Deer gun season to start on Monday

VW independent staff/submitted information

COLUMBUS –- Ohio’s weeklong deer gun hunting season begins Monday, December 2, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources  Division of Wildlife. The gun season traditionally begins the Monday after Thanksgiving, is open to all hunters, and runs until Sunday, December 8. An additional deer gun weekend will follow December 21-22.
 
Ohio’s first deer gun season was in 1943, and excitement has remained high for white-tailed deer hunting ever since. Deer gun harvest totals are typically highest in eastern Ohio. Coshocton (2,440), Tuscarawas (2,260), Ashtabula (2,189), Muskingum (2,076), and Knox (1,878) counties led the state during the 2023 seven-day gun season.

Hunters harvested 95,606 deer during all 2023 gun seasons (gun week, December gun weekend, and youth weekend). That total includes 70,103 deer taken during the seven-day gun season. Hunters ages 17 and younger checked 10,033 deer during the 2023 youth weekend, and another 15,470 deer in the December gun weekend. The three-year average (2021 to 2023) for these seasons is 93,207.
 
This fall, hunters ages 17 and younger checked 10,449 white-tailed deer during Ohio’s youth gun hunting season on Saturday and Sunday, November 16-17. The Division of Wildlife has issued 42,209 youth deer permits as of Sunday, November 17. Youth permits are valid for all remaining Ohio deer hunting seasons through February 2, 2025.

During all deer gun seasons, all hunters, regardless of implement, are required to wear hunter orange clothing. Legal hunting implements during the gun seasons include shotguns, straight-walled cartridge rifles, muzzleloaders, handguns, and archery equipment. Ohio’s deer muzzleloader hunting season is Jan. 4-7, 2025, when muzzleloaders and archery equipment are legal hunting implements. Check the 2024-25 Hunting and Trapping Regulations for more information.

The hunting and trapping regulations include information on county bag limits, game check, and licenses and permits. In addition to a valid hunting license, Ohio hunters need an either-sex permit or deer management permit.
 
All deer harvested in Ohio are required to be checked in the Ohio Wildlife Licensing System. This gives the Division of Wildlife a long-term dataset that aids wildlife biologists in monitoring deer health, distribution, and relative abundance. Hunters can check game by using the HuntFish OH mobile app, visiting ohiogamecheck.com, calling 1.877.TAG.IT.OH (1.877.824.4864), visiting a license sales agent, or calling 1.866.703.1298 (landowner operator-assisted, fees apply).

The free HuntFish OH mobile app can be downloaded from the app store to conveniently purchase fishing and hunting licenses, view wildlife area maps, check county bag limits, and much more. Users can access the Division of Wildlife’s online system to check harvested deer while out in the field, even without a Wi-Fi connection.