EXPANDED DEER HUNTING OPPORTUNITIES PROPOSED FOR 2004-05 SEASON
Three-deer limit proposed for some Ohio counties COLUMBUS, OH -- Ohio deer hunters may have the opportunity to take
an additional deer in some counties this fall, according to the Ohio
Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. The proposed
2004 deer hunting regulations were recently presented to the Ohio Wildlife
Council.
"Deer hunting is by far Ohio's most popular type of hunting and we
know hunters are already looking forward to what should be a great season
this fall," said Steven A. Gray, chief of the ODNR Division of Wildlife.
As proposed, a three-deer limit (Zone C) would return to this year's
regulations, covering 26 southeast and south central counties. The 34
counties of Zone B would have a two-deer limit. Zone A would consist of 28
northwestern and a few northeastern counties, which would have a one-deer
limit.
"The 2004-05 proposals reflect the fact we want hunters to take more
deer in certain areas of the state to help manage the population," said Dave
Risley, wildlife management and research administrator for ODNR's Division
of Wildlife. "The increased bag limits should make for more great deer
hunting opportunities in Ohio."
The extremely popular youth deer-gun season is again proposed for
Saturday, November 20, and Sunday, November 21. Young hunters would be
permitted to bag only one deer of either sex in any county of Ohio. Any deer
taken will be part of the young hunter's total season limit. Each youth
hunter must be accompanied by a non-hunting adult. This adult does not have
to have a hunting license.
The regular deer-gun season will begin on Monday, November 29, the
traditional opening day, and run through Sunday, December 5. The archery
season is proposed for October 2 through January 31, 2005. The statewide
muzzleloader season will open on Monday,
December 27, and run four days through Thursday, December 30. The
special area muzzleloader hunts will be open October 25-30, 2004 at Salt Fork,
Shawnee and Wildcat Hollow for antlered deer only.
Open houses will be held on March 7 in each of the state's five
wildlife districts. These forums will provide public opportunities to view
and discuss proposed hunting and trapping regulations with state wildlife
officials. Directions to the meetings can be obtained by calling
1-800-WILDLIFE.
A statewide hearing on the proposed rules will be held at 9 a.m. on
Thursday, March 11, at the wildlife division's District One office, located
at 1500 Dublin Road in Columbus. After considering public input, the Ohio
Wildlife Council will vote on the proposed rules and season dates during its
April 7 meeting. Proposed bag limits and Deer Hunting Zones would be as follows (those in
bold are changes from last year):
Zone A -- Hunters could take only one deer during the 2004-05 seasons, which
could be a deer of either sex. Twenty-eight counties, including Allen,
Auglaize, Cuyahoga, Darke, Erie, Fulton, Geauga, Hancock, Henry, Lake,
Lorain, Lucas, Medina, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Ottawa, Paulding, Portage,
Preble, Putnam, Sandusky, Shelby, Stark, Summit, Van Wert, Wayne, Wood.
Zone B -- Hunters could take only two deer during the 2004-05 seasons, which
could be a deer of either sex. Thirty-four counties, including: Adams,
Ashland, Ashtabula, Brown, Butler, Carroll, Champaign, Clark, Clermont,
Clinton, Columbiana, Crawford, Defiance, Delaware, Fayette, Franklin,
Greene, Hamilton, Hardin, Highland, Huron, Logan, Madison, Mahoning, Marion,
Morrow, Pickaway, Richland, Seneca, Trumbull, Union, Warren, Williams,
Wyandot.
Zone C -- Hunters could take no more than three deer during the 2004-05
seasons, of which only one could be an antlered deer. Twenty-six counties,
including: Athens, Belmont, Coshocton, Fairfield, Gallia, Guernsey,
Harrison, Hocking, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Knox, Lawrence, Licking,
Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, Pike, Ross, Scioto,
Tuscarawas, Vinton, Washington.
Source: ODNR
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