Your Wild Ohio - Hunter

⏰ This page will be removed in early 2024. Please follow Ohio Division of Wildlife to get updates on hunting, fishing, wildlife watching and outdoor recreation in the Buckeye State. Thank you! 🤩

NEWS: Spring Hunting Opportunities Provided for Hunters with Disabilities on Ohio’s State Forests
🦃 Pike State Forest and Blue Rock State Forest were the settings for two recent special hunts organized for hunters with disabilities to enjoy the outdoors while hunting for wild turkey. Ohio Division of Forestry hosts these hunts annually in Pike and Muskingum counties. http://ow.ly/jAVs50NRMQf

🦃 NEWS: Youth Hunters Harvest 1,823 Wild Turkeys 🍽️
➡️Youth wild turkey hunters across Ohio harvested 1,823 birds during the special youth-only hunting weekend April 15-16. The three-year average for wild turkeys taken during the two-day youth season (2020-2022) is 1,475 birds. In 2022, youth hunters harvested 1,103 turkeys on the corresponding weekend.
http://ow.ly/eRNT50NLC8E

🦃 The spring wild turkey season is coming in April? Many Ohioans pursue wild turkeys in the spring when learning to mimic turkey communications to ‘call’ in birds is a key skill.
📌 Turkey Hunting Learning Module: http://ow.ly/8Hx550MTcwM

NEWS: Ohio’s 2022-23 deer hunting season concluded with 210,977 deer checked. The final total represents all deer harvested during archery, gun, muzzleloader, and youth hunting seasons. The 2021-22 season harvest total was 196,988 and the 3-year average (2019-2021) is 193,058. http://ow.ly/unWV50MLHoC

🦌 There is still plenty of opportunity for deer hunting, but remember that archery season ends on February 5th.
❄️ Best of luck to all of the late-season archery hunters! http://ow.ly/reh750HxW64

NEWS: Our agency contributed $25,000 in a grant to Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry - FHFH to support local food banks with donated venison. http://ow.ly/b24650McEwB

Field to Table: Venison Week is coming up on February 5-11, 2023. We will be hosting venison preparation and cooking classes across the state.
📍 Find an event near you: http://ow.ly/Eznr50M8wrP

NEWS: Hunters harvested 71,932 white-tailed deer during the 2022 gun week. Over the past three years, hunters checked an average of 68,534 deer in the same weeklong period. In 2021, the weeklong number was 70,381. Deer gun season opens again for the weekend of Dec. 17-18.
http://ow.ly/Fa3050LWgJX

🚨 Hunter Orange Required 🟠
Hunting any wild animal (except waterfowl) from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset during the youth deer gun season, deer gun seasons, and the deer muzzleloader season is unlawful unless the hunter is visibly wearing a vest, coat, jacket, or coveralls that are either solid hunter orange or camouflage hunter orange. This requirement applies statewide on both public and private land.
Hunting Regulations: http://ow.ly/Ty8P50LCPJ7

ICYMI: Hunting is a longstanding tradition in Ohio, but the deer population has not always been so robust. Fifty years ago, hunters harvested 5,074 deer during the entire 1972 season, far fewer than were checked on opening day (17,193) alone this year.

NEWS: Ohio’s Weeklong Deer Gun Hunting Season is Underway

Deer gun hunting week is off to a good start, with hunters checking 17,193 deer on Monday, Nov. 28. Ohio’s gun season is open until Sunday, Dec. 4, and again on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 17-18.

In 2021, hunters took 21,754 deer on the opening day of the gun season, which traditionally falls on the Monday after Thanksgiving. From 2019-21, hunters harvested an average of 16,057 deer during the gun season opener.
http://ow.ly/Bwff50LR54A