Ohio's 2016-2017 deer hunting season end just days away

Ohio’s 2016-2017 all-inclusive deer-hunting season kill is nearing its February 5^th final round-up and it is a given that the conclusion won’t match its 2015-2016 counterpart.

The to-date total deer kill number as of the second-to-last reporting period (ending January 31^st) stands at 179,879 animals. This figure includes the all-harvest antlered take of 75,028 animals and an all-harvest take of 104,851 antlerless deer.

For comparison purposes, the 2015-2016 to-date figure (as of February 2^nd, 2016) was an all-deer harvest of 186,332 animals. Broken down this number was comprised of an all-harvest take of 76,167 antlered deer and 110,165 antlerless deer.

Thus, hunters during the current 2016-2017 all-deer harvest have shot both fewer antlered deer as well as fewer antlerless deer, though as a percentage a smaller number of the latter is seen.

Looked at from a different angle, the to-date archery deer kill is currently made up of 40,109 antlered animals and 40,924 antlerless animals: very nearly identical. Their respective 2015-2016 to-date archery deer kill figures were 39,480 antlered deer and 43,057 antlerless deer.

If deer harvest history repeats itself expect roughly that around two thousand additional animals will be taken during the 2016-2017’s all-inclusive deer-hunting season final days. That addition would peg the final all-harvest number for the 2016-2017 deer-hunting season at around 182,000 animals.

Here is a look at randomly selected Ohio counties and their 2016-2017 to-date all-harvest kills with their respective 2015-2016 to-date numbers in parentheses:

Adams – 3,239 (4,122); Ashland – 2,920 (2,996); Ashtabula – 4,969 (4,805); Athens – 3,613 (3,950); Auglaize – 748 (817); Belmont – 3,219 (3183); Brown – 2,408 (2,721); Carroll – 3,534 (3,523); Clark – 648 (742); Coshocton – 5,885 (5,650); Crawford – 1,111 (1,160); Cuyahoga – 1,046 (768); Darke – 674 (734); Defiance – 1,669 (1,759); Fayette – 310 (308); Franklin – 816 (795); Gallia – 2,705 (2,904); Geauga – 1,827 (1,855); Guernsey – 4,517 (4,389); Hamilton – 1,522 (1,951); Harrison – 3,735 (3,757); Henry – 703 (681); Highland – 2,566 (2,896); Hocking – 3,229 (3,687); Holmes – 3,682 (3,685); Huron – 2,262 (2,191); Knox – 4,455 (4,427); Lake – 938 (891); Licking – 4,883 (5,266); Lucas – 743 (739); Madison – 477 (491); Mahoning – 1,907 (1,812); Marion – 877 (887); Medina – 2,065 (1,848); Meigs – 3,430 (4,567); Mercer – 657 (601); Monroe – 2,562 (2,578); Morgan – 2,971 (3,074); Montgomery – 576 (664); Muskingum – 5,063 (4,926); Noble 2,830 (2,950); Ottawa – 443 (412); Perry – 2,765 (2,841); Pike – 2,068 (2,364); Richland – 3,207 (3,150); Ross – 2,991 (3,388); Scioto – 2,454 (3,010); Shelby – 951 (1,044); Summit – 1,513 (1,438); Trumbull – 3,653 (3,271); Tuscarawas – 4,966 (4,867); Van Wert – 457 (489); Vinton – 2,651 (3,043); Warren – 1,070 (1,247); Washington – 3,369 (3,496); Williams – 1,673 (1,826); Wood - 851 (834).

Some other random highlights include that 18 of Ohio’s 88 counties have to-date deer kills of at least 3,000 animals each and of which two have to-date deer kills of at least 5,000 animals.  Their respective 2015-2016 numbers were 23 counties had to-date deer kills of at least 3,000 animals each and of which two also had to-date deer kills of at least 5,000 animals.

Also, to-date 27 of Ohio’s 88 counties has not yet seen deer kills of at least 1,000 animals. For the 2015-2016 season that to-date number was 26 counties.

Here are the final deer kill figures for the previous 11 deer-hunting seasons:

Season           Total Harvest
2015-2016       188,335
2014-2015       175,801
2013-2014       191,503
2012-2013       218,910
2011-2012       219,748
2010-2011       239,475
2009-2010       260,261
2008-2009       252,017
2007-2008       232,854
2006-2007       237,316
2005-2006       209,513

- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
JFrischk@Ameritech.net