Blade Hunting Report: Ohio opening day harvest numbers increase
The best hunting information from area experts.
By Matt Markey / The Blade
Wed, 04 Dec 2019 19:50:51 GMT
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The best hunting information from area experts.
■ Ohio/Opening Day: The statewide gun season for deer opened a half-hour before sunrise Monday, with hunters across the Buckeye State harvesting 15,501 whitetails by the end of the hunting day. That was an increase over the 13,651 deer that were taken on the opening day of the 2018 gun season. The top counties for deer harvest on Opening Day were Coshocton (663), Ashtabula (601), Tuscarawas (557), Knox (544), Muskingum (511), Guernsey (426), Holmes (423), Licking (399), Harrison (385), and Carroll (377). The first phase of the gun season runs through Sunday, with a bonus weekend of gun hunting to follow Dec. 21 and 22.
■ Ohio deer harvest: Through Monday, archery hunters in the state had taken 76,822 deer since the season opened at the end of September. During the recent two-day youth gun season, young hunters harvested 6,234 white-tailed deer. A report listing summaries of harvests from past deer seasons is available at the wildohio.gov/deerharvest website.
■ Ohio archery/muzzleloader: The muzzleloader hunting season for white-tailed deer takes place Jan. 4 through Jan. 7, 2020. The Ohio archery season for deer, which opened more than two months ago, continues through Feb. 2. Details of the season dates and regulations can be found in the 2019-2020 Hunting and Trapping Regulations booklet or at the wildohio.gov website.
■ Ohio youth hunt: Young hunters in the Buckeye State harvested 6,234 white-tailed deer during the two-day youth gun season, which took place Nov. 23-24. For safety and an optimal learning experience, Ohio’s youth hunters were required to be accompanied by a non-hunting adult during this special season.
■ Ohio wild turkey: Hunters checked 1,054 wild turkeys during the fall season, which closed on Sunday. The wild turkey season opened on Oct. 12 and took place in 70 of the state’s counties. During the 2018 fall season, wild turkey hunters harvested 1,131 birds.
■ Michigan archery/muzzleloader: The archery season for deer, which was closed during the recent two-week statewide Michigan deer firearm season, reopened on Sunday and runs through Jan.1 in most of the state. The archery season extends through Jan. 31 in Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties. The Michigan muzzleloader season for deer opens Friday and runs through Dec. 15 in Zones 1 and 2, and through Dec. 22 in Zone 3. For details on the archery and muzzleloader season rules, hunting zones and an outline of areas with special regulations, consult the 2019 Michigan Hunting Digest or visit the michigan.gov/documents/dnr website.