Columbiana Co. in top 10 counties for deer harvested on opening day
Ohio gun deer hunting season is only in its second day but hunters are already taking advantage of the time.
Hunters across Ohio checked a total of 17,193 deer on opening day.
That seems like a pretty big number but it's actually down more than 4,000 compared to last year when hunters checked 21,754.
Columbiana ranked in the top 10 for deer harvested on opening day with 397. The county that checked the most deer was Coshocton with 591.
"It's great to see thousands of hunters taking part during this year's deer gun season," said Division of Wildlife Chief Kendra Wecker. "The Ohio deer harvest provides food for thousands of people and venison is a staple for many families. The average adult deer harvested in Ohio provides about 60 pounds of meat that hunters can take home to their families."
Hunting has grown in Ohio in the last 50 years.
The 1972 deer season saw hunters harvest only 5,074 deer.
Hunters have already checked 109,848 deer so far in the 2022-2023 season.