Largely good to exceptional hunting conditions and an abundant supply of white-tails led to a well-above typical kill during Ohio’s recently concluded two-day - so-called “bonus” - firearms deer-hunting season.
This season ran December 17th and 18th and saw a preliminary total deer kill of 15,163 animals. That figure is 5,771 more deer than were shot during the 2021 two-day bonus gun season in which 9,392 animals were killed. And the 2022 figure is also 2,219 more deer than is the three-year average of 12,944 animals.
In fact, so successful were this year’s two-day bonus season hunters, that only five of Ohio 88 counties - Butler, Hamilton, Lucas, Shelby, and Warren - saw declines this time around verses their respective 2021 bonus gun season results.
And a number of counties experienced a doubling or near doubling of their respective 2022 bonus gun season results over their respective 2021 bonus gun season figures. Among them were Ashtabula, Columbiana, Jefferson, Morrow, and Pickaway counties.
“Conditions for deer hunters were pretty favorable over the weekend, with low- to mid-30 temperatures across much of the state, and with a little bit of the white stuff blowing around,” said Clint McCoy the Ohio Division of Wildlife’s lead deer management biologist.
McCoy said the take for the two-day “bonus” season was 17 percent above the three-year average, “but pretty comparable to the two-day seasons of 2019 (14,009 deer) and 2020 (15,203 deer),” McCoy said.
Likewise, McCoy said, the to-date all-seasons’ total up through the two-day weekend now sits at 182,832 animals. Meanwhile, the three-year average total through the same time period is 169,406 deer, “so we’re ahead by about 8 percent,” McCoy said.
“When looking at historical data, we’ve harvested about 88 percent of the season total by the end of the two-day gun season. If that trend holds true this year, we’re looking at a season total that should eclipse the 200,000 mark and be somewhere in the neighborhood of 205,000 to 210,000 deer,” McCoy says.
If so, this would make the 11th time in Ohio deer-hunting history that more than 200,000 animals were shot in a single season. The last time that more than 200,000 animals were taken in a season was during the 2012-2013 season with 218,910 animals shot. The largest number of deer taken in Ohio was during the 2009-2010 season with 216,260 animals.
Here are the county-by-county totals for Ohio’s two-day, commonly called “bonus” firearms deer hunting seasons. The first set of figures are the preliminary 2022 numbers, the second set of numbers was the 2021 preliminary two-day season totals, and the third set of numbers is the current three-year average for the two-day firearms deer-hunting season.
Adams: 253/164/186; Allen: 100/52/80; Ashland: 368/210/280; Ashtabula: 473/232/448; Athens: 265/159/20); Auglaize: 94/55/68; Belmont: 282/153/224; Brown: 182/130/169; Butler: 89/90/102; Carroll: 404/220/340; Champaign: 122/79/100; Clark: 60/36/44; Clermont: 181/112/153; Clinton: 55/38/50; Columbiana: 345/161/284; Coshocton: 517/307/423; Crawford: 115/71/88; Cuyahoga: 15/6/14; Darke: 59/47/60; Defiance: 145/101/147; Delaware: 102/69/82; Erie: 59/47/also 59; Fairfield: 159/110/146; Fayette: 22/12/18; Franklin: 53/29/37; Fulton: 57/41/49; Gallia: 187/132/154; Geauga: 154/74/135; Greene: 51/46/64; Guernsey: 382/236/327; Hamilton: 38/41/47; Hancock: 119/76/104; Hardin: 106/67/108; Harrison: 283/156/265; Henry: 60/47/52; Highland: 229/147/188; Hocking: 233/137/173; Holmes: 331/208/312; Huron: 207/113/187; Jackson: 215/150/170; Jefferson: 227/115/171; Knox: 396/229/352; Lake: 40/25/45; Lawrence: 102/89/108; Licking: 403/256/354; Logan: 184/132/156; Lorain: 187/111/156; Lucas: 16/21/22; Madison: 49/38/51; Mahoning: 173/106/142; Marion: 84/55/79; Medina: 221/165/166; Meigs: 230/184/227; Mercer: 77/49/60; Miami: 48/47/56; Monroe: 177/141/182; Montgomery: 52/20/39; Morgan: 226/157/180; Morrow: 152/88/117; Muskingum: 431/219/298; Noble: 230/160/198; Ottawa: 47/25/39; Paulding: 106/72/90; Perry: 227/112/163; Pickaway: 92/44/48; Pike: 145/67/94; Portage: 175/108/156; Preble: 85/67/80; Putnam: 55/32/47; Richland: 310/172/256; Ross: 217/150/189; Sandusky: 61/45/56; Scioto: 152/126/148; Seneca: 161/111/167; Shelby: 77/80/86; Stark: 272/134/205; Summit: 66 /29/57; Trumbull: 342/161/296; Tuscarawas: 513/287/439; Union: 63/58/68; Van Wert: 56/28/34; Vinton: 149/120/145; Warren: 68/69/73; Washington: 274/162/224; Wayne: 211/133/168; Williams: 159/96/131; Wood: 61/55/69; Wyandot: 143/98/112. 2022 Total: 15,163/ 2021 Total: 9,392/ 3-Year Average Total: 12,944.
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