COLUMBUS, Ohio – A lot of changes have been made to deer-hunting regulations in Ohio, many of which take effect today when the first hunting season of the fall gets underway.
The changes include extended hunting hours, individual county bag limits, changes to deer permit use and an antlerless-only muzzleloader season.
“This year we were able to add 30 minutes of prime hunting time after sunset to every day of the deer gun and muzzleloader hunting seasons,” said Department of Natural Resources Director James Zehringer.
Deer hunting hours are 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes past sunset for all deer seasons. This includes gun and muzzleloader seasons.
A detailed listing of the rules is contained in the 2013-14 Ohio Hunting Regulations, available where licenses are sold or online.
Hunters are required to have a valid license and deer permit.
Ohio’s 2013-2014 deer seasons include:
Archery: Sept. 28-Feb. 2, 2014
Antlerless muzzleloader: Oct 12-13
Youth gun: Nov. 23-24
Gun: Dec. 2-8
Muzzleloader Jan 4-7, 2014
Bag limits are now determined by county. While the statewide limit is nine deer hunters cannot exceed a county bag limit. Hunters may harvest only one buck in Ohio, regardless of method of take or location.
A new tagging procedure administered by the ODNR Division of Wildlife requires hunters to make their own game tag to attach to a deer. Game tags can be made of cardboard, plastic, paper or any other material as long as it contains the hunter’s name, date, time and county of the kill.
Hunters can complete their game check online, by calling 877-TAG-ITOH (824-4864) or by visiting a license agent. A list of agents can be found online or by calling 800-WILDLIFE.
Go to the Deer Hunting Resources page for more information on changes to the game check process.