OHIO — The Ohio Department of Natural Resources said state hunters checked in 213,918 white-tailed deer during the 2023-24 deer hunting season, which ended Sunday. 

What You Need To Know

  • It's the second year that Ohio's deer harvest totaled more than 200,000 and the 12th time overall since 2002

  • This season's total was the highest in more than a decade

  • Coshocton County took home the most this year

The final total includes all deer taken during archery, gun, muzzleloader and youth seasons.

It's the second year that Ohio's deer harvest totaled more than 200,000 and the 12th time overall since 2002, according to ODNR. This season's total was the highest in more than a decade. 

Here's the breakdown of the total: 

Statewide deer harvest by individual season:

  • Archery: 100,951 (first season to exceed 100,000)
  • Weeklong and two-day gun seasons: 85,587
  • Four-day muzzleloader season: 12,712
  • Two-day youth season: 10,039
  • Controlled firearm hunts: 4,639

Top 10 counties for this year's harvest:

  • Coshocton: 7,740
  • Tuscarawas: 7,023
  • Ashtabula: 5,887
  • Muskingum: 5,789
  • Knox: 5,625
  • Licking: 5,429
  • Holmes: 5,324
  • Guernsey: 5,220
  • Carroll: 5,038
  • Trumbull: 4,703

Types of deer harvested:

  • Does: 99,584 (46.5%)
  • Antlered bucks: 92,051 (43%)
  • Button bucks: 18,973 (9%)
  • Bucks with shed antlers or antlers shorter than 3 inches: 3,320 (1.5%)

Permit sales:

While more than 415,000 Ohio hunters were issued deer permits, hunters from all over came to the state to partake this season. The states with the highest nonresident permit sales were:

  • Pennsylvania (8,808)
  • Michigan (5,874)
  • North Carolina (4,029)
  • West Virginia (3,893)
  • New York (3,699)

Related Stories