How it hunts
Hardwood ridges, CRP edges, and river-bottom timber.
Public access. Mostly private ground with scattered metroparks, stream corridors, or small WMAs.
487 sq mi of land (Census)
Glaciated Allegheny Plateau
Portage County
Rolling hills, woodlots, and creek bottoms cut through mixed farm country.
Sit forecast
Checking the forecast…
65/100
TrophyBook Opportunity Score · v1
Tied #22 of 88 Ohio counties
Ranks the county on harvest and record-book numbers. Not the odds of taking a buck.
- Total harvest3,498 deer · beats 77% of other counties30.8 / 40
- Harvest trend+19% · beats 56% of other counties14.0 / 25
- Harvest per sq mi7.2 per sq mi · beats 77% of other counties15.4 / 20
- Book-buck odds1.8 per 1,000 deer · beats 31% of other counties4.7 / 15
2025-26 harvest · record book 2019–2023 · How it works
Harvest448#13 of 88 · +20.1% vs last year
So far in 2026-27
Bucks156#16 of 88 · 35% of harvest
292 antlerless · +37% vs last year
Harvest per sq mi0.92#14 of 88
Not a population count
Book-buck odds1.8#56 of 88 · 0.8× Ohio
Per 1,000 deer · 24 entries, 2019–23
Harvest trend+19%#36 of 88
Last 3 seasons vs the 3 before
Harvest by season
Through Oct 13, 2026 · 373 at this point last season
Book bucks
169 Buckeye Big Buck Club entries · 131 typical · 38 non-typical · latest 2024 · #51 of 88
| Score | Hunter | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 231 2/8 | Marshall Simons | 1977 |
| 216 5/8 | Doug Kisamore | 2016 |
| 207 4/8 | Bryan Carter | 2003 |
| 203 7/8 | Lee Morris | 1994 |
| 200 5/8 | Roswell Spooner | 2003 |
Taken with: Crossbow 63 · Modern Shotgun 61 · Long Bow 36 · Muzzleloader 7
All 169 entries →Buck board: no Portage deer posted for 2026-27 yet. Post the first
History
Portage County was created in 1808 and named for the portage between the Cuyahoga and Tuscarawas. Ravenna is the county seat.
Wikipedia · CC BY-SA