Ohio's gun deer opener harvest slips; state wildlife expert expects recovery

Many of Ohio’s deer hunters came up empty handed for the November 28^th general firearms hunting season opener.

Based on data provided by the Ohio Division of Wildlife, Ohio’s deer hunters shot 18,776 animals. That’s a drop of 3,477 animals from the 2015 firearms opener kill of 22,253 deer.

Of Ohio’s 88 counties, only 11 posted gains over their respective 2015 opening day kills while one county recorded identical respective opening day harvest results.

Ohio’s general firearms deer-hunting season continues through Sunday, December 4^th.

Yet the state’s leading deer biologist says Ohio’s deer hunters ought not to panic. The roughly 17 percent decline in Monday’s opening day deer kill almost certainly will not stock when the seven-day season ends, let alone at the conclusion of the yet-to-come bonus two-day gun season (December 17^th and 18^th), the four-day muzzle-loading season (January 7^th through 10^th), and the remainder of the archery season (concludes February 5^th).

Indeed, the Ohio Division of Wildlife continues to anticipate an all-season’ deer kill of around 180,000 head, which is close to the 2014-2015 all-deer kill of 188,335 animals.

“One thing I noticed when I looked at the harvest data through Sunday (November 27^th) and the day before the start of the gun season was the archery harvest was off only 2.3 percent and the total harvest down only 6.3 percent, so we’re really almost where we were at in numbers at this time last year,” said Mike Tonkovich, the Wildlife Division’s deer management biologist.

Tonkovich did acknowledge that the participants during the state’s youth-only gun season “took it in the shorts again” because of the generally poor – make that, miserable – weather but that a turn-around is almost certain.

This is due in some measure to the too-pleasant weather that has blanketed the state during the first two days of the general firearms deer-hunting season.

“Why would any hunter want to move around in the 60-degree-plus weather we’ve been having?” Tonkovich rhetorically asked.

Besides, a survey of Ohio’s deer hunters – and appearing in the agency’s “2015-2016 Ohio Deer Summary” and available at the Wildlife Division’s web site -  is showing a decided and increasing preference to stump sitting and ground blind occupation than stalking or participating in deer drives; the latter two methods sure ways of breaking loose white-tails from thickets and heavy cover.

 “The deer have been under intense pressure from archery hunters for eight weeks,” Tonkovich also said pointing out another capstone that is helping to anchor new deer-hunting strategies.

In the end, consequently, and says Tonkovich, the total deer harvest will likely even out when the last arrow is launched, the last slug and bullet is sent, and the final sabot is propelled.

“That’s why I still believe we’ll see a total deer harvest of around 180,000 animals,” Tonkovich said.

A list of all white-tailed deer checked by hunters during opening day of the 2016 deer-gun hunting season is shown below. The first number following the county’s name shows the harvest numbers for opening day 2016, and the 2015 opening day harvest numbers are in parentheses: Adams: 274 (373); Allen: 58 (116); Ashland: 411 (483); Ashtabula: 701 (771); Athens: 375 (420); Auglaize: 41 (99); Belmont: 407 (429); Brown: 167 (248); Butler: 36 (66); Carroll: 480 (571); Champaign: 70 (104); Clark: 29 (52); Clermont: 81 (154); Clinton: 58 (79); Columbiana: 419 (522); Coshocton: 767 (888); Crawford: 134 (177); Cuyahoga: 8 (7); Darke: 47 (74); Defiance: 179 (316); Delaware: 88 (110); Erie: 50 (66); Fairfield: 182 (219); Fayette: 30 (33); Franklin: 32 (31); Fulton: 79 (140); Gallia: 379 (372); Geauga: 147 (167); Greene: 43 (54); Guernsey: 592 (647); Hamilton: 18 (44); Hancock: 95 (135); Hardin: 94 (149); Harrison: 529 (556); Henry: 67 (125); Highland: 221 (300); Hocking: 431 (521); Holmes: 542 (552); Huron: 342 (367); Jackson: 270 (377); Jefferson: 365 (386); Knox: 651 (619); Lake: 53 (44); Lawrence: 208 (224); Licking: 463 (562); Logan: 155 (249); Lorain: 180 (195); Lucas: 23 (27); Madison: 30 (28); Mahoning: 168 (165); Marion: 96 (120); Medina: 154 (152); Meigs: 392 (418); Mercer: 38 (76); Miami: 28 (52); Monroe: 333 (334); Montgomery: 18 (28); Morgan: 364 (387); Morrow: 158 (184); Muskingum: 696 (722); Noble: 386 (352); Ottawa: 20 (20); Paulding: 75 (157); Perry: 339 (399); Pickaway: 65 (107); Pike: 180 (209); Portage: 155 (157); Preble: 47 (80); Putnam: 60 (90); Richland: 355 (462); Ross: 263 (320); Sandusky: 41 (76); Scioto: 195 (206); Seneca: 203 (273); Shelby: 79 (97); Stark: 208 (248); Summit: 30 (24); Trumbull: 425 (468); Tuscarawas: 645 (658); Union: 67 (97); Van Wert: 31 (63); Vinton: 338 (401); Warren: 34 (61); Washington: 438 (490); Wayne: 206 (211); Williams: 138 (327); Wood: 39 (87); Wyandot: 168 (227).Total: 18,776 (22,253)


- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
JFrischk@Ameritech.net