COLUMBUS, OH -- Blackpowder hunters harvested 214 deer during a special primitive weapons deer hunt held on the Salt Fork, Shawnee and Wildcat Hollow wildlife areas last week. According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife, the six-day deer harvest was down by 54 from the 2001 harvest of 268.
The season opened October 21 and closed October 26 with hunters limited to harvesting antlered deer only.
This year a total of 91 deer were harvested at Salt Fork, 75 were taken at Wildcat Hollow, and 48 at Shawnee. In 2001, hunters took 118 from Salt Fork, 104 from Wildcat Hollow and 46 from Shawnee.
Some hunters donned buckskins and other period clothes, camped in tee-pees and chose traditional blackpowder firearms for this special season. Longbows and crossbows were also legal hunting methods.
With an estimated deer population of 575,000 statewide, hunters have good opportunity for success this year. Archery season opened statewide October 5 and extends through January 31, 2003. Deer firearms season will open statewide December 2 and extend through December 8, and a statewide primitive season is slated for December 27-30.
Only one antlered deer may be harvested in Ohio per license year. Antlered deer are those having antlers longer than three inches. Hunters who harvested an antlered deer are eligible, with the proper license and permit, to take an antlerless deer during any of the other deer seasons.
Hunters seeking additional information on Ohios deer season are advised to review the 2002-2003 Hunting & Trapping Digest available wherever licenses are sold. Information is also available on Ohiodnr.com
For Further Information Contact:
Keith Morrow, Wildlife Management Supervisor
Division of Wildlife
(740) 594-2211
-or-
Andy Ware, ODNR Media Relations
(614) 265-6882