Successful hunters checked 21,555 white-tailed deer during the 2013 muzzleloader season, which concluded on Jan. 8, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
The total represents a 12 percent increase over the 2012 season, when hunters checked 19,251 deer. The muzzleloader total was 17,375 deer in 2011.
Counties reporting the highest number of deer checked during the 2013 muzzleloader season include: Guernsey (821), Coshocton (813), Tuscarawas (784), Muskingum (751), Belmont (739), Carroll (683), Harrison (677), Licking (675), Jefferson (619) and Knox (520).
Deer-archery season remains open through Feb. 3.
Hunters are encouraged to donate any extra venison to organizations assisting Ohioans in need. The ODNR Division of Wildlife is collaborating with Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry (FHFH) to help pay for the processing of donated venison. Hunters who donate deer are not required to pay the processing cost as long as the deer are taken to a participating processor. To see which counties are involved in this program, go to fhfh.org.
A list of white-tailed deer checked by hunters during the 2013 muzzleloader hunting season follows. The first number following the county’s name shows the harvest numbers for 2013, and the 2012 numbers are in parentheses.
Adams: 347 (336); Allen: 88 (77); Ashland: 310 (294); Ashtabula: 422 (374); Athens: 510 (457); Auglaize: 51 (87); Belmont: 739 (577); Brown: 305 (273); Butler: 110 (131); Carroll: 683 (418); Champaign: 118 (132); Clark: 61 (75); Clermont: 212 (239); Clinton: 78 (76); Columbiana: 441 (331); Coshocton: 813 (722); Crawford: 95 (103); Cuyahoga: 6 (5); Darke: 62 (62); Defiance: 107 (140); Delaware: 152 (140); Erie: 56 (42); Fairfield: 211 (216); Fayette: 27 (26); Franklin: 44 (46); Fulton: 50 (58); Gallia: 337 (333); Geauga: 126 (154); Greene: 95 (67); Guernsey: 821 (612); Hamilton: 79 (89); Hancock: 102 (111); Hardin: 110 (141); Harrison: 677 (569); Henry: 34 (68); Highland: 318 (278); Hocking: 445 (384); Holmes: 406 (388); Huron: 177 (173); Jackson: 361 (282); Jefferson: 619 (465); Knox: 520 (470); Lake: 59 (41); Lawrence: 230 (220); Licking: 675 (639); Logan: 182 (179); Lorain: 197 (162); Lucas: 41 (31); Madison: 35 (50); Mahoning: 197 (154); Marion: 54 (65); Medina: 159 (146); Meigs: 482 (466); Mercer: 48 (52); Miami: 65 (61); Monroe: 511 (422); Montgomery: 57 (41); Morgan: 460 (340); Morrow: 150 (143); Muskingum: 751 (638); Noble: 444 (389); Ottawa: 40 (37); Paulding: 83 (122); Perry: 375 (333); Pickaway: 83 (71); Pike: 217 (216); Portage: 158 (176); Preble: 131 (87); Putnam: 30 (56); Richland: 360 (290); Ross: 362 (388); Sandusky: 66 (72); Scioto: 268 (276); Seneca: 149 (142); Shelby: 101 (95); Stark: 268 (192); Summit: 56 (52); Trumbull: 321 (231); Tuscarawas: 784 (581); Union: 94 (92); Van Wert: 41 (91); Vinton: 392 (309); Warren: 142 (139); Washington: 442 (462); Wayne: 177 (139); Williams: 110 (166); Wood: 57 (40) and Wyandot: 126 (136). Total: 21,555 (19,251).