Ohio’s popular white-tailed deer gun hunting seasons begin in November, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. Youth season, for hunters 17 and younger, was Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 18-19. The weeklong gun season, open to all hunters, kicks off Monday, Nov. 27 and runs until Sunday, Dec. 3. The deer gun weekend is Dec. 16-17.
“Ohio’s deer gun hunting seasons are a valued tradition that create time outdoors with friends and family,” ODNR Division of Wildlife Chief Kendra Wecker said. “The gun seasons are an excellent opportunity to harvest venison before the holidays.”
Hunters harvested 96,610 deer during the 2022 gun seasons. That total includes 71,932 deer taken during the seven-day gun season, which traditionally begins the Monday after Thanksgiving. There were 9,515 deer checked by hunters 17 and younger during last year’s youth weekend, and another 15,163 deer in the December gun weekend. The three-year average for deer harvested in the gun seasons is 92,108.
Last year in Adams County, the number of checked deer for Adams County was up slightly to 1,043 deer, up from the rolling three year average of 1,002.
Deer gun harvest totals are typically highest in the eastern half of Ohio. Coshocton (2,457), Muskingum (2,326), Tuscarawas (2,321), Ashtabula (1,987), and Knox (1,909) counties led the state in harvests during the 2022 seven-day gun season.
Legal hunting implements during the gun seasons include shotguns, straight-walled cartridge rifles, muzzleloaders, handguns, and archery equipment. Ohio’s deer muzzleloader hunting season is Jan. 6-9, 2024, when muzzleloaders and archery equipment are legal hunting implements. During any of the gun seasons, all hunters, regardless of implement, are required to wear hunter orange. Check the 2023-24 Hunting and Trapping Regulations for more information.
The hunting and trapping regulations include information on county bag limits, licenses and permits, and the Chronic Wasting Disease surveillance area in Hardin, Marion, and Wyandot counties. As a reminder, deer management permits are valid only until Sunday, Nov. 26. During the gun seasons, Ohio hunters will need an either-sex permit, unless exempted, available at wildohio.gov, on the HuntFish OH app, and at license vendors.
The free HuntFish OH mobile app can be downloaded from the app store to conveniently purchase fishing and hunting licenses, view wildlife area maps, check county bag limits, and much more. Users can access the Division of Wildlife’s online system to check harvested deer while out in the field, even without a Wi-Fi connection.
All deer harvested in Ohio are required to be checked in the Ohio Wildlife Licensing System. This gives the Division of Wildlife a long-term data set that aids wildlife biologists in monitoring deer health, distribution, and relative abundance. Hunters can check game by using the HuntFish OH mobile app, visiting ohiogamecheck.com, calling 1-877-TAG-IT-OH (1-877-824-4864), visiting a license sales agent, or calling 1-866-703-1298.
