Miserable weather installs a nearly 40-percent decline in Ohio's deer gun season's opening day kill

 

Horrible weather saw an approximately 40-percent decline in the number of deer taken during the statewide general general deer fire-arms hunting season.

In all, Ohio hunters checked 10,904 white-tailed deer during a snowy and rainy opening day of the gun hunting week, which was November 30th. Last year that figure was 14,513 animals while the three-year average is 17,145 deer on opening day, or a 40-percent drop.

The deer-gun season is open until Sunday, December 6th, with the oft-called “bonus” gun season being December 19th and 20th.

The top 10 counties for deer harvest on the opening day of the gun season include: Coshocton (356), Tuscarawas (352), Knox (336), Muskingum (328), Licking (308), Ashtabula (289), Carroll (279), Holmes (278), Guernsey (277), and Harrison (258). In 2019, Coshocton County also led the state on opening day with 664 deer taken.

Only eight of Ohio’s 88 counties posted gains; and all are located in the western part of the state.

A county list of all white-tailed deer checked by hunters during opening day of the 2020 deer-gun hunting season is shown below. The first number following the county’s name shows the deer kill numbers for opening day 2020, and the three-year average of deer taken on opening day in 2017, 2018, 2019 is in parentheses.

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, timing of the crop harvest, and other unavoidable factors.

Deer kill numbers are raw data and subject to change. These numbers may include controlled hunts. The counties are: Adams: 166 (249); Allen: 48 (74); Ashland: 218 (353); Ashtabula: 289 (637); Athens: 180 (357); Auglaize: 69 (76); Belmont: 184 (286); Brown: 181 (208); Butler: 64 (57); Carroll: 279 (430); Champaign: 76 (93); Clark: 23 (39); Clermont: 122 (118); Clinton: 38 (60); Columbiana: 215 (349); Coshocton: 356 (723); Crawford: 98 (137); Cuyahoga: 7 (12); Darke: 61 (65); Defiance: 209 (204); Delaware: 73 (102); Erie: 26 (54); Fairfield: 129 (154); Fayette: 18 (23); Franklin: 33 (32); Fulton: 79 (91); Gallia: 152 (282); Geauga: 77 (121); Greene: 26 (41); Guernsey: 277 (495); Hamilton: 12 (24); Hancock: 57 (101); Hardin: 109 (122); Harrison: 258 (389); Henry: 82 (96); Highland: 206 (230); Hocking: 179 (328); Holmes: 278 (485); Huron: 161 (282); Jackson: 132 (270); Jefferson: 141 (198); Knox: 336 (558); Lake: 18 (39); Lawrence: 103 (174); Licking: 308 (457); Logan: 135 (170); Lorain: 73 (150); Lucas: 27 (23); Madison: 25 (31); Mahoning: 88 (160); Marion: 57 (100); Medina: 64 (125); Meigs: 166 (295); Mercer: 63 (72); Miami: 29 (46); Monroe: 185 (285); Montgomery: 26 (29); Morgan: 181 (340); Morrow: 129 (156); Muskingum: 328 (592); Noble: 216 (325); Ottawa: 15 (26); Paulding: 136 (119); Perry: 170 (279); Pickaway: 27 (75); Pike: 98 (150); Portage: 88 (121); Preble: 39 (52); Putnam: 65 (76); Richland: 253 (325); Ross: 157 (233); Sandusky: 39 (53); Scioto: 89 (145); Seneca: 126 (189); Shelby: 55 (87); Stark: 119 (200); Summit: 13 (23); Trumbull: 213 (371); Tuscarawas: 352 (612); Union: 67 (72); Van Wert: 55 (45); Vinton: 97 (233); Warren: 51 (49); Washington: 171 (386); Wayne: 112 (208); Williams: 166 (203); Wood: 53 (62); Wyandot: 133 (180). 2020 Total: 10,904. Three-Year Average Total: (17,145).

By Jeffrey L. Frischkorn

JFrischk@Ameritech.net

JFrischk4@gmail.com