Hunters busy during extra hunting period

VW independent staff/submitted information

COLUMBUS — Hunters across Ohio checked 17,373 white-tailed deer during the state’s additional weekend of deer gun hunting, December 21-22, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife. Last year, hunters tagged 15,470 deer during the gun weekend, with a three-year average of 13,417.

During the additional gun weekend, hunters checked 4,491 antlered deer (26 percent of the total) and 12,882 antlerless deer (74 percent). The antlerless total includes does, button bucks, bucks with shed antlers, and bucks with antlers shorter than three inches.

The top 10 counties for deer taken during the 2024 additional gun weekend were Ashtabula (580); Coshocton (574); Tuscarawas (515); Knox (491); Licking (454); Richland (447); Carroll (429); Muskingum (402); Harrison (400), and Guernsey (380).

Hunters in Van Wert County took 83 deer December 21-22, much higher than last year’s total of 52. Numbers were also up in Allen County (128, 89), Putnam County (84, 61), Auglaize County (108, 85), and Mercer County (94, 66). The number decreased in Paulding County, with 84 deer taken, compared to 107 last year.

Hunters have checked 115,014 deer during nine days of gun hunting and two days of the youth season. Youth hunters checked 10,449 deer November 16-17, and the weeklong gun season total was 87,192. The season total for deer checked through Sunday, December 22, is 209,459, which includes all deer taken with archery equipment and firearms since the season began in September.

Hunters still looking to pursue deer can take part in the ongoing archery season, which continues until Sunday, February 2, 2025, and the state’s muzzleloader season, January 4-7, 2025. An either-sex deer permit is now required as deer management permits are no longer valid.

A county list of all white-tailed deer checked during the additional 2024 deer-gun hunting weekend is shown below. The first number following the county’s name shows the harvest numbers for 2024, and the three-year average of deer taken in 2021, 2022, and 2023 is in parentheses. A three-year average provides a better overall comparison to this year’s numbers, eliminating year-to-year variation because of weather, misaligned season dates, crop harvest, and other unavoidable factors. Numbers below are raw data and subject to change.

Adams: 240 (207); Allen: 128 (89); Ashland: 372 (313); Ashtabula: 580 (393); Athens: 219 (202); Auglaize: 108 (85); Belmont: 353 (248); Brown: 209 (168); Butler: 100 (95); Carroll: 429 (346); Champaign: 156 (117); Clark: 71 (52); Clermont: 182 (145); Clinton: 85 (55); Columbiana: 370 (284); Coshocton: 574 (455); Crawford: 151 (105); Cuyahoga: 18 (15); Darke: 103 (61); Defiance: 134 (145); Delaware: 103 (92); Erie: 91 (63); Fairfield: 187 (140); Fayette: 40 (24); Franklin: 44 (43); Fulton: 93 (64); Gallia: 181 (166); Geauga: 158 (132); Greene: 60 (53); Guernsey: 380 (324); Hamilton: 51 (42); Hancock: 189 (117); Hardin: 131 (109); Harrison: 400 (260); Henry: 70 (67); Highland: 258 (197); Hocking: 164 (187); Holmes: 343 (300); Huron: 282 (191); Jackson: 184 (174); Jefferson: 262 (205); Knox: 491 (346); Lake: 79 (38); Lawrence: 130 (106); Licking: 454 (351); Logan: 221 (170); Lorain: 256 (170); Lucas: 34 (23); Madison: 60 (41); Mahoning: 208 (144); Marion: 97 (69); Medina: 248 (189); Meigs: 264 (208); Mercer: 94 (66); Miami: 85 (50); Monroe: 252 (174); Montgomery: 61 (43); Morgan: 252 (212); Morrow: 185 (133); Muskingum: 402 (354); Noble: 209 (202); Ottawa: 80 (41); Paulding: 84 (107); Perry: 237 (192); Pickaway: 94 (63); Pike: 146 (112); Portage: 181 (153); Preble: 114 (82); Putnam: 84 (61); Richland: 447 (269); Ross: 238 (185); Sandusky: 100 (67); Scioto: 184 (144); Seneca: 264 (156); Shelby: 120 (90); Stark: 299 (220); Summit: 69 (52); Trumbull: 282 (262); Tuscarawas: 515 (438); Union: 109 (67); Van Wert: 83 (52); Vinton: 125 (130); Warren: 87 (68); Washington: 313 (228); Wayne: 248 (194); Williams: 238 (156); Wood: 101 (72); Wyandot: 196 (137)