COLUMBUS, Ohio — The first six weekends of bowhunting season shows Ohio hunters have checked 48,321 deer through Sunday, Nov. 3.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife says this year’s harvest includes 23,311 antlered deer and 25,010 anterless deer.
ODNR lists the top 10 counties for the archery harvest as follows:
- Coshocton (1,673)
- Tuscarawas (1,514)
- Ashtabula (1,490)
- Knox (1,375)
- Holmes (1,355)
- Trumbull (1,353)
- Licking (1,216)
- Muskingum (1,119)
- Richland (1,097)
- Guernsey (10,039)
“The average bow harvest through the first weekend of November over the last three years is 50,844 white-tailed deer,” according to a press release from ODNR. “Last year, hunters checked 51,352 deer over the same period.”
The statewide archery season began on Sept. 28 and continues through Sunday, Feb. 2.
“Last season was the first time the archery harvest topped 100,000, an indication that the popularity of bowhunting continues to rise,” according to ODNR. “The historic 2023-24 archery total included 75,462 taken with a crossbow and 29,696 with a vertical bow.”
GUN SEASON
Ohio offers more deer hunting opportunities throughout the weeks ahead, which are listed as follows…
- Nov. 16-17: Youth gun season. “Hunters are reminded that the youth gun season, which traditionally occurs on the third weekend of November, does not fall on the weekend before Thanksgiving this year as it often does,” according to ODNR.
- Dec. 2-8: Gun season opens statewide to all hunters.
- Dec. 21-22: Additional gun weekend.
- Jan. 4-7, 2025: Late muzzleloader hunting season.
