How it hunts
Hardwood ridges, CRP edges, and river-bottom timber.
Public access. Mostly private ground with scattered metroparks, stream corridors, or small WMAs.
228 sq mi of land (Census)
Glaciated Allegheny Plateau
Lake County
Rolling hills, woodlots, and creek bottoms cut through mixed farm country.
Sit forecast
Checking the forecast…
39/100
TrophyBook Opportunity Score · v1
Tied #64 of 88 Ohio counties
Ranks the county on harvest and record-book numbers. Not the odds of taking a buck.
- Total harvest1,245 deer · beats 22% of other counties8.8 / 40
- Harvest trend+15% · beats 45% of other counties11.3 / 25
- Harvest per sq mi5.5 per sq mi · beats 56% of other counties11.2 / 20
- Book-buck odds2.3 per 1,000 deer · beats 52% of other counties7.8 / 15
2025-26 harvest · record book 2019–2023 · How it works
Harvest208#43 of 88 · +23.8% vs last year
So far in 2026-27
Bucks72#48 of 88 · 35% of harvest
136 antlerless · +31% vs last year
Harvest per sq mi0.91#15 of 88
Not a population count
Book-buck odds2.3#40 of 88 · 1.1× Ohio
Per 1,000 deer · 12 entries, 2019–23
Harvest trend+15%#45 of 88
Last 3 seasons vs the 3 before
Harvest by season
Through Oct 13, 2026 · 168 at this point last season
Book bucks
63 Buckeye Big Buck Club entries · 54 typical · 9 non-typical · latest 2023 · #84 of 88
| Score | Hunter | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 200 5/8 | James R Cook | 2006 |
| 192 0/8 | Mike Ward, Jr | — |
| 183 4/8 | Charles M Carrocia | 2004 |
| 179 2/8 | Mike Locher | 2009 |
| 178 5/8 | Steve Mann | 2017 |
Taken with: Crossbow 24 · Long Bow 19 · Modern Shotgun 12 · Muzzleloader 2
All 63 entries →Buck board: no Lake deer posted for 2026-27 yet. Post the first
History
Lake County, Ohio’s smallest by area, was created in 1840 from Geauga and Cuyahoga. Painesville is the county seat on Lake Erie’s shore.
Wikipedia · CC BY-SA