COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio hunters checked more than 75,000 deer during the weeklong gun season that concluded on Sunday, according to figures released Monday by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
Hunters bagged 75,408 white-tailed deer season, Dec. 2-8, with Coshocton County leading the way again with 2,658 deer checked, Scott Zody, chief of the ODNR Division of Wildlife, said.
The total number of deer harvested so far this year is about 5 percent behind last year’s pace, the department says.
This is not the end of deer hunting in Ohio: Archery season remains open through Feb. 2, 2014 and the muzzleloader season runs from Jan. 4 to Jan. 7, Zody said.
According to Zody, hunting is the most effective system for maintaining a healthy deer population. Through its Deer Management Program, the ODNR hopes to provide a deer population that “maximizes recreational opportunities, while minimizing conflicts with landowners and motorists,” Zody said.
Hunters contribute more than $853 million to the state’s economy annually through the sale of equipment, fuel, food, lodging and more, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation.