What hunters should know as Ohio deer gun season starts Dec. 2

6:00am Tuesday, November 26, 2024

Ohio’s weeklong deer gun hunting season begins Monday, Dec. 2, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife.

The gun season traditionally begins the Monday after Thanksgiving, is open to all hunters, and this year runs until Sunday, Dec. 8. An additional deer gun weekend runs Dec. 21 and 22.

Deer gun harvest totals are typically highest in eastern Ohio, according to a Nov. 21 news release from ODNR. Coshocton (2,440), Tuscarawas (2,260), Ashtabula (2,189), Muskingum (2,076), and Knox (1,878) counties led the state during the 2023 seven-day gun season.

ICYMI: Status of gun bills as 135th Ohio General Assembly winds down

Hunters harvested 95,606 deer during all 2023 gun seasons (gun week, December gun weekend, and youth weekend). That total includes 70,103 deer taken during the seven-day gun season. Hunters ages 17 and younger checked 10,033 deer during the 2023 youth weekend and another 15,470 deer in the December gun weekend. The three-year average (2021 to 2023) for these seasons is 93,207, according to the release.

This fall, hunters ages 17 and younger checked 10,449 white-tailed deer during Ohio’s youth gun hunting season Nov. 16 and 17, according to the release. The Division of Wildlife has issued 42,209 youth deer permits as of Nov. 17. Youth permits are valid for all remaining Ohio deer hunting seasons through Feb. 2, 2025.

Ohio’s deer muzzleloader hunting season is Jan. 4-7, 2025, when muzzleloaders and archery equipment are legal hunting implements. Check the 2024-25 Hunting and Trapping Regulations for more information.

All deer harvested in Ohio are required to be checked in the Ohio Wildlife Licensing System, according to the release. This gives the Division of Wildlife a long-term dataset that aids wildlife biologists in monitoring deer health, distribution, and relative abundance. Hunters can check game by using the HuntFish OH mobile app, visiting ohiogamecheck.com, calling 1-877-TAG-IT-OH (1-877-824-4864), visiting a license sales agent, or calling 1-866-703-1298 (landowner operator-assisted; fees apply).

The free HuntFish OH mobile app can be downloaded from the app store to conveniently purchase fishing and hunting licenses, view wildlife area maps, check county bag limits, and much more. Users can access the Division of Wildlife’s online system to check harvested deer while out in the field, even without a Wi-Fi connection, according to the release.

The hunting and trapping regulations include information on county bag limits, game check, and licenses and permits. In addition to a valid hunting license, Ohio hunters need an either-sex permit or deer management permit. This year, deer management permits are valid until Sunday, Dec. 22, the last day of the bonus gun weekend, according to the release. Deer management permits may be used to take only antlerless deer and may be used on private land or select public hunting areas.

CWD surveillance continues

The chronic wasting disease surveillance area includes all of Hardin, Marion, and Wyandot counties and Auglaize and Jackson townships in Allen County, according to the release. On Dec. 2 and 3, successful hunters in the disease surveillance area are required to submit their harvest for sampling. Successful hunters are not required to surrender their deer.

Self-serve kiosks are available for mandatory sample submission during the gun season and for voluntary sample submission until the close of the deer archery season Feb. 2, 2025, according to the release. Staffed sampling locations and self-serve kiosks can be found on the Division of Wildlife’s CWD database. The database also displays current and historical CWD test results, and hunters can look up their harvest sample results.

In addition to mandatory testing, the disease surveillance area also has special regulations regarding the use of bait and transport of carcasses. Visit ohiodnr.gov/cwd to learn more about chronic wasting disease and special regulations. Outside of the disease surveillance area, hunters can have harvested deer tested by the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, which can be reached at 614-728-6220.