It's deer time

Like most of us, Ohio's Wildlife Officers spent a little extra time with their families this week, enjoyed a Thanksgiving meal, and likely trying to sneak in a little hunting time. They knew that they'd soon be involved in one of their busier weeks of the year. The Ohio deer gun season opens Monday, Dec. 1 and will run through Sunday, Dec. 7. After a brief hiatus, an additional weekend, Dec. 20-21, will conclude this year's statewide gun season. The deer population; which will never satisfy either hunters or farmers albeit for different reasons, has been heralded as one of the healthiest in the nation. Unfortunately, EHD (Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease) has put a damper on a few counties. The fatal infection prompted the Ohio Wildlife Council to approve a reduction in the permitted deer harvest. They are: Athens, Meigs and Washington counties: 1-deer. Hocking, Jackson, Morgan and Vinton counties: 2-deer. Fairfield, Gallia, Monroe, Muskingum, Noble and Perry counties: 3-deer. CWD (Chronic Wasting Disease) has also impacted deer management in Allen, Crawford, Delaware, Hancock, Hardin, Morrow, and Wyandot counties. These maladies are of concern, but the overall herd health remains excellent, offering many fine bucks and healthy does across the state. The casual observer may perceive that Ohio gun hunter's numbers are down. To some degree, this may prove correct – but not necessarily because they aren't hunting. The popularity of bow and crossbow hunting has grown substantially across the Midwest, and Ohio is no exception. The generous statewide archery season, which doesn't end till Feb. 1, allows for an extended and less urgent opportunity for hunters to take the field and fill their freezer with venison while the late muzzleloader season (Jan. 3 – 6) furnishes hunters with those specialty arms a chance. The increase in bow hunting has led to improved accessibility to private land along with unhurried and un-harried hunts resulting in more game tags being filled earlier. Even those that don't bag their deer still display an "I've still got time" attitude. That has caused the deer gun season to evolve into something that is less hectic compared to those faced by officers of the past. While still undoubtedly very busy, officers are able to catch their breath between calls and not be required to eat on the fly. Their most typical issues will be dealing with hunters who fail to get permission to enter a landowner's property, those neglecting to tag or check deer, use of illegal firearms, failure to wear hunter orange clothing, and having loaded firearms before or after legal hunting hours. Additionally, officers will be involved with investigating illegal jacklighting; the nighttime use of spotlights or headlights to kill deer, stopping by deer processors and answering public inquiries – but there's one job they don't want. One of the most daunting tasks that the officers can find themselves embroiled is an incident in which someone is injured. While hunting is one of the safest pastimes in which a person can participate, occasionally a mishap can occur. Just as your sheriff, police and state patrol officers are prepared to handle serious traffic crashes, Ohio's Wildlife Officers are prepared for these situations. Hunter injury incidents are rare and usually involve carelessness, illegal activity, disregard of normal safety precautions or a combination of any or all of these areas. It's worth noting that most of these incidents occur within the injured individual's hunting party. While it's likely a wildlife officer will be one of the first on the scene, wildlife investigators (the Division of Wildlife's detectives) and supervisory staff will quickly make their way to the area. You can also expect the local Sheriffs' department to be on hand. Officers arriving on such a scene won't be there to chat about how the season's faring; they're there to root out the causative factors and gather evidence, including evaluating and mapping the terrain, running ballistic calculations, interviewing witnesses, collecting evidence, eventual lab testing of guns, ammunition and blood while creating a running documentation and photo journal of their work. Depending upon the circumstance and seriousness of any injury; hospital visits, search warrants, visits to prosecuting attorney's offices and arrest warrants could reasonably follow. Thankfully, they're not commonplace and hunting remains one of the safest outdoor sports. Mandated hunter education and proper mentorship have reduced the chance of these issues. Ohio's deer-gun season has spanned generations of sportsmen and women and is a time when many friends and families gather to celebrate the hunt. Here are some helpful information that you may find handy. Wildlife Hotline: Hunters can contact the Division of Wildlife toll-free hotline at 800-WILDLIFE (945-3543) with questions about hunting. In addition to normal business hours, the call center will have extended hours during the deer-gun season. Poacher Hotline: Help protect Ohio's wildlife resources. Report any violations to the division's Turn-In-a-Poacher (TIP) hotline by calling or texting 800-POACHER (762-2437). All reports remain anonymous and tipsters may be eligible for a cash reward. Give the Gift of a Meal: You can use the deer season to provide meals to those less fortunate. Read more below in Along the Way! "When some of my friends have asked me anxiously about their boys, whether they should let them hunt, I have answered yes-- remembering that it was one of the best parts of my education-- make them hunters." – Henry David Thoreau Along the Way In October 2025, the Division of Wildlife implemented a deer donation program as a dual benefit strategy for managing Ohio's white tailed deer populations while addressing food insecurity by transforming overabundant deer into a protein source. This program will leverage hunter harvests as a conservation tool and community resource with each deer potentially providing up to 160 meals. Donated deer will be processed through a partnership with the Ohio Penal Industries (OPI) at the Pickaway Correctional Institution. This partnership offers an additional societal benefit by providing vocational training in meat butchery, equipping workers with marketable skills for re-entry. The processed ground venison will be packaged and distributed through Ohio's network of food banks and back into the communities near donation sites. For the first year, the Division of Wildlife is treating the program as a pilot and implementing donation sites in Districts One and Two as well as within the Disease Surveillance Areas (DSA). The division hopes to grow the program and expand donation sites statewide in the future. All deer collected within a DSA are tested for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), and positive results will not be utilized for the program. To participate, drop off your harvest at one of the locations below from 8am to 8pm. Division of Wildlife staff will be present to assist you. There is no fee to donate to this program. Dec. 1 & 2: • Delaware Shooting Range, 1110 OH-229, Ashley, OH 43003 • Big Island Wildlife Area, 5389 Larue-Prospect Rd W, New Bloomington, OH 43341 • Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area, 19100 Co Hwy 115, Harpster, OH 43323 Dec. 6 & 7: • Hebron Fish Hatchery, 10517 Canal Road SE, Hebron, OH 43025 • Knox County Sherriff Office, 11540 Upper Gilchrist Rd, Mt Vernon, OH 43050 • Delaware Shooting Range, 1110 OH-229, Ashley, OH 43003 • Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area, 19100 Co Hwy 115, Harpster, OH 43323 The division does offer these reminders about the program: Hunters are still required to purchase an either-sex ($31.20) or a deer management permit ($15). The deer must be properly tagged and game checked before donating the deer. Have your confirmation number with you when dropping off your deer a deer. Deer checked as landowner harvests can also be donated. Staff will be present at the donation locations to assist you. Processing fees will be covered by the Ohio Division of Wildlife.Deer will be processed at the Pickaway Correctional Institute (PCI) by trained processors. The venison will be donated to local food pantries. Donated deer still counts towards the hunter's bag limit. The statewide deer limit is six, and only one may be antlered. Hunters may combine individual county harvests to reach the statewide limit. Harvests within a county cannot exceed the county bag limit.Due to food safety reasons, venison that has already been processed cannot be accepted. Outside of the above dates, harvested deer can be donated through the Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry (FHFH) program at no cost (except licenses and permits) at any time during the season. For more information and to find a cooperating processor, visit feedingthehungry.org/. Step Outside • Dec. 1-2: All Deer taken in Disease Surveillance Areas (DSA) on Dec. 1-2 are required to be tested for CWD. Staffed sampling locations will be available during these mandatory days. Big Island Wildlife Area HQ 5389 Larue-Prospect Rd West, New Bloomington, OH 43341 Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area HQ 19100 CH 115, Harpster, OH 43323 Hardin County Fairgrounds 14134 County Rd. 140, Kenton, OH 43326 Hog Creek Game Club 11851 Stemple Rd., Ada, OH 45810 Rural King 233 American Blvd., Marion, OH 43302 Wyandot County Fairgrounds 10171 OH 53, Upper Sandusky, OH 43351 The DSA includes: All of Hardin, Marion, and Wyandot countiesAllen County: Auglaize, Bath, Jackson, Monroe, Perry, and Richland townshipsCrawford County: Bucyrus, Dallas, and Tod townshipsDelaware County: Marlboro, Oxford, and Troy townshipsHancock County: Delaware and Madison townshipsMorrow County: Westfield TownshipUnion County: Claibourne and Jackson townships Hunters use the self-serve kiosks to drop off their deer head for testing throughout the deer season. Participation is voluntary outside of the mandatory days. Kiosk locations, instructions, and dates of operation are available at wildohio.gov. • Dec. 1-7: Ohio Statewide Deer Gun Season. • Dec. 7: Trap Shoot, 1 p.m. Mount Blanchard Gun Club, 21655 Delaware Township 186. • Dec. 7: Primitive Blackpowder Muzzle Loader Shoot, round ball only, 1 p.m. Black Swamp Muzzle Loaders Club, 8831 Township Rd. 19, McComb. Public welcome. Contact: roadkill4u@hotmail.com • Dec. 14: Ham Shoot. Includes 10-bird shoots, still shoots, protections, and Annie Oakley's. Shooting begins at noon. Mount Blanchard Gun Club, 21655 Delaware Township 186. Public welcome. Questions: Bob Yoder, 419-273-5057. • Dec. 20-21: Ohio Statewide Deer Gun Season. Abrams is a retired wildlife officer supervisor for the state Division of Wildlife in Findlay. He can be reached at P.O. Box 413, Mount Blanchard, OH 45867-0413 or via e-mail at jimsfieldnotes@aol.com.