League of Ohio Sportsmen

05/27/2026

🌟 2026 Free Fishing Days 🎣
📅 Save the Dates: On June 20 and 21, 2026, all Ohio residents are invited to experience Ohio’s fantastic public fishing opportunities without purchasing a license. All size and daily limits apply during these two days.

05/19/2026

Ohio’s Wild Turkey Hunting Results
Through Sunday, May 17


COLUMBUS, Ohio – Wild turkey hunters across Ohio have checked 14,886 birds during the spring 2026 hunting season as of Sunday, May 17, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.

This year’s statewide total represents 23 days of hunting in the 83 counties that comprise the south zone, 16 days of hunting in the northeast zone (Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, and Trumbull counties), and the 2,058 turkeys checked during youth-only hunting dates.


Ohio hunters have checked 14,886 wild turkeys during the spring hunting season.


Hunters had checked an average of 14,339 turkeys by the corresponding date in the previous three seasons (2023 to 2025) and reported 14,355 birds at this point in 2025.

The 11 counties with the highest totals for wild turkey harvest so far during the 2026 season: Tuscarawas (414), Ashtabula (409), Monroe (393), Belmont (392), Adams (386), Gallia (384), Highland (384), Guernsey (370), Brown (340), Harrison (329), and Meigs (329).

As of Sunday, May 17, the Division of Wildlife has issued 52,273 spring turkey permits that are valid throughout the 2026 season. Hunting is open in the 83 counties that comprise the south zone until Sunday, May 24. Hunting in the northeast zone is open until Sunday, May 31. Hunting hours are from 30 minutes before sunrise until sunset.

The 2026 spring hunting season bag limit is one bearded turkey. Hunters are required to have a valid hunting license in addition to a spring turkey permit, unless exempted. Successful hunters are required to game-check their turkey no later than 11:30 p.m. on the day of harvest. Game check, licenses, and permits are available on the HuntFish OH app, via the Ohio Wildlife Licensing System, or at a participating license agent. Game check can also be completed by phone at 1-877-TAG-IT-OH (877-824-4864). Complete details can be found in the 2025-26 hunting and trapping regulations.

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.





Editor’s note: High Resolution Photo

A list of all wild turkeys checked by hunters in each county through Sunday, May 17, 2026, is shown below. Results include 23 days of hunting in the south zone, 16 days in the northeast zone, and youth-only hunting. The first number following the county’s name shows the harvest numbers for 2026, and the three-year average (2023-2025) through the corresponding dates is in parentheses. The numbers below are raw data and subject to change.


Adams: 386 (339); Allen: 105 (73); Ashland: 153 (164); Ashtabula: 409 (359); Athens: 203 (260); Auglaize: 45 (46); Belmont: 392 (404); Brown: 340 (276); Butler: 214 (179); Carroll: 319 (332); Champaign: 78 (70); Clark: 26 (23); Clermont: 307 (252); Clinton: 97 (64); Columbiana: 322 (340); Coshocton: 297 (338); Crawford: 57 (51); Cuyahoga: 10 (9); Darke: 67 (61); Defiance: 215 (187); Delaware: 86 (77); Erie: 41 (39); Fairfield: 45 (82); Fayette: 14 (10); Franklin: 11 (20); Fulton: 157 (136); Gallia: 384 (364); Geauga: 194 (186); Greene: 32 (27); Guernsey: 370 (362); Hamilton: 69 (95); Hancock: 75 (44); Hardin: 117 (88); Harrison: 329 (335); Henry: 70 (61); Highland: 384 (303); Hocking: 143 (206); Holmes: 190 (196); Huron: 85 (84); Jackson: 253 (251); Jefferson: 325 (340); Knox: 265 (214); Lake: 52 (47); Lawrence: 238 (213); Licking: 236 (250); Logan: 129 (116); Lorain: 143 (111); Lucas: 77 (67); Madison: 7 (6); Mahoning: 206 (193); Marion: 52 (40); Medina: 128 (97); Meigs: 329 (351); Mercer: 39 (25); Miami: 36 (33); Monroe: 393 (409); Montgomery: 42 (31); Morgan: 173 (227); Morrow: 142 (126); Muskingum: 291 (384); Noble: 277 (315); Ottawa: 0 (1); Paulding: 113 (73); Perry: 188 (240); Pickaway: 16 (19); Pike: 247 (197); Portage: 282 (227); Preble: 112 (117); Putnam: 64 (41); Richland: 173 (206); Ross: 255 (250); Sandusky: 54 (35); Scioto: 301 (267); Seneca: 116 (114); Shelby: 51 (38); Stark: 263 (251); Summit: 62 (50); Trumbull: 327 (289); Tuscarawas: 414 (389); Union: 59 (42); Van Wert: 18 (16); Vinton: 201 (216); Warren: 104 (76); Washington: 301 (346); Wayne: 105 (95); Williams: 226 (221); Wood: 35 (27); Wyandot: 128 (108).

2026 total: 14,886
3-year average total: 14,339


For more information, contact:
Brian Plasters, Division of Wildlife
Phone: 614-601-3836

The Division of Wildlife’s mission is to conserve and improve fish and wildlife resources and their habitats for sustainable use and appreciation by all.

05/04/2026

05/04/2026

Hope all of our Turkey hunters are having a great season.

05/02/2026

Ohio Wildlife Council Approves
2026-27 Hunting Seasons


COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Wildlife Council approved 2026-27 hunting and trapping seasons for white-tailed deer, small game, migratory birds, and furbearers during its regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, April 29, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.

Deer hunting
The 2026-27 deer hunting seasons are similar to last year. Only one antlered deer may be harvested, regardless of where or how it is taken. Hunting hours are 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset. The statewide deer hunting dates for 2026-27 include:

Deer archery: Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, to Sunday, Feb. 7, 2027
Youth deer gun: Saturday, Nov. 21, 2026, and Sunday, Nov. 22, 2026
Deer gun: Monday, Nov. 30, 2026, to Sunday, Dec. 6, 2026; Saturday, Dec. 19, 2026, and Sunday, Dec. 20, 2026
Deer muzzleloader: Saturday, Jan. 2, 2027, to Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2027
Deer management permits were approved for use throughout the hunting season on both private land and public hunting areas. Deer management permits may only be used to take antlerless deer.

Deer bag limits increased to three in Defiance, Paulding, and Warren counties. The bag limit in Athens, Meigs, and Washington counties, areas affected by an unprecedented outbreak of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease in 2025, is two deer (no more than one antlerless). The Wildlife Council also approved a season bag limit in the CWD surveillance area of six deer.

The Chronic Wasting Disease surveillance area was expanded to include all of Allen County, Van Buren Township in Hancock County, and Holmes Township in Crawford County.

Hunters in the disease surveillance area will have additional opportunities to take deer:
Early deer archery: Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, to Sunday, Feb. 7, 2027
Early deer gun: Saturday, Oct. 10 to Monday, Oct. 12, 2026

Additional hunting seasons
The Ohio Wildlife Council also approved 2026-27 hunting seasons for waterfowl, small game, migratory birds, and fall wild turkey. Most season dates are similar to previous years.

Ruffed grouse hunting will be limited to controlled hunting on four designated areas. Hunters may apply for those limited permits in July. Wild turkey hunting during the fall season is permitted only with shotguns using shotshells. No fall turkey hunting with archery equipment will be allowed.

Waterfowl hunting seasons will be split into three zones with new boundaries that were approved in 2025. Find the full list of hunting season dates at wildohio.gov.

Endangered and threatened species
Also during Wednesday’s meeting, the Ohio Wildlife Council voted to update Ohio’s threatened and endangered species list as part of a comprehensive five-year review.

The American barn owl was downlisted from threatened to a species of concern after genetic testing revealed the species likely has a larger contiguous Midwest population. The blackchin shiner was also downlisted from extirpated to endangered following its re-establishment in specific Ohio lakes.

Further changes include the addition of 17 bees and 16 aquatic invertebrates to the state’s threatened and endangered list following comprehensive surveys. These species were previously unlisted.

Ohio Wildlife Council
The Ohio Wildlife Council is an eight-member board that approves all Division of Wildlife proposed rules and regulations. Council meetings are open to the public. Individuals interested in providing comments are asked to call 614-265-6304 at least two days prior to the meeting to register. All comments are required to be three minutes or less.

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.





Editor's Note: Ohio's 2026-27 Hunting Season Dates
2026-27 Ohio Deer Hunting Regulations




For more information, contact:
Brian Plasters, ODNR Division of Wildlife
Phone: 614-601-3836

Ohio Department of Natural Resources

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The Division of Wildlife’s mission is to conserve and improve fish and wildlife resources and their habitats for sustainable use and appreciation by all.

02/02/2026

Ohio’s Final 2025-26 Deer
Hunting Season Report


COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio hunters checked 232,142 white-tailed deer during the 2025-26 season that concluded on Sunday, Feb. 1, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. The season total includes all deer taken during archery, gun, muzzleloader, and youth seasons since Sept. 13, 2025. This is the seventh highest total on record, topping 200,000 for the fourth consecutive season.

In 2024-25, deer hunters checked 238,137 deer. The three-year average (2022, 2023, and 2024) is 221,013.


Ohio hunters checked 232,142 deer during the 2025-26 season.


Since the deer season opened, Ohio hunters added approximately 11 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 Division of Wildlife has increased its efforts to help hunters donate their harvested deer to food pantries through Deer Donation Days. The Division of Wildlife partnered with the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction’s (ODRC) Ohio Penal Industries’ (OPI) meat processing facility at the Pickaway Correctional Institution to process donated deer. Hunters donated 136 deer through the Deer Donation Days, producing 5,328 pounds of processed venison.

The Division of Wildlife is also partnering with Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry (FHFH) to support local food banks with donated venison. Visit wildohio.gov or feedingthehungry.org for more information.

Deer harvest totals are lower than average in Athens, Meigs, Morgan, and Washington counties as a result of an unprecedented outbreak of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) over the summer. The combined total of those four counties for the 2025-26 season is 4,289 deer checked. Last season, that number was 15,659.

Historic deer hunting totals
The number of deer bagged in 2025-26 is Ohio’s seventh largest total. The highest season totals:

2009-10: 260,442
2008-09: 251,299
2010-11: 238,683
2024-25: 238,137
2006-07: 236,676
2007-08: 232,212
2025-26: 232,142

Ohio’s 2025-26 deer checked, by individual season
Archery: 104,731
Weeklong gun season: 85,448
Two-day gun season: 15,835
Four-day muzzleloader season: 13,055
Two-day youth season: 9,759
Controlled firearm hunts: 3,314

Top 10 counties
Coshocton: 8,527 (Coshocton County has led Ohio in the number of deer checked for 24 years in a row. Last season, hunters in Coshocton County tagged 8,196 deer.)
Tuscarawas: 7,623
Ashtabula: 7,161
Knox: 6,704
Muskingum: 6,283
Carroll: 6,077
Licking: 5,770
Holmes: 5,717
Trumbull: 5,324
Columbiana: 5,245

Permit sales and use
Ohio hunters were issued 424,241 deer permits across all hunting seasons. The number of permits used to check deer:
Deer management permits (30,532)
Either-sex permits (138,677)
Landowners checked 62,933 deer hunting on their own property (no permit required)
Deer management permits were valid for antlerless deer until Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 on private land and public hunting areas. In 2024-25, hunters validated 24,846 deer management permits and 146,769 either-sex permits.

Most popular hunting implements
Straight-walled cartridge rifle: 78,395 (34%)
Crossbow: 77,938 (33%)
Vertical bow: 29,845 (13%)
Shotgun: 29,800 (13%)
Muzzleloader: 15,602 (6%)
Handgun: 562 (less than 1%)
Deer checked
Does: 111,921 (48%)
Antlered bucks: 95,998 (42%)
Button bucks: 21,257 (9%)
Bucks with shed antlers or antlers shorter than 3 inches: 2,966 (1%)
License sales
Hunters from all 50 U.S. states purchased nonresident hunting licenses for use during the 2025-26 seasons, many of them for deer. States with the highest nonresident license sales:
Pennsylvania (6,768)
Michigan (4,426)
North Carolina (2,999)
New York (2,839)
West Virginia (2,750)
Check out Wild Ohio Harvest for kitchen inspiration on how to prepare this season’s deer. The Wild Ohio Harvest Cookbook shares excellent venison recipes.

Keep up with the Division of Wildlife on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for instant news stories, outdoor recreation ideas, local wildlife information, wildlife photos and videos, and so much more. Visit wildohio.gov to find locations to hunt, fish, trap, and view wildlife. In preparation for the 2026-27 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 our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR website at ohiodnr.gov.



Editor’s Note: High Resolution Photo
2025-26 Ohio Deer Season Hunting Stats

A county list of all white-tailed deer taken during the 2025-26 hunting season is shown below. The first number following the county’s name shows the numbers for 2025-26, and the three-year average of deer taken from 2022-24 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: 3,895 (3,305); Allen: 1,831 (1,472); Ashland: 5,108 (4,249); Ashtabula: 7,161 (5,840); Athens: 917 (3,306); Auglaize: 1,621 (1,347); Belmont: 3,725 (3572); Brown: 3,023 (2,576); Butler: 1,466 (1,333); Carroll: 6,077 (5,221); Champaign: 1,867 (1,688); Clark: 954 (886); Clermont: 2,759 (2,523); Clinton: 1,173 (927); Columbiana: 5,245 (4,309); Coshocton: 8,527 (7,842); Crawford: 1,881 (1,597); Cuyahoga: 822 (882); Darke: 1,356 (1,142); Defiance: 1,887 (1,942); Delaware: 1,877 (1,755); Erie: 1,161 (1,045); Fairfield: 2,351 (2,228); Fayette: 591 (472); Franklin: 709 (750); Fulton: 1,489 (1,099); Gallia: 2,956 (2,981); Geauga: 3,215 (2,658); Greene: 1,076 (954); Guernsey: 4,804 (5,352); Hamilton: 1,058 (1,197); Hancock: 2,345 (1,954); Hardin: 2,053 (1,692); Harrison: 4,959 (4,367); Henry: 1,181 (1,042); Highland: 3,389 (3,072); Hocking: 2,643 (2,768); Holmes: 5,717 (5,397); Huron: 3,520 (2,939); Jackson: 2,643 (2,936); Jefferson: 3,691 (3,084); Knox: 6,704 (5,944); Lake: 1,245 (1,117); Lawrence: 1,682 (1,861); Licking: 5,770 (5,550); Logan: 2,712 (2,416); Lorain: 2,799 (2,679); Lucas: 965 (838); Madison: 767 (697); Mahoning: 2,768 (2,340); Marion: 1,384 (1,112); Medina: 3,133 (2,837); Meigs: 1,060 (3,338); Mercer: 1,432 (1,173); Miami: 1,090 (1,010); Monroe: 2,195 (2,941); Montgomery: 980 (863); Morgan: 1,529 (3,513); Morrow: 2,767 (2,236); Muskingum: 6,283 (6,013); Noble: 2,260 (3,508); Ottawa: 851 (729); Paulding: 1,286 (1,311); Perry: 2,989 (2,974); Pickaway: 1,153 (1,015); Pike: 2,156 (2,025); Portage: 3,498 (2,939); Preble: 1,354 (1,156); Putnam: 1,376 (1,200); Richland: 5,151 (4,378); Ross: 3,402 (3,013); Sandusky: 1,485 (1,223); Scioto: 2,576 (2,386); Seneca: 3,017 (2,535); Shelby: 1,562 (1,400); Stark: 4,466 (3,789); Summit: 1,922 (1,819); Trumbull: 5,324 (4,602); Tuscarawas: 7,623 (7,141); Union: 1,401 (1,238); Van Wert: 968 (827); Vinton: 1,931 (1,950); Warren: 1,377 (1,132); Washington: 783 (4,087); Wayne: 3,562 (3,019); Williams: 2,842 (2,217); Wood: 1,434 (1,239); Wyandot: 2,405 (1,982).

2025-26 total: 232,142
3-year average total: 221,013



For more information, contact:
Brian Plasters, ODNR Division of Wildlife
Phone: 614-601-3836

The Division of Wildlife’s mission is to conserve and improve fish and wildlife resources and their habitats for sustainable use and appreciation by all.

01/09/2026

It has come to our attention that a scam company is soliciting memberships and training using the League's name.

The League of Ohio Sportsmen does not have a call center. We are an all volunteer organization. If in doubt, message us here.

09/09/2025

08/31/2025

The League of Ohio Sportsmen and Jr anglers program. Would like to give a big shout out and thanks. To the VFW and its great members for the hospitality and all the kindness and support . For our Jr anglers program and letting us do our registration day on site yesterday. If you missed us still time to register. Just give us a call or email or message us here. And we get a registration form to you. Thanks again Jay

07/26/2025

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