November 9 was Best Day for Ohio’s Bowhunters

Archery hunters in Ohio harvested 5,390 white-tailed deer on Saturday, Nov. 9, the highest single-day total this season, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. The 10 most successful harvest dates this season have been:

Saturday, Nov. 9 (5,390 deer)
Saturday, Nov. 2 (5,047)
Friday, Nov. 8 (3,636)
Sunday, Nov. 3 (3,392)
Saturday, Oct. 26 (2,753)
Thursday, Nov. 7 (2,483)
Friday, Nov. 1 (2,460)
Sunday, Oct. 27 (2,236)
Saturday, Oct. 19 (2,166)
Saturday, Sept. 28 (1,778)

So far this season, bowhunters across Ohio have harvested 65,783 deer through Sunday, Nov. 10. The three-year average for deer harvested through the second weekend of November is 67,216. Last year, hunters checked 69,886 deer through the corresponding date. The statewide archery season began Sept. 28 and continues until Feb. 2, 2025.

Ohio’s top 10 counties for deer harvested during the first seven weeks of the 2024 deer season include: Coshocton (2,318), Tuscarawas (1,995), Knox (1,882), Ashtabula (1,863), Holmes (1,755), Trumbull (1,687), Licking (1,663), Muskingum (1,592), Richland (1,451), and Guernsey (1,424).

*The top date so far for Ohio archery hunters was Saturday, Nov. 9, with 5,390 deer harvested.*

Based on historic harvest records, bowhunters can expect some terrific hunting in the coming weeks. In 2023, bowhunters were highly successful on Saturday, Nov. 18 (2,286 deer checked), Sunday, Nov. 19 (1,546), Saturday, Nov. 25 (1,247), Friday, Nov. 24 (1,210), and Sunday, Nov. 26 (828).

Ohio’s deer hunters are increasingly using longbows and crossbows to take advantage of tremendous deer hunting in October and November. The archery season lines up with the peak of the rut, or deer breeding season. Deer are travelling more often and farther at this time of year as bucks pursue does, making these months an exciting time to be hunting.

With the rut continuing for several more weeks, hunters have ample opportunity to harvest a deer, including with a firearm. The youth weekend is upcoming on Nov. 16-17. The statewide gun season is Monday, Dec. 2 through Sunday, Dec. 8, and again Dec. 21-22. Deer muzzleloader season is Jan. 4-7, 2025. Find complete details in the 2024-25 Hunting and Trapping Regulations.

An Ohio county list of all white-tailed deer checked by bowhunters through Sunday, Nov. 10 is shown below. The first number following the county’s name shows the harvest numbers for 2024, and the three-year average of deer harvested from 2021 to 2024 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.

Athens: 903 (948); Gallia: 746 (762); Meigs: 914 (926); Washington: 872 (899)