December 23, 2024, Press Release from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources: COLUMBUS, Ohio – Hunters across Ohio checked 17,373 white-tailed deer on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 21-22, during the state’s additional weekend of deer gun hunting, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. Last year, hunters tagged 15,470 deer during the gun weekend, with a three-year average of 13,417.
November 21, 2024, Press Release from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife: COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio’s weeklong deer gun hunting season begins Monday, Dec. 2, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. The gun season traditionally begins the Monday after Thanksgiving, is open to all hunters, and runs until Sunday, Dec. 8. An additional deer gun weekend follows on Dec. 21-22. Ohio’s first deer gun season was in 1943, and excitement has remained high for white-tailed deer hunting ever since. Deer gun harvest totals are typically highest in eastern Ohio. Coshocton (2,440), Tuscarawas (2,260), Ashtabula (2,189), Muskingum (2,076), and Knox (1,878) counties led the state during the 2023 seven-day gun season.
October 8, 2024, Press Release from Ohio Department of Natural Resources: COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife will release 14,400 ring-necked pheasants at public hunting areas in late October and November. Releases will begin Saturday, Oct. 19 during Ohio’s youth small game hunting season. Pheasant hunters should note that pheasant hunting is open only to hunters with a controlled access permit at Urbana Wildlife Area, Mosquito Creek Wildlife Area, and Coldwater Creek Nature Corridor. Select pheasant hunting fields on Kokosing, Pickerel Creek, Parkersburg, Funk Bottoms, East Fork, Pater, and Fallsville South wildlife areas, as well as Hancock County Wildlife Area 5, require a controlled access permit on all Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from Oct. 15 to Nov. 15; the Wednesday before Thanksgiving; and Thanksgiving Day.
October 2, 2024, Press Release from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources: COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio’s wild turkey poult index, a metric used to estimate nest success and poult survival for the bird, was slightly above the 10-year average at 2.9 poults per hen in 2024, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. The Division of Wildlife relies on public reports of wild turkeys and their young, called poults, in July and August of each year to estimate nest success and poult survival. The annual poult index can serve as an indicator of wild turkey population trends and inform harvest regulations in future years. Turkey brood success is largely influenced by weather conditions, habitat, and predation.
September 24, 2024, Press Release from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources: COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife encourages Ohio’s sportsmen and women to join millions of others nationwide in celebrating National Hunting and Fishing Day on Saturday, Sept. 28. Ohioans have many options to get outside on National Hunting and Fishing Day and during the coming weeks. The annual white-tailed deer archery hunting season opens statewide on Saturday, Sept. 28, as does the youth and military waterfowl hunting weekend. Hunting seasons for squirrels and doves are already open. The fall wild turkey hunting season, available in 70 counties, begins Oct. 1. Find more information in the 2024-25 Hunting and Trapping Regulations and purchase a hunting license or permit if necessary before your outing.
September 19, 2024, Press Release from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources: COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio’s popular deer archery hunting season begins on Saturday, Sept. 28, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. Deer are Ohio’s most sought-after game animal and an important food source for families across the Buckeye State. Ohio has an extensive archery season that is open Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, through Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. Hunters may use crossbows, compound bows, recurve bows, and longbows to pursue deer during the archery season.