2011-12 Deer Hunting Proposals Made to Ohio Wildlife Council

COLUMBUS, OH– One change was proposed to the deer hunting regulations for 2011-12, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Wildlife.

The proposed change is to move Fayette County from Deer Zone B to Zone A.
The maximum number of deer that a hunter may take in Deer Zone A is two. Prior to November 28, hunters may take up to two deer in Zone A, one of which may be on a $15 antlerless deer permit. Beginning November 28, hunters may take only one deer in Zone A and antlerless permits may not be used.
The maximum number of deer that a hunter may take in Deer Zone B is four. Prior to November 28, hunters may take up to four deer in Zone B, two of which may be on $15 antlerless deer permits. Beginning November 28, hunters may take only two deer in Zone B and antlerless permits may not be used.
The maximum number of deer that a hunter may take in Deer Zone C is six. Prior to December 5, hunters may take up to six deer in Zone C, three of which may be on $15 antlerless deer permits. Beginning December 5, hunters may take only three deer in Zone C and antlerless permits may not be used.
Those hunting in urban zones and at Division of Wildlife-authorized controlled hunts would again have a six-deer bag limit, and those deer would not count against the hunter's zone bag limit.
Either a $15 antlerless deer permit or $24 deer permit and a valid hunting license are required to hunt deer in Ohio. A hunter may take only one buck in Ohio, regardless of zone, hunting method or season.
Seasons and Dates
Archery season - September 24 through February 5, 2012
Special area muzzleloader hunts - October 17-22
Youth deer-gun season - November 19-20
Statewide deer-gun season - November 28 through December 4 and December 17-18
Statewide muzzleloader season - January 7-10, 2012
During the 2010-2011 season, which concluded February 6, it is estimated that hunters harvested a total of about 237,000 deer. Approximately 475,000 people hunted white-tailed deer in Ohio this year.
Open houses will be held on Saturday, March 5 in each of the state's five wildlife districts to provide the public an opportunity to view and discuss proposed hunting and trapping regulations with state wildlife officials. For directions to the open houses, please call 1-800-WILDLIFE or visit wildohio.com .
A statewide hearing on all the proposed rules will be held at 9 a.m. on Thursday, March 10 at the Division of Wildlife’s District One office, located at 1500 Dublin Road in Columbus. After considering public input, the Ohio Wildlife Council will vote on the proposed rules and season dates during its April 6 meeting.
Proposed Deer Hunting Zones - (For the 2011-12 Season: One county proposed to move from Deer Zone B to Zone A; bolded)

Zone A—The zone includes 12 counties: Auglaize, Darke, Erie, Fayette, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Ottawa, Preble, Sandusky, Shelby and Wood.

Zone B—The zone includes 38 counties: Allen, Ashland, Ashtabula, Butler, Champaign, Clark, Clinton, Crawford, Cuyahoga, Defiance, Fulton, Geauga, Greene, Hancock, Hardin, Henry, Huron, Lake, Logan, Lorain, Lucas, Madison, Mahoning, Marion, Medina, Paulding, Putnam, Portage, Seneca, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, Union, Van Wert, Warren, Wayne, Williams and Wyandot.

Zone C—The zone includes 38 counties: Adams, Athens, Belmont, Brown, Carroll, Clermont, Columbiana, Coshocton, Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, Gallia, Guernsey, Hamilton, Harrison, Highland, Hocking, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Knox, Lawrence, Licking, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Morrow, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, Pickaway, Pike, Richland, Ross, Scioto, Tuscarawas, Vinton and Washington