COLUMBUS — Ohio hunters can pursue white-tailed deer with approved firearms during the 2019 weeklong gun season, Dec. 2-8, and the additional weekend, Dec. 21-22.
Ohio’s deer-gun season has spanned generations of sportsmen and women and is a time when many friends and families gather to celebrate the hunt. In 2018, Ohio hunters harvested 60,557 deer during the weeklong deer-gun season, plus 9,625 deer during the following gun weekend.
Check the 2019-2020 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations for county-specific bag limits, updates on permits, and hunting on public lands. The statewide bag limit is six deer. Only one may be a buck, regardless of method of take or location. Legal hunting equipment includes specific shotguns, muzzleloaders, handguns, straight-walled cartridge rifles, and archery equipment.
More information is available at wildohio.gov.
Wildlife hotline
Hunters can contact the Division of Wildlife toll-free hotline at 800-945-3543 with questions about hunting.
In addition to normal business hours, special call center hours for deer-gun seasons include: noon to 8 p.m., Nov. 23, for youth deer-gun season; 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Dec. 2 to Dec. 6, for deer-gun season.
Youth season details
Ohio’s youth-only weekend Nov. 23-24. This season is open to hunters with a valid youth hunting license and deer permit. All legal deer hunting equipment for the gun season applies during the youth season. Deer taken by young hunters during the youth deer gun season count toward the county and statewide bag limits. Young hunters harvested 6,563 deer during the 2018 youth season.
Poacher hotline
Help protect Ohio’s wildlife resources. Report any violations to the division’s Turn-In-a-Poacher (TIP) hotline by calling or texting 800-762-2437. All reports remain anonymous, and tipsters may be eligible for a cash reward.
Follow the Division of Wildlife on Twitter and Facebook for instant news stories, outdoor recreation ideas and local wildlife information. The Your Wild Ohio Hunter Facebook page provides hunting tips and information as you get outside this season. Visit wildohio.gov to find locations to hunt, fish, trap and view wildlife.
