Ohio's deer kill numbers slip during first days of the archery hunting season

Even with pleasant weather and an abundant crop of whitetails, a decline in the deer kill was noted in the first four days of Ohio’s archery deer-hunting season.

Based on data provided by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Wildlife, the state’s archery deer hunters killed 4,006 animals from September 24th (opening day) through Tuesday, September 27th, of which 2,752 animals were antlerless with the remainder being bucks.

For the first reporting session in 2015, Ohio’s archery hunters killed 4,587 animals, of which 3,111 were antlerless deer and the remainder being bucks.

The top counties so far in terms of deer kill (with their respective 2015 to-date figures in parentheses) are: Ashtabula – 158 (160); Trumbull – 156 (162); Licking – 127 (168); Coshocton – 118 (94); Lorain – 105 (123); Knox – 100 (110).

Every one of Ohio’s 88 counties reported deer as being killed, though the displayed kill figures for the bottom bunch were in single digits.  Those counties – with their respective to-date 2015 kills in parentheses – and in alphabetical order - were: Henry -  five (nine); Madison – six (18); Van Wert – seven (four).

Other noteworthy counties with year-to-year comparisons (with their respective to-date 2015 kills in parentheses) were:  Adams County – 72 (123); Lake County – 47 (46); Cuyahoga County – 79 (48); Franklin County – 28 (49); Geauga County – 72 (78); Harrison County – 64 (70); Hocking County – 62 (86); Media County – 72 (89); Muskingum County – 81 (79);  Portage County – 92 (91); Richland County – 86 (79); Brown County – 41 (52); Clermont County – 69 (106); and Tuscarawas County – 77 (96).

Ohio’s archery deer-hunting season – easily and by far one of the nation’s longest – runs until February 5^th.

Last year Ohio’s deer hunters killed a total of 188,329 animals of which 84,530 whitetails were taken by archery tackle.

- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
JFrischk@Ameritech.net