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April 6, 2006
OHIO HUNTING OPPORTUNITIES EXPAND UNDER 2006-07 REGULATIONS
Extra weekend of deer-gun hunting approved
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2006-2007 HUNTING SEASON DATES |
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Species |
Opening date |
Closing date |
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Squirrel |
September 1 |
January 31 |
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Mourning dove |
September 1 |
To Be Announced |
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Geese |
September 1 |
To Be Announced |
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White-tailed deer
archery season |
September 30 |
February 4 |
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White-tailed deer
early muzzleloader season |
October 23 |
October 28 |
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White-tailed deer
youth gun season |
November 18 |
November 19 |
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White-tailed deer
gun season |
November 27
December 16 |
December 3
December 17 |
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White-tailed deer
statewide muzzleloader season |
December 27 |
December 30 |
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Ruffed grouse |
October 14 |
February 28 |
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Wild turkey
fall season |
October 14 |
October 29 |
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Wild turkey
fall archery only |
October 30 |
November 26 |
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Youth upland season
for cottontail rabbit, ringneck
pheasant, bobwhite quail |
October 21 and 22 and
October 28 and 29 |
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Cottontail rabbit |
November 3 |
February 28 |
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Ringneck pheasant |
November 3 |
January 7 |
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Bobwhite quail |
November 3 |
November 26 |
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Fox, raccoon, skunk,
opossum, weasel |
November 10 |
January 31 |
COLUMBUS, OH - Ohio hunters will have expanded deer hunting opportunities this fall, under new regulations and season dates approved for 2006-07 by the Ohio Wildlife Council.
The additional weekend of deer-gun hunting will fall on Saturday, December 16 and Sunday, December 17. The traditional week-long deer-gun season will begin on Monday, November 27 and run through Sunday, December 3. Deer-archery season will run from Saturday, September 30 through Sunday, February 4, 2007.
Statewide muzzleloader season will open on Wednesday, December 27, and run through Saturday, December 30. Early muzzleloader hunts will be open Monday, October 23 through Saturday, October 28 at Salt Fork, Shawnee and Wildcat Hollow. Muzzleloader hunts at these areas are by special permit only, with a random drawing held prior to the season for a limited number of antlered and unlimited number of antlerless permits.
Last year’s three deer-hunting zones remain in place. A three-deer limit (Zone C) will cover 38 central, south, southeastern and southwestern counties. The 30 counties of Zone B will have a two-deer limit, and the 20 northwestern counties of Zone A will have a one-deer limit. A hunter may take only one buck in Ohio, regardless of zone, hunting method or season.
The youth deer-gun season is set for Saturday, November 18 and Sunday, November 19. Young hunters can bag only one deer of either sex in any county of Ohio during this special season. Any deer taken will be part of the young hunter’s total season limit.
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) has never been found in Ohio’s deer herd. Still, to minimize the risk of CWD appearing in Ohio, reasonable measures were passed for the disposal of hunter-killed deer, elk and moose carcasses from CWD-affected areas before they are brought back to Ohio. The regulations require the meat from an animal from a CWD-infected area to be de-boned and wrapped with no part of the spinal column or head attached. Hunters can bring back antlers or antlers attached to skullcaps as long as all soft tissue has been removed. Also acceptable will be hides and capes without the head or lymph nodes attached and finished taxidermy mounts from known CWD-infected areas.
A pattern of corrupt activity demonstrated by some commercial fishing operations has resulted in approved regulations that will tighten the rules on the industry. One change prohibits commercial fishermen from having yellow perch from the Central and Western basins of Lake Erie on their boat at the same time. Commercial fishing vessels are now required to notify the Division of Wildlife at least 30 minutes prior to docking with the fish they have netted. They are also now required to have additional color coding for their nets.
September 1 will again mark the kick-off date for the state’s fall hunting seasons - with the opening of squirrel, dove, Canada goose, rail, moorhen and snipe hunting.
Migratory waterfowl hunting rules and season dates will be set in August within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s 2006-07 framework, which will be supplied later this summer.
APPROVED HUNTING AND TRAPPING REGULATIONS, 2006-07
(SIGNIFICANT CHANGES ARE IN RED PRINT)
DEER: Hunters may take only one antlered deer, regardless of zone, hunting method or season.
ARCHERY SEASON: September 30 through February 4. Hours are one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset daily.
EARLY MUZZLELOADER DEER HUNT: special permit. All hunters interested in participating needs to fill out a controlled hunt application (June 1 through July 31) for the October 23 28 hunts at Salt Fort, Shawnee and Wildcat Hollow. Hours are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset daily.
YOUTH DEER SEASON: November 18 and 19. Hours are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset daily. Only one deer per young hunter may be taken during this season.
DEER-GUN SEASON: November 27 through December 3, and December 16 and 17. Hours are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset daily.
STATEWIDE MUZZLELOADER SEASON: December 27 through 30. Hours are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset daily.
Zone A -- Hunters could take only one deer during the 2006-07 seasons, which could be a deer of either sex. Twenty counties, including Allen, Auglaize, Darke, Defiance, Erie, Fulton, Henry, Lucas, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Ottawa, Paulding, Preble, Putnam, Sandusky, Shelby, Van Wert, Williams, Wood.
Zone B -- Hunters could take only two deer during the 2006-07 seasons, which could be a deer of either sex. Thirty counties, including: Ashland, Ashtabula, Butler, Champaign, Clark, Clinton, Crawford, Cuyahoga, Fayette, Geauga, Greene, Hancock, Hardin, Huron, Lake, Logan, Lorain, Madison, Mahoning, Marion, Medina, Portage, Seneca, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, Union, Warren, Wayne, Wyandot.
Zone C -- Hunters could take no more than three deer during the 2006-07 seasons, of which only one could be an antlered deer. Thirty-eight counties, including: Adams, Athens, Belmont, Brown, Carroll, Clermont, Columbiana, Coshocton, Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, Gallia, Guernsey, Hamilton, Harrison, Highland, Hocking, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Knox, Lawrence, Licking, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Morrow, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, Pickaway, Pike, Richland, Ross, Scioto, Tuscarawas, Vinton, Washington.
SQUIRREL: September 1 through January 31. Hours are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset. Daily bag limit: 6.
GROUSE: Open October 14 through February 28. Hours are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset. Daily bag limit: 3.
YOUNG HUNTERS’ UPLAND SEASON: Open the two Saturdays and Sundays immediately before the regular opening date (October 21, 22, 28 and 29) statewide. Rabbit, pheasant, and all other legal game that is in season may be taken. Counties open to quail hunting are Adams, Athens, Brown, Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Preble, Highland, Jackson, Meigs, Montgomery, Pike, Ross, Scioto, Vinton, and Warren. Daily bag limits same as during the regular hunting seasons.
FALL WILD TURKEY: Open October 14 through the third following Sunday, October 29 for hunters using a shotgun with shot, a longbow or a crossbow and through the Sunday after Thanksgiving, November 26, for hunters using a longbow or a crossbow. Counties open to hunting are Adams, Ashland, Ashtabula, Athens, Belmont, Brown, Carroll, Clermont, Columbiana, Coshocton, Gallia, Geauga, Guernsey, Harrison, Highland, Hocking, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Knox, Lawrence, Licking, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Morrow, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, Pike, Richland, Ross, Scioto, Trumbull, Tuscarawas, Vinton, and Washington counties. Limit one turkey of either sex per fall season. Hours are one half hour before sunrise to sunset from October 14 through October 29 and one half hour before sunrise to one half hour after sunset from October 30- November 26.
RABBIT: Open November 3 through February 28. Hours are sunrise to sunset. Daily bag limit 4.
PHEASANT: Open November 3 through January 7. Hours are sunrise to sunset. Daily bag limit 2. cock birds only.
QUAIL: Open November 3 through November 26. Hours are sunrise to sunset. Counties open to hunting are Adams, Athens, Brown, Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Preble, Highland, Jackson, Meigs, Montgomery, Pike, Ross, Scioto, Vinton, and Warren. Bag limit 4.
FOX, OPOSSUM, WEASEL, AND SKUNK TRAPPING: Open November 10 through January 31. No restriction on hours. No daily bag limit.
FOX HUNTING: Open November 10 through January 31. Daytime hunting of fox closed during deer gun season. No other restriction on hours. No daily bag limit.
RACCOON TRAPPING: Open November 10 through January 31. Season extends through March 15 in Erie, Ottawa, and Sandusky counties and Lucas County east of the Maumee River. No restriction on hours. No daily bag limits.
RACCOON AND OPOSSUM HUNTING: Open November 10 through January 31. No daily bag limit.
MINK AND MUSKRAT TRAPPING: Open November 10 through February 28. Season extends through March 15 in Erie, Ottawa, and Sandusky counties and Lucas County east of the Maumee River. No restriction on hours. No daily bag limit.
BEAVER TRAPPING: Opens statewide December 26, 2005 through February 28. Beaver trapping on state public hunting areas without a special beaver trapping permit from the Ohio Division of Wildlife is prohibited.
RIVER OTTER TRAPPING: Opens statewide December 26 through February 28. Otter trapping on state public hunting areas without a special beaver/otter trapping permit from the Ohio Division of Wildlife is prohibited. Trappers are required to personally present skinned river otter pelts and carcasses to a Division of Wildlife representative for mandatory CITES tagging within 72 hours of take.
Zone A - This zone is closed to river otter trapping in these forty- five counties, including Allen, Auglaize, Brown, Butler, Champaign, Clark, Clermont, Clinton, Crawford, Darke, Defiance, Erie, Fayette, Fulton, Green, Hamilton, Hardin, Hancock, Henry, Highland, Huron, Logan, Lorain, Lucas, Madison, Marion, Medina, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Ottawa, Paulding, Preble, Putnam, Sandusky, Seneca, Shelby, Summit, Union, Van Wert, Warren, Williams, Wood and Wyandot.
Zone B - Trappers can take only one river otter during the 2006-07 season in these twelve counties, including Adams, Ashland, Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, -Knox, Licking, Morrow, Pickaway, Pike, Richland, and Ross.
Zone C - Trappers can take up to three river otter during the 2006-07 season in these thirty-one counties, including Athens, Ashtabula, Belmont, Carroll, Columbiana, Coshocton, Gallia, Geauga, Guernsey, Harrison, Hocking, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lake, Lawrence, Mahoning, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, Portage, Scioto, Stark, Trumbull, Tuscarawas, Vinton, Washington, and Wayne.
YOUNG HUNTERS’ SPRING WILD TURKEY: Open statewide to youth hunters (17 years old and younger) for turkey hunting on the Saturday and Sunday immediately prior to the regular spring wild turkey season (April 21 & 22, 2007). Hours for youth hunts will be a half-hour before sunrise to sunset. Limit 2 bearded turkeys per hunter per spring season, of which only 1 may be taken during the young hunters’ season.
SPRING WILD TURKEY: Open statewide (except on designated youth hunting areas) on Monday April 23, 2007 through Sunday, May 20, 2007. Hours are one-half hour before sunrise to noon. Limit: 2 bearded turkeys per hunter per spring season.
CROW: Open Friday, Saturday and Sunday June 9- March 18. Hours are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset. No daily bag limit.
DOVES, DUCKS, GEESE, COOTS, AND MERGANSERS: Hunting days and bag limits will be set within the framework provided by the US Fish and Wildlife Service later this summer. Assuming the framework is similar to the 2005-06 season, dove season and the early goose season will open September 1.
FALCONRY: September 1 and extend through March 10, 2007.
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