More than 13,000 deer fall during Ohio’s muzzleloader hunt

Ohio’s 2026 muzzleloader hunters killed 421 fewer animals than they did during its 2025 counterpart. Still, a harvest of 13,055 whitetails is nothing to sneeze at, either.
Even so, both years showed declines from their respective three-year averages. And, it must be noted, too, that several southeast Ohio countries recorded steep declines. This steep slide no doubt was due to heavy tolls on deer caused last summer by a rampant breakout of the nearly-always fatal viral infection Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease, or EHD.

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