Early deer archery season numbers up

Early deer archeryseason numbers up
Bowhunters took 36,073 deer during the first six weeks of the statewide archery deer hunting season, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife. This preliminary figure represents nearly an 11 percent increase - or 3,527 more deer - than were taken during the same period last year when hunters bagged 32,546 deer.
Counties reporting the highest numbers of deer brought to check stations during the early season included Licking (1,510), Coshocton (1,247), Tuscarawas (1,156), and Holmes (1,105). The statewide deer population is estimated to be 575,000. Approximately 210,000 bowhunters are expected to participate in the statewide archery deer-hunting season that began October 5 and remains open statewide through January 31, including Sundays and during the deer-gun season that runs December 2 through December 8. Last year, bowhunters harvested a total of 41,526 deer during the four-month Ohio archery season.
Area counties with 2002 archery numbers and 2001 numbers in parenthesis: Ashtabula - 428 (450); Carroll - 354 (315); Columbiana - 440 (463); Coshocton - 1,247 (968); Jefferson - 634 (582); Mahoning - 295 (405); Portage - 579 (676); Stark - 585 (542); Summit - 453 (446); Trumbull - 711 (680).