Carroll in top five counties for opening day deer totals

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Hunters across Ohio checked 26,667 white-tailed deer Dec. 2 during the opening day of the weeklong gun hunting season, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.

This is the highest harvest for opening day since 2012 (29,297). Ohio’s seven-day gun season is open until Dec. 8, with an additional gun hunting weekend on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 21-22.

This year’s opening day harvest total includes 9,602 antlered deer and 17,065 antlerless deer (antlerless deer are does and button bucks). In 2023, hunters took 19,363 deer on opening day of the gun season, which traditionally falls on the Monday after Thanksgiving. From 2021 to 2023, hunters checked an average of 19,439 deer during the gun season opener. 

 
The top 10 counties for deer checked on opening day were:

  1. Coshocton (1,053)
  2. Tuscarawas (954)
  3. Knox (881)
  4. Muskingum (852)
  5. Carroll (804)
  6. Guernsey (750)
  7. Ashtabula (686)
  8. Harrison (671)
  9. Ashland (653)
  10. Columbiana (592)

So far this deer season, archery and firearms hunters have taken a total of 128,408 deer through Dec. 2. Hunters ages 17 and younger checked 10,449 deer in the two-day youth season. 
 
Ohio’s fantastic deer hunting opportunities are a fall tradition that draw both residents and nonresidents outdoors. Residents and nonresidents have purchased a combined 360,800 deer permits this year. Either-sex permits and deer management permits are on sale at license vendors, on the HuntFish OH mobile app, and at wildohio.gov. Under a newly expanded timeline for use, deer management permits are available for purchase and valid through Sunday, Dec. 22. These permits may be used on private land and select public hunting areas for antlerless deer. Either-sex permits are valid statewide through the end of the archery season.
 
The most popular states that nonresident hunters have visited from include: 

  • Pennsylvania (6,079 licenses sold) 
  • Michigan (4,477) 
  • West Virginia (2,777) 
  • North Carolina (2,773) 
  • New York (2,655) 

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