OHIO — That statewide archery season began at the end of September, but hunters have already broken records.
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So far, 51,360 white-tailed deer have been checked by Ohio’s archery hunters, according to a spokesperson from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife.
Within the past three years, the average bow harvest through the first weekend of November is 50,939.
Through the first seven weekends of the 2022 season, 48,577 deer were checked by hunters, the spokesperson said.
So far, close to 26,000 antlered deer and about 25,500 antlerless deer have been counted.
The season began Sept. 30 and lasts through Feb. 4.
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The highest archery total on record was from the 2022-23 season when bow hunters checked 99,742 deer, the spokesperson said. Crossbow hunters took home 72% of those deer while vertical bow users took home 28%.
Archers can hunt on public and private land. Hotspots can be found in the eastern and south-central portions of Ohio.
A list of available private properties and instructions for obtaining access, available by permit only, are available at wildohio.gov.
To purchase a hunting license and deer permit, visit Ohio Wildlife Licensing System, on the HuntFish OH mobile app, or at a license sales agent, the spokesperson said.
Ohio’s top 10 counties for archery harvest include:
- Coshocton
- Tuscarawas
- Holmes
- Ashtabula
- Trumbull
- Licking
- Knox
- Muskingum
- Guernsey
- Carroll
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