DMU Richland, 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
- 5,028
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 · sourcedRichland County sits in north-central Ohio — rolling glaciated hills and dissected uplands centered on Mansfield, the county seat and second-highest terrain in the state. The landscape is a classic mix of row-crop agriculture, woodlots, and creek drainages that sustains a dense whitetail population. Richland ranked 11th among Ohio's 88 counties in total deer harvested during the 2025-26 season (5,151 deer), well above its three-year average of 4,378. Public land is limited but present: Clear Fork Reservoir (1,600 surrounding acres, north/west shores open to shotgun and longbow), Malabar Farm State Park (controlled archery lottery), and the fringe of Mohican Memorial State Forest to the south. The county operates under a 3-deer bag limit with one antlered deer allowed per license year. Hunting pressure is moderate to high — most access is through private farmland and timber, making landowner relationships critical.
North-central Ohio glaciated plateau; gently rolling to moderately dissected hills; elevations 900-1,520 ft with the Mansfield Highland (second-highest point in Ohio); northern half ground moraine with smooth topography, southern half more rugged bedrock-influenced uplands; dominant cover is row-crop agriculture (corn/soybeans) interspersed with hardwood woodlots and creek/river corridors (Clear Fork of the Mohican River)
Moderate to high; county consistently ranks top 15 statewide in total harvest; public land is scarce relative to county size so pressure concentrates on limited open parcels; private land hunters with access to agricultural edges and woodlot funnels experience productive hunting with less competition
3-deer bag limit per license year (max 1 antlered); either-sex permits and deer management permits stack toward the 3-deer county limit; antlerless deer management permits valid statewide through Dec 21; on public hunting areas up to 2 deer management permits may be used (2025-26 rule change); no county-level quota draws — over-the-counter tags
Archery: Sept 27 2025 – Feb 1 2026; Youth Gun: Nov 22–23 2025; Gun: Dec 1–7 and Dec 20–21 2025; Muzzleloader: Jan 3–6 2026; straight-walled cartridge rifles legal during gun season; turkey seasons follow standard Ohio split spring/fall structure; CWD surveillance zone does not include Richland County itself (nearby Allen County townships are in the DSA)
Richland ranked 11th in Ohio with 5,151 deer in 2025-26 (three-year avg 4,378); 2025 gun season yielded 1,887 deer — 26% above the three-year average of 1,492; 2024 archery mid-season check of 1,097 ranked 9th statewide; Mansfield-area agriculture-timber edge habitat produces quality bucks; Malabar Farm controlled hunt offers low-pressure archery opportunity on historic 1,000-acre farm; Clear Fork corridor provides natural deer movement between agricultural feeding areas and timber bedding cover
Questions, tips & discussion
Ask anything about DMU Richland— 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.