COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio’s weeklong deer gun hunting season begins Monday, Dec. 2, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. The gun season traditionally begins the Monday after Thanksgiving, is open to all hunters, and runs until Sunday, Dec. 8. An additional deer gun weekend follows on Dec. 21-22.
Ohio’s first deer gun season was in 1943, and excitement has remained high for white-tailed deer hunting ever since. 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 ages 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 to 2023) for these seasons is 93,207.
This fall, hunters ages 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 wildohio.gov. The Division of Wildlife posts deer harvest numbers each Wednesday throughout the hunting season. A final report is also 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 is 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 ohiogamecheck.com, calling 1-877-TAG-IT-OH (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 conveniently purchase fishing and hunting licenses, view wildlife area maps, check county bag limits, and much 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 wildohio.gov, on the HuntFish OH app, and at license vendors.
The Chronic Wasting Disease surveillance area includes all of Hardin, Marion, and Wyandot counties and Auglaize and Jackson townships in Allen County. On Dec. 2 and 3, successful hunters in the disease surveillance area are required to submit their harvest for sampling. Successful hunters are not required to surrender their deer.
Self-serve kiosks are available for mandatory sample submission during the gun season and for voluntary sample submission until the close of the deer archery season on Feb. 2, 2025. Staffed sampling locations and self-serve kiosks can be found on the Division of Wildlife’s CWD database. The database also displays current and historical CWD test results, and hunters can look up their harvest sample results.
In addition to mandatory testing, the disease surveillance area also has special regulations regarding the use of bait and transport of carcasses. Visit ohiodnr.gov/cwd to learn more about Chronic Wasting Disease and special regulations. Outside of the disease surveillance area, hunters can have harvested deer tested by the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, which can be reached at (614) 728-6220.
Help protect Ohio’s wildlife resources during the gun seasons and beyond. Report any violations to the division’s Turn-In-a-Poacher (TIP) hotline by calling 1-800-POACHER (762-2437). All reports remain anonymous, and tipsters may be eligible for a cash reward.
The mission of the Division of Wildlife is to conserve and improve fish and wildlife resources and their habitats for sustainable use and appreciation by all. Visit wildohio.gov to find out more.
In 2024, join ODNR as we celebrate 75 years of protecting Ohio’s natural resources and providing outstanding and award-winning recreational opportunities.
ODNR ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR website at ohiodnr.gov.