Ohio’s extra gun weekend delivers additional deer harvest of 396 locally
Hunters in Guernsey and Noble counties recently took advantage of the extra weekend of gun hunting to harvest an additional 396 white-tailed deer.
In Guernsey County, hunters checked in 236 deer, down from 303 in 2020, while Noble County hunters harvested 160, also down from a year ago when they harvested 186 deer.
Statewide, hunters checked in 9,392 deer, a significant decline from 2020 when they shot 12,734 deer during the same two-day period, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Wildlife.
The top 10 counties statewide for the extra deer-gun hunting on Dec. 18-19 included Coshocton, 307; Tuscarawas, 287; Licking, 256; Guernsey, 236; Ashtabula, 232; Knox, 229; Carroll, 220; Muskingum, 219; Ashland, 210; and Holmes, 208.
After hunters checked 70,413 deer during the weeklong deer gun season Nov. 29-Dec. 5, the total harvest during the 2021 gun hunting season was 79,805 deer.
This year’s total is up slightly from the 78,014 annual average over the past three years during the nine days of deer gun hunting.
Young hunters harvested 7,634 whitetails during the two-day youth gun season in November and archery hunters have checked 82,145 deer through Dec. 19.
Deer hunting occurs in all 88 Ohio counties and hunters have purchased 385,313 deer permits through Sunday, Dec. 19. Guernsey County along with neighboring Coshocton, Tuscarawas and Muskingum counties continue to be hotspots for deer hunting.
During the deer gun weekend, hunters harvested 2,867 bucks (31% of deer taken), 5,261 does (56%), and 1,097 button bucks (12%). Bucks with shed antlers and bucks with antlers less than 3 inches long accounted for 167 deer, or 1% of the harvest.
During the deer gun weekend, straight-walled cartridge rifles were used for 53% of checked deer. Shotguns accounted for 38% of the total. In addition, 6% were taken with a muzzleloader and 1% with a handgun.
Ohio ranks fifth nationally in resident hunters and 11th in the number of jobs associated with hunting-related industries.
Hunting generates more than $853 million in Ohio through the sale of equipment, fuel, food, lodging, and more, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundations’ Hunting in America: An Economic Force for Conservation publication.
Ohio still offers more deer hunting opportunities, including muzzleloader season, open Jan. 8-11, 2022 and archery season, open through Sunday, Feb. 6, 2022.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: Ohio’s extra gun weekend delivers additional deer harvest locally
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