Ohio's deer gun hunting week is underway
Ohio’s annual deer gun hunting week is underway with 21,754 deer checked on November 29, the opening day of the season, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife.
During the past three years, hunters took an average of 13,349 deer on opening day. Ohio’s gun season is open until Sunday, Dec. 5, and again for two days on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 18-19.
In Stark County, hunters took 269 deer, an increase over the three-year average of 157 from 2018-20. Other nearby counties saw Mahoning register 200 (120), Carroll 607 (302), Summit 36 (18), Portage 189 (103), Columbiana 448 (270), Tuscawaras 729 (474), Holmes 650 (363) and Wayne 251 (158).
Ohio’s weather for this year’s opening day was perfect for deer hunting: mostly to partly sunny and cool temperatures. In 2020, during a snowy and rainy gun opener, hunters bagged 10,905 deer.
“This fall has reaffirmed once again that Ohio is a top deer hunting state, thanks to decades of stable deer management practices,” said Division of Wildlife Chief Kendra Wecker. “This year’s weather cooperated for an outstanding opening day harvest, generating about 1 million pounds of venison and feeding Ohio’s families.”
The top 10 counties for deer harvest on the opening day of Ohio’s gun season were Coshocton (850), Tuscarawas (729), Ashtabula (725), Knox (679), Muskingum (677), Holmes (650), Guernsey (642), Carroll (607), Licking (572), and Ashland (504). In 2020, Coshocton County also led the state on opening day with 356 deer taken.
Ohio archery hunters have taken 79,538 deer through November 29. Plus, Ohio’s young hunters checked 7,634 deer during the 2021 youth gun season, which was Nov. 20-21.
Deer muzzleloader season is Jan. 8-11, while bowhunting season is open until Feb. 6, 2022. Find complete details in the 2021-22 Ohio hunting regulations.
A county list of all white-tailed deer checked by hunters during opening day of the 2021 deer gun hunting season. The first number following the county’s name shows the harvest numbers for opening day 2021, and the three-year average of deer harvested on opening day in 2018, 2019, 2020 is in parentheses.
Adams: 288 (187)
Allen: 92 (60)
Ashland: 504 (282)
Ashtabula: 725 (459)
Athens: 420 (258)
Auglaize: 135 (68)
Belmont: 335 (227)
Brown: 249 (171)
Butler: 99 (50)
Carroll: 607 (332)
Champaign: 127 (78)
Clark: 53 (28)
Clermont: 162 (99)
Clinton: 57 (45)
Columbiana: 448 (270)
Coshocton: 850 (536)
Crawford: 191 (110)
Cuyahoga: 8 (9)
Darke: 86 (55)
Defiance: 297 (190)
Delaware: 139 (81)
Erie: 91 (40)
Fairfield: 240 (126)
Fayette: 36 (18)
Franklin: 38 (29)
Fulton: 150 (84)
Gallia: 306 (201)
Geauga: 205 (98)
Greene: 70 (34)
Guernsey: 642 (368)
Hamilton: 30 (16)
Hancock: 164 (76)
Hardin: 166 (113)
Harrison: 429 (309)
Henry: 140 (86)
Highland: 309 (195)
Hocking: 308 (246)
Holmes: 650 (363)
Huron: 375 (212)
Jackson: 284 (195)
Jefferson: 232 (164)
Knox: 679 (435)
Lake: 43 (27)
Lawrence: 216 (123)
Licking: 572 (368)
Logan: 241 (143)
Lorain: 193 (109)
Lucas: 27 (24)
Madison: 67 (26)
Mahoning: 200 (120)
Marion: 158 (79)
Medina: 181 (95)
Meigs: 370 (212)
Mercer: 118 (64)
Miami: 53 (32)
Monroe: 276 (212)
Montgomery: 56 (26)
Morgan: 382 (256)
Morrow: 217 (124)
Muskingum: 677 (443)
Noble: 387 (249)
Ottawa: 56 (18)
Paulding: 203 (121)
Perry: 369 (216)
Pickaway: 68 (52)
Pike: 173 (116)
Portage: 189 (103)
Preble: 83 (41)
Putnam: 117 (66)
Richland: 414 (272)
Ross: 264 (183)
Sandusky: 72 (44)
Scioto: 159 (106)
Seneca: 310 (149)
Shelby: 112 (66)
Stark: 269 (157)
Summit: 36 (18)
Trumbull: 382 (280)
Tuscarawas: 729 (474)
Union: 119 (60)
Van Wert: 81 (47)
Vinton: 262 (158)
Warren: 81 (46)
Washington: 436 (285)
Wayne: 251 (158)
Williams: 318 (175)
Wood: 89 (55)
Wyandot: 262 (150).
2021 total: 21,754
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Ohio's deer gun hunting week is underway
