Deer Hunting Regulations

WHITE-TAILED DEER HUNTING

SEASON			OPENING DATE			CLOSING DATE		STATEWIDE LIMIT
Archery			Sept. 30, 2023			Feb. 4, 2024		Only one may be antlered. Statewide limit is six deer. Hunters may combine individual county harvests to reach the statewide limit. DSA Counties: Hardin, Marion, and Wyandot.
Youth Gun			Nov. 18, 2023			Nov. 19, 2023
Gun			Nov. 27, 2023 Dec. 16, 2023			Dec. 3, 2023 Dec. 17, 2023
Muzzleloader			Jan. 6, 2024			Jan. 9, 2024
DSA Archery			Sept. 9, 2023			Feb. 4, 2024
DSA Early Gun			Oct. 7, 2023			Oct. 9, 2023

HUNTING HOURS

Hours are 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset.

TAG AND CHECK

A hunter is required to complete the game check process following the harvest of a white-tailed deer.

HUNTING PERMITS

In addition to a valid Ohio hunting license, hunters are required to purchase an either- sex deer permit or a deer management permit to hunt deer in Ohio, unless exempt.

• The either-sex deer permit is valid state- wide from Sept. 30, 2023 to Feb. 4, 2024. In the disease surveillance area, the ei- ther-sex deer permit is valid from Sept. 9, 2023 to Feb. 4, 2024.
• The deer management permit is valid from Sept. 30 to Nov. 26, 2023. In the disease surveillance area, the deer management permit is valid from Sept. 9 to Nov. 26, 2023.

EITHER-SEX DEER PERMIT

The either-sex deer permit may be used to hunt an antlered or antlerless deer. This permit may be used during any of the deer hunting seasons and controlled hunts. This permit may be purchased individually throughout the entire deer season.

Only one antlered deer may be taken during the 2023-24 season. An antlered deer has at least one antler 3 inches or longer in length.

DEER MANAGEMENT PERMIT

Deer management permits may only be used to take antlerless deer. The permits are valid on private land from Sept. 30 to Nov. 26, 2023. In the disease surveillance area, deer management permits are valid from Sept. 9 to Nov. 26, 2023. Deer man- agement permits are not valid on public lands, except Andreoff, Big Island, Killdeer Plains, Lake La Su An, and Wyandot wildlife areas, and authorized controlled hunts.

YOUTH DEER GUN SEASON

• Deer taken by youth hunters during the youth deer gun season count toward the county and statewide bag limits.
• All youths and nonhunting adults must visibly wear the required hunter orange clothing.

HUNTING OTHER GAME DURING DEER FIREARM SEASONS

WATERFOWL

Waterfowl hunters are not required to wear hunter orange clothing and may use any shot size.

COYOTE AND FERAL SWINE

Coyote and feral swine (wild boar) hunters are required to wear hunter orange cloth- ing and may only hunt during legal deer season hours, using hunting implements legal for that deer firearm season, with a hunting license and valid deer permit.

FURBEARERS (EXCEPT COYOTE)

During legal deer season hours, furbearer hunters may only hunt with a shotgun using No. 4 shot size or smaller and are required to wear hunter orange clothing. No such restrictions apply from 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise.

ALL OTHER GAME

Hunters may hunt with a shotgun using No. 4 shot size or smaller and are required to wear hunter orange clothing.

A DEER HUNTER MAY DO THE FOLLOWING:

1. A successful deer hunter may aid or assist another hunter who is hunting deer if the deer permit has been filled in, he or she does not carry any hunting implement commonly used to kill wild animals, and has a valid hunting license. Those persons exempted from having a hunting license and deer permits for deer hunting on their property are re- quired to have a hunting license and deer permit to aid another hunter off of their property or hunt deer off of their property.
2. Take more than one deer per day as long as the harvested animal's information has been recorded on the permit or submitted to game check.
3. Hunt deer over bait, except on public land and in the Disease Surveillance Area.
4. Leave a deer or deer parts with a taxi- dermist, fur buyer, cold storage, locker plant, or meat processing plant as long as the confirmation code is attached to the animal and all of its separate parts. Persons receiving a deer from anoth- er person must keep the confirmation code with the animal and all of its sep- arate parts.
5. Carry a printed or electronic copy of the deer permit.
6. Possess a communication device.
7. Use a leashed dog to recover a wounded deer.
8. Archery hunt during the youth deer gun season, if the archery hunter is not accompanying a hunter participating in the youth deer gun season and is wearing hunter orange.

A DEER HUNTER MAY NOT DO THE FOLLOWING:

1. Hunt with a shotgun or specific straight- walled cartridge rifle loaded with more than three shells in the chamber and magazine combined.
2. Possess a loaded firearm during any of the deer firearms seasons at any time other than 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset. Muzzleloading firearms are considered unloaded when the cap is removed or priming powder is removed from the pan, or when the bat- tery is removed on electronic systems.
3. Use a muzzleloading handgun to hunt deer.
4. Have more than one hunting firearm while hunting deer.
5. Carry a firearm while deer hunting with a longbow or crossbow.
6. Have attached to a longbow or cross- bow any mechanical, electrical, or elec- tronic device capable of projecting a visible beam of light. This does not in- clude a device such as a range finder that utilizes nonvisible light.
7. Use dogs to hunt deer.
8. Possess shotshells containing shot during any deer gun season.
9. Pursue wounded deer or recover dead deer from private property without the written permission of the landowner.
10. Construct, place, or use a perma- nent-type tree stand, or place spikes, nails, wires, or other metal objects into a tree to act as steps or to hold a tree stand on public hunting lands. It is also unlawful to make any of these chang- es to trees on private property without first getting the permission of the land- owner or the landowner’s authorized agent.
11. Check a deer as a landowner if the hunter is a tenant of the property, un- less the tenant is an individual who resides on land for which he or she pays rent and whose annual income is primarily derived from agricultural pro- duction conducted on that land.
12. Submit a game check under the ac- count of anyone other than the hunter who harvested the animal.

LEGAL DEER HUNTING EQUIPMENT

ARCHERY SEASON

Longbow or Bow: The minimum draw weight is 40 pounds. This includes compound bows and recurve bows. The arrow tip needs a minimum of two cutting edges, which may be exposed or unexposed and a minimum 3/4-inch width. Expandable and mechanical broadheads are legal.

Crossbow: The minimum draw weight is 75 pounds. The arrow tip needs a minimum of two cutting edges, which may be exposed or unexposed and a minimum 3/4-inch width. Expandable and mechanical broadheads are legal.

GUN SEASON

Shotgun: 10 gauge or smaller shotgun using one ball or one rifled slug per barrel (rifled shotgun barrels are permitted when using shotgun slug ammunition).

Straight-walled cartridge rifles: All straight-walled cartridge calibers from a minimum of .357 to a maximum of .50 (includes .350 Legend).

Shotguns and straight-walled cartridge rifles can be loaded with no more than three shells in the chamber and magazine combined.

Archery equipment: See Archery Season, above.

Muzzleloading rifle: .38 caliber or larger.

Muzzleloading shotgun: 10 gauge or smaller using one ball per barrel.

Handgun: With a 5-inch minimum length barrel, using straight-walled cartridges .357 caliber or larger. The barrel is measured from the front of the cylinder or chamber to the end of the barrel.

MUZZLELOADER SEASON

Muzzleloading rifle: .38 caliber or larger.

Muzzleloading shotgun: 10 gauge or smaller using one ball per barrel.

Archery equipment: See Archery Season, above.

You can carry only one HUNTING implement while hunting deer.

The Ohio Landowner-Hunter Access Partnership Program

The Ohio Landowner-Hunter Access Partnership Program is a new way for Ohio hunters to get access to private properties. Public access will be granted through an online check-in sys- tem from September 1st to June 1st each year between the hours of 5:30 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. All hunting opportunities, except deer gun hunting and trapping, are permitted.

For more information, visit wildohio.gov

CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE KNOW THE FACTS

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a fatal neurological disease of white-tailed deer. There is no strong evidence that CWD is transmissible to humans. In December 2020, Ohio confirmed its first CWD-positive wild deer in Wyandot County. Since then, 22 additional positive cases have been confirmed.

To monitor the prevalence and imple- ment regulations to slow the spread of the disease, a Disease Surveillance Area (DSA) has been established and includes all of Wyandot, Hardin, and Marion coun- ties. Special rules apply to deer hunting in these counties.

DSA RULES INCLUDE:

• The placement of or use of bait (salt, minerals, or any food) to attract or feed deer within the Disease Surveillance Area (DSA) boundaries is prohibited, as is the hunting of deer by the aid of bait.
• Normal agricultural activities, including feeding domestic animals, as well as hunting deer over food plots, naturally occurring or cultivated plants, and agri- cultural crops are not prohibited in the DSA.

PROTECT OHIO’S DEER HERD

• Properly dispose of a deer carcass. Be sure to double-bag all high-risk parts (brain, spinal cord, eyes, and lymphoid tissues) and dispose of them with your household trash.
• It is illegal to bring high-risk carcass parts into Ohio from anywhere outside the state, or to remove high-risk carcass parts from a disease surveillance area, unless the animal is delivered to a Di- vision of Wildlife certified processor or taxidermist within 24 hours.
• Contact a Division of Wildlife district of- fice or state wildlife officer if you see a deer that appears sick, is acting abnor- mally, or has a visible ear tag.
• The Division of Wildlife has a Disease Surveillance Area (DSA), 2021-01, which includes all of Hardin, Marion, and Wyandot counties.

PRECAUTIONS FOR HUNTERS

A deer infected with CWD typically does not immediately show signs of the disease. As the disease progresses, the animal be- gins to lose body condition and stagger, carry its head and ears lowered, drool ex- cessively, and show little fear of humans. They will eventually lose body condition and appear weak and emaciated.

• Wear rubber gloves when field-dressing and thoroughly wash your hands and instruments after field-dressing and butchering.
• Bone out the meat from your animal and minimize the handling of brain and spinal tissues.
• Do not eat the brain, spinal cord, eyes, spleen, tonsils, and lymph nodes.
• Do not consume meat from any animal that tests positive for CWD.
• Hunters that have successfully harvested a deer may have it tested for CWD at the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Ani- mal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory. Call (614) 728-6220 for more information.

DISEASE SURVEILLANCE AREA (DSA) COUNTIES: HARDIN, WYANDOT, AND MARION

SEASON	OPENING DATE	CLOSING DATE
DSA Archery	Sept. 9, 2023	Feb. 4, 2024
DSA Early Gun	Oct. 7, 2023	Oct. 9, 2023

MANDATORY SAMPLING FOR DEER HARVESTED WITHIN THE DISEASE SURVEILLANCE AREA (DSA)

Mandatory sampling is required for ALL deer harvested Oct. 7-9, Nov. 4-5, and 11-12 as well as the entire seven-day gun season. Staffed sampling locations will ONLY be available during the seven-day gun season and ONLY at the addresses below.

Hunters can utilize self-serve kiosks to drop their deer off for testing throughout the deer season. Participation is voluntary outside of the 14 mandatory days noted above. Kiosk locations and dates of operation are available at wildohio.gov and in- structions for sample submission will be provided at the kiosk.

BIG ISLAND Wildlife Area Headquarters 5389 Larue-Prospect Rd West, New Bloomington, OH 43341

RURAL KING 233 American Blvd, Marion, OH 43302

KILLDEER PLAINS Wildlife Area Headquarters 19100 CH 115, Harpster, OH 43323

HARDIN COUNTY Fairgrounds 14134 County Road 140, Kenton, OH 43326

WYANDOT COUNTY Fairgrounds 10171 OH 53, Upper Sandusky, OH 43351

MCGUFFEY Conservation Club 6950 Township Road 55, Ada, OH 45810

DEER CARCASS REGULATIONS

To minimize risk of spreading CWD, pos- sessing high-risk carcass parts from Cervids (deer, moose, elk, and caribou) harvested anywhere outside of Ohio or removed from a disease surveillance area is prohibited.

Only the following parts may be pos- sessed from any Cervid imported from anywhere outside of Ohio or removed from a disease surveillance area: de- boned meat; meat that is cut and securely wrapped either commercially or privately with no part of the spinal column or head attached; quarters or other portions of meat with no part of the spinal column or head attached; antlers; antlers attached to a skull cap from which all soft tissue has been removed; upper canine teeth from which all soft tissue has been removed; hides and capes without any part of the head or lymph nodes attached; finished taxidermy mounts; and soft body tissue wrapped and packaged for use by a diag- nostic research laboratory.

Out of state hunters traveling through Ohio may possess any Cervidae carcass (or part of a carcass), provided the carcass or parts are not off-loaded from the vehicle.

Hunters returning to Ohio with a com- plete cervidae carcass or parts NOT on the list above, as well as hunters who wish to move a complete carcass or parts NOT on the list above, out of Disease Surveillance Areas, may do so provided that they pres- ent the complete carcass or parts not listed above to a certified taxidermist or proces- sor within 24 hours of entering the state or leaving a Disease Surveillance Area.

EPIZOOTIC HEMORRHAGIC DISEASE (EHD) IN DEER

The Division of Wildlife is seeking re- ports of sick or dead deer to help track potential disease outbreaks. If you ob- serve a deer that is behaving abnor- mally, call your county wildlife officer or 1-800-WILDLIFE (1-800-945-3543).

Common symptoms of EHD include dis- orientation, fever, pronounced swelling of the head, neck, tongue, and eyelids, and respiratory disease. EHD-positive deer are often found dead near a water source. EHD updates can be found by scanning the QR code.

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