Tuesday, September 27, 2011

License sales up at start of archery deer-hunting season

After only two days of reporting data and Ohio’s archery deer hunting season numbers are looking good; maybe not great, but certainly, good.

The statewide weekend harvest for Sept. 24 and 25 stands at 3,821 animals.

While that kill is down some from the first two days of the 2010 archery season (4,157 deer) the weather has not been the most cooperative. Heat, humidity, thunderstorms and small stream flooding have not helped any.

With that being said, more general hunting licenses and deer tags have been sold to date than for the same period in 2010.

The current to-date number of general hunting licenses sold is 187,593 documents. Along with these licenses is the sale of 189,261 deer tags, a higher number since hunters can buy multiple deer tags.

In 2010 for the same period the Ohio Division of Wildlife sold 172,368 general hunting licenses and just 168,206 deer permits, reports the agency.

Ohio’s archery deer-hunting season is one of the longest and most liberal in the nation. The season began Sept. 24 and runs through Feb. 5.

Properly licensed hunters can kill multiple numbers of deer, based upon location (general deer hunting zones) in the state, urban deer hunting zones and other criteria.

However, hunters can shoot only one antlered animal regardless of method employed.

Last year the state’s archery hunters - numbering about 345,000 participants - killed 40,889 deer with longbows and 44,123 deer with crossbows.

State wildlife officials believe that hunters this year will kill between 85,000 and 90,000 animals out of a herd estimated at 700,000 to 720,000 animals.

- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
JFRischkorn@News-Herald.com

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