Ohio is a great place to go hunting, with an abundance of wildlife including deer, turkeys, and pheasants. The state offers several different types of hunting, including junior hunt days, conventional guns and firearms, archery, muzzleloaders, and some constantly open seasons. For regulated hunts, Ohio conducts a lottery, with the majority of chosen hunters being awarded two hunting licenses for exclusive or joint use. Hunters can participate in activities such as online game bagging, license lotteries, new license applications, and membership purchases, and can access resources online to register for hunter education courses if they are new to the sport.
The Ohio Wildlife Council recently recommended white-tailed deer hunting seasons for 2023–24, with bag restrictions being increased in six counties and dropped in one. However, the proposed deer harvesting seasons will remain the same as last year. The legal window for hunting is from 30 minutes before sunrise until 30 minutes after sundown.
For the 2023–2024 season, the statewide deer hunt will take place on the following dates:
a) Deer archery season will begin on September 30, 2023, and run until February 4, 2024.
b) The youth deer hunt will take place from November 18 to 19, 2023.
c) Deer gun season will commence on November 27 up until December 3, 2023, with another schedule for December 16 and 17, 2023.
d) Muzzleloader season will run from January 6 through January 9, 2024.
Bag limitations for deer will vary depending on the county. In six counties, a rise in the number of deer that may be taken from two to three was requested to reduce herd expansion and boost hunting opportunities. Butler County would like to reduce the deer bag limit from three down to only two, and there will also be a county bag limit reduction where it makes sense to promote herd growth. For more information on proposed bag restrictions, check out the map on wildohio.gov.
Separate deer hunting rules were proposed for Marion, Hardin, and Wyandot counties, which are under CWD monitoring. The 2023–24 disease surveillance region deer hunting guidelines are comparable to those from the previous hunting season and include an earlier opening of the archery hunting and harvesting season and an extended early gun season. Hunters in these counties will be given the chance to partake in disease monitoring area hunts in conjunction with the state-wide hunting seasons.
The Ohio Department of Wildlife has suggested supplemental measures that will increase deer harvest, lower the risk of disease spread, and prevent transmission of CWD in areas in Marion, Hardin, and Wyandot counties. These actions are in addition to monitoring already being conducted.
Hunting is an exciting recreational sport, and Ohio is an excellent state for hunting due to the accessibility of council meetings to the general public. Anyone interested in offering remarks can call the department hotline two days prior to the meeting to register.
