COLUMBUS, Ohio — Deer hunting season just started in Ohio.

What You Need To Know

  • Deer hunting season in Ohio has started

  • One state wildlife officer says deer hunting has a positive impact on state parks 

  • A central Ohio deer hunter says he hunts to feed his family 

According to experts, deer hunting heavily affects public land, which is our state parks. Deer hunter Grant Smith has been archery hunting for 13 years. He hunts almost every week during deer hunting season. 

“Started out just kind of a weekend hunter and then now it's at a point where kind of the main goal for the season is to not buy any meat from a grocery store,” Smith said. 

He’s been hunting ever since he was a little boy and said the best time of year to hunt is the end of October and the beginning of November.  It’s called the rut season, also known as deer mating season. 

“They become much more active. That's why you see a spike in like people hitting deer with cars and things like that in late October and November," Smith said. "It's because they start getting a little wild. You start getting a little frisky, and they start carrying less."

Although Smith hunts on his private land now, he used to hunt in state parks and says public land hunting and harvest is a lot more tricky but also rewarding. State wildlife officer Maurice Irish says the effects of deer hunting on state parks has a lot of benefits to the community. 

“Hunting at our state parks has been extremely beneficial in keeping our deer herds at a healthy, sustainable level," Irish said. "An overabundance of deer can actually wreak havoc on our native plant species, can increase vehicle collisions and also cause conflict with neighboring landowners and neighborhoods."

A deer hunter himself, he also depends on the deer he hunts for food. 

“You know, my family kind of counts on that as our red meat supply for the year, with prices of beef going up and up," Irish said. "That's a good way to put a lean organic protein in our freezer."

Smith says he hunts often. He said hunting is a family event. 

“It's been nice though, because it's something you can do as a family, so it's not something I felt like it's full time away from my family," he said. "My little girl comes out and shoots with me. Very blessed to have this place where I can just shoot at home."

Deer archery hunting season ends Feb. 2, and deer gun hunting season is Dec. 2-8 and Dec. 21-22.

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