Going up: Ohio's to-date deer kill/harvest jumps eight percent over 2018 to-date number

Ohio’s archery hunters are helping to climb out of the deer-kill/harvest hole they found themselves in last season this time.

Based on to-date numbers supplied by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Wildlife, as of October 22nd, hunters have killed 21,263 white-tails. Last year the corresponding October 23rd to-date figure stood at 19,626 animals.

Thus, hunters have shot about eight percent more animal to-date this year. And looking at the week-to-week tally, the October 22nd figure likewise represents an increase deer kill of 5,994 animals over the previous October 15^th weekly to-date figure.

“It’s no surprise, even though we got off to a slow start this season, likely because of the warm weather,” said Mike Tonokovich, the Wildlife Division’s deer management administrator. “Last year, overall, really wasn’t a great deer-hunting year.”

Tonkovich said also that agency-compiled deer-hunting data showed that the average number of days a person spent in the woods “actually turned south” last year. From 2011 to 2015, Ohio hunters averaged 20 days pursuing deer. In 2018, that average fell to 15 days, Tonkovich said.

“So we’ll see if that is an anomaly at the end of this season,” Tonkovich said. “I will say that Ohio still ranks near the top in archery hunter participation, in large measure because of our liberalized crossbow hunting opportunities.”

In conjunction with this data, the number of Ohio deer hunters who said they archery hunted at least one day was 71 percent in 2018. However, that figure is down from the peak of 82 percent and as recorded in 2014, Tonkovich said.

“And quite honestly, I do not know why,” he said. “Aging out could a small part of it, or maybe it was just a bad season for many deer hunters. But I don’t want to read too much into this information, either.”

In looking at more detailed and localized data, about 50 of the state’s 88 counties have shown to-date increases of at least five percent each, also says Clint McCoy, the Wildlife Division’s lead deer biologist.

McCoy says as well that 13 counties have seen to-date declines of at least five percent. Meanwhile, 25 counties fall within the plus-minus five percent - “unchanged” deer kill/harvest – bracket, McCoy said.

Among the significant to-date gainers are Lucas County – up 44 percent (164 deer to-date this year verses 114 deer to-date in 2018); Belmont County – up 37 percent (224 deer verses 164 deer); and Hocking County – up 35 percent (314 deer verses 232 deer).

In that “unchanged” to-date category, says McCoy are such counties as Ashtabula (637 to-date deer this year verses 598 deer to-date in 2018); Erie – (identical 127 deer); and Harrison (297 deer verses 277 deer).

Among the significant to-date decliners are Lawrence County – down 31 percent (105 deer to-date this year verses 152 deer to-date in 2018); Union County – down 22 percent (110 deer verses 142 deer); and Scioto County – down 16 percent (161 deer verses 191 deer), McCoy says.

Still, overall, McCoy says Ohio’s to-date deer kill/harvest is “So far, so good.”

- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
JFrischk@Ameritech.net
JFrischk4@gmail.com