We have just recently retrieved some great trail cam photos from some of our Ohio properties. What an amazing scouting tool these cameras can be, we’ve used them for many years and are always impressed with them. Nothing beats scouting for deer while we’re at work or spending time with our families.

The following pictures were taken this year in Ohio, they are some of our biggest and best bucks ever and were taken with a Moultrie digital scouting camera. We do have our new Cuddeback cameras set up on these properties as well, but they just need a little more time before checking the memory cards. These pictures were taken in early September, the bucks are still in velvet and their summer coat is shedding. In Ohio it is perfectly legal to bait and you can see the feeder in the background pulling in these giants in the middle of the night. I hope you enjoy these pic’s:

One close up view of a giant 7x5

Side view of the 12-pointer 

Another close up view of this awesome shooter buck

Check out the height, tine length and width of this guy

Looks like a Mule Deer at first glance!

Yet another massive 9-pointer

Close up view of the massive 9pt.

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This is another tall and tight racked 9-pointer

Great side view of the tall and tight 9pt.

Even in early July, this buck shows some impressive growth

Why Hunt Ohio?

Ohio deer hunting is world class and is gaining fame as a trophy buck state due in large part to having an excellent deer management program. The state’s deer management program has a very conservative buck harvest and is designed to manage for trophy-sized bucks while controlling the state population through hunting of deer, especially does. This allows for the population to remain balanced while also putting in place the conditions necessary to produce record setting deer.

Ohio is home to the world famous “Hole-in-the-Horn” buck, which is the #2 non-typical of all time, scores 328 2/8 and was found dead in Portage County in 1940. Another famous buck, the Mike Beatty buck http://www.northamericanwhitetail.com/trophybucks/naw_aa901beatty/, was for several years the largest deer taken by a hunter until Tony Lovstuen came along. The Beatty buck has 39 points, scores 304 6/8 and was harvested in Greene County on November 8, 2001.

In 2006, Jonathan Schmucker of Seaman, Ohio killed a record setting whitetail with a crossbow on opening day of archery season. That 34-point buck net scored an unbelievable 291 2/8” Boone and Crockett points. This buck had a total of 34 points (18-points on the right and 16 points on the left), has a gross score of 301 2/8”, Inside spread of 25 6/8” inches and has an amazing outside spread of 29 7/8” inches. For the past two years in a row an Ohio hunter has killed a buck over 200 inches on the first day of archery season. In 2005, on opening day, Mike Rex of Athens, Ohio killed a buck that had 17 points, 15” brow tines and scored 218 6/8.

A white-tailed deer killed in the fall of 2004 in Warren County, known as the Jerman buck http://jermanbuck.com/, became an Ohio typical record with a score of 201 1/8.

The Ohio Buckeye Big Buck Club http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/BuckeyeBigBuckClub/tabid/18773/Default.aspx has recorded more than one-half of all its top 10 entries for both typical and non-typical deer during the last decade. Of the 144 BBBC entries scoring over 200, 92 (63 percent) have been killed since 1990. The BBBC has kept records of trophy deer since 1958.

Below is our summary of what makes Ohio a very attractive place to book a trip:

• Ohio has the right terrain, habitat, crops and genetics that consistently produces big bucks year after year.
• Ohio has produced three non-typical bucks grossing over 300 inches, three typical bucks grossing over 200 inches and most of these were taken in the last few years.
• According to the Quality deer management Association’s: Boone and Crockett and Pope and Young Record Book White-tailed Deer: 1991-2000, Ohio ranks 4th nationally in combined B&C and P&Y entries.
• Ohio has a short gun season, held after the rut and only allows shotguns.
• Ohio sells NR hunting licenses and deer tags over the counter for only $149 compared to $435 for Illinois & Iowa.
• Ohio has a one-buck per year limit and can be taken with any weapon, any county or in any zone on the same deer permit.
• Up to three total deer (1 buck & two doe’s) can be taken in zone 3 and up to four additional doe’s can be taken in designated urban zones (total of 7 deer)
• Ohio’s 2007 season runs from September 29th until February 3rd making it a four month season.
• Ohio DNR has very consistent regulations with a great website, which is: http://www.dnr.state.oh.us
•  Does allow the use of crossbows and baiting is legal.
• During Ohio’s 2002 deer season, 11 deer scoring over 200 inches were recorded in that one-year alone. By comparison, Pennsylvania has had only produced 5 deer over 200 inches all-time.

In Conclusion

With Illinois and Iowa being two of our favorite destinations to let the air out of a big buck, we just can't overlook some great hunting here in Ohio. As you can see, Ohio is a world-class state, we have properties in the best counties and as usual, we have low pressure hunts available. We do get more calls and interest from clients to hunt these other two states but for a great inexpensive hunt you really can’t beat Ohio.

Something else to consider about Ohio, is the incredible amount of total deer taken in our top counties. In 2006, Ohio had five counties that checked in over 7000 deer per county and one that produced 8656 deer. Simply unbelievable!

By comparison, Illinois only had one county that produced 8000 deer, but many of the other top counties only produced around 4000 deer. What this means of course, is that in addition to seeing big bucks in Ohio, you will also be seeing a lot of deer, period! That is what keeps us warm in the stand, when we have plenty to look at.

We still have some openings left for this year including some great rut weeks during bow season and many spots available for shotgun. And you can’t beat those tags being sold over the counter.

To learn more about the author, visit http://www.bowhuntingwhitetails.com