Ohio hunters checked 70,413 deer during the week-long gun season that ended on Sunday.

Ohio hunters harvested 70,413 deer during the deer gun week that concluded on Sunday. Over the past three years, hunters checked an average of 65,280 deer during the same week-long period, which marks an 8% increase in 2021.

Deer gun season is open again on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 18-19.
Ottawa County deer gun hunters killed 173 bucks and does, up from 141 a year ago. In adjacent counties, the deer gun harvest was: Erie, 327; Sandusky, 305; Wood, 340; and Lucas, 103.

During the deer gun week, hunters around Ohio harvested 25,263 bucks (36% of deer taken), 36,096 does (51%), and 8,021 button bucks (11%). 
The top 10 counties for deer taken during the gun week include: Coshocton (2,403), Tuscarawas (2,204), Muskingum (2,107), Ashtabula (2,039), Knox (2,023), Guernsey (1,968), Carroll (1,767), Licking (1,712), Holmes (1,645) and Washington (1,483). Coshocton County also led the state in 2020 with 2,281 deer checked.

During deer gun hunting week, straight-walled cartridge rifles were used for 49% of checked deer. Shotguns accounted for 43% of the total. In addition, 6% were taken with a muzzleloader, 1% by archery equipment, and less than 1% with a handgun.
Through Sunday, Dec. 5, 80,178 deer have been taken by Ohio archery hunters. Ohio’s youth hunters checked 7,634 deer during the two-day youth gun season, Nov. 20-21.

Because Ohio is known as a quality deer hunting state, many out-of-state hunters travel here during the season. The top five states for purchasing a nonresident hunting license in Ohio include: Pennsylvania (7,929 licenses sold), Michigan (5,533), West Virginia (3,898), North Carolina (3,740), and New York (3,597).