Ohio’s 2026 Muzzleloader Deer
Hunting Season Results

 
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Hunters took 13,055 white-tailed deer during Ohio’s four-day muzzleloader hunting season that ended on Tuesday, Jan. 6, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.
 
This total accounts for all deer taken with a muzzleloader or archery equipment during these four days. Hunters may pursue deer with a bow until Sunday, Feb. 1.
 

Ohio hunters tagged 13,055 deer during the four-day muzzleloader hunting season.

 
The Division of Wildlife reports the number of deer checked at notable points during the hunting season. Last year, hunters checked 13,495 deer during the muzzleloader season. Over the last three years, hunters bagged an average of 13,269 deer in the same timeframe.
 
Hunters checked 3,473 antlered deer (27% of deer tagged) and 9,582 antlerless deer (73%). The antlerless category includes does (7,924), button bucks (1,418), bucks with shed antlers (143), and bucks with antlers shorter than 3 inches (97).

The 10 counties with the highest totals during the muzzleloader season: 

1. Coshocton (557) 
2. Tuscarawas (491) 
3. Carroll (451) 
4. Muskingum (437) 
5. Knox (393) 
6. Harrison (391) 
7. Licking (388) 
8. Columbiana (375) 
9. Guernsey (356) 
10. Jefferson (299) 

Hunters in Ohio have tagged 222,648 deer during the 2025-26 season as of Tuesday, Jan. 6. The season total has surpassed 200,000 for the fourth consecutive year. Deer checked by season include: 

• Archery: 99,551. Ohio’s archery hunting season is open until Sunday, Feb. 1. 
• Youth gun: 9,759 
• Gun season: 84,448 
• Additional gun weekend: 15,835 
• All deer checked with a gun, which includes deer taken during controlled hunts: 124,104 

This season the Division of Wildlife has increased its efforts to help hunters donate their deer to food pantries by partnering with the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction’s (ODRC) Ohio Penal Industries’ (OPI) meet processing facility at the Pickaway Correctional Institution to process donated deer. Thus far, more than 3,870 pounds of processed venison has been donated by hunters. For more details on how to donate deer, visit wildohio.gov.
 
The Division of Wildlife is also partnering with Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry (FHFH) to support local food banks with donated venison. Hunters who harvest a deer and would like to donate the venison can bring it to one of 34 certified deer processing shops in Ohio. Visit feedingthehungry.org for more information.
 
On average, a deer yields about 50 pounds of meat, so hunters statewide have added more than 11 million pounds of venison for hunters and their friends and families to enjoy. Go to wildohio.gov to view venison recipes from the Wild Ohio Harvest cookbook.
 
Hunters interested in tracking the season's harvest can view weekly deer reports at wildohio.gov. The Division of Wildlife posts deer numbers each Wednesday throughout the hunting season. A final report is also posted after the conclusion of the archery season.
 
Deer harvest totals for this hunting season are lower than average in Athens, Meigs, Morgan, and Washington counties as a result of an unprecedented outbreak of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) in that region over the summer. Coinciding with the start of the seven-day gun season, the bag limit in those counties was reduced in response to the disease outbreak. 

The Division of Wildlife has issued 421,314 deer permits for resident and nonresident hunters during the 2025-26 season. Among out-of-state hunters, the states with the most nonresident Ohio hunters are: 

1. Pennsylvania (6,747 licenses sold) 
2. Michigan (4,410) 
3. North Carolina (2,981) 
4. New York (2,825) 
5. West Virginia (2,736) 

All deer taken in Ohio are required to be checked in the Ohio Wildlife Licensing System. This mandatory reporting gives the Division of Wildlife a long-term data set that aids wildlife biologists in monitoring deer health, distribution, and relative abundance. 

Help protect Ohio’s wildlife resources. Report any violations to the division’s Turn-In-a-Poacher (TIP) hotline by calling 1-800-POACHER (762-2437). All reports remain anonymous, and tipsters may be eligible for a cash reward.

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 our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR website at ohiodnr.gov. 
 
 

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Editor’s note: High Resolution Photo
 
A county list of all white-tailed deer taken during the 2026 muzzleloader hunting season is shown below. The first number following the county’s name shows the number for 2026, and the three-year average in 2023, 2024, and 2025 is in parentheses. A three-year average provides a better overall comparison to this year’s number, 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: 212 (199); Allen: 72 (69); Ashland: 275 (273); Ashtabula: 271 (298); Athens: 80 (268); Auglaize: 67 (56); Belmont: 290 (299); Brown: 177 (149); Butler: 63 (66); Carroll: 451 (370); Champaign: 111 (107); Clark: 54 (45); Clermont: 127 (123); Clinton: 70 (53); Columbiana: 375 (293); Coshocton: 557 (505); Crawford: 96 (83); Cuyahoga: 27 (23); Darke: 77 (53); Defiance: 67 (93); Delaware: 98 (81); Erie: 49 (54); Fairfield: 136 (127); Fayette: 19 (23); Franklin: 29 (33); Fulton: 55 (44); Gallia: 151 (170); Geauga: 132 (134); Greene: 52 (57); Guernsey: 356 (383); Hamilton: 42 (37); Hancock: 112 (84); Hardin: 74 (71); Harrison: 391 (317); Henry: 48 (33); Highland: 164 (196); Hocking: 198 (199); Holmes: 269 (275); Huron: 179 (168); Jackson: 157 (192); Jefferson: 299 (218); Knox: 393 (385); Lake: 61 (50); Lawrence: 96 (90); Licking: 388 (375); Logan: 166 (143); Lorain: 136 (176); Lucas: 28 (22); Madison: 37 (35); Mahoning: 168 (122); Marion: 58 (56); Medina: 168 (171); Meigs: 60 (279); Mercer: 36 (44); Miami: 47 (53); Monroe: 193 (245); Montgomery: 42 (39); Morgan: 112 (276); Morrow: 168 (127); Muskingum: 437 (440); Noble: 149 (247); Ottawa: 52 (34); Paulding: 38 (69); Perry: 225 (228); Pickaway: 75 (58); Pike: 124 (117); Portage: 180 (137); Preble: 76 (61); Putnam: 33 (38); Richland: 267 (259); Ross: 225 (205); Sandusky: 59 (60); Scioto: 130 (127); Seneca: 140 (136); Shelby: 67 (78); Stark: 276 (222); Summit: 79 (63); Trumbull: 255 (216); Tuscarawas: 491 (439); Union: 64 (64); Van Wert: 28 (28); Vinton: 105 (126); Warren: 63 (59); Washington: 78 (315); Wayne: 144 (141); Williams: 127 (107); Wood: 69 (60); Wyandot: 113 (126).

2026 total: 13,055
3-year average total: 13,269