How it hunts
Hardwood ridges, CRP edges, and river-bottom timber.
Public access. Mostly private Amish farm-and-woodlot country. Little public land, high harvest.
423 sq mi of land (Census)
Glaciated Allegheny Plateau
Holmes County
Rolling hills, woodlots, and creek bottoms cut through mixed farm country.
Sit forecast
Checking the forecast…
66/100
TrophyBook Opportunity Score · v1
Tied #19 of 88 Ohio counties
Ranks the county on harvest and record-book numbers. Not the odds of taking a buck.
- Total harvest5,717 deer · beats 92% of other counties36.8 / 40
- Harvest trend+12% · beats 38% of other counties9.5 / 25
- Harvest per sq mi13.5 per sq mi · beats 98% of other counties19.6 / 20
- Book-buck odds0.9 per 1,000 deer · beats 2% of other counties0.3 / 15
2025-26 harvest · record book 2019–2023 · How it works
Harvest737#5 of 88 · +44.5% vs last year
So far in 2026-27
Bucks220#9 of 88 · 30% of harvest
517 antlerless · +65% vs last year
Harvest per sq mi1.7#1 of 88
Not a population count
Book-buck odds0.9#83 of 88 · 0.4× Ohio
Per 1,000 deer · 21 entries, 2019–23
Harvest trend+12%#54 of 88
Last 3 seasons vs the 3 before
Harvest by season
Through Oct 13, 2026 · 510 at this point last season
Book bucks
225 Buckeye Big Buck Club entries · 185 typical · 40 non-typical · latest 2024 · #37 of 88
| Score | Hunter | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 244 0/8 | Jeffrey T Kaser | 2003 |
| 225 1/8 | Chris G Hider | 1998 |
| 198 2/8 | Eric Tish | 2012 |
| 197 4/8 | Brian Yoder | 2019 |
| 195 5/8 | Mike T Allerding | 2000 |
Taken with: Modern Shotgun 97 · Long Bow 53 · Crossbow 45 · Muzzleloader 21
All 225 entries →Buck board: no Holmes deer posted for 2026-27 yet. Post the first
History
Little public land, huge harvest — classic Amish farm-and-woodlot deer country.
Holmes County was established in 1824 and named for Major Andrew Holmes. Millersburg is the seat of Ohio’s largest Amish settlement.
Wikipedia · CC BY-SA