Ohio gun hunters kill nearly 16,000 deer in bonus weekend

Columbus — Hunters checked 15,835 white-tailed deer on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 20-21, during Ohio’s gun hunting weekend, according to the Ohio DNR (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. Last year, hunters took 17,386 deer during the bonus gun weekend, and the three-year average is 16,010.

This season, the Division of Wildlife has increased its efforts to help hunters donate their deer to food pantries. Thus far, more than 3,350 pounds of processed venison has been donated by hunters. For more details on how to donate deer, visit wildohio.gov.

The Division of Wildlife annually reports deer harvest totals at notable points during the hunting season. During the bonus gun weekend, hunters reported 4,039 antlered deer (26% of the total) and 11,796 antlerless deer (74%).

The top 10 counties for deer taken during the 2025 gun weekend were: Coshocton (576), Ashtabula (551), Knox (477), Tuscarawas (471), Columbiana (430), Carroll (427), Muskingum (398), Ashland (391), Richland (387), and Licking (381).

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Totals for this hunting season are lower than average in Athens, Meigs, Morgan, and Washington counties as a result of an unprecedented outbreak of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) in that region over the summer. Coinciding with the start of the seven-day gun season, the bag limit in those counties was reduced in response to the disease outbreak.

Legal hunting equipment during the deer gun season included specific shotguns, straight-walled cartridge rifles, muzzleloaders, handguns, and archery equipment. Deer checked by hunting implement includes: Straight-walled cartridge rifle, 69% (10,900 deer); Shotgun, 24% (3,821 deer); Muzzleloader, 4% (615 deer); Archery equipment, 3% (401 deer); and Handgun, less than 1% (98 deer).

Hunters have checked 111,042 deer during nine days of gun hunting and two days of the youth season. Youth hunters checked 9,759 deer on Nov. 22-23, and the weeklong gun season total was 85,448. The season total for deer checked through Sunday, Dec. 21 is 206,583, which includes all deer taken with archery equipment and firearms since the season began in September.

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This year, 410,953 deer permits had been issued through Sunday, Dec. 21. Additionally, nonresidents have purchased 34,594 hunting licenses, many of them to enjoy Ohio’s deer hunting opportunities. The most popular states that hunters traveled to Ohio from include: Pennsylvania (6,590 nonresident licenses); Michigan (4,283); North Carolina (2,914); West Virginia (2,710); and New York (2,708).

Hunters still looking to pursue deer can take part in the ongoing archery season, which continues until Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, and the state’s muzzleloader season, Jan. 3-6, 2026. An either-sex deer permit is required after Sunday, Dec. 21 because deer management permits are no longer valid. Check the 2025-26 Hunting and Trapping Regulations for more information about deer hunting. Weekly reports and yearly summaries can be found on the Deer Harvest Summary page at wildohio.gov.

A county list of all white-tailed deer checked during the 2025 deer gun hunting weekend is shown below. The first number following the county’s name shows the numbers for 2025, and the three-year average of deer taken in 2022, 2023, and 2024 is in parentheses. A three-year average provides a better overall comparison to this year’s numbers, eliminating year-to-year variation because of weather, misaligned season dates, crop harvest, and other unavoidable factors.

Numbers below are raw data and subject to change.

Adams: 250 (230); Allen: 127 (114); Ashland: 391 (366); Ashtabula: 551 (507); Athens: 55 (221); Auglaize: 131 (103); Belmont: 313 (315); Brown: 215 (193); Butler: 110 (96); Carroll: 427 (416); Champaign: 131 (142); Clark: 61 (64); Clermont: 186 (166); Clinton: 95 (70); Columbiana: 430 (352); Coshocton: 576 (542); Crawford: 132 (131); Cuyahoga: 12 (16); Darke: 99 (80); Defiance: 144 (156); Delaware: 135 (102); Erie: 67 (77); Fairfield: 158 (165); Fayette: 45 (34); Franklin: 30 (47); Fulton: 101 (81); Gallia: 189 (183); Geauga: 164 (159); Greene: 58 (57); Guernsey: 353 (370); Hamilton: 41 (48); Hancock: 186 (153); Hardin: 163 (129); Harrison: 340 (341); Henry: 70 (75); Highland: 240 (234); Hocking: 152 (195); Holmes: 331 (344); Huron: 312 (247); Jackson: 172 (185); Jefferson: 264 (253); Knox: 477 (433); Lake: 45 (56); Lawrence: 99 (119); Licking: 381 (417); Logan: 214 (199); Lorain: 206 (218); Lucas: 47 (27); Madison: 66 (48); Mahoning: 184 (178); Marion: 121 (83); Medina: 198 (214); Meigs: 53 (233); Mercer: 88 (80); Miami: 73 (62); Monroe: 153 (209); Montgomery: 49 (57); Morgan: 105 (244); Morrow: 204 (165); Muskingum: 398 (415); Noble: 135 (217); Ottawa: 56 (59); Paulding: 115 (110); Perry: 208 (232); Pickaway: 74 (80); Pike: 166 (138); Portage: 200 (176); Preble: 99 (96); Putnam: 65 (78); Richland: 387 (360); Ross: 228 (214); Sandusky: 106 (85); Scioto: 179 (163); Seneca: 255 (207); Shelby: 80 (103); Stark: 320 (272); Summit: 56 (63); Trumbull: 303 (301); Tuscarawas: 471 (511); Union: 108 (84); Van Wert: 70 (71); Vinton: 107 (131); Warren: 87 (73); Washington: 43 (278); Wayne: 229 (232); Williams: 250 (203); Wood: 97 (87); Wyandot: 173 (170).

2025 total: 15,835

3-year average total: 16,010