Ohio deer gun weekend results: 17,373
Hunters across Ohio checked 17,373 white-tailed deer during the state’s additional weekend of deer gun hunting Dec. 21 and 22, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife.
Last year, hunters tagged 15,470 deer during the gun weekend, with a three-year average of 13,417.
During the additional gun weekend, hunters checked 4,491 antlered deer (26% of the total) and 12,882 antlerless deer (74%), according to a Dec. 23 news release from the division. The antlerless total includes does, button bucks, bucks with shed antlers, and bucks with antlers shorter than 3 inches.
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The top 10 counties for deer taken during the 2024 additional gun weekend were as follows:
- Ashtabula (580)
- Coshocton (574)
- Tuscarawas (515)
- Knox (491)
- Licking (454)
- Richland (447)
- Carroll (429)
- Muskingum (402)
- Harrison (400)
- Guernsey (380)
Legal hunting equipment during the deer gun season includes specific shotguns, straight-walled cartridge rifles, muzzleloaders, handguns, and archery equipment. Straight-walled cartridge rifles have been legal for deer gun hunting since 2014, according to the release.
Hunting implements used were as follows:
- Straight-walled cartridge rifle, 66% (11,413 deer)
- Shotgun, 27% (4,723 deer)
- Muzzleloader, 4% (706 deer)
- Archery equipment, 2% (433 deer)
- Handgun, less than 1% (98 deer)
Hunters have checked 115,014 deer during nine days of gun hunting and two days of the youth season. Youth hunters checked 10,449 deer Nov. 16 and 17, and the weeklong gun season total was 87,192, according to the release. The season total for deer checked through Sunday, Dec. 22 is 209,459, which includes all deer taken with archery equipment and firearms since the season began in September.
Archery season continues until Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025, and the state’s muzzleloader season is Jan. 4-7, 2025, according to the release. An either-sex deer permit is required after Sunday, Dec. 22, as deer management permits are no longer valid.
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