Summary of. Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife

Transcription

1 Summary of Ohio Deer Seasons Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife OUR MANAGEMENT STRATEGY The goal of Ohio s deer program is to provide a deer population that maximizes recreational opportunity including viewing, photographing, and hunting while minimizing conflicts with agriculture, motor travel, and other areas of human endeavor. This has been the goal of the Ohio Division of Wildlife for nearly 50 years. Farmer attitude surveys are used to establish and update population goals for most counties. We believe these goals represent a reasonable compromise between interests with opposing opinions on appropriate deer population levels. Furthermore, although these goals are based on social values, the resulting populations have never exceeded the biological carrying capacity of the habitat. Deer herd condition data collected annually and through periodic studies confirm this. Our deer management goal ensures that Ohio s deer herd is maintained at a level that is acceptable to most, and biologically sound. Maintaining the deer population at or near goal is accomplished through harvest management. SEASONS, PERMITS, AND BAG LIMITS A valid hunting license (resident = $19, nonresident = $125) and either Special Deer Permit ($24) or Antlerless Permit ($15) are required (landowners are exempt) to hunt deer in Ohio. Hunters could harvest up to 18 deer with a combination of Special Deer and Antlerless Permits during the season (Fig. 1). Hunters were allowed only one antlered deer. Hunters had the opportunity to harvest deer during Ohio s five seasons including: Archery Sep. 29, Feb. 3, 2013, early muzzleloader Oct , gun Nov. 26 Dec. 2, bonus gun Dec , and muzzleloader Jan. 5-8, This year, youth (17 and under) season was the weekend of Nov All seasons were either-sex and with the exception of the early muzzleloader season, all seasons were statewide. The early muzzleloader season was restricted to Shawnee State Forest, Wolf Creek Wildlife Area/Wildcat Hollow, and Salt Fork Wildlife Area. The $15 antlerless permit was available once again this year. Permits were good for an antlerless deer only and were valid statewide during the first nine weeks of the archery season exclusively. Unlike years past, unused antlerless permits could not be used in Zone C during the statewide gun season. However, antlerless permits could be used in any of the five Urban Deer units and during many Division of Wildlife special and controlled hunts, including the early muzzleloader season, provided that the permit was purchased before gun season started. A maximum of 12 deer could be harvested using $15 antlerless permits. HARVEST A total of 218,910 deer were harvested in , 838 fewer deer than last season (Table 1). Figure 2 summarizes total harvest by county with the top five counties highlighted. Coshocton once again led the state in total harvest with 7,353 deer taken. A harvest summary by season for the top five counties is presented in Table 2. A complete harvest summary by county and season is available in Table 3.

2 Hunters harvested 86,963 deer during the traditional statewide gun season, 4% fewer than last year (Table 1). Coshocton, Muskingum, Tuscarawas, Guernsey, and Harrison counties led the state in gun harvest. These counties held the same positions last year as well. The bonus gun harvest was down 16% this year. This follows a 20% decline last year. Hunters harvested 14,365 deer during the two-day mid-december season. The top five bonus gun season counties were Coshocton, Tuscarawas, Muskingum, Licking, and Harrison. Archers reported harvesting 84,643 deer this year, 2% more than last season (Table 1). Archers accounted for nearly 39% of the entire deer harvest. By comparison, just a decade ago the archery harvest accounted for just over 23% of the annual harvest. This year s vertical bow harvest was 37,625 deer, just 125 fewer than last year. Licking archers led the state once again with a vertical bow harvest of 1,428. This is the sixth consecutive year that Licking has held the top spot for vertical bow harvest. As was the case in , Coshocton, Tuscarawas, Muskingum, and Hamilton counties rounded out the list of top five harvest counties. Crossbow hunters harvested 47,018 deer this year, an increase of 5% over last season. Licking led the state again with 1,807 deer, an increase of 4% from last year. Coshocton, Tuscarawas, Ashtabula, and Guernsey rounded out the top five crossbow harvest counties. There were 21,555 deer harvested during the four-day statewide muzzleloader season, an increase of 21% over the harvest (Table 1). This year, Guernsey was the top spot for muzzleloader hunters with a harvest of 821 deer, 34% more than last year. Coshocton, Tuscarawas, Muskingum, and Belmont counties rounded out the top five harvest counties this year. Young hunters took 9,178 deer this year, 4% more than last year. Top spots for youth hunters were Tuscarawas, Coshocton, Muskingum, Licking, and Knox counties (Table 2). PERMITS AND LICENSES The Division of Wildlife issued 588,885 deer permits in license year , 2.5% fewer than last year and the third consecutive year that we ve seen a decrease. Permit sales for were off by nearly 6% from the peak in The decreasing trend is likely due to several factors including fewer deer in many areas of the state, as well as additional restrictions on the use of the $15 antlerless permit. The reported statewide buck harvest of 81,149 is nearly 14% lower than the record antlered buck harvest. Additionally, hunters were restricted to using the $15 antlerless permit during the first nine weeks of the archery season only. In years past, unused tags were valid in Zone C during the statewide gun season. This change undoubtedly contributed to the 22% drop in antlerless permit sales. Youth deer permit sales were up nearly 3% this year, ending a two-year skid (Table 4). DEER DAMAGE COMPLAINTS Because population goals for most of Ohio s rural counties are based on farmer tolerances, the likelihood of widespread agricultural problems should be minimal when deer populations are at goal. However, some localized damage is still likely to occur. In situations where deer need to be killed to reduce property damage, landowners/lessees may be issued Deer Damage Control Permits (DDCP) at the time the damage is occurring. These permits allow landowners/lessees and their agents to kill deer during the dates and under the conditions specified on the permit. For most agricultural problems, these permits will only be valid for the period of January 1 until the start of the archery season. Under limited crop damage circumstances permits may be extended until the start of the youth gun season. In specific circumstances permits may be valid year-round to control damage at orchards, nurseries, inside municipalities, and for safety purposes at airports. Regardless of the situation, DDCPs expire no later than December 31 of the year in which the permit is issued. Except in the case of rub damage to trees, permit holders are strongly encouraged to kill antlerless deer. Permit holders

3 must surrender all antlers to the Division of Wildlife. In 2012, a total of 1,297 crop damage complaints were received by the Division of Wildlife, 7.5% fewer than the previous year (Table 5, Fig. 3). This is the second year in a row that complaints have dropped on a statewide basis. A total of 5,710 deer were killed on damage permits this year, just 31 fewer than last season. HIGHLIGHTS ANTLERLESS HARVEST AND SOUND DEER MANAGEMENT The Division of Wildlife remains committed to providing quality deer now and into the future. To accomplish this, we must harvest an adequate number of does each year to maintain the herd at a level that the habitat is capable of supporting in good to excellent condition. Through a combination of liberal bag limits, reduced cost antlerless permits, and other programmatic changes, including education on the importance of an adequate doe harvest, we have been successful in most regions of the state. Work remains, however. Managing the button buck harvest presents another opportunity to increase the doe harvest with little or no impact at all on opportunity. As a hunter, you are in a position to help, especially if you are an archer. By reducing the proportion of button bucks in the harvest, you re helping to ensure that Ohio s deer program remains a model for the rest of the country. AUTOMATED LICENSE SALES AND GAME CHECK SYSTEM Beginning with the spring turkey season, licensed hunters were no longer required to present their turkey or deer at a check station for permanent tagging. Instead, both deer and turkey could be checked online, over the phone, or at any license vendor. In the case of the latter, the hunter was not required to present the game, simply the standard harvest information along with proper identification. Expectations were high, and for the most part, all were met or exceeded. As expected, 250,000 game check transactions revealed a few issues that no amount of simulations could. Many of these issues were addressed in Aside from the conveniences the new game check system afforded our hunters and the time savings it created for Division of Wildlife staff, our new license and game check system created opportunities to look at data in a manner that previously had been impossible or very difficult at best. These new opportunities will allow us to offer products and licenses and permit packages that best suit our customer s needs. A survey of hunters that had an opportunity to test the new game check system before it went live in 2011 revealed that the majority of hunters believed it would allow us to do a more effective job managing Ohio s deer herd, for two primary reasons. First, they recognized that the time spent collecting forms and distributing check station materials could be better spent managing game populations. Second, they felt that because of the convenience that it offered hunters, that we would get more and better data in a timelier manner. Accurate license and permit data notwithstanding, our new game check system has shed light on a number of issues related to the deer harvest data including the proportion of deer taken on public land, and by landowners and nonresident hunters. These data are summarized in Fig. 4. With nearly 80,000 acres of public land between the Wayne National Forest, Crown City Wildlife Area, and the Dean State Forest, Lawrence once again held the top spot for public land deer harvest in the deer season. Nearly one in three deer taken in Lawrence was harvested on public land. This compares to 10% for the state as a whole. The remaining top five counties included Vinton, Hocking, Hamilton, and Morgan. Hamilton has been conducting a very successful deer management program in a number of their parks and is likely the reason this outlier made the top five list. In addition to the top county for public land harvest, Lawrence was a very productive place for nonresident hunters as well. This is not unexpected, as public hunting

4 lands are popular destinations for nonresident hunters. Statewide, nonresidents accounted for 8% of the harvest. However, in Lawrence, 16% of the deer harvest left the state. Adams, Athens, and Pike counties shared a three-way tie for the top destination for nonresident hunters, with 17% of the reported harvest taken by nonresident hunters. Lawrence and Morgan counties were 4 th and 5 th at 16% and 15%, respectively. Because access to Ohio s limited public land is largely unrestricted, calls to consider managing them differently than private property are not uncommon. As greater pressure is brought to bear on our public lands due to development, leasing, and changing land ownership patterns, complaints about crowding on public lands have grown. Interestingly, trends in type of land hunted over the past decade by Ohio s resident hunters would seem to suggest that a decrease in crowding complaints, rather than an increase, would be more appropriate. As reported in the deer hunter effort and harvest survey, only 5% of Ohio s resident hunters hunted public land exclusively, down from 8% in 2001 (Fig. 5). Those hunting mostly public land was unchanged (5%), while hunters who reported spending half their time afield on public land dropped from 11% to 6%. The greatest shift occurred among that group of hunters that reported spending all of their time on private land. In , just over half of Ohio s resident hunters reported hunting private land exclusively (Fig. 5). Last year, 68% of the hunters reported hunting private land exclusively. Some of the increase was likely due to a drop in the number of hunters that reported hunting mostly private land. In , one in four hunters reported hunting mostly private land. A decade later, that number dropped to 16%! When you consider that there are fewer resident hunters today than in 2001, and that Ohio s resident hunters are spending much less time on public land today as compared to 2001, the increase in crowding complaints, even if anecdotal, seems counter intuitive. Part of the answer may be nonresident hunters. If nonresident deer hunters spend most or all of their time at least initially hunting public land until private land arrangements can be made, it would be logical to expect more pressure on public lands with an increase in nonresident hunters, all else being equal. Since 2001, nonresident license sales have nearly tripled, increasing from 13,670 in to nearly 40,000 this year (Fig. 6). When you consider this increase in light of the fact that the trends in public land hunting cited above are for residents only, the increase in crowding complaints begins to make some sense. While there has been a notable shift among resident hunters from public to private land, the dramatic increase in nonresident hunters and presumably an increase in public land use has more than offset this shift, leaving Ohio s resident public land hunters feeling a bit more crowded. Landowners are not required to purchase a hunting license or deer or turkey permits to hunt on their property. However, by law, successful landowners must complete the game check process. Last year, landowners accounted for 27% of the reported harvest. Landowners would include both absentee as well as individuals residing on the property. Thus, factors such as amount of undeveloped land, proportion of county residents that hunt, and deer numbers are likely to affect the distribution of landowner harvest in the state. In , landowners accounted for 44% of the reported harvest from Meigs. Washington held the second spot at 40%, while Perry, Gallia, and Scioto counties shared a three-way tie for third place at 37%.

5 Season Opening Date Closing Date Archery Season: Open Statewide Sept 29, 2012 Feb 3, 2013 Early Muzzleloader Season: (only at) Wildcat Hollow, Salt Fork Wildlife Area, & Shawnee State Forest Oct 15, 2012 Oct 20, 2012 Youth Gun Season: Open Statewide Nov 17, 2012 Nov 18, 2012 Gun Season: Open Statewide DEER SEASONS & ZONE MAP NO MORE THAN ONE (1) ANTLERED DEER MAY BE TAKEN PER LICENSE YEAR Nov 26, 2012 Dec 2, 2012 Dec 15, 2012 Dec 16, 2012 Muzzleloader Season: Open Statewide Jan 5, 2013 Jan 8, 2013 WHITE-TAILED DEER HUNTING ZONES A Defiance Henry Wood Fulton Williams B Paulding Van Wert Mercer Darke Preble Butler Hamilton Putnam Auglaize BShelby Miami Allen Montgomery Warren Clermont Lucas Hancock Logan Champaign Clark Greene Clinton Brown Hardin A A Ottawa Sandusky Wyandot Union Madison Fayette Highland Adams Seneca Marion Crawford Delaware Franklin Pickaway Ross Pike Scioto Morrow Erie Huron Lorain Ashland Richland Knox Licking Fairfield Hocking Medina Wayne Holmes Muskingum C Vinton Jackson Perry Gallia Cuyahoga B Coshocton Athens Meigs Morgan Summit Stark Tuscarawas Guernsey Noble Washington Lake Geauga Portage Carroll Harrison Ashtabula Trumbull Mahoning Columbiana Belmont Monroe Jefferson Lawrence A A hunter may harvest no more than two (2) deer in Zone A during the season. The antlerless deer permit is NOT valid in Zone A after Nov. 25, B A hunter may harvest no more than four (4) deer in Zone B during the season. The antlerless deer permit is NOT valid in Zone B after Nov. 25, C A hunter may harvest no more than six (6) deer in Zone C during the season. The antlerless deer permit is NOT valid in Zone C after Nov. 25, Figure 1. Ohio s deer zones and permit structure as presented in the Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations, Publication 5085.

6 Williams Defiance Paulding Van Wert Mercer Darke Preble Butler Hamilton Fulton Henry Putnam Auglaize Shelby Miami Montgomery Allen Warren Clermont Lucas Wood Hancock Hardin Logan Champaign Clark Greene Clinton Brown Ottawa Sandusky Seneca Wyandot Union Madison Fayette Highland Adams Marion Pike Crawford Delaware Franklin Pickaway Ross Scioto Morrow Huron Erie Richland Knox Licking Fairfield Jackson Hocking Vinton 2661 Lawrence Lorain Ashland 3124 Perry Gallia Cuyahoga Medina Wayne Holmes Coshocton Muskingum Athens Meigs Morgan Summit 1410 Lake Geauga Portage Stark Tuscarawas Guernsey Washington Noble Carroll Harrison Ashtabula Trumbull Mahoning Columbiana Belmont Monroe Jefferson 4121 Figure 2. Ohio s deer harvest by county, with the top five counties highlighted.

7 Antlered Buck Harvest 2,500 2,000 1,500 1, Deer Damage Complaints Antlered Buck Harvest Number of Deer Damage Complaints Year Figure 3. Statewide trends in deer damage complaints and antlered buck harvest, 2000-present. 100,000 80,000 60,000 40,000 20,000 0

8 Ashtabula Williams Fulton Lucas Ottawa Lake Geauga Defiance Henry Wood Sandusky Erie Lorain Cuyahoga Trumbull Paulding Putnam Hancock Seneca Huron Medina Summit Portage Mahoning Van Wert Allen Mercer Auglaize Shelby Darke Miami Wyandot Crawford Hardin Marion Morrow Logan Union Delaware Champaign Franklin Clark Montgomery Preble Madison Greene Pickaway Fayette Butler Warren Clinton Ross Hamilton 21% Highland Clermont Brown Adams 17% Pike 17% Scioto 37% Ashland Wayne Richland Holmes Knox Coshocton Licking Muskingum Fairfield Jackson 16% Hocking 22% Vinton 23% Lawrence 32% Perry 37% Gallia 37% Athens 17% Meigs 44% Morgan 15% 21% Stark Columbiana Carroll Jefferson Tuscarawas Harrison Guernsey Belmont Noble Monroe Washington 40% Top Five Counties Deer Harvested by Landowners (27%) Deer Harvested by Nonresidents (8%) Deer Harvested on Public Land (10%) Figure 4. Top five Ohio counties for percent (%) of deer harvested on public land, by landowners, and nonresident hunters. Statewide averages for each variable are shown in (parentheses). All values are for the deer season.

9 Table 1. Ohio s buck, doe, and button buck harvest by season. Bucks Does Buttons Total Change (%) Gun Bonus 4,306 5,263 8,210 9,610 1,849 2,299 14,365 17, Regular 1 31,221 31,215 44,937 48,122 10,805 11,491 86,963 90,828-4 Gun Total 35,527 36,478 53,147 57,732 12,654 13, , ,000-6 Archery Crossbow 19,934 19,813 21,826 20,299 5,258 4,867 47,018 44,979 5 Vertical bow 14,840 15,426 19,015 18,709 3,770 3,618 37,625 37,753 0 Archery Total 34,774 35,239 40,841 39,008 9,028 8,485 84,643 82,732 2 Muzzleloader Early Limited Late Statewide 3 5,411 5,198 13,379 11,963 2,765 2,298 21,555 19, Muzzleloader Total 5,537 5,331 13,540 12,140 2,792 2,347 21,869 19, Youth 4,671 4,573 3,306 3,130 1,201 1,164 9,178 8,867 4 Grand Total 81,149 81, , ,191 25,941 25, , , Traditional season for deer of either sex, Nov Dec. 2, Special early muzzleloader season for deer of either sex, Oct , Statewide season for deer of either-sex, Jan. 5-8, 2013.

10 Table 2. Ohio s buck, doe, and button buck harvest by season for the top five counties. Season Buck Doe Button Total Rank Bonus Gun Coshocton Tuscarawas Muskingum Licking Harrison Gun Coshocton Muskingum Tuscarawas Guernsey Harrison Crossbow Licking Coshocton Tuscarawas Ashtabula Guernsey Vertical Bow Licking Coshocton Tuscarawas Muskingum Hamilton Muzzleloader Guernsey Coshocton Tuscarawas Muskingum Belmont Youth Tuscarawas Coshocton Muskingum Licking Knox Total Coshocton Licking Tuscarawas Muskingum Guernsey

11 Table 3. Ohio s buck, doe, and button buck harvest by county season, and year. Season Bucks Does Button bucks Total Harvest Change Adams Bonus Gun Gun , Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , , ,208-3 Allen Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total ,038 7 Ashland Bonus Gun Gun , Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , , ,894 8 Ashtabula Bonus Gun Gun , Crossbow ,191 1 Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , , ,645 6 Athens Bonus Gun Gun , ,064-4 Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , , ,384-1

12 Table 3. Continued. Season Bucks Does Button bucks Total Harvest Change Auglaize Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total Belmont Bonus Gun Gun , , Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , , ,785-2 Brown Bonus Gun Gun , Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , , ,086-6 Butler Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total ,583-6 Carroll Bonus Gun Gun , ,264-9 Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , , ,751 1

13 Table 3. Continued. Season Bucks Does Button bucks Total Harvest Change Champaign Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , Clark Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total Clermont Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , , ,304-5 Clinton Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total ,015-2 Columbiana Bonus Gun Gun ,753-4 Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , , ,843 1

14 Table 3. Continued. Season Bucks Does Button bucks Total Harvest Change Coshocton Bonus Gun Gun , , , Crossbow ,411 3 Vertical Bow ,236-4 Muzzleloader Youth Total , , ,972-8 Crawford Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , Cuyahoga Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total Darke Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total Defiance Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total ,757 8

15 Table 3. Continued. Season Bucks Does Button bucks Total Harvest Change Delaware Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , ,943-3 Erie Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total Fairfield Bonus Gun Gun , Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , , ,741-5 Fayette Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total Franklin Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total

16 Table 3. Continued. Season Bucks Does Button bucks Total Harvest Change Fulton Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total Gallia Bonus Gun Gun , ,847-5 Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , , ,435-2 Geauga Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , , Greene Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total ,073 2 Guernsey Bonus Gun Gun , , Crossbow ,123 2 Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , , ,432-5

17 Table 3. Continued. Season Bucks Does Button bucks Total Harvest Change Hamilton Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow ,003-4 Muzzleloader Youth Total , ,256-4 Hancock Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , Hardin Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , Harrison Bonus Gun Gun , , Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , , ,717-7 Henry Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total

18 Table 3. Continued. Season Bucks Does Button bucks Total Harvest Change Highland Bonus Gun Gun ,437-6 Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , , ,304-2 Hocking Bonus Gun Gun , , Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , , ,348-4 Holmes Bonus Gun Gun , ,022-9 Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , , ,747-4 Huron Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , ,200 4 Jackson Bonus Gun Gun ,516-5 Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , , ,233 6

19 Table 3. Continued. Season Bucks Does Button bucks Total Harvest Change Jefferson Bonus Gun Gun , , Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , , ,119 0 Knox Bonus Gun Gun , , Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , , ,374-2 Lake Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total Lawrence Bonus Gun Gun , Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , , , Licking Bonus Gun Gun , , Crossbow ,738 4 Vertical Bow ,447-1 Muzzleloader Youth Total , , ,276-5

20 Table 3. Continued. Season Bucks Does Button bucks Total Harvest Change Logan Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , ,284-9 Lorain Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , ,424 1 Lucas Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total Madison Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total Mahoning Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total ,890 7

21 Table 3. Continued. Season Bucks Does Button bucks Total Harvest Change Marion Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total Medina Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total ,031-4 Meigs Bonus Gun Gun , , Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , , ,000-5 Mercer Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total Miami Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total

22 Table 3. Continued. Season Bucks Does Button bucks Total Harvest Change Monroe Bonus Gun Gun , , Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , , ,727-7 Montgomery Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total Morgan Bonus Gun Gun ,826-6 Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , , ,513 2 Morrow Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total ,898 1 Muskingum Bonus Gun Gun 978 1, , ,231-9 Crossbow Vertical Bow ,014-2 Muzzleloader Youth Total , , ,631-3

23 Table 3. Continued. Season Bucks Does Button bucks Total Harvest Change Noble Bonus Gun Gun , , Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , , , Ottawa Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total Paulding Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total ,127 5 Perry Bonus Gun Gun , ,838-6 Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , , ,553-3 Pickaway Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total ,049-1

24 Table 3. Continued. Season Bucks Does Button bucks Total Harvest Change Pike Bonus Gun Gun , Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , ,367-5 Portage Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , , Preble Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total Putnam Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total Richland Bonus Gun Gun , Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , , ,038-5

25 Table 3. Continued. Season Bucks Does Button bucks Total Harvest Change Ross Bonus Gun Gun , Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , , ,742-6 Sandusky Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total Scioto Bonus Gun Gun ,227-7 Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , , ,887-3 Seneca Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , Shelby Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total ,009 28

26 Table 3. Continued. Season Bucks Does Button bucks Total Harvest Change Stark Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , , Summit Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total ,494-6 Trumbull Bonus Gun Gun ,170 6 Crossbow ,023-6 Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , , ,310 2 Tuscarawas Bonus Gun Gun , , Crossbow ,246 6 Vertical Bow ,041-3 Muzzleloader Youth Total , , ,953-3 Union Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total

27 Table 3. Continued. Season Bucks Does Button bucks Total Harvest Change VanWert Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total Vinton Bonus Gun Gun ,578 0 Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , , ,177 6 Warren Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total ,634-3 Washington Bonus Gun Gun , ,227-3 Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , , ,223-4 Wayne Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total ,948 7

28 Table 3. Continued. Season Bucks Does Button bucks Total Harvest Change Williams Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total , ,099-1 Wood Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total Wyandot Bonus Gun Gun Crossbow Vertical Bow Muzzleloader Youth Total ,540 6

29 Table 4. Ohio deer permit sales to Year Permit Youth Either-sex Antlerless-only Total , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,885

30 Table 5. Number of deer damage complaints, permits issued, and deer killed, Data Adams Complaints Permits Deer Killed Allen Complaints Permits Deer Killed Ashland Complaints Permits Deer Killed Ashtabula Complaints Permits Deer Killed Athens Complaints Permits Deer Killed Auglaize Complaints Permits Deer Killed Belmont Complaints Permits Deer Killed Brown Complaints Permits Deer Killed Butler Complaints Permits Deer Killed Carroll Complaints Permits Deer Killed Champaign Complaints Permits Deer Killed Clark Complaints Permits Deer Killed Year