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Ohio’s Popular Deer-Gun Season Opens November 30
Donation of extra venison – at no cost to the hunter – is encouraged for Ohioans in need.

Ohio Division of Wildlife

COLUMBUS, OH --(AmmoLand.com)- Ohio’s popular deer-gun season opens statewide on Monday, November 30, offering hunters a full week to harvest a whitetail. The upcoming season will again include an extra weekend of gun hunting on December 19-20, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.

Deer can be hunted with a legal muzzleloader, handgun or shotgun from one half-hour before sunrise to sunset through December 6 and December 19-20. With a pre-hunting season population estimate of 650,000 white-tailed deer, the ODNR Division of Wildlife anticipates 115,000 to 125,000 deer will be killed during the nine-day season. Approximately 420,000 hunters are expected to participate in this year’s season, including many out-of-state hunters.

The white-tailed deer is the most popular game animal in Ohio, frequently pursued by generations of hunters. Ohio ranks 8th nationally in annual hunting-related sales and 10th in the number of jobs associated with the hunting-related industry. Each year, hunting has a $859 million economic impact in Ohio through the sale of equipment, fuel, food, lodging and more.

Ohio is divided into three deer hunting zones. Beginning on the opening day of gun season and continuing through December 6 a limit of one deer may be taken in Zone A (20 counties) and two deer in Zone B (30 counties). A total of six deer may be harvested in eastern and southeastern Ohio’s Zone C (38 counties) through the week long gun season. The antlerless deer permit will be valid for deer-gun week only in Zone C.

Beginning on December 7, the bag limit is three deer in Zone C and antlerless deer permits are no longer valid. Any time a hunter is allowed to take more than one deer, they must purchase an additional permit.

Those hunting in urban units and at Division of Wildlife-authorized controlled hunts will have a six-deer bag limit, and those deer will not count against the hunter’s zone bag limit. Antlerless deer permits can be used for the entire season in urban deer units or Division of Wildlife-authorized controlled hunts. Antlerless deer permits must be purchased by November 29.

Hunters may take only one antlered deer, regardless of zone, hunting method or season. A deer permit is required in addition to a valid Ohio hunting license.

Hunters are encouraged to kill more does this season using the reduced-priced antlerless deer permit and donate any extra venison to organizations assisting Ohioans in need. The Division is collaborating with Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry to help pay for the processing of donated venison. Hunters who donate their deer are not required to pay the processing cost as long as the deer are taken to a participating processor. Counties being served by this program can be found online at fhfh.org.

Additional hunting regulations and maps of the state’s deer zones are contained in the 2009-2010 Ohio Hunting & Trapping Regulations. This free publication is available wherever hunting licenses are sold, online at wildohio.com or by calling 1-800-WILDLIFE.

The 2009-2010 licenses will not be printed on weatherproof paper. Sportsmen and women should protect their licenses and permits from the elements by carrying them in a protective pouch or wallet.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR web site at www.ohiodnr.com.

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Safe Hunting During Deer Season is No Accident

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission

LINCOLN, Neb. – -(AmmoLand.com)- Safety should be uppermost on the minds of hunters when the firearm deer season opens Nov. 14, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

A new regulation allows turkey hunting during that deer season. Like the deer hunters, however, those turkey hunters must wear hunter orange.

Hunter Education Coordinator Mike Streeter has the following tips for safely handling firearms during the firearm deer season.

Hunting Tips:

• Treat every gun with the respect due a loaded gun.
• Control the direction of the muzzle at all times.
• Be sure the barrel and action are clear of obstructions.
• Be sure of your target and what is beyond it.
• Unload guns when not in use. Have the action open and the chamber empty, except when actually hunting. Transport guns in cases, or secure storage racks in vehicles. Handle a gun by the stock, not the barrel.
• Never point a gun at anything you do not want to shoot.
• Never climb over or under a fence, into or out of a tree or jump a ditch with a loaded gun.
• Never shoot at a flat, hard surface or water.
• Store guns and ammunition under lock and key.

The safe use of tree stands also is crucial for a successful hunt.

“A recent survey revealed that nearly 40 percent of deer hunters will fall from their stand or tree some time in their life, and 70 percent of falls occur while hunters either are climbing or descending a tree or entering or leaving the stand,” Streeter said.

He has the following tips for tree stands:

• Use a full-body harness when using a tree stand, including ascending, descending and occupying the stand.
• Only use equipment that is in good condition.
• Avoid hunting from heights above 15 feet.
• Maintain a short tether between yourself and the tree. Allow only enough slack for you to turn and shoot. The tether should be tight when you are seated on your stand.
• Use a haul line to raise and lower your equipment.
• Never use a homemade tree stand.
• Attach yourself to the tree starting when you are on the ground.

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