Statewide muzzleloader season comes to an end

Tuscarawas County leads the state in number of deer harvested

Hunters took 23,056 deer during Ohio’s four-day muzzleloader season, December 27-30, with Tuscarawas County again leading the state with 930 deer checked, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. Last year, a preliminary total of 27,749 deer was taken during muzzleloader season.

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During the last two decades, Ohio's muzzleloader season has consistently grown in popularity. Twenty years ago, the statewide muzzleloader season accounted for 5 percent of the total deer kill, and today it constitutes 12 percent of the total annual deer harvest.

Counties reporting the highest number of deer checked during the muzzleloader season included: Tuscarawas - 930; Washington - 836; Jefferson - 775; Coshocton - 715; Harrison - 714; Meigs - 709; Holmes - 700; Licking - 696; Athens - 693; and Guernsey - 680.

Hunters have killed a preliminary total of 190,718 deer across the state since Ohio's deer hunting seasons opened on October 1. Archery hunters took 41,859 deer during the first six weeks of the statewide archery season, which continues through January 31. In its third year, the youth season resulted in the bagging of 8,722 deer. Hunters checked 116,855 deer during the statewide deer-gun season. Another 226 deer were taken during the early muzzleloader deer season on three specific hunting areas.

Click here for a list of muzzleloader season results by county.