Ohio's popular deer-gun season will run an additional weekend, Saturday and Sunday, December 20-21, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.
The extra days were added beginning in 2006 in response to comments received from hunters for more weekend time to hunt.
“These two additional weekend days give deer hunters another chance at filling their deer tag while helping us in meeting our deer management goals,” said David M. Graham, chief of the Division of Wildlife.
So far this season, hunters have taken 51,620 deer during the first six weeks of the statewide archery season, which began September 27 and continues through February 1. The special youth season, held Nov. 22-23, resulted in young hunters bagging 9,852 deer. Hunters checked 33,034 deer during the opening day of the statewide deer-gun season, December 1. Another 568 deer were taken during the early muzzleloader deer season held in October on the Shawnee, Salt Fork and Wolf Creek state wildlife areas.
The white-tailed deer is the most popular game animal in Ohio, frequently pursued by generations of hunters. Ohio ranks 6th nationally in annual hunting-related sales and 4th in the number of jobs associated with the hunting-related industry. Each year, hunting has a $1.5 billion economic impact in Ohio. Hunting related retail sales in Ohio total more than $700 million.
Venison is delicious and nutritious meat, low in fat and cholesterol. It is the number one wild game served by hunters in Ohio. Deer hunters also contribute thousands of pounds of venison to organizations that help feed less-fortunate Ohioans through special programs.
Ohio is divided into three deer hunting zones. A limit of one deer may be taken in Zone A (20 counties). Hunters may take a second deer in Zone B (30 counties). A total of three deer may be harvested in eastern and southeastern Ohio's Zone C (38 counties). Antlerless deer permits are not valid for this extra weekend of the deer-gun season except within the designated urban deer zones located around Columbus, Cleveland, Akron, Youngstown, Toledo, Dayton, and Cincinnati or at Division of Wildlife controlled hunts.
Hunters may take only one antlered deer, regardless of zone, hunting method or season. A deer permit is required in addition to a valid Ohio hunting license. Hunter orange is required. Only deer, coyote and waterfowl can be hunted during the extra deer-gun weekend.
Hunters are encouraged to kill more does this season and donate any extra venison to organizations assisting Ohioans in need. The Division is collaborating with Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry to help pay for the processing of donated venison. Hunters who give their deer to a food bank are not required to pay the processing cost as long as the deer are taken to a participating processor and funding for the effort lasts. Counties being served by this program can be found online at www.fhfh.org.
