ODNR releases final 2023-24 deer harvest report
Ohio’s hunters checked 213,928 white-tailed deer during the 2023-24 deer hunting season that concluded Sunday, Feb. 4, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. The final total represents all deer taken during archery, gun, muzzleloader and youth seasons since Sept. 9, 2023.
During the Ohio deer seasons hunters took an estimated 12 million pounds of venison. This nutritious meat was enjoyed by their friends and families, and hunters donated some of this meat to food banks around Ohio.
This is the second year in a row that Ohio’s deer harvest has surpassed 200,000, and the 12th time overall (all since 2002). This season’s count was the highest in more than a decade (217,018 in 2012-13).
Ohio’s statewide deer harvest, by year:
• 2023-24: 213,928
• 2022-23: 210,973
• 3-year average (2020-2022): 201,890.
Ohio’s 2023-24 statewide deer harvest, by individual season:
• Archery: 100,951 (first season to exceed 100,000)
• Weeklong and two-day gun seasons: 85,587
• Four-day muzzleloader season: 12,712
• Two-day youth season: 10,039
• Controlled firearm hunts: 4,639.
Top 10 Counties for 2023-24 Harvest:
• Coshocton: 7,740. (Last season, Coshocton County also led the state with 7,590 deer checked.)
• Tuscarawas: 7,023
• Ashtabula: 5,887
• Muskingum: 5,789
• Knox: 5,625
• Licking: 5,429
• Holmes: 5,324
• Guernsey: 5,220
• Carroll: 5,038
• Trumbull: 4,703
Most popular hunting implements:
• Crossbow: 75,462 (35 percent)
• Straight-walled cartridge rifle: 60,333 (28 percent)
• Shotgun: 31,901 (15 percent)
• Vertical bow: 29,696 (14 percent)
• Muzzleloader: 16,010 (8 percent)
• Handgun: 526 (less than 1 percent)
Deer harvest:
• Does: 99,584 (46.5 percent)
• Antlered bucks: 92,051 (43 percent)
• Button bucks: 18,973 (9 percent)
• Bucks with shed antlers or antlers shorter than 3 inches: 3,320 (1.5 percent).
Permit sales:
Ohio hunters were issued 415,710 deer permits across all hunting seasons. Hunters from all 50 U.S. states purchased deer permits for use during the 2023-24 seasons. States outside of Ohio with the highest nonresident permit sales include:
• Pennsylvania (8,808)
• Michigan (5,874)
• North Carolina (4,029)
• West Virginia (3,893)
• New York (3,699).
Last year, hunters generated $1.9 billion in economic spending in Ohio, according to a recent report released by the Wildlife Management Institute, Responsive Management, and Southwick Associates. The research found that five percent of Ohio’s adults, about 500,000 individuals, participate in hunting, with 91 percent of those hunters taking part in deer hunting.
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 natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR website at ohiodnr.gov.
A county list of all white-tailed deer harvested during the 2023-24 deer hunting seasons is shown below. The first number following the county’s name shows the harvest numbers for 2023-24, and the three-year average of deer taken from 2020-2022 is in parentheses. A three-year average provides a better overall comparison to this year’s harvest numbers, eliminating year-to-year variation because of weather, misaligned season dates, crop harvest and other unavoidable factors. Numbers below are raw data and subject to change.
Adams: 3,100 (3,088); Allen: 1,479 (1,129); Ashland: 4,074 (3,780); Ashtabula: 5,887 (5,482); Athens: 2,924 (3,352); Auglaize: 1,334 (1,117); Belmont: 3,607 (2,952); Brown: 2,440 (2,581); Butler: 1,254 (1,504); Carroll: 5,038 (4,395); Champaign: 1,575 (1,475); Clark: 870 (816); Clermont: 2,346 (2,593); Clinton: 904 (708); Columbiana: 4,229 (3,685); Coshocton: 7,740 (7,175); Crawford: 1,538 (1,408); Cuyahoga: 912 (938); Darke: 1,066 (933); Defiance: 2,298 (2,011); Delaware: 1,712 (1,669); Erie: 1,015 (964); Fairfield: 2,059 (2,165); Fayette: 449 (353); Franklin: 794 (844); Fulton: 1,078 (932); Gallia: 2,618 (2,697); Geauga: 2,708 (2,294); Greene: 895 (919); Guernsey: 5,220 (4,995); Hamilton: 1,168 (1,370); Hancock: 1,974 (1,658); Hardin: 1,653 (1,472); Harrison: 4,516 (3,648); Henry: 1,009 (937); Highland: 2,883 (2,878); Hocking: 2,573 (2,784); Holmes: 5,324 (4,974); Huron: 2,855 (2,569); Jackson: 2,676 (2,843); Jefferson: 3,065 (2,389); Knox: 5,625 (5,338); Lake: 1,163 (1,025); Lawrence: 1,738 (1,732); Licking: 5,429 (5,420); Logan: 2,319 (2,232); Lorain: 2,629 (2,418); Lucas: 791 (771); Madison: 642 (639); Mahoning: 2,409 (2,071); Marion: 1,060 (994); Medina: 2,721 (2,698); Meigs: 2,964 (3,347); Mercer: 1,137 (962); Miami: 975 (896); Monroe: 2,878 (2,564); Montgomery: 843 (870); Morgan: 3,281 (3,245); Morrow: 2,176 (1,901); Muskingum: 5,789 (5,494); Noble: 3,416 (3,263); Ottawa: 731 (604); Paulding: 1,497 (1,327); Perry: 2,804 (2,767); Pickaway: 954 (738); Pike: 1,778 (1,910); Portage: 2,932 (2,662); Preble: 1,116 (1,088); Putnam: 1,275 (965); Richland: 4,169 (3,889); Ross: 2,749 (3,025); Sandusky: 1,181 (1,097); Scioto: 2,195 (2,228); Seneca: 2,448 (2,137); Shelby: 1,359 (1,183); Stark: 3,627 (3,355); Summit: 1,745 (1,799); Trumbull: 4,703 (4,086); Tuscarawas: 7,023 (6,496); Union: 1,228 (1,122); Van Wert: 798 (649); Vinton: 1,708 (2,176); Warren: 1,065 (1,181); Washington: 3,797 (3,528); Wayne: 2,986 (2,659); Williams: 2,156 (1,954); Wood: 1,225 (1,093); Wyandot: 1,835 (1,816).
2023-24 total: 213,928
3-year average total: 201,890.