 (845); Clermont: 2,675 (2,470); Clinton: 1,027 (794); Columbiana: 4,639 (3,944); Coshocton: 8,196 (7,491); Crawford: 1,775 (1,466); Cuyahoga: 806 (910); Darke: 1,278 (994); Defiance: 1,468 (2,034); Delaware: 1,818 (1,692); Erie: 1,178 (971); Fairfield: 2,403 (2,125); Fayette: 551 (393); Franklin: 638 (808); Fulton: 1,243 (983); Gallia: 3,293 (2,757); Geauga: 2,790 (2,454); Greene: 1,043 (898); Guernsey: 5,762 (5,132); Hamilton: 1,229 (1,260); Hancock: 2,127 (1,765); Hardin: 1,938 (1,520); Harrison: 4,841 (3,938); Henry: 1,109 (970); Highland: 3,381 (2,869); Hocking: 2,929 (2,764); Holmes: 5,684 (5,137); Huron: 3,308 (2,661); Jackson: 2,962 (2,870); Jefferson: 3,601 (2,668); Knox: 6,730 (5,464); Lake: 1,123 (1,064); Lawrence: 1,955 (1,747); Licking: 5,754 (5,380); Logan: 2,673 (2,265); Lorain: 3,040 (2,457); Lucas: 895 (757); Madison: 804 (646); Mahoning: 2,537 (2,198); Marion: 1,289 (1,011); Medina: 3,000 (2,701); Meigs: 3,614 (3,273); Mercer: 1,307 (1,048); Miami: 1,074 (940); Monroe: 3,224 (2,692); Montgomery: 884 (857); Morgan: 3,890 (3,295); Morrow: 2,446 (2,006); Muskingum: 6,269 (5,700); Noble: 3,690 (3,339); Ottawa: 821 (642); Paulding: 1,062 (1,380); Perry: 3,179 (2,825); Pickaway: 1,181 (848); Pike: 2,193 (1,915); Portage: 3,059 (2,806); Preble: 1,225 (1,101); Putnam: 1,242 (1,078); Richland: 5,028 (3,966); Ross: 3,338 (2,918); Sandusky: 1,364 (1,106); Scioto: 2,512 (2,256); Seneca: 2,881 (2,262); Shelby: 1,485 (1273); Stark: 4,114 (3,484); Summit: 1,823 (1,803); Trumbull: 4,852 (4,316); Tuscarawas: 7,373 (6,785); Union: 1,372 (1,159); Van Wert: 953 (707); Vinton: 2,156 (2,042); Warren: 1,275 (1,122); Washington: 4,492 (3,716); Wayne: 3,359 (2,779); Williams: 2,443 (2,022); Wood: 1,354 (1,120); Wyandot: 2,238 (1,789).
2024-25 total: 238,137.
3-year average total: 207,295.
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