Ohio's 2013-2014 all-seasons' deer harvest crashes and burns

For the first time since the 2003-2004 all-seasons' total of 197,970 animals has Ohio's deer harvest failed to reach at least 200,000 head.

Yet that is what happened to the all-seasons' 2013-2014 total of 191,459 animals, well off the 2012-2013 all-seasons' haul of 218,910 deer and a giant leap backward from the all-time all-seasons' total of 252,017 animals, which was recorded during the 2008-2009 license/hunting year.

In fact, one would have to turn back the clock to the 2001-2002 all-seasons' harvest of 165,124 deer to discover a smaller white-tail kill.

Such information will no doubt come into play on Thursday when the Ohio Department of Natural Resources' Division of Wildlife conducts a live telephone feed with the state's outdoors writers regarding the proposed 2014-2015 deer-hunting regulations, seasons and bag limits.

Here is a county-by-county breakdown of the preliminary 2013-2014 all-seasons' deer-hunting harvest as supplied by the Division of Wildlife with the corresponding 2012-2013 harvest figures in parentheses:

Adams: 3,849 (4,111); Allen: 1,057 (1,110); Ashland: 2,931 (3,149); Ashtabula: 4,981 (4,974); Athens: 4,053 (4,387); Auglaize: 789 (986); Belmont: 3,953 (4,731); Brown: 2,526 (2,933); Butler: 1,503 (1,498); Carroll: 4,203 (4,825); Champaign: 1,243 (1,453); Clark: 779 (862); Clermont: 2,830 (3,141); Clinton: 883 (1,007); Columbiana: 3,669 (3,893); Coshocton: 6,270 (7,413); Crawford: 1,033 (1,236); Cuyahoga: 681 (713); Darke: 589 (1,004); Defiance: 1,576 (1,911); Delaware: 1,516 (1,901); Erie: 760 (719); Fairfield: 2,245 (2,608); Fayette: 292 (302); Franklin: 719 (879); Fulton: 859 (980); Gallia: 2,899 (3,370); Geauga: 1,849 (2,131); Greene: 956 (1,105); Guernsey: 5,307 (6,151); Hamilton: 2,069 (2,175); Hancock: 908 (1,338); Hardin: 1,207 (1,306); Harrison: 4,533 (5,365); Henry: 642 (750); Highland: 2,714 (3,250); Hocking: 3,514 (4,206); Holmes: 3,958 (4,565); Huron: 2,139 (2,298); Jackson: 2,769 (3,440); Jefferson: 3,286 (4,161); Knox: 4,529 (5,288); Lake: 793 (1,004); Lawrence: 2,238 (2,672); Licking: 5,711 (6,928); Logan: 1,917 (2,094); Lorain: 2,342 (2,460); Lucas: 736 (677); Madison: 451 (452); Mahoning: 2,207 (2,034); Marion: 833 (901); Medina: 1,937 (1,978); Meigs: 3,336 (3,832); Mercer: 625 (804); Miami: 881 (961); Monroe: 2,623 (3,478); Montgomery: 687 (804); Morgan: 3,080 (3,597); Morrow: 1,549 (1,936); Muskingum: 5,547 (6,457); Noble: 3,091 (3,513); Ottawa: 402 (379); Paulding: 1,047 (1,194); Perry: 2,731 (3,477); Pickaway: 804 (1,044); Pike: 2,096 (2,262); Portage: 2,005 (2,280); Preble: 1,070 (1,205); Putnam: 687 (786); Richland: 3,242 (3,878); Ross: 3,087 (3,559); Sandusky: 773 (794); Scioto: 2,705 (2,821); Seneca: 1,641 (1,923); Shelby: 1,103 (1,294); Stark: 2,578 (2,597); Summit: 1,428 (1,417); Trumbull: 3,592 (3,553); Tuscarawas: 5,774 (6,813); Union: 826 (961); Van Wert: 491 (638); Vinton: 3,133 (3,395); Warren: 1,344 (1,605); Washington: 3,298 (4,091); Wayne: 1,908 (2,108); Williams: 1,903 (2,096); Wood: 729 (863) and Wyandot: 1,410 (1,670). Total: 191,459 (218,910).

- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
JFrischk@Ameritech.net