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Dispatch / 11.13.26· Agencies & Hunting ·Ohio

Ohio Bowhunters Check 68,456 Deer Through Nov. 8, 6 Percent Above Last Year

The Ohio Division of Wildlife's November release puts the bow harvest through Nov. 8 above the three-year average of 66,698. The archery season runs to Feb. 7, 2027.

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Credit: Photo: Ohio DNR via The Outdoor Wire

Key Facts

  • Ohio hunters checked 68,456 white-tailed deer through Sunday, Nov. 8, the first seven weekends of bowhunting.
  • The harvest includes 36,984 antlered deer and 31,472 antlerless deer.
  • The three-year average through the same date is 66,698 deer. Last year's total for the period was 64,427.
  • The best bowhunting day so far was Saturday, Nov. 7, with 5,609 deer checked.
  • The seven-day statewide gun season runs Monday, Nov. 30 through Sunday, Dec. 6.

Ohio hunters checked 68,456 white-tailed deer through Sunday, Nov. 8, the first seven weekends of bowhunting, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife said in a release.

The total includes 36,984 antlered deer and 31,472 antlerless deer, a category that covers does and button bucks. Statewide archery season for 2026-27 began Saturday, Sept. 26 and continues through Sunday, Feb. 7, 2027. Over the last three years, the average bow harvest through the first two weekends of November is 66,698 deer, and hunters reported 64,427 over the same period last year.

Coshocton led all counties, followed by Tuscarawas and Ashtabula. The table lists the top 10 counties in the release’s order, with each county’s 2026 count against its 2023-2025 average. Counts are raw data and subject to change.

Data
County 2026 (deer) 2023-2025 average (deer)
Coshocton 2,807 2,483
Tuscarawas 2,262 2,099
Ashtabula 2,126 1,959
Holmes 2,075 1,879
Trumbull 2,015 1,788
Knox 1,920 1,836
Muskingum 1,839 1,640
Licking 1,736 1,735
Carroll 1,692 1,467
Columbiana 1,667 1,389

The best day so far was Saturday, Nov. 7, when hunters checked 5,609 deer. Sunday, Nov. 8 followed with 4,411, then Saturday, Sept. 26 with 3,979, Saturday, Oct. 31 with 3,494 and Friday, Nov. 6 with 3,241.

During 2025-26, 107,783 of the 232,142 deer checked were taken with a bow. That included 77,938 with a crossbow and 29,845 with a vertical bow. Archery harvest has passed 100,000 deer in each of the last three seasons.

Deer hunters need a hunting license and a deer permit, unless exempted. A one-year resident license costs $19 and is valid through Feb. 28, 2027. An either-sex permit costs $31.20 for resident adults and is good through Feb. 7, 2027. A $15 deer management permit covers antlerless deer on private land and public hunting areas.

The division’s new licensing system requires a login with a unique email address to buy online. Hunters check deer with the free HuntFish OH mobile app, at HuntFishOH.gov, by phone or at a license sales agent.

Young hunters can use firearms during the youth gun season Saturday, Nov. 21 and Sunday, Nov. 22. The seven-day gun season opens statewide on Monday, Nov. 30 and runs through Sunday, Dec. 6. Another gun weekend follows Saturday, Dec. 19 and Sunday, Dec. 20, and muzzleloader season runs Saturday, Jan. 2 through Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2027.

Sources

  1. 1 The Outdoor Wire · Ohio's Deer Checked Through Seven Weekends of Bowhunting · accessed 2026-11-13

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