COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio’s white-tailed deer hunters took advantage of an extra weekend of gun hunting and checked 13,995 deer on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 21-22, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. During the 2018 season, 9,625 deer were taken during the same period.
“The deer-gun weekend is an additional chance for Buckeye State hunters to put food on their table and spend time outdoors with family and friends,” said Division of Wildlife Chief Kendra Wecker. “Ohio continues to be a top destination for deer hunters. As the new year approaches, make a resolution to take someone new with you on your next outdoor adventure.”
Top 10 counties for deer harvest during the 2019 two-day gun season include: Ashtabula (533), Coshocton (434), Tuscarawas (425), Knox (383), Carroll (377), Holmes (370); Licking (362), Trumbull (357), Guernsey (319) and Columbiana (318).
The total harvest during the nine days of the 2019-gun season was 77,488 deer. Hunters harvested 70,377 deer during the nine days of the 2018-gun season. Through Dec. 22, Ohio archery hunters have taken 79,934 deer. Ohio’s youth hunters checked 6,234 white-tailed deer during the 2019 two-day youth gun season, Nov. 23-24. Plus, 63,493 deer were checked by Ohio hunters during the weeklong deer-gun season, Dec. 2-8.
Ohio offers more opportunities for hunters to pursue deer. Deer-muzzleloader season is from Saturday, Jan. 4, to Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020. Deer-archery season is open now until Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020. Find complete details in the 2019-2020 Hunting and Trapping Regulations or at wildohio.gov. For summaries of past deer seasons, visit wildohio.gov/deerharvest.
Approximately 370,000 people hunted deer in Ohio this year, and the Buckeye State is a popular hunting destination for many out-of-state hunters. To date in 2019, more than 34,000 nonresident Ohio hunting licenses have been sold.
