Jeff Frischkorn

With the Feb. 4 conclusion of Ohio’s extensive deer hunting season, participants enabled the final all-implements tally to enter the record books, achieving a total of 213,928 animals.
This is the second consecutive year that Ohio’s deer kill has surpassed the 200,000-animal mark, and the 12th time overall since 2002. This season’s count was the highest in more than a decade, with the summit being in the 2012-13 season in which 217,018 animals were tallied. Last year’s all-seasons deer kill was 210,977 animals.

It’s nearly over for Ohio’s 2023-24 deer-hunting season, save for the last of the confetti dribbling down from tree stands and tossed out of field blinds.

With the conclusion of the four-day statewide muzzleloader deer season on Jan. 9, hunters added 12,712 animals, bringing the to-date total to 203,608 antlerless and antlered deer. Thus, about 95% of all the deer expected to be killed are already tallied, the venison stored in freezers and antlered racks at taxidermy studios.