COLUMBUS, OH -- Approximately 200,000 bowhunters are expected to participate in the statewide archery deer hunting season that opens October 5, according to wildlife experts with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.
During last year's four-month archery season, bowhunters harvested a record 41,526 deer, up 21 percent from 2000s record harvest of 34,340.
Crossbow hunters totaled 24,098 of last year's kill and vertical bow hunters took 17,428 deer. Overall, archers accounted for 25.1 percent of 165,124 deer taken during Ohio's combined 2001 archery, primitive, and gun seasons.
Licking County led the state in crossbow harvest followed by Coshocton, Knox, Holmes, and Muskingum counties. Knox County had the highest long bow harvest with Licking, Coshocton, Holmes, and Muskingum rounding out the top five counties.
We expect these counties to produce high deer harvests again this year, said Mike Reynolds, deer management project leader for ODNR's Division of Wildlife. We estimate Ohio's deer herd at a record 575,000 deer this fall, and expect an excellent season for deer hunters.
This year's statewide archery season remains open from October 5 through January 31, including the week of deer-gun season December 2 through December 8. Archers may hunt one half-hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset, except during the statewide gun and primitive seasons when they are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset. Archers hunting during the statewide gun or primitive seasons must meet the hunter orange requirements of those seasons.
To hunt deer in Ohio, hunters must possess a deer permit ($20) in addition to a valid hunting license ($15). State law allows hunters to take only one antlered buck per year, regardless the type of deer season, deer permit or weapon used for deer hunting.
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 at a cost of $10 each to take antlerless deer only within the urban deer zones or during a special controlled hunt. Urban deer zones are located around Columbus, Cleveland, Akron, Youngstown, Toledo, Dayton and Cincinnati.
Archery deer hunters may also participate in the special early primitive deer season held October 21 through 26 on Salt Fork, Shawnee and Wildcat Hollow public hunting areas, the statewide deer gun season December 2 through December 8, or the statewide primitive season December 27 through 30.
A detailed listing of deer hunting rules is contained in the 2002-2003 Hunting and Trapping Regulations Digest that is available where licenses are sold, or may be viewed on-line at Ohiodnr.com