Ohio’s 2025 deer gun weekend results
Hunters checked 15,835 white-tailed deer on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 20 and 21, during Ohio’s gun hunting weekend, according to a Dec. 22 news release from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. Last year, hunters checked 17,386 deer during the bonus gun weekend. The three-year average is 16,010.
This season the Division of Wildlife has increased its efforts to help hunters donate their deer to food pantries. Thus far, more than 3,350 pounds of processed venison has been donated by hunters, according to the release. For more details on how to donate deer, visit wildohio.gov.
The Division of Wildlife annually reports deer harvest totals at notable points during the hunting season. During the gun weekend, hunters reported 4,039 antlered deer (26% of the total) and 11,796 antlerless deer (74%).
The top 10 counties for deer taken during the 2025 gun weekend were as follows:
- Coshocton (576)
- Ashtabula (551)
- Knox (477)
- Tuscarawas (471)
- Columbiana (430)
- Carroll (427)
- Muskingum (398)
- Ashland (391)
- Richland (387)
- Licking (381)
Totals for this hunting season are lower than average in Athens, Meigs, Morgan, and Washington counties as a result of an unprecedented outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) in that region over the summer. Coinciding with the start of the seven-day gun season, the bag limit in those counties was reduced in response to the disease outbreak.
Legal hunting equipment during the deer gun season included specific shotguns, straight-walled cartridge rifles, muzzleloaders, handguns, and archery equipment. Deer checked by hunting implement includes the following:
- straight-walled cartridge rifle, 69% (10,900 deer)
- shotgun, 24% (3,821 deer)
- muzzleloader, 4% (615 deer)
- archery equipment, 3% (401 deer)
- handgun, less than 1% (98 deer)
Hunters have checked 111,042 deer during nine days of gun hunting and two days of the youth season, according to the release. Youth hunters checked 9,759 deer Nov. 22 and 23, and the weeklong gun season total was 85,448. The season total for deer checked through Dec. 21 is 206,583, which includes all deer taken with archery equipment and firearms since the season began in September.
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