OHIO — Deer archery hunting begins Saturday in the Buckeye State, and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources expects to see an increase in the harvest. 

What You Need To Know

  • The archery hunting season will go until Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024

  • During the 2022-23 season, ODNR said hunters checked 210,977 deer and a record 99,742 deer were taken with archery equipment

  • Seattle is sending pitcher Justin Dunn, outfielder Jake Fraley and top pitching prospect Brandon Williamson and a player to be named to the Reds

The archery hunting season will go until Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024. For those who gun hunt for deer, there will be opportunities within the archery season. Gun hunters have a two-day youth season on Nov. 18 and Nov. 19, and there will be a seven-day gun season from Nov. 27 until Dec. 3. Additionally, there will be a two-day gun season on Dec. 16 and Dec. 17. 

Late-season muzzleloader hunting will be held Jan. 6 through Jan. 9, 2024. 

ODNR said bow hunting began Sept. 9 for the Chronic Wasting Disease surveillance area of Hardin, Marion and Wyandot counties. Deer hunters can participate in early gun season from Oct. 7 to Oct. 9. 

This season, the state is allowing nonresident students who are currently enrolled in a Ohio college or university to purchase hunting licenses and permits, which can be bought through the HuntFish OH mobile app. The app also shows public hunting areas, current hunting regulations and more.

“Deer are Ohio’s most popular game animal, and hundreds of thousands of hunters spend time in the woods during the annual archery season,” ODNR Division of Wildlife Chief Kendra Wecker said. “Through license and permit purchases, those hunters fund much of Ohio’s conservation work. They also can supply healthy protein for their families with a successful harvest.”

During the 2022-23 season, ODNR said hunters checked 210,977 deer and a record 99,742 deer were taken with archery equipment. ODNR noted an increase in the popularity of archery hunting within the past decade, citing the accessibility of crossbow hunting. Of last season's harvest, 72% was with a crossbow. 

ODNR said October and November are the most popular deer hunting months, due to increased activity during breeding season. Last season, more than half of the deer harvested were within those two months. 

For more details on Ohio's deer hunting season, click here.