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Darke Soil & Water Conservation District
More than
73,000 Deer Checked during Ohio's Weeklong Gun Hunting Season
COLUMBUS, OH – Hunters checked 73,399 white-tailed deer during Ohio’s
2015 deer-gun hunting season, Nov. 30-Dec. 6, according to the Ohio
Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). This represents a significant
increase over last year’s harvest of 65,484 deer. During the 2013
deer-gun season, 75,408 deer were checked.
To date, for the 2015 deer hunting seasons, hunters have checked
152,554 deer. Last year at this same time, hunters had harvested a
total of 148,821 deer. Given that the year-to-date harvest is only
slightly higher, the significant increase in this year’s deer-gun
season can most likely be attributed to better weather conditions
compared to the 2014 deer-gun season. A smaller contributing element
could be the fact that there was not an antlerless muzzleloader season
in October this year. This year’s harvest was closer to the 2013
deer-gun season harvest, which also points to last year’s poor weather
as the primary factor for the increase.
Two days (Monday, Dec. 28, and Tuesday, Dec. 29) of deer-gun season
remain. The muzzleloader season is Jan. 9-12, 2016, and archery season
remains open through Sunday, Feb. 7, 2016.
Deer Management Goals
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.
Until recently, deer populations in nearly all of Ohio’s counties were
well above goal. In the last few years, through increased antlerless
harvests, most counties are now at or near goal. Therefore, to help
stabilize deer populations, bag limits were reduced, and antlerless
permit use has been eliminated in most counties for the 2015-2016
season.
The ODNR Division of Wildlife is in the process of revising Ohio’s
population goals and is asking hunters that receive the survey to help
by completing and returning their survey as soon as possible. Hunters
for this year’s survey were randomly selected from the list of hunters
who purchased a license and deer permit by Nov. 16. Landowner surveys
have already been completed, and hunter surveys were mailed last week.
Public input is an important part of Ohio’s deer management program,
and survey participants are asked to complete and return their surveys
to ensure that hunters have a clear voice in helping to decide the
direction of deer management in Ohio.
Hunting Popularity
Hunting is the best and most effective management tool for maintaining
Ohio’s healthy deer population. 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.
Find more information about deer hunting in the Ohio 2015-2016 Hunting
and Trapping Regulations or at wildohio.gov. An updated deer harvest
report is posted online each Wednesday at wildohio.gov/deerharvest.
ODNR ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural
resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR website at ohiodnr.gov.
Editor’s Note: A list of all white-tailed deer checked by hunters
during the weeklong 2015 deer-gun hunting season is shown below. The
first number following the county’s name shows the harvest numbers for
2015, and the 2014 numbers are in parentheses.
Adams: 1,585 (1,134); Allen: 387 (348); Ashland: 1,232 (1,160);
Ashtabula: 2,002 (1,730); Athens: 1,666 (1,360); Auglaize: 299 (278);
Belmont: 1,516 (1,428); Brown: 1,055 (940); Butler: 338 (308); Carroll:
1,577 (1,477); Champaign: 419 (434); Clark: 207 (195); Clermont: 776
(685); Clinton: 292 (285); Columbiana: 1,458 (1,245); Coshocton: 2,420
(2,308); Crawford: 576 (515); Cuyahoga: 46 (24); Darke: 282 (241);
Defiance: 865 (871); Delaware: 418 (422); Erie: 192 (219); Fairfield:
761 (708); Fayette: 125 (142); Franklin: 133 (124); Fulton: 361 (336);
Gallia: 1,523 (1,220); Geauga: 508 (470); Greene: 220 (213); Guernsey:
1,995 (1,788); Hamilton: 252 (165); Hancock: 487 (443); Hardin: 542
(487); Harrison: 1,664 (1,491); Henry: 365 (334); Highland: 1,189
(1,004); Hocking: 1,592 (1,195); Holmes: 1,362 (1,349); Huron: 1,006
(921); Jackson: 1,323 (968); Jefferson: 1,170 (1,120); Knox: 1,755
(1,727); Lake: 160 (138); Lawrence: 1,021 (779); Licking: 1,865
(1,655); Logan: 765 (672); Lorain: 637 (646); Lucas: 113 (105);
Madison: 147 (154); Mahoning: 556 (555); Marion: 363 (340); Medina: 545
(567); Meigs: 1,544 (1,270); Mercer: 235 (206); Miami: 235 (250);
Monroe: 1,316 (1,056); Montgomery: 128 (130); Morgan: 1,418 (1,207);
Morrow: 584 (671); Muskingum: 2,283 (2,084); Noble: 1,333 (1,031);
Ottawa: 97 (121); Paulding: 523 (509); Perry: 1,340 (1,160); Pickaway:
345 (330); Pike: 954 (701); Portage: 553 (451); Preble: 284 (272);
Putnam: 304 (315); Richland: 1,222 (1,159); Ross: 1,264 (1,106);
Sandusky: 258 (261); Scioto: 1,164 (761); Seneca: 779 (710); Shelby:
387 (397); Stark: 863 (759); Summit: 167 (122); Trumbull: 1,142 (983);
Tuscarawas: 1,999 (2,074); Union: 336 (313); Van Wert: 237 (283);
Vinton: 1,440 (1,031); Warren: 319 (321); Washington: 1,738 (1,409);
Wayne: 683 (639); Williams: 823 (831); Wood: 293 (389); Wyandot: 696
(749). Total: 73,399 (65,484).
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