# deer limits



## luv fishing (Mar 5, 2009)

ok guys me and my hunting buddy were going back in forth about this. he says he can shoot 5 does and 1 buck at his farm in zone c then come to the property we hunt in zone B and shoot 2 more doe's. i thought it was 6 altogether with all three zones combined? if im wrong please correct me but that seems like a high bag-limit to me. and i really dont know if i could eat 7 deer lol.


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## Sharp Charge (Jun 24, 2009)

I believe your friend is correct but he can take 4 doe's in zone B at your place and 2 in zone a. Then he can take 6 more in the urban zones too. The only thing that crosses the zone is the antlered deer, limited at 1.

That's a lot of meat though!


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## jiggerman (Nov 2, 2009)

You can go online and read the rules they will tell all good luck


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

He is very wrong. The totals are statewide. If he takes his limit in Zone C, he's done. The absolute maximum a person can shoot in the state, not including urban tags, is 6 deer.


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## I_Shock_Em (Jul 20, 2008)

If you play your cards right, you can legally take 18 deer in a season (1 buck, 17 antlerless). 6 in Zone C. 4 in Zone B. 2 in Zone A. 6 in Urban Zones. I highly doubt that anyone does this, that would be a lot of meat.


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## Huntinbull (Apr 10, 2004)

M.Magis said:


> He is very wrong. The totals are statewide. If he takes his limit in Zone C, he's done. The absolute maximum a person can shoot in the state, not including urban tags, is 6 deer.


M.Magis, Each zones limit is for that zone. The only limit that crosses zone lines is the one buck per year. You can take up to 18 deer in Ohio. Only one of those deer can be antlered (having antlers over 3" in length).

2 in zone A + 4 in zone B + 6 in zone C = 12 + 6 urban deer = 18.


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## s hook (Jul 23, 2007)

Heard it straight from the mouth of the Franklin county odnr officer, you can shoot a total of 18 deer statewide. 

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## crappiewacka (Apr 7, 2009)

M.Magis said:


> He is very wrong. The totals are statewide. If he takes his limit in Zone C, he's done. The absolute maximum a person can shoot in the state, not including urban tags, is 6 deer.


That's what I thought, BUT I think that might have been changed in the last couple years???
I thought is was 7 total or in possession.
Nevertheless, 3 in my house is plenty.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

I believe Huntinbull is correct on that number. That is a rule that changed in the last couple of years. It used to be that you could only take up to the highest number, that of zone C but you could not exceed any individual zone's limit. They now allow the limits to be independent of each other. The exact wording in the regulations is this.


> Deer Zone bag limits are separate and do not impact deer hunting in other Deer Zones.


As crazy as it sounds you could indeed take 18 deer although I can't imagine what one would do with that many!


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

This is all news to me. I&#8217;ve never heard this and it&#8217;s not at all how I read the regs. I guess I need to read them again and look more closely.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

M.Magis said:


> This is all news to me. Ive never heard this and its not at all how I read the regs. I guess I need to read them again and look more closely.


I was taken aback by this last year when I had a conversation about this. Like you I was used to the way things always had been. I believe I read something about it in the Ohio Outdoor News last year where the director of the deer program for the state (Tonkovich) mentioned it as another way to try to increase the harvest. I really don't know how much impact that will have as I can't imagine there are many folks that will utilize that new rule. Going beyond 6 deer is just a lot of meat. If you need more than that there is probably a good chance that you have another hunter in the group eating the meat so your limit is higher anyway.


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## luv fishing (Mar 5, 2009)

thanks guys i guess i will tell him he was right. but i really dont understand why he would want that many.


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## Fish Scalper (Oct 31, 2009)

If you're in to making jerky, an entire deer will end up in less than two, one gallon bags after dehydrating. 18 deer become about 1.8 deer when dehydrated!


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## Bazzin05 (Feb 2, 2011)

Fish Scalper said:


> If you're in to making jerky, an entire deer will end up in less than two, one gallon bags after dehydrating. 18 deer become about 1.8 deer when dehydrated!


You must have one heck of a dehydrator... I think it would take over 1 year to make 18 deer into jerky with my dehydrator.


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

I went back and red the regs again. Based on the line that Brian quoted, it sure enough looks like you can now fill Zone limits separately. It still seems a little fuzzy to me, I guess I just expected to see something a little more clearly stated. They should show yearly changes in the regs in red like they do booklet, so people like me don&#8217;t miss things.  How long has this been in effect? Doesn&#8217;t matter I suppose, I&#8217;m just wondering how long I&#8217;ve been reading them wrong.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

Fish Scalper said:


> If you're in to making jerky, an entire deer will end up in less than two, one gallon bags after dehydrating. 18 deer become about 1.8 deer when dehydrated!


I always figured the jerky at 25% of raw weight. Your numbers suggest 10% which sounds too low but nevertheless you are right that you can make a lot of jerky from 18 deer!


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## Fish Scalper (Oct 31, 2009)

Most all animals are about 75% water and why we die without water before food. Toss out the bone and hide and I think 90% is pretty close once you take the water out. 

I've smoked/dehydrated as many as nine deer in a season and all I know is one average West Virginia deer fits in a one gallon bag as jerky, but it takes two for an average Ohio deer. I have a 55 gallon smoker and a ten tray dehydrator so can get it done pretty quickly.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

The 25% that I was referring to was dried meat versus raw meat. The 75% water you are talking about would refer to the entire deer so we are comparing apples to oranges. It sounds like you make a lot more jerky than most guys. I only use the larger roasts for my jerky but I usually do a couple of gallon freezer bags per year. I don't pack the bags tightly so I am sure I am not getting as much as you are in a bag. All I know is you guys sure do eat a lot of jerky!

Sorry for the digression of this thread. Fortunately I think we have already answered the OP's question.


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## Fish Scalper (Oct 31, 2009)

We're on the same page, I'm talking the whole thing, you're talking deboned is all. I do make a lot of jerky, though haven't killed a deer since my sons started leaving the roost for the service a number of years ago. I do it for friends mostly, for a taste of the meat of course. Ends up being one of our main food sources during Walleye tournaments in the spring/summer for sure.

Got a freezer full of salmon now just waiting for some cooler weather to start the smoker up and I'm sure some jerky won't be far behind it.


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