Ohio’s deer-gun season opens Nov. 27, and is preceded by the annual youth white-tailed deer hunting season Nov. 18-19 that gives young hunters the opportunity to pursue the state’s most popular big game animal.
During the deer-gun seasons, deer can be hunted with a shotgun, a muzzleloader .38 caliber or larger, a handgun .357 caliber or larger, straight-walled cartridge rifles .357 to .50 caliber, or bows from Nov. 27 to Dec. 3, and Dec. 16-17. Only either-sex permits may be used after Nov. 26, unless hunting in an Division of Wildlife authorized controlled hunt.
Deer hunting rules can be found in the 2017-2018 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations, available where licenses are sold or online.
Deer bag limits are determined by county, and a hunter cannot exceed a county bag limit. The statewide bag limit is six deer. Hunters may harvest only one buck in Ohio, regardless of method of take or location. All deer seasons are 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset.
Hunters and others who have questions about hunting can contact the Division of Wildlife toll-free at (800)945-3543. Special call center hours include are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 18, Nov. 25, and Nov. 27 to Dec. 1. The hotline will be closed Thanksgiving Day.
To help enforce state wildlife laws by reporting violations, call anonymously the Turn-In-a-Poacher (TIP) hotline at (800)762-2437. The hotline is open for calls 365 days a year, 24 hours a day.
Portions of Holmes and Wayne counties retain their designation as Disease Surveillance Area (DSA) 2015-01 again this year as part of the state’s ongoing Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) surveillance efforts.
Hunters harvesting deer within DSA 2015-01 are required to bring their deer head or the entire deer to a carcass inspection station for disease testing. Stations are located at the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) garage, 1800 South Washington Street, Millersburg, 44654, and Industrial Park, 8254 County Road 245, Holmesville.
Carcass Inspection Stations will be open and staffed from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Nov. 27-Dec. 3, Dec. 16-17 and Jan. 6-9, 2018, for the seven-day gun, two-day gun and muzzleloader seasons.
For more information about rules regarding hunting in the Disease Surveillance Area, CWD or statewide hunting regulations, visit here.
Ohio hunters should be aware that other states may have regulations or restrictions on the importation of deer carcasses from Ohio.