Ohio hunters kill fewer deer this year during 2023 gun season

Ohio hunters killed fewer deer this gun season compared to a year ago.

The state's weeklong white-tailed deer gun hunting season ended in Sunday.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources says hunters harvested 70,118 deer − down from 71,931 deer killed last year during the seven-day season.

The state's three-year average for deer killed during the seven-day gun season is 71,322.

Hunters will have one additional weekend to go deer gun hunting on Dec. 16 and 17.

What Ohio counties had the most deer harvested?

The Top 10 counties for deer taken during the week of gun season were:

• Coshocton (2,441)
• Tuscarawas (2,260)
• Ashtabula (2,189)
• Muskingum (2,076)
• Knox (1,880)
• Carroll (1,864)
• Guernsey (1,798
• Washington (1,582)
• Licking (1,570)
• Harrison (1,533)

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What type of guns were used to harvest Ohio deer?

ODNR says the straight-walled cartridge rifle that became legal in the state for deer hunting in 2014 was the most popular among hunters.

The straight-walled cartridge rifles were used to harvest 60 percent of the deer checked during the seven-day gun season.

Shotguns accounted for 34 percent of the deer killed with 4 percent taken with a muzzleloader, 1 percent with archery equipment and 1 percent with a handgun.

ODNR says 389,181 deer permits have been issued so far this season with 37,543 by out-of-state residents.

For the 2023 deer season, archery and firearms hunters have killed 167,732 deer so far.

What deer hunting seasons are left in Ohio?

There will be a bonus firearm deer hunting weekend Dec. 16 and 17.

Ohio's muzzleloader season is Jan. 6 to 9, 2024.

And Ohio's archery season continues through Feb. 4, 2024.

For more, visit the 2023-24 Hunting and Trapping Regulations at ohiodnr.gov.