Ohio Deer Harvest Dashboard: Best Counties, Best Weeks & Gun Season Trends

Trying to figure out where to hunt Ohio and when to be there? Check out the Ohio Deer Harvest Dashboard below.

I built this dashboard as a side project for fun, but also because I wanted a cleaner way to look at Ohio harvest data and turn it into something hunters can actually use. Whether you’re a nonresident trying to plan a trip or an Ohio hunter looking for another angle, this should help point you in the right direction.

A couple things to know before you dive in. Ohio reports harvest results every Wednesday during the season, so the “weeks” you see here run Wednesday to Wednesday, not Sunday to Sunday. Ohio also publishes these numbers as running totals, not clean weekly snapshots, so I converted those cumulative totals into true weekly harvest numbers to make the trends easier to understand. Public land acreage figures are estimates, not exact measurements, so use those as directional context rather than gospel. As of right now these are all numbers averaged over the last 3 years.

Some of what you’ll see here will already make sense to experienced hunters, especially when it comes to which archery weeks tend to shine. The more interesting part may be where the numbers keep showing up. For newer hunters, take your time with it. Look at the trends, compare the counties, and if some of the timing feels confusing, check out the articles too. A lot of those patterns start making more sense once you understand rut timing, pressure, and how harvest shifts through the season.

Use this dashboard as a tool, not a crystal ball. It’s here to help you narrow your focus, compare options, and hopefully make better decisions with your limited time in the field.

If you need help digging through it, want another set of eyes on your plan, or have questions, feel free to reach out and I’ll help as best I can. And if there’s another state you’d like to see added, mention it. Maybe that becomes the next rabbit hole.

Quick Hits

If you only have a minute, start here.

Best Archery Window

Nov 1 – Nov 14

Peak Archery harvest (Week 7) — Avg Bucks: 12,435 statewide

Top Archery County

Coshocton

Total Bucks:1873 per year

Best Gun Week

Opening Days of Gun Week

Highest deer harvest occurs in the first 3 days of gun season.

Top Gun County

For Bucks: Coshocton

Total Bucks: 3663

For Total Harvest: Muskingum

Total Harvest: 10,511

Season Week Reference

Ohio’s archery season opens the last Saturday of September and runs through early February.

Week Typical Date Range
1Sep 28 – Oct 4 (Opener Week)
2Oct 5 – Oct 11
3Oct 12 – Oct 18
4Oct 19 – Oct 25
5Oct 26 – Nov 1
6Nov 2 – Nov 8
7Nov 9 – Nov 15 (Peak Rut)
8Nov 16 – Nov 22
9Nov 23 – Nov 29
10Nov 30 – Dec 6 (Gun Opener)
11Dec 7 – Dec 13 (Gun Spillover)
12Dec 14 – Dec 20
13Dec 21 – Dec 27 (Bonus Gun)
14Dec 28 – Jan 3
15Jan 4 – Jan 10 (Muzzleloader)
16Jan 11 – Jan 17
17Jan 18 – Jan 24
18Jan 25 – Jan 31
19Feb 1 – Feb 7 (Season End)

Where to Hunt: The Big Picture

Before getting into specific weeks and detailed breakdowns, it helps to start with a high-level view. The chart below shows which counties consistently produce the most deer based on average yearly harvest across the data we have.

This is your starting point. If you’re trying to narrow down where to go, focus on the counties that show up here first. From there, we’ll zoom in and look at when those counties tend to perform best.

Now let’s look at when to hunt. The chart below looks on the state level at harvest rate per week with archery equipment.

Use this table to compare specific counties against specific weeks. If you already have a county in mind, scroll to it and look for its peak weeks. If you already have a week planned, sort by that week to see which counties consistently perform best.

County Level Weekly Archery Harvest

Generated by wpDataTables

Below you will find a snapshot of the top ten counties for archery harvest. Filter as needed

Top Ten Archery Counties by Buck Harvest

Generated by wpDataTables

Gun Season: Event-Driven Opportunity

Unlike archery season, which follows a gradual build toward peak rut activity, Ohio’s gun harvest is concentrated around specific firearm seasons and events. These include youth weekend, the main gun week, bonus weekend, and muzzleloader season.

Because harvest data is reported on a Wednesday-to-Wednesday schedule, these events often appear split across multiple weeks in the data. The spikes you see below represent these key firearm windows rather than traditional calendar weeks.

Ohio Firearm Hunting Windows (2025–2026)

  • DSA Early Gun: Oct 11 – Oct 13 (Season Week 3)
  • Youth Gun: Nov 22 – Nov 23 (Season Week 9)
  • Main Gun Week: Dec 1 – Dec 7 (Season Weeks 10–11)
  • Bonus Gun Weekend: Dec 20 – Dec 21 (Season Week 13)
  • Muzzleloader: Jan 3 – Jan 6 (Season Week 15)

Gun harvest is heavily concentrated at the start of the season. The opening portion of gun week consistently produces significantly higher harvest numbers than the back half, suggesting hunters should prioritize early-season days if their schedule allows. This is supported by the below graph.

Below are the top ten counties by gun harvest. Bucks and does are separated, similar to the archery section. One thing to note: there are effectively two “top” counties depending on your goal. One leads in buck harvest, while another leads in total harvest, which may matter more if your priority is filling the freezer.

Top Ten Gun Harvest Counties

Generated by wpDataTables

Final Thoughts

This started as a side project to answer a simple question: when and where should you hunt in Ohio to give yourself the best chance of success. Use it however you see fit, take what helps, and ignore what doesn’t.

The biggest takeaway is consistency. Across the three-year sample, the same windows continue to rise to the top. Archery success builds into early November, and gun harvest is heavily concentrated at the start of the season.

If I had to simplify it, and could only hunt a limited window, I would focus on Weeks 6 and 7, followed by the opening days of gun week. That roughly 17-day stretch represents the highest probability window to fill a tag based on the data.

This will continue to evolve as more years are added, but the patterns so far are clear and consistent. If you have ideas, questions, or something you’d like to see added, feel free to reach out.

Happy Hunting.

Want Help Applying This to Your Hunt?

If you have questions or ideas, want help breaking down a specific county, or just want a second set of eyes on your plan, feel free to reach out. I’m happy to help however I can.

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