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Ohio County Finder
Answer six questions and get Ohio counties ranked by habitat fit, 2026–27 season dates, public land and ODNR harvest history.
How the Ohio finder works
The ODNR Division of Wildlife reports checked deer and turkey by county. This tool scores all 88 counties for the species you pick using the final 2025–26 deer harvest (archery and gun, antlered and antlerless), each county's 2024–25 total and 2021–23 average, spring 2026 turkey harvest with the 2023–25 average, USGS land-cover and elevation data, and the share of public land such as wildlife areas, state forests and Wayne National Forest.
Season fit uses ODNR's 2026–27 dates: statewide archery (Sept. 26–Feb. 7), youth gun, the week-long gun season and bonus weekend, muzzleloader, the disease surveillance area's early seasons, fall turkey in 70 counties and the spring turkey zones.
Species covered
- White-tailed deer
- Wild turkey
Upland birds (ranked by county)
- Ring-necked pheasant
- Quail
Waterfowl and migratory birds (ranked by county)
- Ducks
- Canada and dark geese
- Snow and Ross's geese
- Mourning dove
- American woodcock
About every species on the species page →
Data sources
- https://dam.assets.ohio.gov/image/upload/ohiodnr.gov/documents/wildlife/wildlife-management/020226deerharvest.pdf
- ODNR final 2024–25 deer harvest by county with 2021–23 averages (via Highland County Press)
- ODNR spring 2026 turkey harvest by county with 2023–25 averages (via The Outdoor Wire)
- https://dam.assets.ohio.gov/image/upload/ohiodnr.gov/documents/wildlife/news/2026-27_Hunting_Seasons.pdf
- USGS PAD-US 3.0 (Fee); NPS parks and monuments excluded
- USGS NLCD 2021 Land Cover (250 m resample)
- USGS 3DEP elevation service
Ohio hunting FAQ
When is Ohio's 2026 deer gun season?
Nov. 30–Dec. 6, 2026, plus a bonus weekend Dec. 19–20. Youth gun is Nov. 21–22 and muzzleloader Jan. 2–5, 2027.
Which Ohio county has the most deer?
Coshocton County has led the state for 24 straight years (8,527 deer in 2025–26), followed by Tuscarawas, Ashtabula, Knox and Muskingum.
Can I use a rifle for deer in Ohio?
Only straight-walled cartridge rifles, during the gun and youth gun seasons. Shotguns, muzzleloaders and handguns are also legal.
Ohio harvest leaders
The counties with the highest average reported harvest for each species. High totals often reflect large areas and many hunters; the tool above also weighs harvest per square mile, hunter success, habitat and access.
White-tailed deer (2021–2025 average)
- Coshocton County: 7,839 per year
- Tuscarawas County: 7,070 per year
- Ashtabula County: 5,975 per year
- Knox County: 5,965 per year
- Muskingum County: 5,930 per year
Wild turkey (2023–2026 average)
- Monroe County: 433 per year
- Belmont County: 431 per year
- Ashtabula County: 428 per year
- Tuscarawas County: 422 per year
- Gallia County: 390 per year
Ducks (USFWS 10-year average)
- Ottawa County: 14,224 per year
- Lucas County: 9,636 per year
- Sandusky County: 8,372 per year
- Erie County: 6,715 per year
- Trumbull County: 6,497 per year
Canada and dark geese (USFWS 10-year average)
- Stark County: 9,248 per year
- Trumbull County: 6,892 per year
- Portage County: 4,247 per year
- Ashtabula County: 4,116 per year
- Wayne County: 3,401 per year