MANSFIELD, Ohio – For Ohio hunters, this weekend marks the first days of the state’s white-tailed deer archery season, which means getting up early and staying out late for one central goal: harvesting a deer.
The season begins Saturday and runs through Feb. 7, 2016. In addition, deer gun season is Nov. 30 through Dec. 6 and again Dec. 28 and 29.
To prepare for the approaching seasons, Ohio Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Communications Specialist John Windau said it is important for hunters to look over and understand the state’s yearly rules and regulations.
“Before going out in the field or even purchasing a license, one thing we want hunters to know is that they should really check the regulations before purchasing their permit,” he said, adding that many Ohio counties are approaching deer population goals.
“We’re kind of restricting the antlerless permit use, where the permits are used to bring populations to the target goals,” Windau said. “Now that we’re there, we’re kind of restricting those permits, and people want to make sure that people are only purchasing those in counties where they’re valid.”
In Richland County, antlerless deer permits are not valid, and no more than three either-sex deer permits can purchased in the county this season, matching the 2014-15 limits.
Furthermore, only one harvested deer per hunter may be antlered, and a hunter cannot exceed a county bag limit, according to the ODNR.
Statewide, there was a reduction in bag limits from nine deer in some counties last season to a maximum of six, which was approved by the Ohio Wildlife Council on April 8.
The Ohio Wildlife Council is an eight-member board that approves all of the ODNR Division of Wildlife proposed regulations, and council meetings are open to the public.
“For a number of years, our county populations were above the target levels, so we had very liberal regulations – as far as people could take a lot of deer to help bring the numbers back down,” Windau said.
Now that the populations are close to where the ODNR wants them, it is again restricting the bag limits and the permit use to slow that harvest, level things off, and stable that population, Windau added.
The ODNR’s Deer Harvest Yearly Comparison, which was most recently updated Feb. 2, shows that Richland County hunters took 3,242 deer during the 2013-14 season, slightly more than in 2014-15, which shows a total of 3,141.
“Just because harvest numbers are stable or harvest numbers go down doesn’t necessarily mean that the population’s going down,” Windau said. “In this case, the harvest numbers are a reflection of regulations – not population.”
According to an April 9 ODNR press release, deer population goals were revised this summer through a random survey of hunters and landowners. Participants in the survey had an opportunity to provide input about the future of deer management in Ohio.
Across the state, hunters harvested 175,745 deer last year – more than an 8-percent reduction the previous year.
The downward trend again can be explained by harvest and regulations, Windau said.
“We’re seeing reduced harvest, but it’s not because population is down but because of regulations we’re putting in – reducing bag limits and those kinds of things – which is stabilizing the population.”
Another important tip Windau gave for bow hunters from a safety standpoint is wearing a full-body harness when using any kind of tree stand.
“We’re seeing a lot of people where they’re falling out of [tree stands], falling when they’re climbing up into the trees, and those kinds of things,” he said. “So we want to make sure whenever someone’s feet are leaving the ground that they’re protected with a full-body harness with good attachments.”
A digital copy of the 2015-16 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations can be downloaded on the ODNR’s website, along with many other hunting resources. To report a poacher, hunters and landowners are asked to call 1-800-POACHER.
Antlerless deer include deer without antlers, and deer with antlers less than 3 inches in length. Antlered deer are deer with at least one antler 3 inches or longer in length. Antlerless deer permit means: antlerless deer permit, youth antlerless deer permit, senior antlerless deer permit, free disabled veteran antlerless deer permit, or a free senior antlerless deer permit. These are valid for an antlerless deer ONLY. Hunters are not required to buy an either-sex deer permit before purchasing an antlerless deer permit. (From the 2015-16 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations)
Hunters who kill a deer must immediately:
• Complete a game tag with the hunter’s name, date, time, and county of kill.
• Attach the completed game tag to the deer at the place where it fell.
• Fill in the deer permit with date, time, and county of kill.
• The hunter must complete the game check and tagging process by 12 p.m. (noon) the day after the kill. If the deer is killed on the last day of a season, then it must be checked in by 11:30 p.m. on the day of kill.
A person cannot leave Ohio with a deer taken by hunting that has not been game checked with the confirmation number permanently attached. (From the 2015-16 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations)
Hours are 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset. (From the 2015-16 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations)
