The Van Wert County Courthouse

Thursday, Mar. 28, 2024

ONDR: deer hunting numbers are up

VW independent staff/submitted information

COLUMBUS — Ohio’s annual white-tailed deer gun hunting week is off to a good start, with hunters checking 17,193 deer on Monday, November 28, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. Ohio’s gun season is open until Sunday, December 4, and again on Saturday and Sunday, December 17-18.

Ohio hunters harvested 17,193 deer during the opening day of gun hunting on Monday. ODNR photo

In 2021, hunters took 21,754 deer on the opening day of the gun season, which traditionally falls on the Monday after Thanksgiving. From 2019-21, hunters harvested an average of 16,057 deer during the gun season opener.

“It’s great to see thousands of hunters taking part during this year’s deer gun season,” said Division of Wildlife Chief Kendra Wecker. “The Ohio deer harvest provides food for thousands of people and venison is a staple for many families. The average adult deer harvested in Ohio provides about 60 pounds of meat that hunters can take home to their families.”

The top 10 counties for deer harvest on the opening day of Ohio’s gun season were: Coshocton (591), Tuscarawas (584), Muskingum (584), Ashtabula (548), Knox (474), Carroll (464), Guernsey (434), Licking (430), Columbiana (397), and Washington (373). In 2021, Coshocton County also led the state with 850 deer taken on opening day.

Hunters harvested 63 deer in Van Wert County, 131 in Paulding County, 118 in Mercer County, 88 in Allen County, 134 in Putnam County and 135 in Auglaize County.

In the 2022-23 deer season, archery and firearms hunters have taken a total of 109,848 deer through Monday, November 28. The archery harvest represents 81,949 deer, and youth hunters took 9,515 deer in the youth gun season.

Ohio’s abundant white-tailed deer population attracts hunters from outside the state too. Many nonresident hunters travel from Pennsylvania (6,901 licenses sold), Michigan (4,851), West Virginia (3,514), North Carolina (3,096), and New York (2,854).

The seven-day gun season concludes on Sunday and firearms hunters will have another opportunity to harvest deer the weekend of December 17-18. The muzzleloader season will be Saturday, January 7, until Tuesday, January 10, 2023. Bowhunting remains open until Sunday, February 5, 2023.

POSTED: 11/30/22 at 4:39 am. FILED UNDER: News