Ohio's to-date deer kill finally leaps over three-year average, thanks to an impressive three-day weekend

 

Eight weekends into Ohio’s lengthy archery deer-hunting season and participants have finally exceeded the three-year average for to-date deer being killed.

Since September 25^th when Ohio’s archery deer-hunting season began and by November 14th, bow hunters killed 66,626 deer. The three-year average for deer taken over the same eight-week period in 2018, 2019, and 2020 is 65,271 animals.

Interesting as well is that the best three days so far this season all dovetail. In descending order the figures as of November 14th are: Saturday, November 6th (4,795 deer checked); Sunday, November 7th (3,380); and Friday, November 5th (3,056).

And while the to-date deer take leaping ahead of the three-year average was not inevitable, neither was it surprising “given the trajectory of the harvest,” said Clint McCoy, the Ohio Division of Wildlife’s lead deer biologist.

“Mostly, I’d say, the reason was because of the rut, but also because of the behavior of educated hunters. They understand that their chances are best at this time so likely more of them were out hunting,” McCoy said.

Less of a factor – though still one, said McCoy - was largely pleasant and favorable weather during the explosively successful November 6^th throuugh 8^th weekend.

“During the rut the deer are going to move no matter what, and educated hunters know this,” McCoy said.

Rounding out the remaining Top Ten positions are Saturday, November 13th (2,938 deer checked); Thursday, November 4th (2,722); Saturday, September 25th (2,552); Wednesday, November 3rd (2,469); Tuesday, November 2nd (2,306); Monday, November 1st (2,163); and Monday, November 8th (2,142).

Ohio’s top 10 counties for deer taken during the first eight weekends of the 2021-2022 deer-hunting season include: Coshocton (2,534), Tuscarawas (1,953), Licking (1,884), Muskingum (1,788), Knox (1,763), Holmes (1,707), Ashtabula (1,689), Guernsey (1,608), Trumbull (1,607), and Richland (1,341).

McCoy says the Wildlife Division expects the total all-seasons’ deer kill to likely run between 180,000 and 200,000 animals. If so, a figure in that range would fall within the 197,721 animals taken last season and the 180,921 deer taken for the three-year average.

Ohio’s archery deer-hunting season continues through February 6th. Other seasons are the youth-only firearms deer-hunting season, November 20^th and 21st; the general firearms deer-hunting season, November 29th through December 5th; the so-called “bonus” firearms deer-hunting season, December 18th and 19th; and the muzzle-loading deer-hunting season January 8th through 11th.

By Jeffrey L. Frischkorn

JFrischk@Ameritech.net

JFrischk4@gmail.com