Coshocton Leads State in Deer Harvested

Ohio hunters checked in over 87,000 white tailed deer during the weeklong gun season that concluded on Sunday.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources said the 87,192 deer checked-in was the highest total since 2011 (90,282). In 2023, hunters reported 70,103 deer during the seven-day gun season.

During the deer gun week, hunters checked 28,606 antlered deer (33% of the total reported) and 58,586 antlerless deer (67%). Antlerless deer includes does and button bucks.

The top 10 counties for deer taken during the gun season were:

1. Coshocton, 2,954 – Coshocton County also led the state in 2023 with 2,440 deer checked.
2. Tuscarawas, 2,673
3. Knox, 2,525
4. Muskingum, 2,515
5. Carroll, 2,399
6. Ashtabula, 2,281
7. Guernsey, 2,201
8. Washington, 1,970
9. Ashland, 1,893
10. Licking, 1,860

Legal hunting equipment during the deer gun season includes shotguns, straight-walled cartridge rifles, muzzleloaders, handguns, and archery equipment. Straight-walled cartridge rifles have been legal for deer gun hunting since 2014.