Severe
weather during Ohio’s just concluded four-day muzzle-loading season
put a dent in the to-date deer kill, causing a slight erosion in
where the state’s total harvest was projected as being headed.
But
not enough so that the year-end total will fall outside of the
biologists’ best guess.
The
muzzle-loading season was plagued with numbing sub-freezing and even
sub-zero temperatures, biting winds and bitterly deep snows,
particularly in much of Northeast Ohio. Not surprisingly the kill was
off in counties such as Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake and Trumbull when
stacked up against their 2017 muzzle-loading season numbers.
In
all, the state’s four-day muzzle-loading season – which ran
January 6th through 9th – saw a take of 13,268 animals. The 2017
muzzle-loading season saw a kill of 15,843 animals. Thus, a decline
of 2,575 animals was noted.
Still,
the 13,268 figure is greater than the 2016 muzzle-loading season take
of 12,503 animals. Also, this year’s muzzle-loading season deer
kill was almost identical to the 2015 muzzle-loading deer season kill
of 13,724 animals.
As
for the to-date tally, as of January 9th, the kill stood
at 179,943 animals; of which 73,364 were antlered deer. The
comparable January 10th, 2017 to-date kill was 175,832
deer, of which 74,063 were antlered deer.
In
looking at the numbers from a different angle, for the 2017-2018
combined deer-hunting seasons, hunters have killed 4,111 more animals
to-date this year than for the same time frame during the 2016-2017
combined to-date deer-hunting seasons.
And
while the 4,111 animal figure sounds impressive, had the
muzzle-loading season produced a deer harvest more in line with that
experienced in 2017, Ohio likely would have been looking at a to-date
kill approaching 183,000 animals.
Buoyed
by a slow and steady climb in the to-date deer kill, wildlife
biologists with the Ohio Division of Wildlife at one point a few
weeks ago were talking that the all-seasons’ deer kill might range
from 187,000 to 190,000 animals. Let’s see if they’re still on
the money.
Historically,
from following the conclusion of the statewide muzzle-loading season
to the end of the archery-hunting season in early February, Ohio sees
only a few thousand to several thousand additional animals being
taken. For example, last year between the-then to-date/post
muzzle-loading season deer kill and the final all-seasons’ tally as
of February 5th, 2017 only 6,337 additional deer were
checked in (182,169 verses 175,832, respectively).
So
tack on something along the lines of 6,300 additional deer to the
current to-date figure and a rough guess of around 186,000 animals
may appear as the 2017-2018 all-seasons’ total. Consequently, the
total number is going to come pretty darn close to the biologists’
original estimate.
“Certainly
if we continue to see snow that makes deer more visible along with
the bitterly cold temperatures that helps drive deer to feeders we
could see a very good harvest by the end of the archery season,”
said Allen Lee, wildlife biologist with the Ohio Division of
Wildlife’s District Three (Northeast Ohio) Office in Akron. “Snow
almost always helps, and the guy who baits is in a better position
during the latter part of the archery season.”
Those
counties with to-date (as of January 9th, 2018) deer kills totaling
at least four thousand deer each (with their respective 2017 to-date
numbers in parentheses) in alphabetical are: Ashtabula – 4,922
(4,880); Coshocton – 6,342 (5,729); Guernsey – 4,593 (4,454);
Knox – 4,510 (4,370); Licking – 4,796 (4,739); Muskingum –
5,148 (4,982); Tuscarawas – 5,494 (4,865). The state also has 12
counties with to-date deer kills of three thousand-plus animals. In
2017 that figure was also 12.
Only
four of Ohio’s 88 counties have to-date deer kills of fewer than
500 animals each (with their respective 2017 to-date numbers in
parentheses): Fayette – 349 (306); Madison – 495 (470); Ottawa –
456 (429); and Van Wert – 495 (457). Last year each of these four
counties failed to note respective deer kills exceeding 500 animals.
In
terms of being ahead in the to-date deer kill totals, fully 61 of
Ohio’s 88 counties have documented increases when compared to the
respective and comparable 2017 to-date numbers. Some counties –
such as Coshocton and Tuscarawas – have measured significant gains
while others – such as Ottawa and Licking – the increases are
more modest.
Of
on-going concern to some is that a large number of urban counties
have continued to show throughout the 2017-2018 deer-hunting season
declines in their respective to-date deer kills when compared to
their 2016-2017 numbers. This detail may be suggesting that efforts
to reign in their deer herds via liberal bag limits and locally
established controlled urban archery deer hunts are having an impact.
Here
is the list of all white-tailed deer checked by hunters during the
four-day muzzle-loader deer-hunting season. The first number
following the county’s name shows the harvest numbers for this
year’s season, and last year’s numbers are in parentheses.
Adams:
208 (308); Allen: 57 (50); Ashland: 204 (239); Ashtabula: 316 (463);
Athens: 351 (442); Auglaize: 57 (48); Belmont: 306 (391); Brown: 159
(230); Butler: 93 (75); Carroll: 348 (427); Champaign: 60 (72);
Clark: 47 (42); Clermont: 109 (168); Clinton: 63 (59); Columbiana:
292 (293); Coshocton: 487 (591); Crawford: 51 (52); Cuyahoga: 2 (2);
Darke: 28 (37); Defiance: 91 (84); Delaware: 62 (71); Erie: 42 (30);
Fairfield: 156 (138); Fayette: 29 (14); Franklin: 34 (27); Fulton: 40
(33); Gallia: 176 (338); Geauga: 102 (132); Greene: 51 (47);
Guernsey: 463 (490); Hamilton: 34 (39); Hancock: 59 (51); Hardin: 101
(111); Harrison: 346 (499); Henry: 25 (32); Highland: 203 (216);
Hocking: 358 (366); Holmes: 278 (289); Huron: 121 (133); Jackson: 218
(324); Jefferson: 182 (359); Knox: 328 (340); Lake: 31 (48);
Lawrence: 83 (194); Licking: 363 (440); Logan: 127 (136); Lorain: 136
(142); Lucas: 28 (14); Madison: 21 (32); Mahoning: 138 (135); Marion:
49 (57); Medina: 104 (126); Meigs: 310 (420); Mercer: 28 (29); Miami:
45 (41); Monroe: 255 (344); Montgomery: 29 (29); Morgan: 366 (429);
Morrow: 93 (96); Muskingum: 481 (602); Noble: 265 (310); Ottawa: 27
(25); Paulding: 69 (42); Perry: 240 (301); Pickaway: 55 (60); Pike:
168 (172); Portage: 112 (129); Preble: 69 (63); Putnam: 21 (20);
Richland: 247 (230); Ross: 237 (287); Sandusky: 56 (52); Scioto: 168
(229); Seneca: 98 (100); Shelby: 60 (67); Stark: 166 (215); Summit:
38 (36); Trumbull: 216 (256); Tuscarawas: 396 (514); Union: 52 (42);
Van Wert: 20 (24); Vinton: 255 (305); Warren: 82 (63); Washington:
344 (472); Wayne: 157 (150); Williams: 89 (85); Wood: 53 (32);
Wyandot: 84 (96).Total: 13,268 (15,843).
JFrischk@Ameritech.net
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