By Larry S. Moore

Deer season is upon us with all the anticipation and excitement for that possibility of the Ohio big buck trophy. That means sleepless nights for deer hunters after seeing the “big one” but not getting a shot. In far too many instances Ohio’s law-abiding sportsmen and, in fact, all Ohioans are being robbed. As Ohio’s deer herd has grown and become known for quality hunting, so have the instances of poaching.

The problem has grown substantially since the first undercover operations about twenty years ago. Any poaching activity should never be tolerated. The number of investigations just in 2007 is staggering. I’ve gotten more than a dozen Division of Wildlife press releases just this year dealing with poaching. Many of these are major poaching groups or rings. Some are doing it for ego but many are poaching for dollars.

Let me flatly state, a very small minority like so many criminal activities, creates the problem. I hate to even refer to such thieves as hunters because they really are not hunters no more than meth lab operators are pharmacists. Overwhelmingly hunters abide by the law and make ethical decisions in the field. These are not simple cases of tracking a deer off the property where there is permission to hunt onto a posted property. These are not hunters trying to get their beagles back onto the correct property.

With another record harvest behind us, a booming deer herd and more opportunities than ever, Buckeye State whitetail hunters can't help but be excited about the coming season. OhioGameandFish.com's expert has the story.

Part 1: Where To Find Our Best Deer Hunting

By Dan Long

Once again, Ohio hunters crushed 2006's deer-harvest record with a total kill exceeding 237,000 deer. With an estimated pre-hunt population of 650,000 deer, Ohio is on track for another record-breaking harvest.

Read on to learn how each part of state looks this year and get predictions from the Ohio Division of Wildlife's leading biologists.

Click here to read the entire story at OhioGameandFish.com.