DMU Columbiana, Ohio
Unit info
- Game species
- White-tailed Deer, Wild Turkey
- Group
- Northeast Ohio
- Area
- N/A
- Public land
- N/A
White-tailed Deer — season & harvest
- Reported harvest
- 4,639
Draw odds for White-tailed Deeraren't on file for this unit yet. Check your state wildlife agency website for current draw statistics.
Season & harvest data is published for White-tailed Deer so far. Wild Turkey also occur here — that data can be added as the community contributes.
About this unit
AI-compiled · sourcedColumbiana County sits in northeast Ohio along the Pennsylvania border, delivering consistently top-10 statewide deer harvest numbers across all seasons. A mix of rolling hardwood timber, steep ridges, farm fields, and creek drainages holds a strong whitetail population. Public hunting is anchored by Highlandtown Wildlife Area (2,269 ac) and Guilford Lake State Park (396 ac), supplemented by scattered ODNR parcels. The county carries a 3-deer bag limit and ranks among the most productive counties in the state for gun, archery, and muzzleloader harvest.
Rolling hills and steep ridges with flat hilltops and valley floors along creek drainages; elevation 1,060-1,340 ft in the southern portion. Land cover is a mosaic of hardwood timber, cutover stands, brushy edges, wetlands, and mixed farmland (cattle pasture and row crops). Located along the Ohio-Pennsylvania border in the northeast corner of the state, roughly 60 miles southeast of Cleveland and Lake Erie.
Moderate-to-high. Columbiana is consistently a top-10 Ohio county for total deer harvest, ranking 10th in the 2025 gun season (1,968 deer vs. 3-year average of 1,579) and 10th in the 2025 muzzleloader season (321 deer vs. 3-year average of 272). It was one of only two northeast Ohio counties (alongside Trumbull) in the top-10 during the 2025-26 season. Public areas receive significant pressure during gun week; private-land hunters have a notable edge.
Bag limit: 3 deer per license year (Columbiana is on the ODNR statewide 3-deer county list per administrative rule). No more than 1 may be antlered. On public hunting areas, hunters may take up to 2 antlerless deer. Deer Management Permits (DMPs) are valid statewide for antlerless deer and can be used on public land through late December.
2025-26 season dates - Archery: Sept 27, 2025-Feb 1, 2026 (DSA early opener Sept 13); Youth Gun: Nov 22-23, 2025; Gun: Dec 1-7, 2025 and Dec 20-21, 2025; Muzzleloader: Jan 3-6, 2026. Turkey: spring season mid-April through May statewide. Grouse, rabbit, squirrel, pheasant (Highlandtown is a stocking site), waterfowl, and woodcock also present.
One of Ohio's most productive northeast deer counties - top-10 in every major season. The Highlandtown WMA ridge systems hold good numbers of deer and turkey in a true mixed-forest setting. The county's below-average bag limit (3 deer vs. statewide 6) reflects intentional ODNR herd management. Muzzleloader hunters do particularly well relative to statewide competition. Private farmland edges adjacent to creek drainages produce mature bucks; permission access is realistic in rural townships.
Questions, tips & discussion
Ask anything about DMU Columbiana— or drop a tip or trick: access points, where game holds, glassing spots, conditions, crowding, gear that worked. This is where the unit's species-specific intel gets built, hunter by hunter.
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Boundaries: ODNR official county-based deer management units. Community info last updated 16d ago.