Last week’s deer-gun totals increase

VW independent staff/submitted information

COLUMBUS – Ohio hunters checked 87,192 white-tailed deer during the weeklong gun season that concluded on Sunday, December 8, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. This is the highest total since 2011 (90,282). In 2023, hunters reported 70,103 deer during the seven-day gun season, and the three-year average is 70,806. 

During the week, hunters checked 28,606 antlered deer (33 percent of the total reported) and 58,586 antlerless deer (67 percent). According to the Division of Wildlife, antlerless deer includes does and button bucks. 

The top 10 counties for deer taken during the gun season were: Coshocton (2,954); Tuscarawas (2,673); Knox (2,525); Muskingum (2,515); Carroll (2,399); Ashtabula (2,281); Guernsey (2,201); Washington (1,970); Ashland (1,893), and Licking (1,860).

Locally, Van Wert County totals were up substantially from last year, along with four surrounding counties. Hunters in Van Wert County checked 422 deer last week, compared to 284 in 2023. Totals also increased in Mercer County (509, 418 in 2023), Allen County (563, 417 in 2023), Auglaize County (570, 470 in 2023), and Putnam County (476, 431 in 2023). Paulding County saw a decrease, with 484 deer checked, compared to 568 last year.

Legal hunting equipment during the deer gun season includes shotguns, straight-walled cartridge rifles, muzzleloaders, handguns, and archery equipment. Straight-walled cartridge rifles have been legal for deer gun hunting since 2014. Deer checked by hunting implement includes:

• Straight-walled cartridge rifle, 64 percent (55,611 deer)
• Shotgun, 30 percent (26,486 deer)
• Muzzleloader, four percent (3,271 deer)
• Archery equipment, two percent (1,357 deer)
• Handgun, less than one percent (467 deer)

For all deer hunting seasons, archery and firearms hunters have reported 188,931 deer from September 28 to December 8. Hunters have another opportunity to take a deer with a firearm during the additional gun weekend, Saturday and Sunday, December 21-22. The muzzleloader season is Jan. 4-7, 2025. The archery season remains open until Sunday, February 2, 2025.

A county list of all white-tailed deer checked by hunters during opening day of the 2024 deer gun hunting season is shown below. The first number following the county’s name shows the harvest numbers for opening day 2024. The three-year average of deer harvested on opening day 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, timing of the crop harvest, and other unavoidable factors. Numbers below are raw data and subject to change.  
 
Adams: 1,312 (1,017); Allen: 563 (417); Ashland: 1,893 (1,434); Ashtabula: 2,281 (2,072); Athens: 1,438 (1,220); Auglaize: 570 (470); Belmont: 1,677 (1,234); Brown: 992 (881); Butler: 360 (299); Carroll: 2,399 (1,844); Champaign: 628 (485); Clark: 260 (219); Clermont: 729 (614); Clinton: 364 (262); Columbiana: 1,826 (1,424); Coshocton: 2,954 (2,433); Crawford: 822 (648); Cuyahoga: 62 (49); Darke: 459 (337); Defiance: 673 (877); Delaware: 495 (432); Erie: 388 (298); Fairfield: 900 (722); Fayette: 219 (142); Franklin: 150 (170); Fulton: 547 (410); Gallia: 1,487 (1,139); Geauga: 883 (685); Greene: 315 (242); Guernsey: 2,201 (1,871); Hamilton: 155 (124); Hancock: 800 (637); Hardin: 768 (567); Harrison: 1,804 (1,404); Henry: 541 (467); Highland: 1,255 (1,070); Hocking: 1,255 (1,086); Holmes: 1,804 (1,557); Huron: 1,458 (1,159); Jackson: 1,149 (1,018); Jefferson: 1,437 (962); Knox: 2,525 (1,936); Lake: 179 (177); Lawrence: 829 (694); Licking: 1,860 (1,670); Logan: 933 (758); Lorain: 943 (726); Lucas: 171 (116); Madison: 255 (195); Mahoning: 758 (594); Marion: 459 (367); Medina: 903 (696); Meigs: 1,373 (1,192); Mercer: 509 (418); Miami: 316 (258); Monroe: 1,480 (1,168); Montgomery: 185 (184); Morgan: 1,626 (1,326); Morrow: 935 (695); Muskingum: 2,515 (2,170); Noble: 1,422 (1,265); Ottawa: 254 (180); Paulding: 484 (568); Perry: 1,251 (1,114); Pickaway: 458 (305); Pike: 797 (667); Portage: 857 (696); Preble: 375 (323); Putnam: 476 (431); Richland: 1,825 (1,334); Ross: 1,241 (1,030); Sandusky: 437 (320); Scioto: 976 (754); Seneca: 1,227 (947); Shelby: 558 (445); Stark: 1,256 (1,000); Summit: 239 (201); Trumbull: 1,743 (1,263); Tuscarawas: 2,673 (2,261); Union: 472 (384); Van Wert: 422 (284); Vinton: 865 (768); Warren: 359 (288); Washington: 1,970 (1,565); Wayne: 1,169 (890); Williams: 953 (739); Wood: 493 (371); Wyandot: 913 (675).