Drowned out by torrential rains that thoroughly drained much enthusiasm for the chase, Ohio’s approximately 420,000 white-tail hunters experienced a 39-percent decline in Monday’s opening day deer kill.
On Monday Ohio’s blaze orange army shot 23,600 white-tailed deer. Last year the open day figure was 39,071 animals.
Virtually every one of Ohio’s 88 counties posted a decline in the respective opening day deer kills. Thus the opening day preliminary figures show a decrease of 39 percent from last year’s opening day total kill.
Blame the weather, says the state’s deer biologists.
“Last year’s opening day harvest was exceptionally high. Even with ideal weather conditions, I’m sure this year’s harvest would have fallen short of the 2010 season simply because last year was an atypical season,” said Mike Tonkovich, the Ohio Division of Wildlife’s deer management administrator.
Tonkovich noted that the weather conditions on opening day in 2007 were so poor that the harvest was down an unprecedented 51 percent.
Count Don Schonauer of Chardon Township was being one of the successful opening day hunters. The owner of the popular Painesville-based taxidermy shop killed an eight-point that weighed about 225 pounds. He shot the deer at about 8:35 a.m. while hunting in Lake County.
“I went back out today (Tuesday) and I didn’t have one dry piece of clothes on me when I left the woods for lunch,” Schonauer said. “In fact it was worse today than it was Monday, and even my boots were full of water but I’ll be going back out tomorrow (Wednesday).”
Counties reporting the highest numbers of deer checked on Monday included: Coshocton - 1,197, Muskingum - 964, Tuscarawas - 896, Harrison - 882, Guernsey - 816, Knox - 719, Belmont - 629, Carroll -6 20, Holmes - 617, and Licking - 616.
Approximately 420,000 hunters are expected to participate in the statewide deer-gun season. Ohio’s deer population was estimated to be 750,000 prior to the start of the fall hunting seasons.
The white-tailed deer is the most popular game animal in Ohio, frequently pursued by generations of hunters. Ohio ranks 8th nationally in annual hunting-related sales and 10th in the number of jobs associated with the hunting-related industry.
Each year, hunting has an $859 million economic impact in Ohio through the sale of equipment, fuel, food, lodging and more.
Ohio’s firearms deer-hunting season remains open through Sunday, (Dec. 4). The statewide two-day “bonus” firearms deer-hunting season is set for Dec. 17 and 18.
Korey Brown, the Wildlife Division's administrator in charge of the license issuing system and deer check-in program - says very few snafus were encountered Monday with the new system.
"It ran smoothly and we didn't get slammed with a lot of complaints," Brown said. "People seem to be navigating the system well so we're pleased."
Also, on Monday the Ohio Division of Wildlife says that only two non-fatal hunting accidents - called "incidents" - were reported.
Here is a county-by-county listing of deer recorded for this year’s firearms season opener with last year’s opening day statistics in parentheses:
Adams – 395 (538); Allen – 67 (144); Ashland – 330 (563); Ashtabula –609 (1,057); Athens – 505 (779); Auglaize – 50 (81); Belmont –629 (971); Brown –244 (479); Butler –31 (136); Carroll –620 (1,042); Champaign – 112 (210); Clark – 43(97); Clermont – 150 (414); Clinton – 61 (129); Columbiana – 485 (833); Coshocton –1,197 (1,923); Crawford – 118 (186); Cuyahoga –4 (5); Darke –3 7 (88); Defiance – 261 (402); Delaware – 120 (233); Erie – 24 (53); Fairfield – 298 (432); Fayette – 21 (37); Franklin – 35 (43); Fulton – 109 (169); Gallia – 465(703); Geauga – 153 (265); Greene –40(88); Guernsey – 816 (1,260); Hamilton – 18 (75); Hancock – 105 (184); Hardin – 104 (191); Harrison – 882 (1,365); Henry – 78 (242); Highland – 299 (552); Hocking – 602(803); Holmes – 617 (1,087); Huron – 284(409); Jackson – 402 (671); Jefferson – 546 (900); Knox – 719 (1,315); Lake – 38 (54); Lawrence – 382 (494); Licking – 616 (1,117); Logan – 162 (316); Lorain – 167 (268); Lucas – 34 (53); Madison – 35 (68); Mahoning – 101 (239); Marion – 66 (132); Medina – 110 (171); Meigs – 499 (733); Mercer – 51 (99); Miami – 22 (53); Monroe – 532 (726); Montgomery – 16(46); Morgan – 458 (769); Morrow – 178 (356); Muskingum – 964 (1,523); Noble – 584 (825); Ottawa – 18 (23); Paulding – 128(247); Perry – 477 (750); Pickaway – 124 (216); Pike – 246 (407); Portage –144 (229); Preble – 46 (64); Putnam – 46 (139); Richland – 434 (750); Ross – 385 (579); Sandusky – 58 (59); Scioto – 278 (402); Seneca – 148 (329); Shelby – 87 (139); Stark – 153 (220); Summit – 22 (44); Trumbull – 315 (554); Tuscarawas –896 (1,494); Union 76 – (128); Van Wert – 45(104); Vinton – 468 (674); Warren – 66 (143); Washington – 503 (979); Wayne – 167 (304); Williams – 299 (485); Wood – 47 (89); Wyandot – 224 (324); TOTAL: 23,600 (39,071)
No comments:
Post a Comment