Muzzleloader harvest on par with last year

DNR

Staff Reports

Columbus – Hunters took 20,659 deer during Ohio’s four-day
muzzleloader season with Tuscarawas County again leading the state
with 934 deer checked. Last year, a preliminary total of 21,473
deer was taken during muzzleloader season, according to the DNR
Division of Wildlife.

The Division of Wildlife at the start of archery season in late
September set an all-seasons harvest target of 250,000.

“We were just a few deer shy of last year’s numbers, so that
still keeps the quarter million number in our sights,” said Mike
Tonkovich, the division’s leading deer biologist. Now, it’s just up
to the archery hunters and how they do here in January. Even if we
don’t make a quarter million, it looks to be a (record harvest)
anyway, so that’s good news.”

Counties reporting the highest number of deer checked from Dec.
27-30 included: Tuscarawas-934, Washington-774, Harrison-764,
Licking-688, Meigs-613, Coshocton-598, Guernsey-565, Belmont-539,
Monroe-533 and Holmes-528.

A total of 239,549 deer have been harvested so far this season
when combining the adult and youth gun seasons, early and statewide
muzzleloader seasons, and the first nine weeks of the archery
season. Hunters took a total of 232,854 deer during all of last
year’s hunting seasons.

Hunters can continue to enjoy deer hunting through Feb. 1 as the
archery season continues.

Hunters have been encouraged to kill more does this season and
donate any extra venison to organizations assisting Ohioans in
need. The Division is collaborating with Farmers and Hunters
Feeding the Hungry to help pay for the processing of donated
venison. Hunters who give their deer to a food bank are not
required to pay the processing cost as long as the deer are taken
to a participating processor and funding for the effort lasts.
Counties being served by this program can be found online at
http://fhfh.org/.