MIKE BRAUN New 2001 hunting dates set

New dates for the 2001-2002 hunting and trapping seasons for Ohio and Pennsylvania were finalized last week with few changes except for deer hunting in both states.
In Ohio, deer hunting regulations for 2001 will be similar to last year's except for a reduction in standard antler length used for determining an antlered deer and the moving of Trumbull County from deer hunting Zone A to Zone B.
Pennsylvania hunters will find a concurrent antlered and antlerless deer season for rifle hunters; a limited October antlerless deer-only rifle season; an extended muzzleloader season for antlerless deer in October; and the ability to use all antlerless deer licenses on public and private lands.
What's new: Ohio hunters will find that for the 2001 deer hunting seasons, antler length used to determine an antlered deer will be reduced from 5 to 3 inches. This change was brought about by more 11/2 - year-old bucks with antlers less than 5 inches.
The Ohio Division of Wildlife says the change will let them more precisely register antlered bucks.
Ohio will continue to be separated into three deer hunting zones; Zone A: one deer, of either sex, during the first two days of the gun season or a buck only during the last five days; Zone B: deer of either sex during the seven days, with a bag limit of one deer; Zone C: deer of either sex during the seven days, with a two-deer limit, only one of which could be a buck.
Regardless of zone or season, Ohio hunters may take only one antlered deer.
Seventy-four of the 88 counties will remain in the same zone as last year; 10 counties move from Zone B to Zone C; three counties -- including Trumbull -- move from Zone A to Zone B, and one county moves from Zone B to Zone A.
More changes: Among other changes: Fall wild turkey hunting season opens Oct. 13, and runs through Oct. 28. Ashtabula, Geauga, Licking, and Trumbull counties have been added to the 28 counties that were open last year.
The hunting changes in Pennsylvania are designed to correct a more-buck-than-doe harvest trend.
The state is looking to balance the harvest, antlerless with buck.
State game officials noted that the new seasons should help them change the emphasis from buck hunting to antlerless deer.
State game officials explained it this way: Under the concurrent deer hunting proposal, all hunters with county-specific antlerless tags may begin hunting for either a buck or doe Nov. 26, the traditional start of the rifle buck season. Dec. 8 will conclude the concurrent season.
Also changing in Pennsylvania was the early muzzleloader antlerless-only deer season, which was expanded to run from Oct. 13-20, giving muzzleloader hunters more opportunities to hunt antlerless deer during warmer weather.
In addition to trying to balance the harvest, other reasoning by the state's game commission for focusing on antlerless included an attempt to provide more opportunities for hunters faced with competition from other pursuits as well as a way to lessen the impact of wather on antlerless deer harvests.
One game official said the new rules will allow hunters to be more selective and let them wait for deer with larger racks or bigger does.
A comprehensive listing of the new game seasons for both states will be included on next week's outdoors page.