Hancock County deer hunting

Hancock County reported 2,345 deer last season, 4.42 per square mile, and it lies within a CWD Disease Surveillance Area.

CWD Disease Surveillance Area. CWD Disease Surveillance Area (2026-27, OAC 1501:31-19-03) covers west-central Ohio: Allen, Hardin, Marion and Wyandot counties in full, plus named townships of Crawford (Bucyrus, Dallas, Holmes, Tod), Delaware (Marlboro, Troy, Oxford), Hancock (Delaware, Madison, Van Buren), Morrow (Westfield) and Union (Claibourne, Jackson). Allen is newly a full-county DSA for 2026-27. Inside the DSA: baiting/feeding deer is banned, high-risk carcass parts may not leave the DSA except under the carcass rules, and deer taken on set sampling dates must be submitted for CWD testing. No SE-Ohio counties are in the current DSA. The county highlight below is county-level; for the five partial counties, only the named townships are in the DSA — confirm the live DSA map with ODNR before hauling a carcass.

Nearest public hunting land

• Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area Wyandot Co. · 28 mi from county center · Whitetail Deer, Ducks, Canada Geese, Mourning Dove, Squirrel, Cottontail Rabbit
• Big Island Wildlife Area Marion Co. · 37 mi from county center · Whitetail Deer, Wild Turkey, Ducks, Canada Geese, Mourning Dove, Squirrel, Cottontail Rabbit
• Delaware Wildlife Area Delaware Co. · 52 mi from county center · Whitetail Deer, Wild Turkey, Ducks, Canada Geese, Mourning Dove, Squirrel, Cottontail Rabbit
• Mercer Wildlife Area Mercer Co. · 61 mi from county center · Whitetail Deer, Ducks, Canada Geese, Mourning Dove, Cottontail Rabbit

Seasons here

Deer, turkey and ducks follow the statewide Ohio seasons. See the Ohio hub for current dates, bag limits, and the CWD map. Always confirm your county zone with the agency.