Record number of Buckeye state deer harvested in 2006-2007 season

237,316 deer harvested; tops previous record of 216,443 set in 2004

COLUMBUS, OH - Ohio deer hunters took a record 237,316 deer during the 2006-07 hunting season and for the third year in a row the harvest surpassed 200,000, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. The total number of deer taken was 13 percent above last year's season total of 209,513.

"We are very satisfied with this year's record harvest," said Steven A. Gray, chief of the Division of Wildlife. "Ohio's deer management program is a model for the country. The challenge now becomes maintaining a healthy deer herd into the future."

Deer-gun season produced the greatest portion of the harvest, with 112,260 deer killed. The early muzzleloader season (336), special hunts at Ravenna and NASA (640), youth-gun season (8,315), the first-ever bonus deer-gun weekend (24,982), and the statewide muzzleloader season (22,871), accounted for the remainder.

Deer hunting contributes an estimated $266 million to Ohio's economy each year and helps to support thousands of jobs. 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 Ohio residents through special programs.

To see a list of the Ohio counties reporting the highest number of whitetails killed during the deer hunting season included, click here.