Deer gun seasons underway
Nov. 29—Deer gun hunting season began with a bang on Monday as hunters roamed rural woods throughout the county in search of deer.
The deer gun season is less intense than years past, as more people are taking advantage of the youth gun season and bow and arrow season, said Ashtabula County Game Warden Jason Warren.
"It seems like gun season is a little less [of a focus]," Warren said. He said there are just as many hunters out, but spread out over a longer period of time.
Warren said he did see lots of "happy hunters" out in the woods.
John Berlinski, of Trumbull Township, and Doug Williams, of Geauga County, didn't have much luck along Tower Road in Dorset Township.
"I kicked one up but that was about it," he said. Berlinski said he saw five or six hunters in the woods and nobody was reporting strong results.
"This is the first time [hunting] in Ohio in 10 years," Berlinski said. He said the chance to enjoy nature and hang out with friends is a big draw for hunting.
"Just the camaraderie, being out with nature. There is nothing like it. A bad day hunting is better than a good day at work," he said.
Williams said he has been hunting in the area for decades.
Williams and Berlinski said a covering of snow was missing and made it harder to track deer.
Down the road, Jacob Byler prepared to re-enter the woods along Stanhope Kelloggsville Road, north of Footville Richmond Road, in Richmond Township. He said he started around 6 a.m. but did not shoot anything, so after taking a break he was preparing to continue hunting around 1 p.m.
"My dad and my brother got one," he said.
Warren said the cold, damp weather was not ideal.
Many Ohio hunters got a headstart on the gun season across the border in Pennsylvania, where the gun hunting season was pushed up several days and started on Saturday.
Warren said the youth and bow and arrow season totals were up about 100 deer. He said the overall numbers are expected to be about the same as last year, with Ashtabula County having a stable herd.
Warren said there is still an economic impact on the area due to hunters staying in area hotels and purchasing meals and gas. "It seems like the impact is about the same, not just the first day of gun season," he said of the hunting impact over a longer period of time.
The deer gun season ends on Sunday.
