OH proposes smaller bag limit on 2015-2016 deer season
02-15-2015, 05:22 PM
#1
Giant Nontypical
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Darien, IL
Posts: 6,744
OH proposes smaller bag limit on 2015-2016 deer season
Proposed 2015-16 Ohio deer season includes smaller bag limits
By Dave Golowenski
For The Columbus Dispatch • Sunday February 15, 2015
The regulatory screw on Ohio’s deer hunters likely will get a little tighter next season, though opportunities would change significantly.
Pending approval, the Ohio Division of Wildlife’s deer-hunting proposals for next season eliminate the use of antlerless permits in all but 10 urban counties, reduce bag limits in most counties, and cut the statewide bag limit from nine whitetails to six.
Changes also are in order for muzzleloader and shotgun hunters, as well as for those participating in the youth gun season.
Madison, Pickaway and Fairfield in central Ohio would join a large number of counties in southeastern and west-central Ohio where antlerless permits would not be available and only two deer could be taken. Two-deer counties include whitetail strongholds such as Coshocton, Tuscarawas, Harrison, Guernsey, Noble, Athens, Perry, Vinton, Hocking, Morrow and Meigs.
Years of liberal bag limits and heavy whitetail kills led to the proposals, which are designed to curtail the harvest in many traditional deer-heavy counties at least for one season, said wildlife biologist John “Clint” McCoy, a deer specialist with the Ohio Division of Wildlife.
“Most of those counties are basically where we want them to be in terms of population,” and further paring risks deer densities that are too low to satisfy hunters, he said.
Based on previous results, the elimination of antlerless permits is expected to have a “ significant impact” on reducing the harvest in the affected 78 counties in 2015-16, McCoy said.
Also in the works is the suspension of the October antlerless-only muzzleloader hunt. Moving into that weekend slot would be the statewide youth gun season, which previously was held on a weekend one week before the start of gun week. Harvests declined during the past two youth weekends in November.
“We’re trying to get youths in the woods at a time when they can enjoy a little more comfortable weather,” McCoy said.
An additional two-day gun season has been proposed to take place Dec. 26-27, when many hunters are on break from work. The statewide muzzleloader hunt would be held Jan. 2-5 under the proposals, which were announced last week.
“That’s a short window between the gun weekend and the muzzleloader hunt, but that’s only because it worked out that way this year,” McCoy said. “A year from now, the start of the muzzleloader hunt would fall on Jan. 8.”
One other proposed change is the addition of the .450 Marlin to the list of rifles using straight-walled ammunition that are legal during the statewide gun seasons, including the youth weekend.
Franklin and Delaware counties would be among six urban counties in which four deer permits can be used. One of the four may be an antlerless permit. The other four-permit counties are Cuyahoga, Hamilton, Lucas and Summit.
Antlerless permits would be legal in the
10 urban counties from the start of the archery season, Sept. 26, through the day before gun week, Nov. 29.
Three-deer counties include Licking, Union and Knox in central Ohio. As usual, only one buck may be taken each hunting year.
The wildlife division proposed that small-game hunting seasons should continue during the Dec. 26-27 gun weekend.
The proposals must be approved by the Ohio Wildlife Council. Open houses, which give the public an opportunity to offer comments about hunting, trapping and fishing regulations and wildlife issues, are scheduled on March 7 at wildlife district offices in Columbus, Akron, Findlay and Athens. Comments are accepted at the website wildohio.com through March 8.
A statewide hearing on the proposals is scheduled for 9 a.m. on March 19 at the wildlife District One office, 1500 Dublin Rd.
[email protected]
Proposed seasons
• Archery: Sept. 26 through Feb. 7
• Youth gun: Oct. 10-11
• Deer gun: Nov. 30 through Dec. 6, and Dec. 26-27
• Muzzleloader: Jan. 2-5
By Dave Golowenski
For The Columbus Dispatch • Sunday February 15, 2015
The regulatory screw on Ohio’s deer hunters likely will get a little tighter next season, though opportunities would change significantly.
Pending approval, the Ohio Division of Wildlife’s deer-hunting proposals for next season eliminate the use of antlerless permits in all but 10 urban counties, reduce bag limits in most counties, and cut the statewide bag limit from nine whitetails to six.
Changes also are in order for muzzleloader and shotgun hunters, as well as for those participating in the youth gun season.
Madison, Pickaway and Fairfield in central Ohio would join a large number of counties in southeastern and west-central Ohio where antlerless permits would not be available and only two deer could be taken. Two-deer counties include whitetail strongholds such as Coshocton, Tuscarawas, Harrison, Guernsey, Noble, Athens, Perry, Vinton, Hocking, Morrow and Meigs.
Years of liberal bag limits and heavy whitetail kills led to the proposals, which are designed to curtail the harvest in many traditional deer-heavy counties at least for one season, said wildlife biologist John “Clint” McCoy, a deer specialist with the Ohio Division of Wildlife.
“Most of those counties are basically where we want them to be in terms of population,” and further paring risks deer densities that are too low to satisfy hunters, he said.
Based on previous results, the elimination of antlerless permits is expected to have a “ significant impact” on reducing the harvest in the affected 78 counties in 2015-16, McCoy said.
Also in the works is the suspension of the October antlerless-only muzzleloader hunt. Moving into that weekend slot would be the statewide youth gun season, which previously was held on a weekend one week before the start of gun week. Harvests declined during the past two youth weekends in November.
“We’re trying to get youths in the woods at a time when they can enjoy a little more comfortable weather,” McCoy said.
An additional two-day gun season has been proposed to take place Dec. 26-27, when many hunters are on break from work. The statewide muzzleloader hunt would be held Jan. 2-5 under the proposals, which were announced last week.
“That’s a short window between the gun weekend and the muzzleloader hunt, but that’s only because it worked out that way this year,” McCoy said. “A year from now, the start of the muzzleloader hunt would fall on Jan. 8.”
One other proposed change is the addition of the .450 Marlin to the list of rifles using straight-walled ammunition that are legal during the statewide gun seasons, including the youth weekend.
Franklin and Delaware counties would be among six urban counties in which four deer permits can be used. One of the four may be an antlerless permit. The other four-permit counties are Cuyahoga, Hamilton, Lucas and Summit.
Antlerless permits would be legal in the
10 urban counties from the start of the archery season, Sept. 26, through the day before gun week, Nov. 29.
Three-deer counties include Licking, Union and Knox in central Ohio. As usual, only one buck may be taken each hunting year.
The wildlife division proposed that small-game hunting seasons should continue during the Dec. 26-27 gun weekend.
The proposals must be approved by the Ohio Wildlife Council. Open houses, which give the public an opportunity to offer comments about hunting, trapping and fishing regulations and wildlife issues, are scheduled on March 7 at wildlife district offices in Columbus, Akron, Findlay and Athens. Comments are accepted at the website wildohio.com through March 8.
A statewide hearing on the proposals is scheduled for 9 a.m. on March 19 at the wildlife District One office, 1500 Dublin Rd.
[email protected]
Proposed seasons
• Archery: Sept. 26 through Feb. 7
• Youth gun: Oct. 10-11
• Deer gun: Nov. 30 through Dec. 6, and Dec. 26-27
• Muzzleloader: Jan. 2-5
02-16-2015, 08:35 AM
#2
Typical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: fairview park oh
Posts: 657
way to go odnr you jackasses really know how to screw chit up the bow hunters were complaining that the early muzzy season put a halt to see bucks after the early muzzy doe only season & now have eliminated it & put in youth season where they can take either sex what the hell do you think it's going to do for seeing bucks after oct 11 probabably seeing even less bucks or finding more wounded deer that died. next the added gun season dec 26 & 27 & then 5 days later the statewide muzzleloader season the deer will really be skiddish by then we will be lucky to see a thousand deer killed in that season go ahead odnr just keep * u#king things up tonkavich should pull his head out of his a$$ the hunters should demand his head on a plate in 2006 we killed 260 thousand deer & now we only harvested 175 thousand deer whats wrong with that picture
03-15-2015, 09:31 AM
#4
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Allegan, MI
Posts: 8,019
way to go odnr you jackasses really know how to screw chit up the bow hunters were complaining that the early muzzy season put a halt to see bucks after the early muzzy doe only season & now have eliminated it & put in youth season where they can take either sex what the hell do you think it's going to do for seeing bucks after oct 11 probabably seeing even less bucks or finding more wounded deer that died. next the added gun season dec 26 & 27 & then 5 days later the statewide muzzleloader season the deer will really be skiddish by then we will be lucky to see a thousand deer killed in that season go ahead odnr just keep * u#king things up tonkavich should pull his head out of his a$$ the hunters should demand his head on a plate in 2006 we killed 260 thousand deer & now we only harvested 175 thousand deer whats wrong with that picture
I think you're way off base and it would sure be nice if you used some punctuation in your posts, as there is only one period to end a sentence and not one single capital letter to start one in your entire 15 line rant!
03-20-2015, 08:28 AM
#5
Typical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: fairview park oh
Posts: 657
well odnr has finally listened to the hunters the new proposals are in & they left the youth hunt were it orginally was added a holiday 2 day gun season on 2 week days ( leaving the gw @ least of couple of days to spend with there families ) will be dec 28 & 29 instead of dec 26 &27 pushed back muzzy season a week later due to the 2 day gun season will be jan 9 thru jan 12 this all be be voted on april 8 it's about time they think & use common sense
