Ohio Deer Population: About 680,000 deer in 2021 and 2020. 670,000 in 2019, 660,000 in 2018, and 670,000 deer in 2017.  Nearly stable to modestly increasing in 2018 to 2021.  An estimated 660,000 deer in 2015, up from about 640,000 in 2014.  Hunting data indicates little change in 2016, a modest increase in 2017, down in 2018, but higher in 20..19 and 2020.  The state had been trying to slowly increase the population into 2020 and decrease in 2021.  Estimated at about 725,000 prior to the hunting season in 2013 and 2012.  A recent peak population of about 750,000 to 800,000 deer in 2006 and early 2000s.  


Ohio Deer News

Mill Creek, The deer divide at Mill Creek MetroParks March 3, 2024 Ohio, The Vindicator

... “I have never witnessed more than three or four deer at a time, and I’ve walked my dogs often both north and south.” [ veterinarian Donald Allen] ... instead of focusing on the golf courses, “Return that land to nature and stop poisoning the soil to create pristine grass. Stop killing the beavers, river otters, deer, Canada geese and other creatures in the park...


Ohio's 2024-25 hunting seasons proposed to Wildlife Council February 15, 2024 The Highland County Press

... Bag limit increases from two to three deer were proposed in six counties: Butler, Clinton, Fayette, Greene, Madison and Pickaway. Deer bag limit increases are designed to slow herd growth and increase hunting opportunities. A proposed bag limit map is available at wildohio.gov...


Ohio Police Officers Work Together to Save Deer Tangled in Outdoor Hammock February 9, 2024 People on MSN

... Ohio's New Philadelphia Police Department shared a video to their Facebook page of ... working together to help a deer free its antlers from a hammock made of thick ropes....


Mill Creek, Group wants park board recalled over deer culling February 6, 2024 Ohio, WKBN.com

... “We had deer with arrows stuck in their shoulders and their being walking around people’s homes, around the golf course. We have hunters walking through people’s backyards,” said Chris Flak, with the Save the Deer group.

     Youtube Video:  "Save or Mill Creek Park Deer" group back in court.  - February 5, 2024


213,928 deer checked during Ohio’s hunting season makes it busiest in 11 years; Use of bows on the rise February 6, 2024 Ohio, Cleveland.com on MSN

... For the first time, the number of deer taken by bow exceeeded 100,000 ... The number of does killed totaled 99,584, followed by antlered bucks at 92.051, button bucks, which are male fawns, at 18,973, and bucks with shed antlers or antlers less than three inches at 3,320...


South Euclid, How have sharpshooters and deer sterilization reduced car accidents in South Euclid? February 2, 2024 Ohio, Cleveland.com

... While it is cheaper to shoot deer ($200-$400 per deer) than it is to sterilize them (between $500 to $1,500), there are some good reasons for using both programs. For one, some people enjoy seeing deer around their neighborhood and do not like the idea of people shooting them, Mays said. It’s also not practical or safe to always shoot deer ...  In the three years South Euclid ...traffic accidents involving deer in the city have decreased 60%   ...


Clifton, Doe, A Deer, A (Sterilized) Female Deer February 2, 2024 Ohio, Interlochen Public Radio

... They sterilized deer number 96 while I was there. And Clifton’s deer population has gone down by about 40 percent, which they consider a success.  Plus, the whole thing costs a lot less now, partially because there’s only a handful of does to target each year...


Mill Creek, Low flying plane conducting another deer survey in Mill Creek MetroParks January 23, 2024 Ohio, WFMJ.com

... The company uses infrared technology that captures 15 frames per second. Then, deer are tracked manually, meaning no AI is involved in counting the deer. The accuracy is about 85%, the most accurate out of all other forms of population tracking. Holthouse ensures the count is fairly accurate...


CWD, Area holding fatal deer disorder in Ohio has been expanding January 21, 2024 Ohio, Yahoo! Sports

... Infected deer in Ohio were first identified in 2014 at a fenced facility. Two additional outbreaks occurred later among captive deer, although no leakage was detected into the local wild population... CWD showed up in a mature wild buck in late 2020 not far from Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area in Wyandot County. A doe taken from the same general area in January 2021 also proved infected... 16 new positives in 2023..,


Wild animals used to call Ohio home January 10, 2024 Sentinel Tribune

...  Prior to English settlement Ohio had 24 million acres of forest. With the rapid loss of forests and uncontrolled hunting, wild turkey and white-tailed deer in the year 1909 were declared extinct in the State of Ohio ...  Ohio’s white-tailed deer herd is approaching the three quarter of a million mark..,


Court to rule whether potentially record-setting Ohio deer antlers were taken illegally January 7, 2024 Ohio, Columbus Dispatch

... Alexander speculated before the legal problems that the rack might fetch $100,000 or more ...the deer had been known for a number of years in Wilmington and often frequented a cemetery ...


North Olmsted marksmen prepare for deer culling in wooded areas January 3, 2024 Ohio, Yahoo News

... The city has been culling deer in the same manner since at least 2016 ... Some residents are concerned about the proximity of the shooting to homes ...  I want deer in our back yard. We used to see one a day...


Ohio hunters kill fewer deer this year during 2023 gun season December 5, 2023 Ohio, Columbus Dispatch

... hunters harvested 70,118 deer − down from 71,931 deer killed last year during the seven-day season.  The state's three-year average for deer killed during the seven-day gun season is 71,322..,


Hunting with guns started Saturday in MetroParks; deer-density debate continues December 5, 2023 Ohio, The Vindicator

...Derico [ natural resources manager for the Mill Creek MetroParks] said the most recent survey method employed in the MetroParks was in July when trail cameras were used. The results were an estimated deer density of 125 deer per square mile.  In the spring, MetroParks officials said using aerial, nighttime thermal imaging technology indicated that the number of deer in the MetroParks was 387 per square mile...


Chronic wasting disease confirmed in a deer killed in Allen County December 1, 2023 Ohio, hometownstations

... One deer killed in Jackson Township in Allen County was confirmed to have the fatal disease ..,


CWD testing continues in Ohio surveillance area November 29, 2023 Farm and Dairy

... The Division of Wildlife confirmed that six deer in the disease surveillance area have tested positive for CWD since the summer of 2023, including one in Hardin County, the county’s first. Since the fall of 2020, 28 wild deer have tested positive ..,


Ohio's Weeklong Deer Gun Hunting Season is Under Way November 28, 2023 WCSM Radio

... Ohio hunters checked 19,359 white-tailed deer during the opening day of gun hunting season ...  In 2022, hunters took 17,197 deer on opening day ... Residents and nonresidents have purchased a combined 349,313 deer permits this year..,

Ohio's gun hunt season could be exceptional due to 'no shortage of deer' November 26, 2023 The Columbus Dispatch

...  Under better than average weather conditions,” Tonkovich said, “that being slight snow and cold, I would expect a gun season harvest like we have not seen in years.” ... a late start to the archery season, fewer hunters, dwindling access to hunting terrain and a bias toward taking antlered whitetails..,


Mill Creek, Judge upholds decision to deny stopping controlled deer hunt November 20, 2023 Ohio, WKBN Youngstown

... Mahoning County Common Pleas Judge Anthony Donofrio upheld a magistrate’s decision to deny a preliminary injunction that would have stopped the controlled hunting of deer within Mill Creek MetroParks. The hunt will continue for now...


Ohio deer gun hunting season to begin November 20, 2023 Ohio, WDTN

... Bag limits have changed in seven counties with limits increasing to three deer in Belmont, Gallia, Geauga, Harrison, Jefferson and Monroe counties and decreasing to two in Butler County.  As in the past, only one antlered deer may be harvested regardless of where or how it is taken..,


Fish and Wildlife Recreation Contributes Billions to Ohio's Economy November 20, 2023  Scioto Post

... Hunters generated $1.9 billion in spending last year and supported 12,000 jobs. Each of the state’s 500,000 hunters spent an average of $3,500. Approximately 5% of Ohioans older than 18 hunt. White-tailed deer were the most popular game species, with 91% of hunters taking part. Firearms were used by 83% of hunters, a bow by 72%, and many used both...


AAA reminds drivers to stay alert as Ohio reaches peak season for deer crashes November 13, 2023 Ohio, WFMJ.com

... statistics from OSP show that since 2018, there were 104,328 deer-related crashes in Ohio... 47% of those crashes occurred between the months of October and December each year...


Local company uses drones to help hunters recover deer November 9, 2023 Ohio, WKBN Youngstown

...  Deer Drone Recovery is an eye in the sky, helping hunters. It is illegal for hunters to use this for a deer hunt. The service is only to aid in recovery... It has thermal imaging, plus a 200-time zoom on its camera...


Medina, Voters approve bow hunting within Medina city limits November 8, 2023 Ohio, FOX 8 News

... In Tuesday’s election, 5,552 residents (58%) voted in favor of the ordinance and 4,006 residents (42%) voted against it ... the ordinance 


Mill Creek, Arguments resume in lawsuit aimed at stopping deer harvest November 7, 2023 Ohio, The Vindicator

... the plaintiffs are not challenging ODNR’s authority to carry out the deer reduction program; it is challenging the park district’s authority.  It states that the magistrate’s ruling cites “deer cases” such as one involving the Cleveland Metropark in her decision, but that case involves the ODNR’s authority to authorize a deer reduction program, not a park district’s authority...

   Mill Creek , Verbal attacks on Malloy a new low November 5, 2023 Ohio, The Vindicator

... he is a well-known hunter ... Hunting is supposed to be a challenge, not walk into a zoo, put food down and start shooting. That is exactly what Mill Creek’s Aaron Young and Nick Derico are having hunters do...


Arrows. Bloody sidewalk. Worthington deer poaching incident prompts Ohio investigation November 4, 2023 Ohio, AOL

... Facebook post with pictures, an apparent case of suburban deer poaching along a quiet Worthington street.  ... No Columbus suburbs allow hunting within their city limits. Gahanna ended a controlled hunting policy in 2019 following an incident where an animal was shot but not immediately killed in front of a crowd of people...


Survey shows good acorn production in 2023 November 1, 2023 Ohio,  Farm and Dairy

... The 2023 survey of acorn abundance on select Ohio wildlife areas shows an average of 40% of white oaks and 54% of red oaks bore fruit, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife. The long-term average for white oak production is 37%, and 54% for red oaks... acorn abundance has been linked to body condition, winter survival and reproductive success ..,


Shaker Heights council votes to continue deer culling partnership with Beachwood October 24, 2023 Ohio, Cleveland.com

...The cities of Beachwood and Shaker Heights will enter into their second year of a joint deer sharpshooting program, with an initial permit that will allow for up to 70 deer to be culled in total. But the cost has increased by $30,000 to $140,000 for this season... [at lest $2,000 per deer]


Mill Creek, Deer hunt protesters vocal at meeting October 17, 2023 Ohio, The Vindicator

... Citizens filled McMahon Hall at the MetroParks Farm in Canfield, and when the time came to speak, they overwhelmingly voiced their continued opposition to the deer hunt the board recently sanctioned...


Fall is the peak time of year for deer collisions, according to AAA October 16, 2023 Ohio, mahoningmatters

... The Ohio State Highway Patrol found that 47% of deer-related crashes occurred during the months of October, November and December... Since 2017, there have been 101,912 deer-related crashes in Ohio ...


Medina’s deer abatement program awaits results of Nov. 7 referendum October 16, 2023 Ohio, Cleveland.com

... The city ordinance would allow bow hunting to help control the deer population. But that did not sit well with some residents, who put a referendum in motion with the theme of “Say No to the Bow.” They collected enough referendum petition signatures to take the matter to the ballot...


Cincinnati, Deer hunters in Cincinnati parks: Family ‘horrified,’ but city says program a ‘model’ October 12, 2023 Ohio, Yahoo

... A couple and their 2-year-old daughter visiting Ault Park got an unwelcome surprise while walking a trail last weekend: Two hunters dragging out a deer they’d killed with bow and arrow...


Ohio Republicans propose hunting, fishing ballot issue for November 2024 election October 10, 2023 Cleveland.com

... Republican lawmakers are targeting the November 2024 election for a proposed new ballot issue that would guarantee the right to hunt and fish in the state constitution ...


Elk may one day return to Mid-Ohio Valley October 7, 2023 Ohio, Marietta Times

...The last of the native eastern elk was shot around 1840 in Ashtabula County. Even white-tail deer were gone from Ohio by 1904. The deer were reintroduced in 1936 in Scioto County, they now thrive all over the state, including in and around Marietta.  Now, 180 years after they left, the elk may be making their way back here as well...


Opening week sees hunters aiming for buck records October 7, 2023 Ohio, Star Beacon

... With a population of just over 800,000 deer, Ohio boasts a thriving deer population ... Ohio also offers hunters access to more than two million acres of state game land ...


Beachwood awaits Shaker Heights’ council approval to continue deer culling program October 2, 2023 Ohio, Cleveland.com

... two cities plan to cull a total of 70 deer -- the same number as last year. A year ago, Beachwood and Shaker Heights each paid $60,000 for the service; this year, they will pay $70,000 apiece... ($2,000 per deer)  If 30 more are culled, it would cost each city an additional $30,000...


Mill Creek MetroParks deer hunt is approved by court; here is what you need to know September 29, 2023 Ohio

WFMJ.com

... The ruling stated that the plaintiffs in the case showed no proof to counter the claims made by the park or the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, siting that the park is using a similar culling plan for deer to Cleveland Metroparks...


Video Below:  Ruling allows Mill Creek MetroParks deer hunt to go on as planned. - September 29, 2023 Ohio

MetroParks to defend deer-reduction plan September 27, 2023 Ohio, The Vindicator

... The arguments the plaintiffs made for stopping the program were ruled against in a 2000 Cuyahoga County lawsuit filed by a group called In Defense of Deer against the Cleveland MetroParks, the filing states...


Boardman trustees send letter to Mill Creek Park over deer hunt concerns September 26, 2023 Ohio, WKBN 27 First News

... Among the concerns in the letter were the accuracy of the deer count, stray bullets and arrows, hunters on private property, other humane methods and allowing young hunters to participate...


Ohio's problem: Too too many deer, but not enough hunting September 24, 2023 The Columbus Dispatch

... About 40% of Ohio’s resident hunters took a deer last year, though the success rate was only about 16% for hunters on public land.  Meanwhile, hunter selectivity – bucks being more valued as a target than does − is making population control difficult... “It’s likely we’ll see a harvest about 5- to 10-percent higher than last year,” said Mike Tonkovich ..,


Deer archery season about to begin in Ohio September 14, 2023 Ohio, Galion Inquirer

... Since the fall of 2020, 23 wild deer in Ohio have tested positive for CWD, all in Marion and Wyandot counties. A disease surveillance area was established in Hardin, Marion, and Wyandot counties in 2021 and remains in effect. CWD is a fatal neurological disease that affects deer and other similar species, including mule deer, elk, and moose ..,


Medina residents will vote on whether to allow bow hunting to cull deer September 12, 2023 Ohio, cleveland.com

... the referendum that will be on the ballot in November.  A yes vote will be in favor of adopting the ordinance that council passed and adopting the culling program. A no vote will reject the ordinance...


Mill Creek, Four property owners file lawsuit trying to stop MetroParks deer reduction plan September 7, 2023 Vindy.com

... The lawsuit ... Because of the method used, the park district “does not possess an actual or verifiable deer count” and “utilized this flawed count to justify its approval of a plan to significantly reduce the population of white tail deer” “through slaughter ..."


Early Ohio deer hunt start planned to slow spread of deadly chronic wasting disease September 3, 2023 Ohio, The Columbus Dispatch

... The reason for the early start in Wyandot, Marion and Hardin counties is CWD, chronic wasting disease ... Discovered in Ohio’s wild deer population toward the end of the 2020-21 deer season when two whitetails taken near Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area in Wyandot County tested positive, the number of confirmed cases has grown to 22...


Latest Covid Twist: Coronavirus Is Spreading In Deer, Study Finds—And Many Are Getting It From Humans August 28, 2023 Ohio, Forbes

... a study published Monday in the journal Nature Communications ... Scientists collected 1,522 nasal swabs from free-ranging deer in 83 of Ohio’s 88 counties between November 2021 and March 2022, tested those swabs and found more than 10% of the samples were infected with coronavirus, according to the study...


Residents urge protection of Mill Creek deer August 15, 2023 Ohio, The Vindicator

... The justification for killing the animals is based on inaccurate information, said Bernard, ...In denouncing the proposed hunt, Vanauker added that contraception programs to limit the deer population in Ohio are legal, and that one each is taking place near Cleveland and Cincinnati... Others suggested that building fencing and implementing greater habitat restoration efforts ...


Video Below:  'Stop the hunt': Mill Creek deer hunt may soon become lawsuit, lawyer says.  Meeting to save the deer in Mill Creek MetroParks talks lawsuit over hunting, culling.  August 2, 2023 Ohio

 SARS-CoV-2 Serological Investigation of White-Tailed Deer in Northeastern Ohio  PA Boley, PM Dennis, JN Faraone, J Xu, M Liu, X Niu… - Viruses, 2023

... We used the S antibody ELISA to test serum samples collected from 472 deer from ten sites in northeastern Ohio between November 2020 and March 2021, when the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was first peaking in humans in Ohio, USA. Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 were found in serum samples from every site, with an overall positivity rate of 17.2% ...


Ontario council gives residents the right to feed deer July 16, 2023 Ohio, Yahoo

... voted 5 to 1 ... Rehfeldt said this was not an issue of people's safety.  "This is an issue of a resident who is mad at people feeding the deer," ...


Gov. Mike DeWine veto leaves Ohio Wildlife Council with limited say in hunting seasons July 16, 2023 Ohio, The Columbus Dispatch

... DeWine administration called the council “an important voice in the stewardship of Ohio's outdoor recreational traditions.” On the other hand, “the current system, which relies on the professional determination of the Division of Wildlife, has worked for many years, and we see no reason to change it.” ...


Injured deer prompts questions about Athens' rules June 28, 2023 Ohio, The Athens Messenger

...  the city permits bow hunting on private property within the city limits during the legal hunting season... people walking in Athens' West Side neighborhood may have seen a doe with an arrow sticking out of its back... the doe recently died, leaving behind a fawn...


Community discusses changing park board in light of deer hunting worries June 13, 2023 Ohio, WKBN 27 First News

... At a meeting with about 100 people, Youngstown City Law Director Jeff Limbian told the crowd how the city, mainly Mayor Tito Brown’s office, felt about the controlled hunt in Mill Creek, saying there’s already too much shooting...


Ontario Council tables 'divisive' ordinance that would prohibit deer feeding June 7, 2023 Ohio, Richland Source

... “We watch them play in our yard and just enjoy nature.  If we don’t feed the deer, they’re going to start coming to my flowers. And Tractor Supply Company is going to lose money because we’ll stop buying corn.” ...


Plentiful deer supplied Native Americans, Ohio frontiersmen and gave Scioto River its name  May 28, 2023 Ohio, Yahoo

...  writes the Rev. Mr. [David] Jones, [in 1772] ‘which the Shawanees give Siota [sic] has slipt my memory but it signifies ‘Hairy River.’ The Indians tell us that when they first came to live here, deers were so plenty, that in the vernal season, when they came to drink, the stream would be thick of hairs, hence they gave it the name.” ... The immense herds of deer may have diminished by the time settlers arrived at the fork of the Scioto and Olentangy Rivers in the 1790s...


Assessment of Deer–Vehicle Crash Mitigation Structures on the US 33 Nelsonville, Ohio, Bypass.  2023 - Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part A:Systems Systems

... The project included three wildlife underpass structures to promote habitat connectivity, 16 jump out structures to allow wildlife to exit the highway right-of-way (ROW), and 2.44-m (8-feet) tall exclusion fencing ... Approximately 43% of deer that approached the jump out structures used them to successfully exit the ROW... the incremental cost-benefit ratio of the complete installation is estimated to be 1.65 ...


Division of Wildlife confirms additional CWD cases in Marion, Wyandot counties May 25, 2023 Ohio, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Press Release

... The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife has confirmed 11 additional white-tailed deer tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in Marion and Wyandot counties.  Seven of the CWD-positive deer were bucks, and four were does... Since the fall of 2020, a total of 22 wild deer have tested positive for CWD ...


Ohio Man's 'Deer Friend' Gives Birth in Backyard May 25, 2023 Yahoo

... she gave birth to three fawns ... Spiegel said that other creatures “seriously came out to watch, admire and congratulate her,” ...


Campbell firefighters rescue deer trapped in dumpster May 22, 2023 Ohio, WFMJ.com

... What firefighters didn't know at first was that this was a sludge dumpster, so when crews arrived, they found the deer standing deep within the sludge...


Medina referendum on deer bow hunting heads to November ballot May 22, 2023 Ohio, Cleveland.com

... Lamb and a group of residents worked to get more than 1,700 signatures to place the referendum on the ballot. He said that in talking to those who signed the petitions, the idea of introducing lethal weapons in city parks and neighborhoods didn’t sit well...


Youngstown, 'Save the Deer' group not backing down against Mill Creek MetroParks May 18, 2023 Ohio, WFMJ

... Group leader Mickey Drabison tells 21 News safety is the biggest concern here and that it should be at the forefront of the minds of those in charge.  "I'd like to know who's gonna be watching," said Drabison. "Who's going to be watching the snipers, who's responsible if you shoot an arrow and it goes into somebody's house or hits a kid or hits a dog,"  ...


Ohio History Center: Gone From Ohio, extirpated animals (photo diary) May 10, 2023 Daily Kos

... While white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) were common in Ohio 200 years ago, unregulated hunting and loss of habitat devastated the population and by 1911 they were gone from Ohio. In 1922 there was a successful effort to re-introduce them to the state..,


Youngstown, Those opposed to deer culling discuss legitimacy of park’s claims May 9, 2023 Ohio, WKBN 27 First News

... about 60 people, including city council members and Mahoning County Commissioners, met for an update on how to stop the killing of deer to control the population... 

      City asks ODNR to kill deer hunt  May 9, 2023 Ohio, The Vindicator

... City Law Director Jeff Limbian is asking the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to “cancel, change and reconsider killing deer in Mill Creek Park” in the city... Not changing course, he warns, will lead to criminal prosecutions and civil actions...


23 babies from 2 rare species born at The Wilds May 1, 2023 Ohio, Columbus - 10TV

... Sichuan takin and ... Père David’s deer are good swimmers and native to low-lying grasslands and reed beds in China. Due to overhunting and habitat loss, the population rapidly declined and was almost extinct by the early 1900s...


Boardman, Community discusses how Mill Creek deer hunting affects Boardman April 24, 2023 Ohio, WKBN.com

... Parts of the Mill Creek MetroParks go through Boardman. The public is urging for the trustees’ support against the hunt...


Youngstown, Law director says Mill Creek deer hunting not permitted within city limits April 20, 2023 Ohio, WDTN

... despite what Mill Creek MetroParks commissioners have decided ...  "if they engage in hunting in the city of Youngstown or discharge firearms or encourage that, there will be citations issued, yes,” Limbian said [Youngstown’s law director] ...  see video

     Younston, Deer group gathers over attack strategy April 19, 2023 Ohio, The Vindicator

...  “The most likely way for this deer culling to change or be canceled is for the park board to make that decision on their own,” attorney Marc Dann told about 100 people attending a meeting of the Save the Mill Creek Park Deer group ... "...  I think the most important thing is to win the hearts and minds of folks.” ...


Ohio’s 2023-24 hunting seasons announced April 20, 2023 Farm and Dairy

... Bag limits will increase to three deer in Belmont, Gallia, Geauga, Harrison, Jefferson and Monroe counties, and will decrease to two in Butler County. As in years past, only one antlered deer may be harvested, regardless of where or how it is taken..,


Canfield, Drama ensues after board votes on deer culling April 10, 2023 Ohio, WKBN 27 First News

... With every board meeting, the crowd has grown larger and angrier at the idea of hunters and sharpshooter in the park... All board members in attendance voted yes to the deer culling program, but the crowd booed as the votes came in...

     Canfield, Attorney requests delay in MetroParks’ deer-reduction plan April 10, 2023 Ohio, The Vindicator

... the proposal unveiled at the March 13 meeting of the MetroParks board “is more aggressive than it needs to be and is not supported by sufficient evidence or best practices for wildlife conservation.” ... 


Could immunocontraception be used to control Ohio deer population? Aprl 8, 2023 Ohio, WDTN

... commissioners for Mill Creek MetroParks is expected to make a decision about deer culling... Geoff Westerfield works for ODNR ... “If fertility control worked, they would go back to that,” Westerfield said... Three studies outside Ohio have shown strong evidence that these vaccines can decrease the deer population ... The one in Maryland showed a 50% decrease in deer population over six years... [another one in San Jose]


Wildlife management big part of being responsible April 5, 2023 Ohio, The Vindicator

... Statewide populations peaked in the early 2000s at 750,000 – a stark contrast to 17,000 deer statewide in 1970. Currently, Ohio’s deer population hovers around 680,000 and is controlled through regulated harvest set by the Ohio Division of Wildlife..,


Beachwood, Season concludes with 70 deer culled in joint Beachwood-Shaker Heights program March 24, 2023 Ohio, March 24, 2023 Cleveland.com

... at a cost of $60,000 [$857 per deer] ... Precision Wildlife uses trained marksmen, under the direction of police, to cull deer. Jim Mariano, a former Shaker Heights police officer, is president of Precision Wildlife...


Video Below:  Advisory committee mulls over deer population control options in Mill Creek MetroParks March 17, 2023 Ohio, WKBN27

... The Ohio Division of Wildlife who was in charge of how deer are managed in the Buckeye state won't allow Mill Creek

 parks to use fertility options immuno- contraception, so chemical birth control or surgical sterilization both of those methods are not currently approved ...

Mill Creek makes decision on how to control deer population March 13, 2023 Ohio, WKBN

... The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) has approved two ways of lowering the deer population: sharpshooting and hunting, and both include killing the deer... There were two main camps of people at the meeting, hunters who are in favor of opening up the park to them ... and park enthusiasts who want to see the deer left alone...


Parma Heights deems successful first year of white-tailed deer culling program March 10, 2023 Ohio, Cleveland.com

... Police sharpshooters aiming their sights on the city’s white-tailed deer herd population ... “It began in January and we ended it on Feb. 28 with 91 deer... Reservoir Park (29 deer), Nathan Hale Park (25 deer), land behind NEO Soccer facility (19 deer) and Stroud Park (10 deer)...


Journalist Makes Scary Discovery After Following Creek from East Palestine to Ohio River February 28, 2023 Ohio, IJR.com

...  more than three weeks after a Norfolk Southern Southern train derailed  ...  reporter discovered three deer that were deceased along the bank of a creek that runs south from East Palestine ...


Youngstown, Deer count is overestimated, wildlife watcher argues February 26, 2023 Ohio, The Vindicator

... Drabison, who lives close to the park, said he has walked nearly every day in the park for the past 10 years. He said he typically sees about 15 or 20 deer in a few herds... 387 deer in a square mile “comes down to 10 herds of 38 deer per square mile. I’ve never seen deer like that in this place..."


USDA completes season in Highland Heights by culling 151 deer February 24, 2023 Ohio, Cleveland.com

... a USDA infrared count conducted on Nov. 28 that showed 237 deer ... This year marked the fourth of a five-year culling program for the city... The number of deer/car collisions are part of the formula the Ohio Department of Natural Resources uses to determine how many deer can be tagged ...


Ohio park enthusiasts voice opposition to proposed solutions to deer overpopulation February 19, 2023 WDTN

...11 locals got their hiking shoes on to count the deer themselves. They are skeptical about the 387 number of deer the park says are there.  “We pay taxes, we pay an extra tax for the park, and I don’t think we should be harvesting our friends,” says Mickey Drabison...


2023-24 Deer Hunting Seasons Changes Proposed to Ohio Wildlife Council February 9, 2023 Ohio, Scioto Post

...  Deer hunting bag limits were proposed to increase in six counties and decrease in one... As in years past, only one antlered deer may be harvested, regardless of where or how it is taken..,


Ohio hunters killed more than 200,000 deer this season, a 7% jump from last year February 6, 2023 The Plain Dealer Cleveland

... Ohio’s white-tailed deer hunting season ended Sunday with 210,977 deer harvested during archery, gun, muzzleloader, and youth hunting season since Sept. 10. Last year, the Ohio Division of Natural Resources reported 196,988 deer killed... (see the data)


A dozen Cuyahoga County cities now use sharpshooters to reduce their deer numbers January 21, 2023 Ohio, Cleveland.com

... A decade ago, only one city in Cuyahoga County - Solon - was permitted by the state to kill deer as part of a targeted removal effort and now the number is up to 12 ... It costs about $1,000 to surgically sterilize a doe or to immobilize a deer and administer an infertility drug ...


Ohio deer kill numbers up in 2022, but what will next year's hunting regulations bring? January 15, 2023 Yahoo

... . In 2019, permit sales totaled 393,367, a decline from the peak of 231,541, or about 37.1%.  Deer permit sales have increased slightly to a little north of 400,000 in recent years, including 406,919 during the current season. Nevertheless, the decline in license and permit sales from the top sales years represents huge shortfalls in potential revenue...


More than 13,000 deer checked during Ohio’s muzzleloader season January 12, 2023 Ohio, Cleveland.com

... The season total for all forms of hunting is 201,292, the first time the total has exceeded 200,000 since 2012, according to ODNR. [an increase of 2.2% over 2021].  As of Tuesday, 406,919 permits have been issued for deer hunting..,


Parma Heights to begin two-month deer culling program January 11, 2023 Ohio, Cleveland.com

... The upcoming deer culling effort -- taking place in January and February -- includes ODNR approving 55 permits, which equates to deer kills. If needed, the city can get an additional 40 permits this season...


Ohio Department of Natural Resources spends millions on body cameras for wildlife officers December 18, 2022 The Columbus Dispatch

... In December 2020, wildlife officer Kevin Behr was shot and seriously wounded while investigating a possible deer hunting violation in Clinton County... "These new cameras have the ability to protect natural resources and wildlife officers while also offering transparency to the public." ...


Deer kill numbers in Ohio are up as more hunters are embracing use of rifles December 11, 2022 Yahoo

... Four counties hit hard during the summer and fall by outbreaks of deadly epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) had significant declines in harvest during gun week. In southwestern Ohio, Butler County ended down 23%, Hamilton fell 21% and Warren declined 11%. In southeastern Ohio, the Vinton County take slipped 12%...


Brooklyn hoping to deter potential deer hunters with penalty increase December 7, 2022 Ohio, Cleveland.com

... “As with all penalties, this increase in penalty is to deter people from hunting in Brooklyn.  “We’re very densely populated, and we don’t want to see someone hurt as a result.” ...


Ohio’s deer gun season brings above-average numbers for hunters December 6, 2022 Cleveland.com

... Nearly 72,000 deer were harvested during the most recent deer gun season in Ohio, more than 3,500 above the average during the past three years... 26,355 bucks (37%), 36,546 does (51%) and 7,983 button bucks (11%)...


Two days conducting dental examinations on whitetail deer December 2, 2022 Ohio, Yahoo.com

... Despite many claims that antler size, hair color, or body mass can be used to accurately assess a deer’s age, the most dependable method involves ... taking a look at its teeth...  By the time the deer gets to be one-and-a-half years old ...  two additional molars will have emerged behind the original four bringing the total per jaw up to six...


ODNR roundup: Three cases of Chronic Wasting Disease found in Ohio deer November 30, 2022 Ohio, YAHOO!News

... The three positive CWD cases confirmed this fall were all deer harvested by hunters. Two of the deer were confirmed in Wyandot County and one in Marion County..,


How Ohio deer hunting has changed November 28, 2022 News5Cleveland.com

... the Ohio Division of Wildlife's data shows how the number of deer permits issued each year continues to fall. Last year, about 404,000 permits were issued, a 35% drop compared to the peak of nearly 625,000 in 2009..,


Youth deer hunting results in Ohio could be a good sign for gun week  November 27, 2022 YAHOO!News

... The gun week take, which not long ago routinely pushed north of 100,000, in recent years has averaged in the 65,000-70,000 range for a variety of reasons. Those include fewer deer than in the Ohio heyday, fewer places to hunt, a declining hunter population and the embrace of bow hunting, particularly crossbow use..,


CWD Testing Continues in Surveillance Area November 22, 2022 Ohio, ODNR News

... The three positive CWD cases confirmed this fall were all deer harvested by hunters. Two of the deer were confirmed in Wyandot County and one in Marion County... Since the fall of 2020, 14 wild deer have tested positive for CWD, all in Marion and Wyandot counties..,


Youth hunters get another shot at lifting deer numbers November 13, 2022 Ohio, The Columbus Dispatch

... In 2007, the youth gun weekend produced a record take of 10,059. Unsurprisingly, that occurred during a decade when the number of deer on the huntable landscape likely reached its modern peak..,


Ohio Deer Processors Convicted in Massive Poaching and “Whitetail Deer Commercialization” Case  November 8, 2022 Field & Stream

...  Ohio officials convicted 14 defendants of more than 100 felony and misdemeanor charges ...  “grand theft, possession of untagged deer parts, hunting with illegal implements, and complicity to wildlife sales.” ...


How 14 Ohio deer hunters got $70k in fines  November 3, 2022 NBC4 Columbus

... case against 14 individuals, who were charged with 122 counts of various felonies and misdemeanors, including engaging in a pattern of corrupt activities, grand theft, falsification, tampering with records, possession of untagged deer parts, hunting with an illegal implement and complicity to wildlife sales...


Deer collisions hit peak in November, December - November 2, 2022 Ohio, WFMJ.com

...Since 2017, there have been more than 100,000 deer-related crashes in Ohio ... 


Shaker Heights closes ranks with Beachwood on new joint deer culling program October 25, 2022 Ohio, Cleveland.com

...  City Council voted unanimously Monday (Oct. 24) in favor of a new and expanded deer sharpshooting program with the City of Beachwood... the city has been culling the deer herd since 2016 ...


South Euclid, Deer culling under way in South Euclid, with second year of sterilization to begin in February October 25, 2022 Ohio, Cleveland.com

... It was discovered a couple of months ago that deer wander further than once thought, as some tagged in South Euclid were found as far away as Pennsylvania, as well as in places such as Gates Mills and Waite Hill.   Mays said that White Buffalo representatives believe that those deer are anomalies and that most don’t wander that far away...


Cincinnati Urban Deer Advocates to protest bow hunting in urban parks October 18, 2022 Ohio WKRC - Local 12

... Cincinnati Urban Deer Advocates, or CUDA, plan to go to City Hall to protest bow hunting of urban deer and fawns... residents did not know about the hunt until they found arrows or deer entrails on their property...


Acorn abundance influences behaviors of Ohio’s wildlife October 18, 2022 The Pike County News Watchman

... Statewide, the proportion of white oaks bearing acorns (38%) was the same as last year, while the percentage of red oaks with acorns (37%) was down 12%. All results, including tables and historical numbers, are available at wildohio.gov... In poor mast years, deer are forced to use other food sources ...


Oh, deer! How local firefighters helped save a deer October 6, 2022 Ohio, FOX8 Cleveland

... had become stuck in a soccer goal net ... 


Beachwood will begin deer culling in partnership with Shaker Heights October 4, 2022 Ohio, Cleveland.com

... Mariano said he makes sure residents do not see him while he harvests deer. One Shaker resident did see a deer harvested last year and Mariano apologized and spoke to that person for half an hour. He said he does not shoot fawns ...


Medina, Opponents of Medina deer culling turn focus on voters September 27, 2022 Ohio, Cleveland.com

... many residents have concerns about bow hunting’s potential effect on residential daycares, kids out and about, families with children in neighborhoods where culling would be allowed and the safety of people whose properties back up to open space and areas where culling would be permitted...


South Euclid, Deer tagged in South Euclid roam far and wide; third culling season to take place September 17, 2022 Ohio, Cleveland.com

... the city became the first in the area to try a sterilization... one deer’s already in Pennsylvania, one’s in Gates Mills ... USDA sharpshooters culled 60 deer in South Euclid two seasons ago, and 101 last season...


Medina City Council officially approves deer bow hunting program September 13, 2022 Ohio, Cleveland.com

... Those who wish to cull deer through bow hunting will need to obtain the following in order for a permit to be processed:  ... A copy of the hunters declaration page of the applicant’s homeowner/renter insurance policy indicating personal liability insurance coverage of at least $100,000 ...


Additional Deer Hunting and CWD Testing in Hardin, Marion, and Wyandot Counties September 7, 2022 Ohio DNR News

... Since the fall of 2020, 11 wild deer have tested positive for CWD in Ohio, all in Wyandot and Marion counties. In response, a disease surveillance area was established in Hardin, Marion, and Wyandot counties. CWD is a fatal neurological disease that affects deer and other similar species, including mule deer, elk, and moose..,


ODNR adds deer hunting dates for Marion County September 6. 2022, Ohio, Yahoo News

... Since the fall of 2020, 11 wild deer have tested positive for CWD in Ohio, all in Marion and Wyandot counties. In response, a disease surveillance area was established in Marion, Wyandot and Hardin ..,


An EHD disease outbreak is killing Ohio's deer in large numbers September 4, 2022 Ohio, Columbus Dispatch

... “We’re seeing what could be the biggest outbreak yet,” said Mike Tonkovich,.. Cases have been confirmed, using samples from dead deer, in 16 counties ... southwest Ohio already appears to have been hit hard ...


Please Report Deer with EHD September 1, 2022 Ohio Division of Wildlife

Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) has been confirmed in Franklin, Hamilton, Perry, Athens, Ross, Warren, Butler, Greene, Preble, Highland, and Union counties. Sandusky and Madison counties are pending further testing.  We are asking Ohioans to report their observations of deer with EHD here.


Hunter who shot at deer but hit occupant of a house gets prison September 1, 2022 Ohio, YAHOO!News

... Smith was deer hunting without a license and without permission ... Shooting at a deer, the bullet flew across West Calla Road and struck a resident in his house...


EHD, More deer becoming sick with EHD across Ohio August 25, 2022 Ohio, Spectrum News

... Deer across at least 12 Ohio counties are confirmed to have been infected with Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD), and southwest Ohio is seeing an increased number of reports ... “The southwest kind of has been a hotbed for hemorrhagic disease cases,” Mike Tonkovich ..,


Medina continues deer discussions  August 23, 2022 Ohio, Cleveland.com

... “The consensus that I have reached through even the people who are in favor of the culling is that they would not support culling in any of our neighborhoods, and I’ve always agreed with that,” Simpson said...

       Protesters gather as Medina deer culling proposal moves forward August 22, 2022 Ohio, FOX 8 News

... Protesters packed a Medina finance committee meeting where members voted six to one to approve crossbow and longbow hunting of deer inside city limits... 


Why so many vehicle crashes involving deer? July 16, 2022 Ohio, The Crescent-News

... According to Clint McCoy of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Wildlife Division, Columbus, the increase in the whitetail deer population in the past few years may be a factor..,

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Medina will not cull deer through lethal means  July 5, 2022 Ohio, Cleveland.com

... Last week, City Council’s Special Legislation Committee passed an ordinance on to the full council that would enact a nonlethal plan modeled after a conflict management and coexistence plan from the Medina County Humane Society...


Medina considers allowing crossbow, longbow deer hunting in city limits June 28, 2022 Ohio, FOX8 Cleveland

... We have 50 to 60 or 55 deer per square mile ... City council voted against the proposal during Tuesday evening’s meeting. However, they did agree to adopt a sustainable, non-lethal deer management plan...


The tangled web of wildlife management  June 25, 2022 Ohio, The Courier

... there were no whitetail deer in Ohio. Extirpated by 1911 by lack of both seasonal limits and restraint ... In 1922, wildlife officials began restocking wild deer from neighboring states ... Deer populations are down all over the place on national forest land as an artifact of restricted active forest management, and research ..,


Miami University seeks to manage rising deer population  May 27, 2022 Ohio, Oxford Observer

... Author Thomas E. Peterson’s master’s thesis from 2018 estimated that, in Miami Natural Areas and Hueston Woods, there were 24 deer per square mile in the spring and 16 deer per square mile in the summer. He found the most deer in Miami’s Bachelor Preserve and Western Woods, with 46 and 35 deer per square mile in the spring [and summer] ...


Researchers Are Trying to Eliminate “Deer in Headlights” Auto Accidents May 24, 2022 Ohio, Field & Stream

. ... The truck was equipped with a rear-facing LED light bar designed to illuminate the full grille to make the vehicle loom larger, giving deer a better idea of what was coming versus the two blinding pinpoints of light they usually see with basic headlights...  Vehicles approaching without the frontal illumination were 3.6 times more likely to have a dangerous encounter...


Nine additional deer confirmed with chronic wasting disease May 7, 2022 Ohio, The Crescent-News

... Five of the infected deer were bucks and four were does... Since the fall of 2020, 11 wild deer have tested positive for CWD, all in Wyandot and Marion counties. Nine were confirmed in Wyandot County, and two were confirmed in Marion County..,


Ohio Wildlife Council approves 2022-23 hunting seasons April 18, 2022 The Crescent-News

... In 18 counties, bag limits will increase. Three counties will increase to two deer ... Fifteen counties will increase to three deer ... Deer bag limit increases are designed to slow herd growth and provide additional hunting opportunities...


Gary Brown: Remembering Dillie the Deer  April 17, 2022 Ohio, Yahoo! Sports

... our meeting back in Spring 2013 went well. I petted her head and neck as she laid on, then stood near, her bed in her own room in the home of veterinarian Melanie Butera ...  I frequently would tune in to "Dillie Cam," to see what the deer was up to ...


Parma Heights considers deer culling effort, seeks resident input with survey April 11, 2022 Ohio, Cleveland.com

... Citing safety concerns related to an increase in deer-vehicle crashes ... The issue with deer goes back the better half of a decade when a 2016 ballot issue allowing culling was passed by 56 percent of residents...


Local internet sensation Dillie the deer passes away April 10, 2022 Ohio, FOX8 Cleveland

... at the age of 18 ... Dillie was just 3 days old when Butera took her in. At that point she was blind and dying ...


The dilemma of dealing with CWD March 11, 2022 Ohio, The Courier

... While it’s currently unknown where the outbreak in Wyandot, Hardin and Marion counties originated, many similar infections have been located within deer farms. The first confirmed case of CWD in Ohio was found in a captive deer at a shooting preserve in Holmes County in 2014. Since then, 25 deer from three captive facilities in Holmes and Wayne counties have tested positive for CWD..,


Hunting proposals presented to Ohio Wildlife Council March 6, 2022 Ohio's Country Journal

.. Deer bag limit increases are designed to slow herd growth and provide additional hunting opportunities. Deer bag limits were proposed to be increased in 18 counties. Three counties are proposed to increase to two deer (from one deer) ...


Hobbled deer freed from leg trap  February 26, 2022 Ohio, Cleveland.com

... an officer reported that the deer was found in the roods stuck in a leg trap. The deer was cut from the trap ...


Ohio not likely to follow in steps of Western states that ban cellular trail cameras February 13, 2022 The Daily Record

... Arizona was the first state to step into the trail camera ban arena, citing “... unfair advantage in the pursuit ... "  ... Nevada and Arizona are the only states that have a full ban on the use of any trail cameras for hunting purposes. Montana, Utah, Kansas, New Hampshire and Alaska have partial bans ...


Deer proposals will affect Lima area hunters February 11, 2022 Ohio, The Lima News

... Six Lima area counties are among 15 counties that are proposed to move from two to three-deer counties... According to the DOW, deer bag limit increases are designed to slow herd growth and provide additional hunting opportunities...


Nearly 197,000 deer harvested in Ohio this season February 8, 2022 Yahoo News

... Ohio’s 2021-22 deer hunting season concluded Sunday with 196,988 deer checked ...  Ohio hunters purchased 396,370 permits across all hunting seasons...  see report


Deer stuck under motorist’s vehicle is euthanized  February 2, 2022 Ohio, Cleveland.com

... after striking a deer.  ... The deer became trapped under the man’s vehicle... 


Hunters in Wyandot, Marion, and Hardin Counties Asked to Submit Deer for CWD Testing January 26, 2022 Ohio, DNR News

... Additional deer samples are needed in response to recent CWD positive cases, and to better understand CWD in Ohio. Samples of deer harvested from all townships in Wyandot, Hardin, and Marion counties are requested, which is a slight expansion from the current disease surveillance area.  ohiodnr.gov/cwd  ...


South Euclid. Look Out For Deer With Ear Tags Coming To A Town Near You January 21, 2022 Ohio, Patch 

... The city of South Euclid is conducting a deer research and population control project and have tagged the ears of 61 female deer. According to a release from the city, professionals tracked and drugged the deer ... taken to a surgical site where they were sterilized and given antibiotics and pain relievers ...


ODNR testing for chronic wasting disease in deer in Marion County  January 10, 2022 Ohio, YAHOO!News

... Additional deer samples are needed in response to recent CWD positive cases and to better understand CWD in Ohio ...


Worthington leaders keeping tabs on local deer populations  January 6, 2022 Ohio, Yahoo News

...  according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, an estimated 680,000 deer are in Ohio ... Advising residents not to feed the deer also wouldn’t have “any appreciable effect on the size of the deer herd,” according to the report ...


South Euclid’s pilot program sees 61 female deer sterilized; first of three-year study in using method other than culling  December 29, 2021 Ohio, Cleveland.com

...  nonprofit White Buffalo, Inc. sterilized 61 female deer in Wards 3 and 4 of South Euclid ...  that means we avoided having 122 deer born in Wards 3 and 4 for one year ... Now we have a stable population...


Active COVID-19 Infection – By at Least Three Virus Variants – Detected in Wild Deer in 6 Ohio Locations December 23, 2021 SciTechDaily

... Based on genomic sequencing of the samples collected between January and March 2021, researchers determined that variants infecting wild deer matched strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that had been prevalent in Ohio COVID-19 patients at the time...


Deer gun season comes to a close with record harvest and no injuries December 21, 2021 Ohio, Mansfield News Journal

... The combined gun harvests of 87,439 whitetail deer were above the three-year average of 84,244...


South Euclid participates in multi-year deer population study December 13, 2021 Ohio, Cleveland Jewish News

... The city of South Euclid is participating in a three-to-five-year study to determine the feasibility of managing the white-tailed deer population through fertility control... Based on findings from the Clifton deer research project in Cincinnati, it is estimated the first year of operation will significantly restrict herd growth ...


Changes have reshaped Ohio’s deer hunting seasons  December 12, 2021 Yahoo

... a lot of deer hunting takes place earlier in the season, leaving gun hunters considerably fewer deer   ... As late as 1995, three out of four deer checked were taken during gun week ... years later — during some of the peak years for the state’s deer population — well over half the whitetails taken were tagged during gun week ... 


Plenty of deer survive the hunting seasons December 10, 2021 Ohio Yahoo News

...  an estimated free-ranging statewide herd of somewhere between 600,000 and three-quarters of a million ... estimated 300,000 hunters who participate in Ohio’s annual deer gun season ...  white-tailed deer were extirpated from Ohio by the end of the 1800s until conservation efforts saw them reintroduced in the 1920s ..,


South Euclid set to start deer sterilization research program Dec. 11 December 9, 2021 Ohio, Cleveland.com

...  The city will soon see the beginning of a sterilization program that, if proven successful, could impact how other communities in the state or nation manage their deer population...


Ohio hunters harvest 70K deer during gun week December 9, 2021 Dayton Daily News

... Over the past three years, hunters checked an average of 65,280 deer during the same weeklong period, which marks an 8% increase in 2021...


Good weather week may produce big deer harvest December 3, 2021 Ohio, The Lima News

... The weather was much nicer following that miserable opening day in 2020 and it helped increase the harvest..,


Chronic Wasting Disease in deer is here in Ohio, has surprising source December 1, 2021 YAHOO!News

... The first cases of CWD in Ohio were discovered in 2014 in a privately owned hunting preserve in Holmes County, after which the entire herd was destroyed. Since then, 25 deer on four other private facilities in Holmes and Wayne Counties have tested positive, but none in free-ranging deer until December 2020... tissue samples from a mature buck shot on private property in Wyandot County tested positive for the disease ...


Gun season begins as deer upstate test positive for COVID November 30, 2021 Ohio, Logan Daily News

... The Ohio State University Associate Professor Andy Bowman told The Logan Daily News that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has been found in deer in northeast Ohio...


Archers rule annual Ohio deer harvest November 30, 2021 Ohio's Country Journal

... The number of hunters chasing deer with archery equipment in Ohio continues to grow. During the 2020-21 deer season, 48% of deer were taken with archery equipment, including 33% using a crossbow and 15% using a vertical bow ...


Busy week ahead for Ohio deer hunters November 27, 2021 Yahoo News

... Ohio's deer herd is estimated at around 700,000 animals...  there will be close to 300,000 hunters out in the woodlots, fields... The pandemic got much of the credit for the fact the 2020 harvest was about 10 percent higher than the average of the three previous seasons...


Hunters with less have much to teach  November 22, 2021, Ohio, The Courier ... deer hunting has evolved into big business and an almost competitive nature among some hunters. Ohio’s growing deer herd — now hovering around 700,000 ... Magazine covers, websites and media posts show off big bucks and happy hunters...


Coronavirus found in deer means hunters should take precautions November 13, 2021 Ohio, Cleveland.com 

... white-tailed deer may be a reservoir for the virus to continually circulate and raise concerns about the emergence of new strains that may prove a threat to wildlife and, possibly, to humans,” states a news release from Penn State...


Video Below: Ohio’s White-tailed Deer: An Update on Herd Health and Condition – Mike Tonkovich, ODNR - November 1, 2021

Shaker’s new deer culling program includes limited border ‘encroachment’ into Beachwood October 26, 2021 Ohio, Cleveland.com

... the deer population in Shaker appears to be down, possibly owing in part to some of the herd remaining on the Beachwood side of the border ... deer in the area seem to be learning where to go to stay safe ... “Deer aren’t stupid,” ...


Video Below:  2021-22 Ohio Deer Season 

Forecast

Early Ohio deer kill lags behind October 15, 2021 Outdoor News

... It is estimated that Ohio’s deer herd consists of around 600,000 to 800,000 animals. And projections are that between 185,000 and 1995,000 deer will be killed by all means when the last of Ohio’s deer seasons concludes Feb. 6..,


Richmond Heights deer count to take place in late November, culling could follow shortly after October 6, 2021 Ohio, cleveland.com

... Richmond Heights City Council’s Safety and Recreation Committee heard from the USDA’s Caleb Wellman about the next step toward culling -- performing an infrared count of the city’s deer... The USDA has offered to cull Richmond Heights’ deer -- up to 50 this year -- for $35,000.  ($700 per deer) ...


EHD, ODNR investigating possible virus in deer herds  October 2, 2021 Ohio, The Crescent-News

... “From late August to late September, we see cyclical patterns of the Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD or HD) in Ohio.” ... Last year, in Allen County, according to Dickinson, several herds of deer died because of the virus....


South Euclid prepares for deer culling in October, sterilization in December September 28, 2021 Ohio, cleveland.com

... South Euclid’s program will have a twist that its leaders are hoping will lead to a new way of managing the deer population in communities statewide, and perhaps across the country... throughout the county communities are using the old tool of shooting deer. And, from what we see statistically, that’s not an effective way to control the deer population over the long term...


Tis the season for deer-vehicle crashes in Ohio September 27, 2021 Ohio, Richland Source

... 17,688 deer-vehicle (D-V) crashes were reported statewide last year, a decrease of 1,687 over the deer crashes from 2019.... November is the peak month for such collisions, representing 23% of Ohio’s D-V crashes...


Ohio deer gun harvest numbers will be hard-pressed to match last year's September 19, 2021 Columbus Dispatch

... Tonkovich does know the overall deer population has held steady or slightly increased in most counties as the result of regulations designed to stabilize the population at target levels deemed appropriate for each county landscape..,


Highland Heights set for third year of deer culling; new sign coming for community park September 17, 2021 Ohio, cleveland.com

...  “We’re entering into an agreement with the USDA, the same type of thing we’ve done the last couple of years. They’ll come in in November and do their infrared count (of all the deer in the city) ... the city entering into a third consecutive agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to count and cull deer...


Landscape Features Fail to Explain Spatial Genetic Structure in White‐Tailed Deer Across Ohio, USA 2021 The Journal of Wildlife Management

...Landscape genetics approaches are increasingly used to better understand potential pathways for CWD spread in white-tailed deer, but little is known about genetic structure of white-tailed deer in Ohio...  Our results indicated widespread genetic connectivity of white-tailed deer across Ohio and negligible effects of landscape features. These patterns likely reflect some combination of minimal resistive effects of landscape features on white-tail deer movement in Ohio and the effects of regional recolonization or translocation...


Richmond Heights prepares for deer culling in coming months September 8, 2021 Ohio, cleveland.com

... “The first thing is a survey of the deer population in town,” he said. “I believe that is in the works in Richmond Heights, and once we have that (information), we’ll have a good handle on what the base (deer) population is in Richmond Heights... and enable us to make some management decisions on what needs to be removed.” ...


Study showing coronavirus present in deer no cause for alarm August 9, 2021 Ohio, YAHOO!News

... "The study that we did really just looked at whether deer had antibodies to SARS-COVID-2, and we were not looking at whether they currently have the virus or the prevalence of the virus," ... not intended to determine whether the deer were replicating and shedding the virus...


Chronic Wasting Disease surveillance area established in north-central Ohio June 12, 2021 Ohio, The Highland County Press

... The first wild deer that tested positive for CWD in the 2020-21 season was a mature buck harvested in fall 2020 in Wyandot County. The second wild deer, a yearling doe, was taken from the Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area refuge during a controlled hunt in January 2021...


 North Olmsted police help rescue baby deer, reunite fawn with mom June 1, 2021 Ohio, fox8.com

... a baby deer was stuck in a sewer grate ... mom stood nearby to watch the rescue, and the two were soon reunited...


Rare photos of four deer swimming majestically and trotting along the beaches of Lake Erie in Mentor May 20, 2021 Ohio, WKYC3 

... stunning images of the deer swimming almost farther than they can see and coming back to land to trot along the beachfront ...


Euclid votes to not allow deer hunting on residential property May 18, 2018 Ohio,

News-Herald.com

... One of the determining factors in council's decision to vote down the ordinance was the concern for possible safety issues ...  there's no guarantee that a surviving deer would remain on one property after it had been shot, or that individuals on neighboring properties would not be in danger of rogue arrows...


2021-22 hunting regulations approved May 2, 2021 Ohio, Times Reporter

... All county bag limits will be the same as last year as the population has stabilized..,


Ohio Wildlife Council Approves 2021-22 Hunting Regulations April 8, 2021

peakofohio.com

... Deer populations in Ohio have shown increased growth over the last several years. Expanding the use of deer management permits statewide on private lands helps keep populations near targeted numbers while also maintaining a healthy and robust deer population on public lands..,


DOW zeroes in on area where CWD found March 20, 2021 Ohio, The Lima News

... there are two confirmed cases of CWD in Ohio’s wild deer herd ... taken within a 10-mile radius... in Wyandot County ... DOW plans continued surveillance in that specific area and plans on thinning the herd ...


Chronic Wasting Disease identified in Northeast Ohio deer March 8, 2021 Ohio, FOX8 Cleveland

... a second positive test for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in a wild white-tailed deer in Wyandot County... a mature buck taken in December 2020...


Submit comments now for Ohio's hunting, fishing proposals March 5, 2021 Ohio,

Record Herald

... Comments will be accepted through Sunday, March 14 ... One regulation proposal would allow antlerless white-tailed deer to be taken from all public hunting areas from Sept. 25, 2021, to Feb. 6, 2022, provided that a hunter takes only one antlerless deer from these lands per license year...


ODNR sharpshooters have culled 31 of a planned 60 South Euclid deer February 22, 2021 Ohio, cleveland.com

... In past committee meetings, it was decided that the city would take a holistic approach to thinning the deer population... would include, in addition to utilizing sharpshooters, awaiting funding to use a sterilization method being championed by Cuyahoga County Councilwoman and South Euclid resident Sunny Simon...


Even with increased deer kill, Ohio wildlife division looking to cull more February 21, 2021 Ohio, Columbus Dispatch

... Tonkovich said the need to get whitetail numbers close to county population targets is behind a proposal that would expand the use of discounted deer-management permits on private land to all 88 Ohio counties ..,


‘Elderly for her species’: Catching up with internet sensation Dillie the deer, now 17 February 16, 2021 Ohio, FOX8 Cleveland

... It was back in 2004 that Butera took in the three-day-old blind, dying fawn after her mother refused her.  Dillie went on to live in Butera’s home and become part of the family, even getting a bedroom of her own...


No Official Deer Population Count, But Division of Wildlife Has Its Ways February 16, 2021 Ohio, whbc.com

... Ohio Division of Wildlife ... say there were more deer out there this just-ended hunting season..,

      Great numbers recorded during deer season February 15, 2021 Ohio, Morrow County Sentinel

... Deer populations in Ohio have shown increased growth over the last several years. Expanding the use of deer management permits statewide on private lands helps keep populations near targeted numbers while also maintaining a healthy and robust deer population on public lands..,


Did COVID-induced cabin fever spur hunters in Ohio to post higher deer numbers in 2020-21? February 14, 2021 Ohio, Columbus Dispatch 

...about a 7.2% bump. The average take during the past three years has been 180,921 ... A chunk of the increase in the deer kill is reflected in hunting license and permit sales in Ohio, Tonkovich noted.  As of mid-December, license sales were up about 5% from the previous year, while the sale of deer permits increased by about 4%..,


ODNR official says snow, cold weather helped deer hunters this season February 10, 2021 Ohio, WKBN

... Snow makes deer move more, making it easier to track.  Officials have also changed some tag limit regulations, and more hunters were out for gun and archery season... the number of hunters from last season to this season is up ..,


Ohio deer hunting season concludes with most deer killed since 2012 February 9, 2021 cleveland.com

... “We are pleased to see an increased number of deer taken this season as Ohio’s hunters spent more time in the woods during the fall and winter,” ..,


Ohio's 2020-2021 Deer Hunting Season Concludes February 8, 2021 DNR News

... hunting seasons concluded Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021 with 197,735 deer harvested, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. That total is the highest since 218,910 deer were taken during the 2012-2013 hunting season... hunters harvested 80,003 bucks, accounting for 40% of the total harvest. Does represented 48% of the harvest with 94,771 taken, while 19,629 button bucks were taken, for 10%. Bucks with shed antlers and bucks with antlers less than 3 inches long accounted for 3,332 deer, or 2% of the harvest..,


CWD, White-tailed deer in Ohio tests positive for wildlife disease December 15, 2020 Ohio, The Columbus Dispatch 

...  identified chronic wasting disease, CWD, in a tissue sample from a wild white-tailed deer in Wyandot County ...  this is the first time ODNR has recorded CWD in a wild deer, since the agency began routine surveillance and testing in 2002..,


Bad weather marred opening day, but gun hunters took more deer this year than last year December 13, 2020 Ohio, Columbus Dispatch

... The state deer total for firearms and archery through Tuesday stood at 157,194, which is 9,285 more, an increase of 6.3 percent, than the 147,909 checked a year ago at the same point in the season...


Highland Heights, USDA culls 60 deer in Highland Heights, with more likely to come December 12, Ohio,Cleveland.com

... United States Department of Agriculture sharpshooters were in town ... culling deer ... the USDA counted 280 deer living in the city, or about 54.4 per square mile...


Deer totals up in county December 8, 2020 Ohio, Morning Journal News

... Deer hunting in Ohio has come a long way since the first gun season in 1943, when only three counties were open for hunting and 158 deer were taken. Today, deer hunting occurs in all 88 counties and an estimated 310,000 hunters participated during Ohio’s weeklong deer-gun season..


Ohio’s deer population is ‘just right’ December 3, 2020 Farm and Dairy

...   Deer had pretty much disappeared from Ohio by the early 1900s... A huge effort was made starting in the early 1930s to bring deer back by means of trapping and transferring,  ... the Division of Wildlife estimates that the herd grew by 80% from 1998 to 2008... Ohio’s deer population has been allowed to build the last few years and has probably stabilized ..,


Northwest Ohio Hunters Asked to Submit Deer Samples for Testing December 1, 2020 Ohio, West Bend News

... The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife is encouraging white-tailed deer hunters in Lucas, Fulton, and Williams counties in northwest Ohio to submit samples of harvested deer to be tested for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)...


Cuyahoga County considers giving $85K to South Euclid to sterilize deer December 2, 2020 Ohio, Cleveland.com

... rather than sharpshooters or bow hunters — to control the suburb’s deer population... Simon told the committee, the method could save the city money by providing a long-term solution rather than repeatedly spending money on sharpshooters...


ODNR sees spike in hunters as deer-gun season opens November 30, 2020 Ohio, Times Recorder 

... deer permit sales have increased by 3 percent in 2020 compared to the same time last year (245,739 permits in 2020; 238,552 permits in 2019)... The statewide limit is six deer, and only one can be antlered..,


Big bucks to be had in the Buckeye State November 28, 2020 Ohio, The Courier

... From the early 1970s statewide deer population of fewer than 50,000 animals to today’s number that’s more than 10 times that figure ... Early laws were designed to protect antlerless deer, which puts more pressure on the remaining bucks. The goal was to allow the deer population to grow..,


Hunters preparing for deer gun season in Ohio November 22, 2020 Ohio, The Columbus Dispatch 

...  wildlife division revenues.  Hunting licenses in 2019 generated some $10.8 million, about 15 percent of the $72.6 million total, and deer permits accounted for some $8.8 million, about 12 percent... federal dollars, some $23.8 million, or about 33 percent ...


Shaker Heights, Thinning the herd: Shaker gives green light to fifth annual deer culling program, with a few changes October 30, 2020 Ohio, Cleveland.com 

... $58,000 price tag and the contractor, Precision Wildlife Management LTD, run by retired Shaker Police Lt. James Mariano ... the state limit set at 40 deer... Cleveland Food Bank will not accept “venison-certified” meat without full USDA approval ...


Chronic Wasting Disease, Hunters asked to help keep Ohio's deer healthy October 22, 2020 Ohio, WFMJ

... To help protect Ohio's deer herd from CWD, hunters should properly dispose of their deer carcasses by double-bagging all high-risk parts (brain, spinal cord, eyes, and lymphoid tissue) ... To minimize the risk of spreading CWD, hunters planning to hunt outside of Ohio are reminded to follow carcass regulations prior to returning...


Ohio entering peak months for deer-related crashes October 21, 2020 WXIX

... 19,375 deer-related crashes were reported on Ohio roadways in 2019, according to the stats from the Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP).  Almost half, 46%, of those crashes happened in October, November, and December ...


Highland Heights enters into agreement with USDA for culling up to 100 deer, infrared count October 15, 2020 Ohio, Cleveland.com

... City Council unanimously approved Tuesday (Oct. 13) legislation that will allow for an infrared deer count and culling in the coming months... an infrared count nearly a year ago and found that there were approximately 286 deer in Highland Heights, for an extremely high average of 55 per square mile...


Ohio 2020 Acorn Mast Survey Results October 8, 2020 Ohio Division of Wildlife

... The 16th annual mast survey was completed on 38 wildlife areas. An average of 26.7% of white oaks and 69.8% of red oaks bore fruit this year ... Numerous studies have linked the abundance of mast crops to body condition, winter survival, and reproductive success of white-tailed deer ...


South Euclid council approves culling deer with sharpshooters September 30, 2020 Ohio, cleveland.com

... a 7-0 vote ... to enter into an agreement with the USDA’s wildlife division for the culling program ...survey showed that 32.7 percent of respondents strongly favored using lethal means ... 48.8 percent favored using non-lethal means, such as sterilization or contraceptives, as compared to lethal means...


Ohio's deer season begins amid optimism, some changes in regulations September 27, 2020 Columbus Dispatch

... “I do think we’ll see about 190,000 deer taken this year,” he said. “Most of the increase will come in the antlerless harvest because of changes in the regulations.”  biologist Mike Tonkovich, the deer project administrator for the Ohio Division of Wildlife..,


Lyndhurst likely to utilize USDA services to count, sharpshoot deer September 27, 2020 Ohio, Cleveland.com

... Lyndhurst has not had a deer count conducted since 2014 ...  it was extremely inaccurate and (Lyndhurst) mayor (Joseph) Cicero, at the time, was very dissatisfied with the validity of the count.” ... Lyndhurst is considering using USDA sharpshooters ...


South Euclid expected to use USDA sharpshooters to cull deer, but also look to sterilization September 15, 2020 Ohio, The Plain Dealer Cleveland

... about 28 deer per square mile in South Euclid ... [well withing the deer density capacity for a suburban area] ... the city’s council is in agreement that deer will again be culled early next year after another infrared count ... Councilwoman Sunny Simon favors sterilization as a means of more effectively limiting deer population...


ODNR continues to work on Chronic Wasting Disease prevention September 14, 2020 Ohio, Wooster Daily Record

... Latest pen with CWD positive is depopulated ...  the five-year ban on what the landowners could do with the property expired, and in a proactive move, The Division of Wildlife stepped up to make sure no wild deer would be stepping on the site... there are still (CWD) prions on the land ...


Highland Heights planning another infrared deer count, second round of culling September 11, 2020 Ohio, cleveland.com

... On Nov. 25, 2019, the USDA conducted a deer count in Highland Heights and found that the city, at 5.2 square miles, held 280 deer -- or 54.4 deer per square mile. The average per square mile was considered quite high, as the optimum number of deer in a city per square mile is thought to be 15 to 20. [This article links to a page on this website which shows that the optimum number of deer is NOT 15 to 20, that a suburb can support over 100 deer per square mile and some communities are targeting 50 deer per square mile.] ...


Richmond Heights’ deer population problem could cost up to $200,000 to solve September 2, 2020 Ohio, The Plain Dealer Cleveland 

... DeNicola said that many Richmond Heights deer could easily be culled through lethal means in more wide open spaces ... The deer that live near homes would require a trap-and-euthanize method, which is more costly than shooting deer. Such means of culling would also take place in view of many residents, which DeNicola said can be disturbing to some...


  Fawns who fell in Parma pool let out a ’deer cheer’ after being rescued by police September 1, 2020 Ohio, 19 Action News

... Police said the fawns were tired but happy, you can hear them let out a “deer cheer” of appreciation after being rescued. [video in story] ...


Richmond Heights council seeks best way to reduce city’s deer population August 5, 2020 Ohio, Cleveland.com

... if your issue is flowers in a neighborhood, it makes no sense to wipe out a family of deer and have 50 more come in. ... DeNicola told of how contraception or sterilization can be expensive, at a cost of about $1,000 per deer, but that it can be a more effective way of reducing the number of deer within a community...


South Euclid examines sterilization as a means to control deer population July 28, 2020 Ohio, Cleveland.com

...last October, when a survey of residents showed ... contraception or sterilization, 48.8 percent were in support...  through bow hunting, perhaps 20 percent of the deer can be captured, but that through the dart/surgical method he described, he can capture 100 percent of the city’s deer. “I can sterilize all of the females ...


Feeding deer and other wildlife in South Euclid could result in misdemeanor charge July 14, 2020 Ohio, Cleveland.com 

... Those found guilty of an offense would be charged with a fourth-degree misdemeanor for the first offense, and a first-degree misdemeanor for subsequent offenses. A fourth-degree misdemeanor is punishable by up to 30 days in jail, and a first-degree misdemeanor carries a jail sentence of as many as 180 days ...


South Euclid Council committee, so far, favors hunting as best means of reducing deer population June 23, 2020 Ohio, cleveland.com

... Continenza said, hunting, as the least expensive alternative of three -- including using sharpshooters and sterilization -- will be examined more closely... count found that South Euclid had 130 deer or more living within its borders, or about 28 per square mile...


South Euclid Council trying to determine the best way to limit city’s deer population June 9, 2020 Ohio,  Cleveland.com 

...  An infrared count ... about 28 per square mile ... If asked to choose between using lethal or non-lethal means to control the deer population, 62.4 percent would stated they would choose non-lethal methods, compared to 37.7 percent favoring lethal means...


  Kayakers find deer swimming in Lake Erie, steer it to safety May 27, 2020 Ohio, FOX8 Cleveland

... the deer kept swimming north, out farther into the lake...  they were able to get the deer closer to the beach. Eventually, it got back on land ...


Some facts, but not all, are out on CWD case in Wayne County May 26, 2020 Ohio, The Daily Record

... third case of Chronic Wasting Disease in a captive breeding facility ... a 6-year-old female mule deer that had been purchased from out of state ...  "Depopulation is pending the indemnity plan approval.” ...


Trapped Fawn Saved By Westlake Police May 26, 2020 Ohio, Patch

... found the fawn wedged between fences. The fawn's mother was stomping nearby ...The officer had to get a breaching tool to free the fawn ...


Chronic Wasting Disease detected in deer on Wayne County farm  May 16, 2020 Ohio, Cleveland

... ODA investigators found a doe with CWD in a herd on the farm ... CDW has never been found in Ohio’s wild deer herd population, according to ODA...


2020-21 Ohio hunting season approved by wildlife council  May 14, 2020 Fox 28

... The statewide deer bag limit remains at six deer, only one of which may be antlered, and a hunter cannot exceed a county bag limit...


USDA count of deer in South Euclid stands between 130-167  March 12, 2020 Ohio, Cleveland.com

... estimates that there are between 130 and 167 deer in the city.  Two USDA deer counters each used hand-held thermal imagers while driving down each city street between 6 and 9:50 p.m. on the day of the survey. During that time, 130 deer were actually seen...


Group believes Ohio has foundation to bring elk back February 29, 2020 Ohio, Toledo Blade

... after European settlement in America and eventually Ohio, overhunting and habitat loss caused the elk to disappear from Ohio by 1838.” ... we’ve seen healthy elk herds established in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky ...


Deer proposals would offer changes in 42 counties February 28, 2020 Ohio, The Lima News

... While some counties will move to three-deer counties and others will drop to two-deer counties, there are three counties (Clinton, Fayette and Pickaway) that have a one-deer limit. Metropolitan areas continue to have a four-deer limit...


Lyndhurst, A look inside Lyndhurst's deer culling program February 28, 2020 Ohio, WKYC-TV Cleveland

... For the first three years of their program, deer were trapped and euthanized by an outside entity. Success was limited ... "This year we transitioned to sharpshooters, our own personnel, on public lands," ... He knows some don't agree with killing the deer ...


Deer limit reduction in Delaware County raises eyebrows February 23, 2020 Ohio, Columbus Dispatch

... the division proposed reducing the 2020-21 season deer limit in Delaware County from four to three... . “The growth is mostly in the southern one-third of the county, and the reality is that in the northern two-thirds of the county hunters have done a pretty good job reducing the deer herd.” ..,


Deer culling discussion migrates into Mayfield Village February 19, 2020 Ohio, Cleveland.com

... “We don’t really have that big of a problem, not the same problem Highland Heights has,” Bodnar said. “And the areas that seem to be experiencing the problem are not appropriate for sharpshooting.”  The Highland Heights culling program, which is to be carried out by USDA sharpshooters, will only take place on public property...

Ohio Data:  About 680,000 deer in 2021 and 2020, 670,000 in 2019 and 660,000 in 2018.   The 2022 hunt total was 2.2% above 2021 and 2023 is expected to be higher.  Good acorn production in 2023 will improve winter survival and reproduction success.


The state has not issued a recent population estimate, but comments to the press give a rough estimate of between 600,000 to 750,000 or 800,000 in 2021 with one reported estimate of 680,000 near the end of the year and another report in early 2023 of 680,000 although the hunting data indicates a significant increase in 2022 with another 2023 press report of 800,000 deer.  For 2023, proposed deer hunting limits were increased in six counties and deceased in one, but the antlerless quota was kept at one per hunter.


Regulation changes and more hunters as a result of the pandemic contributed to a 7% increase in the deer kill for 2020.  An increased kill of antlerless deer was proposed for 2021 to reduce the population.   Better hunting  weather in 2021 compared to 2020 increased the deer kill.  A stable to moderately increasing deer population in 2019 and 2020, increasing in 2021 and 2022.

 

About 670,000 deer in 2019 and 660,000 in 2018.  Population numbers are estimated from hunting data, deer-vehicle collisions and comments from ODNR about population trends [sources].  Deer license sales fell by 35% from 2007 to 2021.


Hunting regulations prior to 2018-19 were designed to allow for moderate herd growth given the downward trend since 2009-10.  A decline in the 2018 deer hunt was partially attributed to weather and restrictions on public land.  A stable trend for the population in 2016 and stable to a slight increase for 2017 and 2018.   A 2018 survey put the hunter success rate at about 34 percent for private land hunters and 14 percent for public land hunters.


About  670,000 deer in 2017 up from about 640,000 in 2016, 660,000 deer in 2015, and 640,000 in 2014.  The ODNR population goal from 2014 to 2016 was to restrict hunting to allow the population to increase. In 2017 restrictions were eased to moderate growth, but below average acorn production down in 2017 so less food for deer.    To boost the population there was a significant reduction in antlerless permits and reduced deer limits, contributing to the decline in the 2016 hunt results.   


About 20 deer per square mile in 2016. The hunting limit in 2016 was six deer total, one buck.  A lower than average mast crop, early harvest of farm crops, and good weather contributed to the increase in the 2015 deer kill. Ohio issued fewer deer permits in 2015 and 2014 as hunters complained that deer have been over harvested.   About 25,000 captive white-tail deer in over 500 deer breeding farms, 2016.


The Ohio deer population was estimated at 700,000 to 750,000 prior to the hunting season in 2013 and 2012.  Another estimate of 700,000 to 750,000 in mid-2011 and 750,000 in October.  About 515,000 resident deer hunters.  Although ODNR no longer makes a formal estimate, they agree that the deer population declined into 2014 as a result of a hard winter, following a general decline since about 2008.  Coyote predation is also becoming an issue.  Hunters requested reduced bag limits after the Ohio deer harvest fell by 12.5% in 2013.


A population estimate at  675,000 in 2009.  An estimate of the peak population of 800,000 deer in 2006 and a National Park Service peak estimate of 750,000 in the early 2000s..   "In the mid- to late-2000s, deer populations across most of the state had reached record-highs - well above population goals that had been established in 2000. Through a combination of liberal bag limits, reduced cost antlerless permits, education on the importance of an adequate doe harvest, and other programmatic changes; deer populations in most areas of Ohio were reduced to goal (or nearly to goal) by 2014. Starting in 2013, regulations became increasingly conservative to alleviate harvest pressure on antlerless deer and stabilize populations."  Source: Ohio Department of Natural Resources, 2022, page 18.


The eastern and southeastern forests have matured, reducing deer habitat.  Read the ODNR analysis of deer trends


Population estimates:   The Division of Wildlife estimates that the herd grew by 80% from 1998 to 2008.   Population estimates:  1940: 2,000.    1950: 12,748.   1960: 8,000.    1968:  22,000.   1965:  17,000.   1970:   17,000.   About 750,000 in early 2000s.  In 2001 pre-hunt 500,000 to 525,000 and  475,000 pre-hunt in 2000.  In 1995, 550,000.


Graph Below is from the Ohio Division of Wildlife, October, 2021.   Hunter Observations 2004 to 2020

Peak of the rut is November 11 to November 17. 

Protection of white deer:  Since 1987, when there was a public uproar over a white deer being killed, a deer more than 50 percent white cannot be legally harvested.  10,000 years ago reindeer/caribou lived in what became Ohio.


Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).  The state has been testing for CWD since 2002, the first positive case discovered in a Holmes County hunting preserve in 2014.  When the owner violated a quarantine order by moving deer from the facility, ODA ordered that all 300 deer should be destroyed.  A second deer from the hunting preserve, Wold Class Whitetails, tested positive in March, 2015.   A buck tested positive on a hunting preserve in 2017.  In 2019, the first case of CWD in a wild deer taken in Wyandot County.  Eleven deer tested positive from fall 2020 to September, 2022 with three more into November.  As of December, 2022, a total of 14 deer tested positive since testing began in 2000.  By November 2023, 28 positives -- 16 new positives in 2023.


Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD).   Confirmed in August, 2017, in a wild whitetail buck from Lorain County and spreading with intensity to Middleburg and Berea.  Previous outbreak in 2012.  A large outbreak in 2022 focused in the southwest but spreading throughout the state.


History.  White-tail deer were plentiful in pre-colonial Ohio.   The word name “Scioto”, as in the the Ohio Scioto river and county, is an American Indian word meaning “deer.”, a name reflecting the abundance of deer in the area.  Deer were still common when Ohio became a state in 1803, but were wiped out by 1904 as a result of uncontrolled hunting and clearing of forests for farmland - declared extinct in Ohio in 1909.   In 1857 Ohio’s government set a season lasting about a month, but without bag limits. Deer were declared extinct in 1909. From 1897 until 1942, there was no deer season in Ohio.  Restocking efforts in the 1920s and 1930s brought deer back to 28 counties by 1937. Hunting resumed in 1943 when 164 bucks were killed.  The deer population was estimated at 17,000 in the early 1970's


By the early 1990's, the herd was thought to be too large so hunting limits were increased, resulting in "fewer deer than we thought" by 1997 when hunting limits were reduced. The herd expanded into the early 2000's reaching about 750,000.  One estimate puts the peak population at 800,000 in 2006. Restrictions were lifted again beginning in 2007, the population has been declining since.  Population estimated at 650,000 in 2005, down from 700,000 in 2004.  Around 1980, shotgun hunters took about 90 percent of the deer.  In 2014 about half were taken by bow hunters, including crossbows.  In 2014 the state moved to a more. county based management. 


The graph below is from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.  From page 3:  "From the early 1980s through 2011, the number of fawns harvested per adult doe has steadily declined (Figure 6)... Several factors may explain this trend. First,

recent attempts to reduce deer numbers have beensuccessful, possibly creating improved  habitat conditions, which in turn, has increased or maintained reproductive performance. Second, with fewer

harvest opportunities, hunters may have become less selective, harvesting a greater proportion of fawns than in years prior

Elk  The last Elk in Ohio was reportedly killed in 1840 in Ashtabula County.  The Ohio Geological Survey talks of “ample evidence” of an abundance of buffalo and elk in northern Ohio.


Wolves  “In the 1800s, wolf pelts sold for $15 apiece — the equivalent to more than $300 per pelt today.  Because of this inflated reward rate, wolves were fully extinguished from Ohio in 1842."


Coyotes first arrived in 1919.


Bobcats a small breeding population mostly in the southeast.