13-year-old Rayce Young of Winchester bagged an 8-point buck while hunting with his grandfather on opening morning of Ohio’s Youth season. (Photo courtesy of Russell Cross)
Deer hunters in Adams County bagged 1,301 deer during the seven-day deer gun season held December 1-7. That is down 11.5 percent from last year’s take of 1,471 deer. Still not a bad showing considering in 2023 only 967 deer were tagged during the weeklong gun season.
Locally, Brown County hunters tagged 1,100 deer. Highland County had 1,332 deer checked. Pike County saw 749 deer taken. And Scioto County hunters checked in 1,000 deer during the week long gun season.
Statewide, 85,448 deer were checked in, that is down about two percent from the 2024 season when 87,192 deer were reported. The counties that took a noticeably lower kill were Athens County where the deer harvest tumbled nearly 75 percent from the effects of EHD. Washington County saw over 81 percent drop in the number of deer tagged. Meigs County saw a decline of roughly 72 percent of deer checked during the gun season. Morgan witnessed a kill that was half of what hunters usually check in. Those four southeast Ohio counties were the hardest hit with Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) this past summer. In response to that ODNR reduced the bag limit to one deer in Athens, Meigs, and Washington counties and two deer limit for Morgan County for gun season and for the remainder of deer season which ends February 1.
During Ohio Youth Deer Gun Season, held November 22-23, young hunters checked in 9,759 deer during that weekend. ODNR reports that 43,813 youth deer permits were sold. In Adams County 184 deer were checked during the youth season weekend, that is up slightly from previous youth seasons. Hunters aged 17 and younger can participate in youth season.
Again, the top three counties in the state were Coshocton with 3,037 deer checked; Ashtabula with 3,031 deer tagged; and Tuscarawas with 2,764 deer harvested.
According to ODNR, 67 percent of the deer taken during gun season were taken with straight wall cartridge rifles. Shotguns amounted for 27 percent, muzzleloader just three percent, handguns and archery make up three percent.
Pennsylvania, Michigan, and North Carolina round out the three top states purchasing non-resident hunting licenses. This season Ohio has sold 34,147 non-resident hunting licenses.
Next up is the “Bonus” gun season December 20-21, followed by muzzleloader season January 3-6. Archery season continues util February 1
In other news, on November 17, a 25-mile section of Scioto Brush Creek was officially designated as Ohio’s 17th State Scenic River. Signing the designation was Governor Mike DeWine during a ceremony at the Otway Covered Bridge marking the official state-wide recognition. The Friends of Scioto Brush Creek have worked tirelessly for over 20 years, putting in thousands of hours of stream clean ups, educational events and conservation projects to be rewarded with this high honor for the Scioto Brush Creek watershed. Of note: Scioto Brush Creek is home to what many consider the healthiest and largest native stream population of muskies in the state. Only a relatively small number of streams in Ohio support native muskies.
ODNR has released lake sturgeon in four rivers in Ohio, the Cuyahoga, Sandusky, Maumee, and Scioto Rivers. The sturgeon, 6 to 8 inch long juveniles, are part of an ongoing restoration program. U.S. Fish & Wildlife and the Toledo Zoo reared the fish for release. A total of 5,800 sturgeon were released. Lake sturgeon were once abundant in Lake Erie and the Ohio River. Water quality improvements, barrier removals, and habitat assessments in these four rivers were deemed suitable to support spawning lake sturgeon. Lake sturgeon can reach 6 to 8 feet in length, 200 pounds, and live up to 100 years.
