White-tailed deer and hunters now abound around the Buckeye State

Ohio's deer hunting seasons now attract an army of hunters from around the state and the country.

 

Amy Sancetta, Associated PressA mature white-tailed deer buck stands alertly in the suburban neighborhood of Moreland Hills this month. More than a half-million sportsmen are expected to hunt deer during the archery and gun seasons in Ohio this year, and harvest about a quarter of a million bucks and does. The popular statewide deer gun season begins on Monday.

 Almost a half-century ago, driving the back roads of Coshocton County while returning home from covering a high school basketball game, a pack of large animals darted in front of my car.

 It was a scene becoming more common in 1968 around the wilds of southeast Ohio, but startling for a young reporter from Cleveland who had never confronted a herd of Ohio white-tailed deer.

Ohioans eager to tag a deer back then went to Pennsylvania. An estimated 50,000 hunters invaded Pennsylvania's Potter County alone, the most deer-rich county in America. In 1968, only 35,322 hunted deer in Ohio and bagged a meager 1,396 bucks, the only legal game.

These days, Pennsylvania hunters come to Ohio for the chance to bag a trophy buck or a couple of fat does. Ohio's Muskingum County now records more Boone and Crockett Club trophy bucks each year than are harvested in all of Pennsylvania.

Deer hunting has certainly changed around Ohio.

More than 500,000 sportsmen participate in the Ohio deer hunting seasons. A surprising number of non-resident sportsmen make the pilgrimage for an opportunity to kill record-setting bucks. Last year, 239,475 deer were killed in Ohio, a small decline from the modern-day record of 261,260 deer taken in 2009-10.

Ohio game biologists said the slump wasn't due to a lack of deer, but rather a bumper acorn crop. Deer didn't have to travel much to find something good to eat. This year, a mediocre acorn crop should boost hunter success. 

A larger percentage of hunters in Ohio now hunt with bow or crossbow instead of a shotgun, pistol or black powder rifle. Archers have a long, four-month season, allowing hunters to avoid the crowds and hunting pressure of the nine-day gun seasons (Monday through Sunday and Dec. 17-18). Last year, 85,012 deer were killed by archery hunters. 

 The modern rules are far more liberal, although Ohio hunters are still restricted to only one buck each year.

 "Just 30 years ago we really protected our deer herd," said southeastern Ohio Law Enforcement Supervisor Tom Donley. "The bag limits were very restrictive. As the deer herd has grown, we've brought in handgun hunting, Sunday hunting, the bonus gun weekend, extended archery seasons, crossbows and liberal limits on does. We have enough deer now to give our hunters more opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors."

No one, including Ohio wildlife officials, knows exactly how many hunters will be in the Buckeye woods next week chasing bucks and does.

That's because landowners and their family members don't need an Ohio license or deer permit when hunting their own land. It's also the reason they can't take advantage of the new rules and pick up a telephone to report killing a deer.

Landowners must go online or to a check station. To use the phone-in system, there needs to be some documentation of a license sale.

Hunters will kill about 125,000 bucks and does during next week's gun hunt. Only if a landowner reports his deer kill will he make the DOW database. 

The downside to the system is lost federal funding. Excise taxes on hunting equipment are returned to Ohio based on the number of hunting licenses. A free license would qualify for federal funds, but the Ohio Farm Bureau stonewalled a DOW proposal to require landowners to apply for free licenses and deer or turkey permits. 

Ohio's wildlife cops out in force next week

 Not a single member of Ohio's army of wildlife officers will be on vacation this week.

The popular deer gun season begins on Monday, and every available man and woman with the Division of Wildlife will somehow be involved in keeping hunters informed and obeying the game laws. The largest number of deer hunters will head to the fields and forests of southeastern Ohio, where Law Enforcement Supervisor Tom Donley is in charge.

After 20 years with the DOW, Donley can predict why some hunters will take home a citation, rather than a buck or doe. Here are the most common offenses.

• Hunting without written permission. It's the law, although if a landowner gives hunters verbal permission, wildlife officers will usually not issue a ticket.
• Unplugged shotguns. Like waterfowl hunters, deer hunters must plug their shotguns so they can hold no more than three shotshells. The rule has made deer hunting much safer. 
• Failure to temporarily tag a deer. When the deer goes down, the temporary tag must be attached before the deer is moved. 
• Hunting without a license or deer permit. 
• Not wearing hunter orange, or enough of it. Just an orange hat or orange sleeves on a coat won't suffice. Camouflage orange coats do qualify. 
• Killing more than one antlered deer. 
• Hunting before or after official hunting times. 
• Having a loaded firearm in a car or truck or on an all-terrain vehicle.
  

Source: http://www.cleveland.com/outdoors/index.ssf/2011/11/post_9.html

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