Ohio's 2020 youth deer season stays the course

 

Ohio’s youth killed 5,795 deer during their two-day season and state wildlife officials note that figure is some two-percent behind the three-average and roughly seven percent less than the 2019 youth-only season.

Thus, there wasn’t “anything terribly exciting to say about the youth season,” says Mike Tonkovich, the Ohio Division of Wildlife’s deer management administrator.

“It, like the archery harvest, is just off a bit from where we expected it to be at this point,” Tonkovich said.

While temperatures were moderate during the November 21st and 22nd season and thus were “certainly within the tolerable range, the rain probably dampened the spirits of some,” Tonkovich said also.

“With ideal conditions, I would have expected the youth season harvest to shine,” he said.

‘Of course, it’s not about the numbers as much as it is the memories made and I’m sure there was plenty of time for that over the weekend.”

Likewise, says Tonkovich, Ohio’s archers lost a few great days of bow-hunting to wind and rain during the rut and those factors have been was reflected in the harvest.

“Let’s keep our fingers crossed for a safe, healthy, happy, gun season with great weather. The deer are there, if the weather cooperates I’m certain we’ll have a great gun season,” Tonkovich said.

Based upon data supplied by the Wildlife Division, the top 10 counties for deer taken during the youth season were: Coshocton (239); Holmes (223); Tuscarawas (206); Muskingum (172); Knox (168); Guernsey (148); Harrison (133); Washington (121); Morgan (118); and Ross (118).

Also, the most deer taken during a two-day youth season was in 2007, when 10,059 deer were checked by young hunters.

This year, 40,030 youth deer permits have been issued and can be used during any 2020-2021 deer season. This number does not include young hunters hunting on their family’s land that are not required to have a permit.

Here is a county-by-county list of deer taken b=by youth hunters using a shotgun, muzzleloader, handgun, or straight-walled cartridge rifle during the 2020 youth deer-gun hunting season.

The first number following the county’s name shows the kill numbers for 2020. The number following in parentheses is the three-year average by youth hunters in 2016, 2017, and 2018 during the same time period.

The Wildlife Division has adjusted this list, and instead of using the previous years total instead employs a three-year average. A three-year average provides a better overall comparison to this year’s harvest numbers, eliminating year-to-year variation because of weather, misaligned season dates, crop harvest, and other unavoidable factors, the Wildlife Division says.
The counties are: Adams: 75 (110); Allen: 45 (32); Ashland: 88 (124); Ashtabula: 115 (129); Athens: 85 (113); Auglaize: 47 (32); Belmont: 102 (130); Brown: 62 (70); Butler: 38 (28); Carroll: 117 (121); Champaign: 29 (39); Clark: 12 (20); Clermont: 42 (55); Clinton: 32 (30); Columbiana: 116 (97); Coshocton: 239 (258); Crawford: 43 (41); Cuyahoga: 0 (1); Darke: 27 (31); Defiance: 99 (65); Delaware: 18 (25); Erie: 16 (58); Fairfield: 52 (55); Fayette: 15 (13); Franklin: 11 (10); Fulton: 39 (20); Gallia: 99 (89); Geauga: 32 (40); Greene: 23 (22); Guernsey: 148 (156); Hamilton: 7 (10); Hancock: 68 (39); Hardin: 50 (43); Harrison: 133 (123); Henry: 46 (22); Highland: 111 (101); Hocking: 48 (82); Holmes: 223 (191); Huron: 85 (81); Jackson: 84 (99); Jefferson: 73 (74); Knox: 168 (170); Lake: 13 (8); Lawrence: 53 (60); Licking: 102 (141); Logan: 65 (70); Lorain: 54  (53); Lucas: 10 (8); Madison: 19 (20); Mahoning: 29 (41); Marion: 37 (26); Medina: 70 (40); Meigs: 99 (123); Mercer: 37 (28); Miami: 18 (24); Monroe: 98 (87); Montgomery: 13 (11); Morgan: 118 (105); Morrow: 55 (45); Muskingum: 172 (167); Noble: 107 (96); Ottawa: 12 (18); Paulding: 70 (44); Perry: 66 (85); Pickaway: 28 (30); Pike: 49 (70); Portage: 41 (59); Preble: 24 (38); Putnam: 53 (39); Richland: 98 (96); Ross: 118 (135); Sandusky: 28 (21); Scioto: 78 (81); Seneca: 100 (78); Shelby: 37 (39); Stark: 51 (71); Summit: 8 (9); Trumbull: 74 (76); Tuscarawas: 206 (217); Union: 32 (31); Van Wert: 30 (26); Vinton: 57 (81); Warren: 19 (25); Washington: 121 (117); Wayne: 82 (79); Williams: 51 (37); Wood: 50 (34); Wyandot: 81 (68). 2020 Total: 5,795. Previous Three-Year Average Total: 5,909.

- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn

JFrischk@Ameritech.net

JFrischk4@gmail.com