Ohio’s Antlerless Deer Muzzleloader Hunting Season is Oct. 11-12

The white-tailed deer antlerless muzzleloader hunting season returns to Ohio on Oct. 11-12. Hunters checked 5,608 antlerless deer during the 2013 season.

It is legal to hunt antlerless deer with a muzzleloader or bow during this two-day season. No antlered deer may be harvested regardless of hunting implement. Antlerless deer include deer without antlers and deer with antlers less than 3 inches in length. All hunters, excluding waterfowl hunters, are required to wear a vest, coat, waterproof hunting jacket or coveralls that are either solid hunter orange or camouflage hunter orange. Hunting hours are 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset.

Hunters can use antlerless permits and either-sex permits during this two-day season, but antlerless permits are no longer valid in some counties. Be sure to check Ohio’s deer bag limit map before purchasing an antlerless permit. More information is available in the 2014-2015 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations, provided where licenses are sold and at wildohio.gov.

Hunters are required to make their own game tag to attach to a deer. Game tags can be made of any material (cardboard, plastic, paper, etc.) as long as it contains the hunter’s name, date, time and county of the kill. Go to wildohio.gov for more information on changes to the game check process.

All hunters must report their deer harvest using the automated game-check system. Game-check transactions are available online and by phone seven days a week, including holidays. Hunters with a deer permit have three options to complete the game check:

• Online at ohiogamecheck.com.

• Call 877-TAG-ITOH (824-4864).

• Visit a license agent. A list of agents can be found at wildohio.gov or by calling 800-WILDLIFE (945-3543).

Landowners exempt from purchasing a deer permit, and others not required to purchase a deer permit, cannot use the 877-TAG-ITOH option. Landowners and others not required to obtain a permit have the following game-check options:

• Online at ohiogamecheck.com.

• Visit a license agent.

• Call 866-703-1928 for operator assisted landowner game-check (a convenience fee of $5.50 applies).

Hunting is the best and most effective management tool for maintaining Ohio’s healthy deer population. During the 2013-2014 season, Ohio hunters checked 191,459 deer. Ohio ranks fifth nationally in resident hunters and 11th in the number of jobs associated with hunting-related industries. Hunting has a more than $853 million economic impact in Ohio through the sale of equipment, fuel, food, lodging and more, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s Hunting in America: An Economic Force for Conservation publication.

The ODNR Division of Wildlife remains committed to properly managing Ohio’s deer populations through a combination of regulatory and programmatic changes. The goal of Ohio’s Deer Management Program is to provide a deer population that maximizes recreational opportunities, while minimizing conflicts with landowners and motorists. This ensures that Ohio’s deer herd is maintained at a level that is both acceptable to most, and biologically sound.

Until recently, the populations in nearly all of Ohio’s counties were well above their target numbers. In the last few years, through increased harvests, dramatic strides have been made in many counties to bring those populations closer toward their goal. Once a county’s deer population is near goal, harvest regulations are adjusted to maintain the population.