COLUMBUS — Ohio’s 2020 white-tailed deer archery hunting season has proven to be bountiful for many Ohio hunters, with 74,892 deer taken through Nov. 25, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife. This represents an 11% increase from the average harvest total from the same date during the past three seasons, which is 67,318.
The top 10 counties for deer taken by archery hunters so far this year include Coshocton, with 2,689; Licking, with 2,232; Tuscarawas, with 2,146; Ashtabula, with 2,021; Knox, with 1,910; Holmes, with 1,856; Muskingum, with 1,806; Trumbull, with 1,748; Guernsey, with 1,599; and Richland, with 1,505.
The top five days for bowhunter success so far were Oct. 31, with 4,374 deer checked; Nov. 14, with 3,995; Nov. 7, with 3,475; Sept. 26, with 2,687; and Nov. 13, with 2,552.
Participation remains high for all hunters, with 299,573 permits sold or issued through Nov. 24. Ohio’s deer-archery season began in September and is open until Feb. 7.
The top five states for purchasing a nonresident hunting license in Ohio include Pennsylvania, with 6,954 permits sold, Michigan with 4,515 permits sold, West Virginia, with 3,321 permits sold, North Carolina with 2,955 permits sold, and New York, with 2,335 permits sold.
The deer-gun season continues Dec. 19-20. Deer-muzzleloader season is Jan. 2, through Jan. 5. For more information about hunting in Ohio, visit wildohio.gov.
