Deer gun hunting season begins Dec. 2
Ohio’s deer gun hunting season is open from Monday, Dec. 2 to Sunday, Dec. 8.
Ohio’s weeklong deer gun hunting season will begin Monday, Dec. 2, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife. The gun season traditionally begins the Monday after Thanksgiving, is open to all hunters and will run until Sunday, Dec. 8. An additional deer gun weekend will follow Dec. 21-22.
Deer gun harvest totals are typically highest in Eastern Ohio. Coshocton (2,440), Tuscarawas (2,260), Ashtabula (2,189), Muskingum (2,076), and Knox (1,878) counties led the state during the 2023 seven-day gun season.
Hunters harvested 95,606 deer during all 2023 gun seasons (gun week, December gun weekend and youth weekend). That total includes 70,103 deer taken during the seven-day gun season. Hunters age 17 and younger checked 10,033 deer during the 2023 youth weekend and another 15,470 deer in the December gun weekend. The three-year average (2021-23) for these seasons is 93,207.
This fall hunters age 17 and younger checked 10,449 white-tailed deer during Ohio’s youth gun hunting season on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 16-17. The Division of Wildlife has issued 42,209 youth deer permits as of Sunday, Nov. 17. Youth permits are valid for all remaining Ohio deer hunting seasons through Feb. 2, 2025.
Hunters interested in tracking the season's count can view weekly deer harvest reports at www.wildohio.gov. The Division of Wildlife posts deer harvest numbers each Wednesday throughout the hunting season. A final report also is posted after the conclusion of the archery season.
During all deer gun seasons, all hunters, regardless of implement, are required to wear hunter orange clothing. Legal hunting implements during the gun seasons include shotguns, straight-walled cartridge rifles, muzzleloaders, handguns and archery equipment.
Ohio’s deer muzzleloader hunting season will be Jan. 4-7, 2025, when muzzleloaders and archery equipment are legal hunting implements. Check the 2024-25 Hunting and Trapping Regulations for more information.
All deer harvested in Ohio are required to be checked in the Ohio Wildlife Licensing System. This gives the Division of Wildlife a long-term dataset that aids wildlife biologists in monitoring deer health, distribution and relative abundance. Hunters can check game by using the HuntFish OH mobile app, visiting www.ohiogamecheck.com, calling 1-877-824-4864, visiting a license sales agent or calling 1-866-703-1298 (landowner operator-assisted, fees apply).
The free HuntFish OH mobile app can be downloaded from the app store to purchase fishing and hunting licenses, view wildlife area maps, check county bag limits and more. Users can access the Division of Wildlife’s online system to check harvested deer while out in the field, even without a Wi-Fi connection.
The hunting and trapping regulations include information on county bag limits, game check, and licenses and permits. In addition to a valid hunting license, Ohio hunters need an either-sex permit or deer management permit. This year deer management permits are valid until Sunday, Dec. 22, the last day of the bonus gun weekend. Deer management permits can only be used to take antlerless deer and can be used on private land or select public hunting areas. Licenses and permits are available at www.wildohio.gov, on the HuntFish OH app and at license vendors.
Help protect Ohio’s wildlife resources during the gun seasons and beyond. Report any violations to the division’s Turn-in-a-Poacher hotline by calling 1-800-762-2437. All reports remain anonymous, and tipsters may be eligible for a cash reward.