According to information released Monday by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), hunters checked 66,759 white-tailed deer during Ohio’s 2016 deer-gun hunting season, Nov. 28-Dec. 4. Last year, hunters checked 73,392 deer over the weeklong deer-gun season. Like state data, harvest numbers were also lower in Champaign County, with 356 checked in 2016 and 419 checked in 2015.
Two days (Saturday, Dec. 17, and Sunday, Dec. 18) of deer-gun season remain. The muzzleloader season is Jan. 7-10, 2017, and archery season remains open through Sunday, Feb. 5, 2017.
The ODNR Division of Wildlife remains committed to properly managing Ohio’s deer populations. 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.
Hunting popularity
Hunting is the best and most effective management tool for maintaining Ohio’s healthy deer population, according to ODNR. 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.
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.
County-by-county harvest data
A list of all white-tailed deer checked by hunters during the weeklong 2016 deer-gun hunting season is shown below. The first number following the county’s name shows the harvest numbers for 2016, and the 2015 numbers are in parentheses.
Adams: 1,082 (1,585); Allen: 363 (387); Ashland: 1,225 (1,232); Ashtabula: 1,946 (2,002); Athens: 1,377 (1,666); Auglaize: 268 (299); Belmont: 1,360 (1,516); Brown: 823 (1,054); Butler: 289 (338); Carroll: 1,494 (1,576); Champaign: 356 (419); Clark: 184 (207); Clermont: 542 (776); Clinton: 260 (292); Columbiana: 1,307 (1,458); Coshocton: 2,325 (2,419); Crawford: 569 (576); Cuyahoga: 47 (46); Darke: 259 (282); Defiance: 773 (865); Delaware: 411 (418); Erie: 206 (192); Fairfield: 681 (760); Fayette: 108 (125); Franklin: 157 (133); Fulton: 362 (361); Gallia: 1,211 (1,523); Geauga: 479 (508); Greene: 203 (220); Guernsey: 1,885 (1,995); Hamilton: 155 (252); Hancock: 454 (486); Hardin: 477 (542); Harrison: 1,573 (1,664); Henry: 345 (365); Highland: 948 (1,189); Hocking: 1,288 (1,592); Holmes: 1,484 (1,362); Huron: 1,074 (1,006); Jackson: 1,031 (1,323); Jefferson: 1,138 (1,169); Knox: 1,942 (1,755); Lake: 167 (160); Lawrence: 795 (1,020); Licking: 1,609 (1,865); Logan: 639 (765); Lorain: 683 (637); Lucas: 129 (113); Madison: 158 (147); Mahoning: 594 (556); Marion: 403 (363); Medina: 604 (545); Meigs: 1,373 (1,544); Mercer: 262 (235); Miami: 196 (235); Monroe: 1,131 (1,316); Montgomery: 103 (128); Morgan: 1,179 (1,418); Morrow: 626 (584); Muskingum: 2,112 (2,283); Noble: 1,271 (1,333); Ottawa: 105 (97); Paulding: 425 (523); Perry: 1,156 (1,340); Pickaway: 270 (345); Pike: 753 (954); Portage: 559 (553); Preble: 235 (284); Putnam: 274 (304); Richland: 1,228 (1,222); Ross: 1,102 (1,264); Sandusky: 219 (258); Scioto: 890 (1,164); Seneca: 835 (779); Shelby: 334 (387); Stark: 798 (863); Summit: 174 (167); Trumbull: 1,144 (1,142); Tuscarawas: 2,045 (1,999); Union: 271 (336); Van Wert: 211 (237); Vinton: 1,111 (1,440); Warren: 236 (319); Washington: 1,502 (1,738); Wayne: 730 (683); Williams: 655 (823); Wood: 286 (293); Wyandot: 716 (696).
Total: 66,759 (73,392).
