Ohio's Statewide Muzzleloader Season Opens January 7-10

Ohio's Statewide Muzzleloader Season Opens January 7-10

Deer must be checked in by 11:30 p.m. the day of harvest

COLUMBUS, OH - Ohio's popular muzzleloader deer season is set to open statewide January 7-10 according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife.

The Division of Wildlife expects as many as 265,000 hunters will hunt deer during the muzzleloader season. Legal hunting hours this season are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset.

Ohio deer hunters must possess the proper permits. Regardless of zone, method of taking, or season, hunters may take only one antlered deer during the 2011-2012 deer hunting season. Deer must be checked in by 11:30 p.m. the day of harvest.

Hunters must still report their deer harvest, but are no longer required to take their deer to a check station for physical inspection. Instead, hunters have three options to complete the new automated game check:

On the Internet at wildohio.com.

By telephone at 1-877-TAG-ITOH (1-877-824-4864). This option is only available to those who are required to have a deer permit to hunt deer.

At all license agents. A list of these agents can be found at wildohio.com or by calling 1-800-WILDLIFE.

Ohio's small game, furbearer, and waterfowl seasons will also be open during the muzzleloader season. During those overlapping four days, small game hunters and deer hunters must wear a visible solid hunter orange or camouflage hunter orange coat, jacket, vest or coveralls.

The Division of Wildlife is collaborating with Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry to help pay the processing fees of donated venison. Donations of extra deer will be accepted throughout the entire deer season. Hunters who donate their deer to a food bank are not required to pay the processing cost as long as the deer are taken to a participating processor and while funding for the effort is available. Counties being served by this program can be found online at www.fhfh.org.

The white-tailed deer is the most popular game animal in Ohio, frequently pursued by generations of hunters. Ohio ranks 8th nationally in annual hunting-related sales and 10th in the number of jobs associated with the hunting-related industry. Each year, hunting has an $859 million economic impact in Ohio through the sale of equipment, fuel, food, lodging and more.

Additional hunting regulations and maps of deer zones are contained in the 2011-2012 Ohio Hunting Regulations. This free publication is available where hunting licenses are sold and from the Division of Wildlife by calling 1-800-WILDLIFE or on the Internet at wildohio.com.