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Ohio’s
Antlerless Deer Muzzleloader Hunting Season is Oct. 11-12
The white-tailed deer antlerless muzzleloader hunting season returns to
Ohio on Oct. 11-12. Hunters checked 5,608 antlerless deer during the
2013 season.
It is legal to hunt antlerless deer with a muzzleloader or bow during
this two-day season. No antlered deer may be harvested regardless of
hunting implement. Antlerless deer include deer without antlers and
deer with antlers less than 3 inches in length. All hunters, excluding
waterfowl hunters, are required to wear a vest, coat, jacket or
coveralls that are either solid hunter orange or camouflage hunter
orange. Hunting hours are 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after
sunset.
Hunters can use antlerless permits and either-sex permits during this
two-day season, but antlerless permits are no longer valid in some
counties. Be sure to check Ohio’s deer bag limit map before purchasing
an antlerless permit. More information is available in the 2014-2015
Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations, provided where licenses are sold
and at wildohio.gov.
Hunters are required to make their own game tag to attach to a deer.
Game tags can be made of any material (cardboard, plastic, paper, etc.)
as long as it contains the hunter’s name, date, time and county of the
kill. Go to wildohio.gov for more information on changes to the game
check process.
All hunters must report their deer harvest using the automated
game-check system. Game-check transactions are available online and by
phone seven days a week, including holidays. Hunters with a deer permit
have three options to complete the game check:
• Online at ohiogamecheck.com.
• Call 877-TAG-ITOH (824-4864).
• Visit a license agent. A list of agents can be found at wildohio.gov
or by calling 800-WILDLIFE (945-3543).
Landowners exempt from purchasing a deer permit, and others not
required to purchase a deer permit, cannot use the 877-TAG-ITOH option.
Landowners and others not required to obtain a permit have the
following game-check options:
• Online at ohiogamecheck.com.
• Visit a license agent.
• Call 866-703-1928 for operator assisted landowner game-check (a
convenience fee of $5.50 applies).
Hunting is the best and most effective management tool for maintaining
Ohio’s healthy deer population. During the 2013-2014 season, Ohio
hunters checked 191,459 deer. Ohio ranks fifth nationally in resident
hunters and 11th in the number of jobs associated with hunting-related
industries. Hunting has a more than $853 million economic impact in
Ohio through the sale of equipment, fuel, food, lodging and more,
according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s Hunting in
America: An Economic Force for Conservation publication.
The ODNR Division of Wildlife remains committed to properly managing
Ohio’s deer populations through a combination of regulatory and
programmatic changes. The goal of Ohio’s Deer Management Program is to
provide a deer population that maximizes recreational opportunities,
while minimizing conflicts with landowners and motorists. This ensures
that Ohio’s deer herd is maintained at a level that is both acceptable
to most, and biologically sound.
Until recently, the populations in nearly all of Ohio’s counties were
well above their target numbers. In the last few years, through
increased harvests, dramatic strides have been made in many counties to
bring those populations closer toward their goal. Once a county’s deer
population is near goal, harvest regulations are adjusted to maintain
the population.
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