UPDATED: Ohio's weekly to-date deer kill showing steady 12,000 animal harvest decline

The twelve thousand-plus 2017 and 2018 comparable to-date deer kill gap is unchanged just days before Ohio’s two-day so-called “bonus” gun deer hunt.

Raw data released today by the Ohio Division of Wildlife indicates that the current to-date deer kill total for this season stands at 134,545 animals. The comparable to-date number last year was 146,799 animals. Thus, when laid side by side, this year’s to-date deer kill is 12,254 fewer deer than for the same period in 2017.

Last week’s comparable to-date difference between 2017 and 2018 was 12,449 animals, or nearly identical to this week’s to-date number and its 2017 mirror figure.

Deer hunters could make up some lost ground this weekend when the statewide two-day bonus season is held. Last year hunters in Ohio killed 14,115 deer during the two-day bonus season. Another 15,843 deer were taken during the statewide 2017-2018 muzzle-loading season.

Whether hunters in Ohio can add more than twelve thousand animals on top of fourteen thousand deer in unlikely, however.

Of Ohio’s 88 counties, only five have shown increases in their respective 2018 to-date numbers when compared to their respective 2017 to-date deer kill figures. These counties (with their 2017 numbers in parentheses) are: Clark – 581 (538); Geauga – 1,414 (1,412); Medina – 1,575 (1,505); Portage – 1,832 (1,746); and Summit – 1,067 (1,059).

It may be noteworthy to point out that both Medina and Portage counties have consistently shown week-to-week deer kill increases when compared to their respective 2017 to-date numbers.

As for declines, some of those counties (with their respective 2017 to-date numbers in parentheses) are: Adams – 2,336 (2,625); Ashtabula – 3,884 (3,981); Brown – 1,737 (2,033); Carroll -2,646 (2,969); Champaign -894 (990); Clermont – 1,729 (1,957); Coshocton – 4,788 (5,158); Guernsey – 3,296 (3,682); Hancock – 883 (1,008); Harrison – 2,475 (2,789); Highland – 1,779 (2,135); Holmes – 3,032 (3,277); Jefferson – 1,334 (1,434); Knox – 3,305 (3,697); Lake – 621 (660); Licking -3,477 (3,908); Monroe – 1,816 (2,045); Muskingum – 3,694 (4,182); Ottawa – 351 (352); Shelby – 693 (806);Trumbull – 2,731 (2,820); Tuscarawas – 4,001 (4,402); and Wayne – 1,600 (1,730).

Adams, Ashtabula, Jefferson, Lake, Muskingum and Tuscarawas counties have all shown week-to-week declines so far this season.

To-date this season, eight counties have recorded deer kills of at least three thousand animals each. To-date in 2017 that figure was also eight counties. However, to-date in 2017 Ohio had 31 counties with at least two thousand deer reported as being killed each. This year that figure stands at twenty-six.

Still, to-date this year Ohio has 35 counties with reported deer kill of fewer than one thousand animals each In 2017 that figure was 32 counties.

- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
JFrischk@Ameritech.net