Ohio’s 2020-2021 Deer Hunting Season Concludes

Ohio’s 2020-2021 Deer Hunting Season Concludes

COLUMBUS, Ohio – One of Ohio’s most successful white-tailed deer hunting seasons concluded Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021 with 197,735 deer harvested, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. That total is the highest since 218,910 deer were taken during the 2012-2013 hunting season. Meigs County also increased this year with 3,187 as opposed to last year’s 3,032.

The final harvest totals represent all deer taken during archery, gun, muzzleloader, and youth hunting seasons that began Sept. 26, 2020. An average of 180,921 deer were harvested during the last three years.
 
Since September 2020, hunters harvested 94,691 deer with archery equipment, while 86,853 deer were taken with firearms during the weeklong and two-day gun seasons. In addition, 9,708 deer were harvested with muzzleloaders. Young hunters found success during the two-day youth season with 5,795 deer harvested.
 
“We are pleased to see an increased number of deer taken this season as Ohio’s hunters spent more time in the woods during the fall and winter,” said Division of Wildlife Chief Kendra Wecker. “Hunting provides a great connection to the outdoors as well as a direct link to a healthy and natural food source.”

The top 10 counties for deer harvested during the 2020-2021 deer season include: Coshocton (6,791), Tuscarawas (6,158), Ashtabula (5,662), Licking (5,549), Knox (5,247), Muskingum (5,172), Holmes (4,833), Guernsey (4,809), Carroll (4,123), and Trumbull (4,015).
 
Deer hunting occurs in all 88 counties and an estimated 310,000 hunters participated during Ohio’s deer seasons, and more than 409,809 deer permits were purchased or issued. Hotspots for deer hunting are found mostly in the eastern regions. Coshocton County leads the state in total deer harvests over the last five years, with 6,715 deer taken during the 2019-2020 season.
 
The popularity of hunting with archery equipment continues to grow, with 48% of deer taken during the 2020-2021 archery season, including 33% using a crossbow and 15% using a vertical bow. Gun harvest attributed to 52% of the harvest. This includes 22% with shotguns, 21% with straight walled cartridge rifles, 8% with muzzleloaders, and less than 1% with handguns.
 
Across all deer seasons, hunters harvested 80,003 bucks, accounting for 40% of the total harvest. Does represented 48% of the harvest with 94,771 taken, while 19,629 button bucks were taken, for 10%. Bucks with shed antlers and bucks with antlers less than 3 inches long accounted for 3,332 deer, or 2% of the harvest. Deer harvest summaries can be found on the Deer Harvest Summary page at wildohio.gov.
 
Anyone interested in learning to hunt or becoming a mentor to a new hunter can visit the Wild Ohio Harvest Community page for information on how to get started, hunting-related workshops as well as special hunting opportunities for mentors and new hunters.
 
Follow the Division of Wildlife on Twitter and Facebook for instant news stories, outdoor recreation ideas, local wildlife information, and so much more. The Your Wild Ohio Explorer page provides wildlife success stories and ways to help wildlife throughout the seasons. Visit wildohio.gov to find locations to hunt, fish, trap, and view wildlife. Follow us on Instagram to view the best of Ohio’s wildlife photography. And don’t forget about the HuntFish OH mobile app, available for Android and iOS users through the app store. Users can purchase licenses and permits as well as view wildlife area maps.
 
The mission of the Division of Wildlife is to conserve and improve fish and wildlife resources and their habitats for sustainable use and appreciation by all. Visit wildohio.gov to find out more. ODNR ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR website at ohiodnr.gov.

Editor’s Note: A county list of all white-tailed deer checked by hunters during the 2020-2021 deer hunting seasons is shown below. The first number following the county’s name shows the harvest numbers for 2020-2021, and the three-year average of deer harvested from 2017 to 2019 is in parentheses. A three-year average provides a better overall comparison to this year’s harvest numbers, eliminating year-to-year variation because of weather, misaligned season dates, crop harvest, and other unavoidable factors. Harvest numbers below are raw data and subject to change.

Adams: 2,947 (2,989); Allen: 1,075 (992); Ashland: 3,698 (3,195); Ashtabula: 5,662 (4,970); Athens: 3,185 (3,511); Auglaize: 1,006 (877); Belmont: 2,932 (2,827); Brown: 2,683 (2,369); Butler: 1,617 (1,375); Carroll: 4,123 (3,748); Champaign: 1,397 (1,192); Clark: 785 (730); Clermont: 2,717 (2,393); Clinton: 649 (761); Columbiana: 3,453 (3,075); Coshocton: 6,791 (6,438); Crawford: 1,363 (1,200); Cuyahoga: 997 (955); Darke: 883 (742); Defiance: 2,228 (1,650); Delaware: 1,641 (1,500); Erie: 996 (1,065); Fairfield: 2,179 (1,873); Fayette: 328 (327); Franklin: 901 (752); Fulton: 924 (749); Gallia: 2,438 (2,426); Geauga: 2,229 (1,863); Greene: 960 (808); Guernsey: 4,809 (4,522); Hamilton: 1,498 (1,575); Hancock: 1,654 (1,252); Hardin: 1,507 (1,291); Harrison: 3,647 (3,489); Henry: 910 (730); Highland: 2,910 (2,503); Hocking: 2,634 (3,093); Holmes: 4,833 (4,177); Huron: 2,578 (2,256); Jackson: 2,595 (2,881); Jefferson: 2,229 (1,886); Knox: 5,247 (4,554); Lake: 1,046 (844); Lawrence: 1,695 (1,713); Licking: 5,549 (4,820); Logan: 2,222 (2,054); Lorain: 2,513 (2,154); Lucas: 831 (749); Madison: 622 (515); Mahoning: 2,029 (1,938); Marion: 1,009 (869); Medina: 2,715 (2,078); Meigs: 3,187 (3,032); Mercer: 880 (721); Miami: 845 (800); Monroe: 2,494 (2,456); Montgomery: 882 (724); Morgan: 3,130 (3,040); Morrow: 1,860 (1,539); Muskingum: 5,172 (4,950); Noble: 3,189 (2,951); Ottawa: 617 (491); Paulding: 1,336 (1,034); Perry: 2,630 (2,592); Pickaway: 625 (783); Pike: 1,763 (1,902); Portage: 2,501 (2,360); Preble: 1,076 (993); Putnam: 936 (775); Richland: 3,937 (3,409); Ross: 3,071 (2,925); Sandusky: 1,154 (871); Scioto: 2,110 (2,170); Seneca: 2,073 (1,906); Shelby: 1,090 (993); Stark: 3,238 (2,836); Summit: 1,732 (1,479); Trumbull: 4,015 (3,586); Tuscarawas: 6,158 (5,575); Union: 1,117 (940); Van Wert: 623 (515); Vinton: 2,110 (2,540); Warren: 1,243 (1,175); Washington: 3,233 (3,239); Wayne: 2,626 (2,239); Williams: 1,952 (1,604); Wood: 1,142 (963); Wyandot: 1,919 (1,523).

2020-2021 total: 197,735
Three-year average: (180,921)