Deficits still stalking Ohio's firearms deer season harvest numbers

The tally of Ohio's deer kill by gun hunters continues to struggle, to-date figures remaining below their respective 2012 numbers.

And up here in Northeast Ohio, Lake County's firearms season deer hunters are falling way behind from the numbers they posted to-date in 2012.

Statewide for the first three days of this year's seven-day season a total of 45,063 have been killed. This compares – though not favorably – to the first three days of the 2012 firearms deer-hunting season in which 53,854 animals were shot for a decline of 16.32 percent.

That figure is a small recovery from the opening day figure when about 23 percent fewer deer were killed when placed alongside the 2012 opening day totals.

Of Ohio's 88 counties, some 83 continue to reflect to-date declines in numbers of deer shot when the same three-day figures are compared between 2012 and this year, 2013.

Several traditionally strong deer-kill counties remain in the deficit side of the ledger, too.

Examples: Guernsey County's 2013 to-date deer kill figures are 1,460. Yet when stacked up against the same 2012 three-day to-date figure of 1,662 and decline of more than 12 percent is noted.

Other normally hot firearms deer-hunting season counties have cooled as well.

In Harrison County this year's first three days to-date tally stands at 1,406 animals. That figure is off 9.17 percent from the 2012 to-date first three day total of 1,548.

Coshocton County hunters are faring even more poorly. Here 1,610 deer have been reported for the first three days of this year's season. That compares to 2,002 to-date figure reported in 2012 for a whopping decline of very nearly 22 percent.

Likewise Licking County's numbers reflect a 22.75 percent decline while Tuscarawas County's figures are just shy of a 16-percent falloff.

Northeast Ohio is seeing a mixed bag.

Ashtabula County's deer hunters started out strong on opening day and have not stopped.

For the first days this county's hunters reported taking 1,518 deer and compared to the 1,334 animals shot for the same 2012 three-day to-date numbers. That difference reflects a net gain of 13.79.

Meanwhile, Trumbull County has experienced a gain as well: 820 deer taken to-date for the gun season and compared to the 788 animals killed to-date in 2012.

Alas and however, things have gone south for Geauga County and (especially) Lake County.

In Geauga County, this season's first three days produce 312 deer. For the first three days of the 2012's gun season the figure was 330. In percentages the decline is 5.45 percent.

For Lake County the figures are dismally discouraging. Last year during the first three days of the gun season deer hunters in Lake County killed 119 animals.

Yet this season's to-date first three-day figure stands at only 70 deer.

In other words Lake County's to-date deer kill total has shrunk by a staggering 41 percent.

 

Harvest County Comparison Report

Based on Selected Date of Check

Between Nov 26, 2012 and Nov 28, 2012 & Between Dec 2, 2013 and Dec 4, 2013

 

For weapons: Unknown, Shotgun, Crossbow, Longbow, Muzzleloader, Hand Gun, Invalid

 

 

County YR 2013 YR 2012 % Change

 

Adams 850 972 -12.55%

Allen 165 234 -29.49%

Ashland 614 788 -22.08%

Ashtabula 1,518 1,334 13.79%

Athens 1,107 1,265 -12.49%

Auglaize 176 217 -18.89%

Belmont 1,136 1,344 -15.48%

Brown 518 625 -17.12%

Butler 194 188 3.19%

Carroll 1,220 1,299 -6.08%

Champaign 247 299 -17.39%

Clark 119 123 -3.25%

Clermont 345 481 -28.27%

Clinton 142 209 -32.06%

Columbiana 1,016 1,020 -0.39%

Coshocton 1,610 2,062 -21.92%

Crawford 298 295 1.02%

Cuyahoga 8 14 -42.86%

Darke 96 164 -41.46%

Defiance 456 570 -20.00%

Delaware 216 345 -37.39%

Erie 89 104 -14.42%

Fairfield 479 620 -22.74%

Fayette 48 58 -17.24%

Franklin 62 106 -41.51%

Fulton 230 279 -17.56%

Gallia 941 1,106 -14.92%

Geauga 312 330 -5.45%

Greene 135 192 -29.69%

Guernsey 1,460 1,662 -12.15%

Hamilton 108 136 -20.59%

Hancock 192 321 -40.19%

Hardin 287 295 -2.71%

Harrison 1,406 1,548 -9.17%

Henry 195 223 -12.56%

Highland 636 842 -24.47%

Hocking 937 1,304 -28.14%

Holmes 865 1,155 -25.11%

Huron 603 634 -4.89%

Jackson 726 892 -18.61%

Jefferson 856 1,125 -23.91%

Knox 1,216 1,390 -12.52%

Lake 70 119 -41.18%

Lawrence 607 758 -19.92%

 

County YR 2013 YR 2012 % Change

 

Licking 1,073 1,389 -22.75%

Logan 345 458 -24.67%

Lorain 337 390 -13.59%

Lucas 64 77 -16.88%

Madison 72 85 -15.29%

Mahoning 419 401 4.49%

Marion 174 217 -19.82%

Medina 294 342 -14.04%

Meigs 946 1,115 -15.16%

Mercer 130 189 -31.22%

Miami 110 118 -6.78%

Monroe 833 1,098 -24.13%

Montgomery 61 90 -32.22%

Morgan 929 1,106 -16.00%

Morrow 357 525 -32.00%

Muskingum 1,678 1,935 -13.28%

Noble 917 1,036 -11.49%

Ottawa 49 50 -2.00%

Paulding 292 333 -12.31%

Perry 819 1,097 -25.34%

Pickaway 197 298 -33.89%

Pike 509 586 -13.14%

Portage 293 356 -17.70%

Preble 149 169 -11.83%

Putnam 133 185 -28.11%

Richland 637 854 -25.41%

Ross 700 936 -25.21%

Sandusky 123 134 -8.21%

Scioto 586 654 -10.40%

Seneca 432 516 -16.28%

Shelby 222 260 -14.62%

Stark 453 458 -1.09%

Summit 51 67 -23.88%

Trumbull 820 788 4.06%

Tuscarawas 1,495 1,779 -15.96%

Union 171 217 -21.20%

Van Wert 94 164 -42.68%

Vinton 904 1,044 -13.41%

Warren 162 237 -31.65%

Washington 1,084 1,383 -21.62%

Wayne 378 451 -16.19%

Williams 554 596 -7.05%

Wood 122 125 -2.40%

Wyandot 384 499 -23.05%

 

Statewide Totals

 

 

YR 2013 YR 2012 % Change

 

45,063 53,854 -16.32%
- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
JFrischk@Ameritech.net