Saturday best day for bow hunters

• Saturday, Nov. 8 (4,748 deer)
• Saturday, Nov. 1 (4,544)
• Saturday, Oct. 25 (3,204)
• Sunday, Nov. 2 (3,035)
• Thursday, Nov. 6 (2,800)
• Saturday, Sept. 27 (2,609)
• Saturday, Oct. 11 (2,530)
• Tuesday, Nov. 4 (2,407)
• Monday, Nov. 3 (2,365)
• Sunday, Oct. 26 (2,179)

So far this season, bowhunters across Ohio have harvested 64,437 deer through Sunday, Nov. 9. The three-year average for deer taken through the second weekend of November is 66,935. Last year, hunters checked 65,770 deer through the corresponding date. The statewide archery season began Saturday, Sept. 27, and continues until Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026.

Ohio’s top 10 counties for deer harvested during the first seven weeks of the 2025 deer season include: Coshocton (2,521), Tuscarawas (2,111), Ashtabula (2,047), Trumbull (1,873), Holmes (1,865), Knox (1,851) Licking (1,642), Muskingum (1,565), Carroll (1,502), and Richland (1,497).

Ohio’s deer hunters are increasingly using longbows and crossbows to take advantage of deer hunting in October and November. The archery season lines up with the peak of the rut, or deer breeding season. Deer are traveling more often and farther at this time of year as bucks pursue does, making these months an exciting time to be hunting. Based on historical records, bowhunters can expect some terrific hunting in the coming weeks.

Hunters have ample opportunity to pursue deer during the 2025-26 season, including with a firearm. The upcoming youth weekend is Nov. 22-23. The statewide gun season is Monday, Dec. 1 through Sunday, Dec. 7, and again the weekend of Dec. 20-21. Deer muzzleloader season is Sunday, Jan. 3, 2026, through Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. Find complete details in the 2025-26 Hunting and Trapping Regulations.

If you successfully harvest a deer, use the free HuntFish OH app to game check your harvest, even without a Wi-Fi connection. Hunters can also use the app to view public hunting area maps, buy hunting licenses and deer permits, check county big limits, and much more. Beyond the app, hunters can check game by visiting ohiogamecheck.com, calling 1-877-TAG-IT-OH (1-877-824-4864), visiting a license sales agent, or calling 1-866-703-1298 (landowner operator-assisted; fees apply).

An Ohio county list of all white-tailed deer checked by bowhunters through Sunday, Nov. 9 is shown below. The first number following the county’s name shows the harvest numbers for 2025, and the three-year average of deer taken from 2022 to 2024 is in parentheses. A three-year average provides a better overall comparison to this year’s harvest numbers, eliminating year-to-year variation because of weather, misaligned season dates, and other unavoidable factors. Numbers below are raw data and subject to change.

Adams: 1,176 (1,063); Allen: 482 (482); Ashland: 1,427 (1,287); Ashtabula: 2,047 (1,892); Athens: 239 (875); Auglaize: 435 (400); Belmont: 791 (854); Brown: 796 (731); Butler: 495 (475); Carroll: 1,502 (1,409); Champaign: 548 (534); Clark: 324 (317); Clermont: 864 (854); Clinton: 340 (278); Columbiana: 1,493 (1,328); Coshocton: 2,521 (2,463); Crawford: 431 (419); Cuyahoga: 395 (446); Darke: 414 (371); Defiance: 442 (481); Delaware: 605 (663); Erie: 359 (370); Fairfield: 612 (672); Fayette: 152 (132); Franklin: 253 (266); Fulton: 359 (316); Gallia: 641 (760); Geauga: 1,184 (1,013); Greene: 365 (313); Guernsey: 1,152 (1,490); Hamilton: 452 (553); Hancock: 544 (582); Hardin: 376 (368); Harrison: 1,271 (1,261); Henry: 246 (244); Highland: 819 (847); Hocking: 608 (721); Holmes: 1,865 (1,879); Huron: 794 (763); Jackson: 697 (863); Jefferson: 959 (871); Knox: 1,851 (1,789); Lake: 482 (474); Lawrence: 385 (515); Licking: 1,642 (1,767); Logan: 767 (743); Lorain: 841 (876); Lucas: 389 (402); Madison: 213 (232); Mahoning: 924 (887); Marion: 295 (269); Medina: 1,003 (974); Meigs: 300 (893); Mercer: 428 (365); Miami: 369 (391); Monroe: 350 (627); Montgomery: 347 (337); Morgan: 283 (851); Morrow: 736 (681); Muskingum: 1,565 (1,660); Noble: 486 (959); Ottawa: 245 (228); Paulding: 310 (349); Perry: 629 (751); Pickaway: 290 (263); Pike: 653 (610); Portage: 1,096 (1,032); Preble: 428 (388); Putnam: 420 (367); Richland: 1,497 (1,378); Ross: 879 (802); Sandusky: 474 (440); Scioto: 722 (727); Seneca: 702 (710); Shelby: 430 (422); Stark: 1,393 (1,279); Summit: 830 (797); Trumbull: 1,873 (1,737); Tuscarawas: 2,111 (2,095); Union: 378 (411); Van Wert: 265 (243); Vinton: 530 (554); Warren: 422 (380); Washington: 133 (893); Wayne: 1,094 (1,029); Williams: 741 (704); Wood: 381 (381); Wyandot: 380 (367).