Special to 1831Galion
The Ohio Wildlife Council approved Ohio’s 2024-25 hunting and trapping seasons for white-tailed deer, migratory birds, small game, and furbearers during its regularly scheduled meeting last week, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.
Deer hunting seasons
The 2024-25 deer hunting seasons are similar to last year. As in years past, only one antlered deer may be harvested, regardless of where or how it is taken. Hunting hours are 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset.
- Deer archery: Sept. 28, 2024-Feb. 2, 2025
- Youth deer gun: Nov. 16-17, 2024
- Deer gun: Dec. 2-Dec. 8, 2024; Dec. 21-22, 2024
- Deer muzzleloader: Jan. 4-7, 2025
Deer management permits have been extended and are valid until Dec. 22, 2024, the last day of the bonus deer gun hunting weekend. The permit is now available for use during the weeklong and bonus deer gun hunting weekend.
Bag limit increases from two to three deer were approved in six counties: Butler, Clinton, Fayette, Greene, Madison, and Pickaway. Deer bag limit increases are designed to slow herd growth and increase hunting opportunities. A bag limit map is available at wildohio.gov.
This year’s approved regulations included expanding the Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) disease surveillance area of Hardin, Marion, and Wyandot counties to include Auglaize and Jackson townships in Allen County. A CWD-positive deer was discovered in Allen County in 2023.
Hunters in the disease surveillance area have additional opportunities to harvest deer:
- Deer archery: Sept. 14, 2024-Feb. 2, 2025
- Early deer gun: Oct. 12-14, 2024
Additionally, the Division of Wildlife reduced the number of mandatory CWD testing days for deer taken within the disease surveillance area from 14 to four. Hunters within the disease surveillance area are required to submit samples for testing during the first two days of the early disease surveillance area gun season (Oct. 12-13) and the first two days of the weeklong deer gun season (Dec. 2-3). The Division of Wildlife will continue to offer voluntary testing drop-off locations and monitor for CWD within and around the disease surveillance area.
Additional hunting seasons
The fall wild turkey hunting season is open in 70 counties from Oct. 1, 2024, to Oct. 27, 2024. The season limit is one bird. Spring 2025 wild turkey seasons will be announced this fall.
Ruffed grouse hunting season is from Nov. 1 to Dec. 1, 2024, in 17 southern and eastern counties: Adams, Athens, Belmont, Gallia, Guernsey, Jackson, Lawrence, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Pike, Ross, Scioto, Vinton, and Washington. The daily limit is one bird.
The state’s river otter trapping zones were renamed. The river otter season limit is three, with no more than one coming from Zone B. Zone A (formerly Zone C) is comprised of 22 eastern counties.
Waterfowl hunting seasons were also approved on Wednesday. The second split of duck, coot, and merganser hunting dates are one week later than last season in the north zone and Lake Erie marsh zone. The north zone duck, coot, and merganser hunting season are open Oct. 19-27, 2024, and again from Nov. 16, 2024, to Jan. 5, 2025. The Lake Erie marsh zone duck, coot, and merganser hunting season dates are Oct. 12-27, 2024, and again from Nov. 9 to Dec. 22, 2024.
Goose and brant hunting season dates were approved in the Lake Erie marsh zone for Oct. 12-27, 2024, and again from Nov. 16, 2024, to Feb. 3, 2025. The council also set the youth and military waterfowl hunting weekend as Sept. 28-29, 2024.
A complete list of hunting and trapping seasons dates for 2024-25 is available at wildohio.gov.
Source: ODNR
