# New Ohio deer proposals, bag limits



## Darcy (Sep 8, 2005)

What are all the deer hunters around Ohio thinking about the new proposals for the 2013-2014 deer season? Some fairly radical changes are in the works, from county-by-county bag limits to extending the deer gun hunting day to a half-hour after sunrise.

If you're not sure what's happening, check out the new proposals at www.cleveland.com/outdoors.

I've heard compliments, but more complaints. Let me know what you think. And are the District Open Houses on the new regs worth the trip? Or the State Fish and Game Hearing? 

Cheers!

D'Arcy Egan


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## crittergitter (Jun 9, 2005)

I think there is already a thread for this topic in the hunting lodge thread.

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## jonnythfisherteen2 (Mar 5, 2011)

oh nice. they want to make it even harder for the non bow hunters. as if the gun hunting rules weren't already restrictive enough, they also have to make it so that we have a short season. someone want to explain this?


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## crappiedude (Mar 12, 2006)

How is it harder for bowhunter? Ya loose 2 days of gun (buck or doe) for 2 days of muzzleloader (doe only).
Lower limits in all areas seem to mean more deer left walking.
Just sayin


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## Snook (Aug 19, 2008)

I like em'.


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

crappiedude said:


> How is it harder for bowhunter? Ya loose 2 days of gun (buck or doe) for 2 days of muzzleloader (doe only).
> Lower limits in all areas seem to mean more deer left walking.
> Just sayin


Yep! Instead of whacking the hell out of does all season! As always, we'll have to see how it works out, but it seems like the ODNR has gotten the message that the herd has been reduced.


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

buckeyebowman said:


> it seems like the ODNR has gotten the message that the herd has been reduced.


Where has the ODNR stated that their new proposals are to in anyway reduce harvest?

I must have missed that part


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## FISNFOOL (May 12, 2009)

An ODNR Officer was at our club meeting this evening. He mentioned that even the Seniors should oppose going back to free hunting etc licenses. 

There is a proposal to go back to all free licenses for all Seniors 65 or older.

He suggested that the Seniors request there be something like a $2 fee.

This is because the Federal pool of PittmanRobertson Act funds, is dispersed based on the number of licenses a state SELLS. They do count the free ones. It does not matter the cost. He said that since the Senior population is predicated to increase by 3% a year, in just a few years the total loss of funds to Ohio based on free instead of paid, could easily be in the $25 million range. And as more and more states loose out, the fund would grow and be noticed. People looking for loopholes could try and attach the PittmanRobertson Act funds. This was already tried in Ohio.

Send in your comments by email to the Ohio Wildlife Council before March 2nd. [email protected] 

Put: To the Wildlife Council in the email subject line.


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## Shad Rap (Nov 10, 2010)

crappiedude said:


> How is it harder for bowhunter? Ya loose 2 days of gun (buck or doe) for 2 days of muzzleloader (doe only).
> Lower limits in all areas seem to mean more deer left walking.
> Just sayin


He said harder for the non bowhunter.


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## FISNFOOL (May 12, 2009)

I forgot to mention. At the meeting, when asked if you have to wear hunter orange if bow hunting during the new muzzle loader season, the reply was yes.

Hunter orange or camo orange. BUT, *if using a bow*, you can kill a buck during the Muzzle Loader October season. 

Any questions contact your County ODNR Officer.

*UPDATE*

See the other posts. The Officer was wrong.

The proposed antlerless-only muzzleloader hunting season would be Oct. 12-13 and scheduled for the second weekend of October in subsequent years. The proposal includes making* the October muzzleloader season for antlerless deer only, regardless of the method of take, *and eliminating both the bonus gun weekend in December and the early muzzleloader season at three public hunting areas (Salt Fork Wildlife Area, Shawnee State Forest and Wildcat Hollow).


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## crappiedude (Mar 12, 2006)

Shad Rap said:


> He said harder for the non bowhunter.


I stand corrected. 
I could see his point if someone didn't hunt with a muzzleloader.


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

FISNFOOL said:


> BUT, *if using a bow*, you can kill a buck during the Muzzle Loader October season.


The officer needs to be become more familar with the proposal.

No buck harvest that weekend, no matter what the weapon of choice


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## AEFISHING (Apr 25, 2004)

BUT, *if using a bow*, you can kill a buck during the Muzzle Loader October season. 



Does it state this in the new proposal? I was wondering if that would be allowed.


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

AEFISHING said:


> BUT, *if using a bow*, you can kill a buck during the Muzzle Loader October season.
> 
> 
> 
> Does it state this in the new proposal? I was wondering if that would be allowed.


No it does not say that, in fact just the opposite.

_The proposed antlerless-only muzzleloader hunting season would be Oct. 12-13 and scheduled for the second weekend of October in subsequent years. The proposal includes making the October muzzleloader season for *antlerless deer only, regardless of the method of take*, and eliminating both the bonus gun weekend in December and the early muzzleloader season at three public hunting areas (Salt Fork Wildlife Area, Shawnee State Forest and Wildcat Hollow)._


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## FISNFOOL (May 12, 2009)

Lundy said:


> The officer needs to be become more familar with the proposal.
> 
> No buck harvest that weekend, no matter what the weapon of choice


THANKS I'll let him know
From the ODNR web site:

The proposed antlerless-only muzzleloader hunting season would be Oct. 12-13 and scheduled for the second weekend of October in subsequent years. The proposal includes making the October muzzleloader season for antlerless deer only, *regardless of the method of take*, and eliminating both the bonus gun weekend in December and the early muzzleloader season at three public hunting areas (Salt Fork Wildlife Area, Shawnee State Forest and Wildcat Hollow).


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

And more from the ODNR site.

Proposal: Create an Antlerless Deer Muzzleloader Season. Eliminate the Early Muzzleloader Season on 3 designated areas. Eliminate the Extra Gun Weekend.

Justification: This season will encourage early, rather than late, antlerless harvest and is consistent with the structure of the antlerless permit program where &#8220;earlier is better.&#8221;

Justification: The extra gun weekend was started in 2006 after an OSU study indicated hunters wanted additional weekend days to hunt, but recent trends in harvest and hunter contacts suggest that the hunt has lost some appeal.

&#8226; The Antlerless Deer Muzzleloader season would replace the extra gun weekend and early muzzleloader season on 3 designated areas.

&#8226; This season would be antlerless only. *Archery hunting would be permitted that weekend and would be antlerless only.*

&#8226; The Antlerless Deer Muzzleloader Season is proposed for the second weekend of October (Oct. 12&#8208;13, 2013.)

&#8226; Hunters will be able to use both antlerless permits and either sex permits.


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## reo (May 22, 2004)

buckeyebowman said:


> Yep! Instead of whacking the hell out of does all season! *As always, we'll have to see how it works out, but it seems like the ODNR has gotten the message that the herd has been reduced*.


I do not see this as an attempt to lower harvest. 

The ODNR has not said this will lower the harvest.

IMO, this *IS* an attempt to make hunters that are in favor of lowering the harvest (increasing deer numbers) think that is going to happen. Lipstick on a pig if you will. They have lowered bag limits from 6 to 4 when in reality very few hunters actually kill 4 let alone 6. 

They replaced the bonus gun weekend with a mid-October antlerless ML season that IMO will kill as many if not more deer than the bonus gun season but they will be all does and button bucks. In areas that get a lot of people out with during this season the deer will be driven to mostly nocturnal habits for many weeks, thus messing up bowhunting. 

In response to the OP question:
Overall I think the new regs suck. I feel that overall the harvest should be decreased. Deer numbers are down and should be managed to allow them to increase. The exception to this is in urban areas where the population is too large but you cannot lower these populations by lowering them in areas that get hunted. The lone bright spot in the new regs is county by county bag limits allowing for more focused management. Perhaps someday they will use this tool. 

As hunters we are being stroked. The only people that this will be a benefit for is the Ohio Farm Bureau who would be happy with no deer alive in the sate at all.


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## jlami (Jan 28, 2011)

We need rifles... Only because I have a bad a#$ deer rifle and no slug gun.

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## Mad-Eye Moody (May 27, 2008)

I agree that statistically this will not result In a harvest reduction of any statistically valid amount, as the vast majority of hunters shoot less deer than the new proposal allows anyways.

However, with the exception of last year I tended to tag out in what was previously a six deer zone. So it theoretically would reduce my harvest and the harvest of some of the people I hunt with. That being said, I have no issue with the lower limits. I just won't be donating any deer to the hungry.


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## bdawg (Apr 14, 2009)

I like that the muzzleloader season was moved up. I don't like taking my muzzleloader out in the snow when it is more likely to misfire than a shotgun. 

The reduction of bag limits will help the people that hunt property next to someone that takes 6 deer per year. I only take 1 per year because I mostly hunt public land where the hunting is tough. 

I like the move to county by county limits, but don't like the hunting hours extended for gun seasons. It's too dark at that time to be taking longer than a 30 yard shot which would be the limit of a bow.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

Mad-Eye Moody said:


> However, with the exception of last year I tended to tag out in what was previously a six deer zone. So it theoretically would reduce my harvest and the harvest of some of the people I hunt with. That being said, I have no issue with the lower limits. I just won't be donating any deer to the hungry.


Based on the data that the DOW has you are in the very small minority as far as who limits out. Their statistics indicate that in the 2011-2012 season only 1,359 hunter exceeded 4 deer. 899 took 5 and 460 took more than 5. The total harvested beyond the 4 deer would be well below 2,000 deer so we are only talking less than 1% of the entire harvest. Overall hunter success fluctuation can far outweigh the impact of that regulation. I think they would have to reduce it by another 1-2 deer to make much of an impact. If guys want more than the 4 deer they will simply have a buddy who would otherwise not take his 4 deer bag an extra one for them.

I think the reduction from 6 to 4 is simply a token gesture by the DOW and that even they know it will have very little impact.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

bdawg said:


> The reduction of bag limits will help the people that hunt property next to someone that takes 6 deer per year. I only take 1 per year because I mostly hunt public land where the hunting is tough.


The bag limit of 6 is in no way the deciding factor on the carrying capacity of the land but instead it is the total number taken. The reason I bring this up is that I have 56 acres that I hunt along with my 3 boys. What I feel is an acceptable harvest from my area is nowhere near that 6 per hunter. I would never think of taking 24 deer and not even anywhere close to the proposed 16. The last few years we have been taking 2-4 deer per year. If we had been taking 2 to 3 times that number it would be devastating. While the numbers have gone way down in my area I don't really think many folks are taking 5-6 deer. I think it is just a matter of a lot more taking 3-4. That is why I really don't see this new limit having much of an impact.


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## FISNFOOL (May 12, 2009)

Just a reminder to everyone that commented. Your comments are important because this is a proposal. Before March 2nd, send you comments to [email protected] <[email protected]> too. They want to hear from you.


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## cambridgezowie (Feb 13, 2013)

first off i agrre with what hunters are saying on here i have called the dow and talked to them about herd numbers and such what i would like to say is hunters need to demand to see an outline of what proposed deer herd manegment numbers are i asked what number they were trying to get to per county and was told they did not know asked to see what there plan on management is me myself i do not beleave their is one i am not a fan on the new early muzzle loader season what so ever reason being i like to bow hunt number one and number two how many bucks you think will be shot in this season and as for that anyone ever notice only a handfull of poachers a year get caught!!! Anyhow these new numbers will do nothing what so ever to lower the deer kill nothing but a bunch of smokin mirriors also I beleave a survey should be taken when you purchase your deer tags on what your thoughts are about herd managment and seasonsand the way it is being run this would give them them infromation from the feild not farm bureas and last but not least i think there should be an open forum on the division of wildlifes website for people of the feild to express their thoughts publicly for all to see I hope that these thoughts of mine are not outlandish and other fellow hunters ask for these things as well


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