COLUMBUS, OH -- Approximately 450,000 hunters are expected to participate in this year's statewide deer gun season that begins December 2, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.
With favorable hunting conditions and a deer population higher than last year, I expect we will see 105,000 to 110,00 deer taken during this gun season, said Mike Reynolds, deer management project leader for ODNR's Division of Wildlife.
Last year, gun hunters harvested 100,425 deer. Ohios white-tailed deer population is estimated at 575,000.
The deer gun season will be open seven days and close at sunset on December 8. Ohio is divided into four primary deer hunting zones. A limit of one deer may be taken in Zone A (35 counties) or Zone R (10 counties). Hunters may take a second deer in Zone B (19 counties) and three deer in Zone C (24 counties) by purchasing additional deer permits. Hunters may purchase up to four urban deer permits to take antlerless deer only within the urban deer zones. Urban deer zones are located around Columbus, Cleveland, Akron, Youngstown, Toledo, Dayton and Cincinnati.
Hunters may take a deer of either sex during the deer gun season, except in the ten-county Zone R, where a deer of either sex may be taken during the first two days of the season and an antlered buck only during the remaining five days. Zone R lies primarily in northwestern and western Ohio. Deer hunters must possess the proper permits, and regardless of zone, method of taking or season, hunters may take only one antlered deer.
Hunters must visibly wear a vest, coat, jacket or coveralls that are either solid hunter orange or camouflage hunter orange. A hunter orange hat or cap alone no longer satisfies legal requirements during the deer gun season.
Legal hunting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset. Hunters may use a 10, 12, 16, 20, 28 or .410-gauge shotgun, a handgun with a five-inch minimum length, using straight-walled cartridges of .357 caliber or larger, a muzzleloading rifle of at least .38 caliber or larger, a longbow or a crossbow. Rifled barrels are permitted when using shotgun slug ammunition.
It is unlawful to take a deer with a shotgun capable of holding more than three deer slugs unless it is plugged with a one-piece filler that can only be removed by disassembling the gun. Since the three-shot limit was enacted, deer gun season hunting accidents have been reduced 38 percent in the last three-year period over the previous three-year period.
A deer permit is required in addition to a valid hunting license. Temporary deer tags no longer have adhesive backing. The deer tag must now be separated from the deer permit and tied to the deer. All deer must be properly tagged before they are removed from the field for transport to a check station.
Hunting of all wild animals except deer, waterfowl (in season), wild boar and coyote during daylight hours is prohibited during the statewide deer gun season December 2 through 8.
This year, for the first time, Sunday hunting on private land will not be restricted by acreage size requirements. Earlier this year Governor Bob Taft signed the Sunday Hunting Bill, which removed private land restrictions for hunting on Sundays. Public land was already open to Sunday hunting with no restrictions.
Targeted monitoring of Ohios deer herd since June has found no sign of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). The ODNR Division of Wildlife will continue surveillance of the states deer herd and the Ohio Department of Agriculture will test random samples of deer from deer check stations during the statewide deer gun season. A scientific protocol has been developed to determine how many deer should be tested across the state, so the public can be assured that CWD does not exist in Ohio.
Additional hunting regulations and maps of deer zones are contained in the 2002-2003 Hunting and Trapping Regulations Digest. This free publication is available where hunting licenses are sold and from the ODNR Division of Wildlife by calling 1-800-WILDLIFE or on the Internet at ohiodnr.com
Deer hunting contributes an estimated $266 million during the season to Ohio's economy and helps to support thousands of jobs. Deer hunters also contribute thousands of pounds of venison to community-based organizations that help feed less fortunate Ohio residents through special programs such as Safari Club International's Sportsmen Against Hunger program.