Hunters Harvest over 70,000 deer

Ohio hunters harvested 70,413 deer during the 2021 deer gun week that concluded on Sunday, Dec. 5, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife.

Over the past three years, hunters checked an average of 65,280 deer during the same weeklong period, which marks an 8% increase in 2021. Deer gun season is open again on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 18-19. 

The top 10 counties for deer taken during the gun week include: Coshocton (2,403), Tuscarawas (2,204), Muskingum (2,107), Ashtabula (2,039), Knox (2,023), Guernsey (1,968), Carroll (1,767), Licking (1,712), Holmes (1,645) and Washington (1,483). Coshocton County also led the state in 2020 with 2,281 deer checked.
 
Because Ohio is known as a quality deer hunting state, many out-of-state hunters travel here during the season. The top five states for purchasing a nonresident hunting license in Ohio include: Pennsylvania (7,929 licenses sold), Michigan (5,533), West Virginia (3,898), North Carolina (3,740), and New York (3,597).