COLUMBUS, Ohio — While the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed down many activities in 2020, hunters in Ohio have seen more success than in recent years.

According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife, Ohio’s 2020 white-tailed deer archery hunting season recorded 74,892 deer taken through Tuesday, Nov. 25.

The total harvest, so far, is an 11% increase from the average harvest total from the same date during the past three seasons of 67,318.

The top 10 counties for deer taken by archery hunters, so far, during Ohio’s 2020 archery season include: Coshocton (2,689), Licking (2,232), Tuscarawas (2,146), Ashtabula (2,021), Knox (1,910), Holmes (1,856), Muskingum (1,806), Trumbull (1,748), Guernsey (1,599), and Richland (1,505).

Halloween was the top harvest date of 2020’s archery season, thus far, with 4,374 deer checked.

While archery season for white-tailed deer in Ohio continues until Feb. 7, gun season opens Monday and continues through Sunday, Dec. 6 with additional hunting days Dec. 19-20.

Gun season comes just one week after the youth gun season, where young hunters harvested 5,795 deer during the youth gun season Nov. 21-22.

Hunters will have a third option to harvest deer during muzzleloader season which is Saturday, Jan. 2, through Tuesday, Jan. 5.

The number of deer able to be harvested varies from county to county in Ohio, as does the tag limits for bucks and does able to be taken.

Those wishing to buy hunting licenses or permits may do so here.

ODNR’s hunting and trapping regulations book may be accessed here.

Deer Harvested in Archery Season by County Through Nov. 25 (three-year average on the same date from 2017, 2018, and 2019):

Adams: 1,227 (1,230); Allen: 387 (420); Ashland: 1,257 (1,108); Ashtabula: 2,021 (1,735); Athens: 1,121 (1,212); Auglaize: 381 (351); Belmont: 873 (822); Brown: 988 (895); Butler: 732 (688); Carroll: 1,284 (1,115); Champaign: 561 (511); Clark: 360 (353); Clermont: 1,165 (1,104); Clinton: 250 (308); Columbiana: 1,229 (1,024); Coshocton: 2,689 (2,410); Crawford: 464 (373); Cuyahoga: 663 (600); Darke: 332 (293); Defiance: 686 (502); Delaware: 832 (736); Erie: 415 (377); Fairfield: 818 (714); Fayette: 126 (120); Franklin: 456 (389); Fulton: 350 (270); Gallia: 798 (741); Geauga: 981 (814); Greene: 435 (365); Guernsey: 1,599 (1,462); Hamilton: 834 (946); Hancock: 582 (454); Hardin: 493 (436); Harrison: 1,248 (1,126); Henry: 300 (232); Highland: 1,006 (934); Hocking: 928 (1,090); Holmes: 1,856 (1,593); Huron: 834 (716); Jackson: 1,012 (1,066); Jefferson: 735 (605); Knox: 1,910 (1,611); Lake: 542 (438); Lawrence: 676 (586); Licking: 2,232 (1,922); Logan: 837 (813); Lorain: 1,132 (925); Lucas: 467 (425); Madison: 250 (210); Mahoning: 873 (820); Marion: 360 (279); Medina: 1,137 (875); Meigs: 1,105 (986); Mercer: 337 (285); Miami: 394 (389); Monroe: 704 (652); Montgomery: 466 (393); Morgan: 990 (974); Morrow: 697 (568); Muskingum: 1,806 (1,638); Noble: 1,098 (959); Ottawa: 259 (210); Paulding: 474 (332); Perry: 897 (815); Pickaway: 224 (272); Pike: 667 (746); Portage: 1,124 (989); Preble: 487 (434); Putnam: 351 (317); Richland: 1,505 (1,300); Ross: 1,116 (1,091); Sandusky: 500 (401); Scioto: 834 (828); Seneca: 722 (634); Shelby: 418 (376); Stark: 1,359 (1,176); Summit: 946 (837); Trumbull: 1,748 (1,469); Tuscarawas: 2,146 (1,852); Union: 466 (408); Van Wert: 225 (180); Vinton: 755 (910); Warren: 573 (553); Washington: 959 (900); Wayne: 1,107 (876); Williams: 753 (588); Wood: 438 (395); Wyandot: 518 (441).