Despite behind-the-scenes drama, not much will change for Ohio hunters in 2023-24
Despite some slightly contentious vetting by the eight-person citizens' panel of the Ohio Wildlife Council, the Ohio Division of Wildlife has managed to grind out hunting regulations for the 2023-24 season.
What was produced looks pretty much the same as last season.
Deer dates and limits, the primary drivers of hunting in the state, weren’t altered much from a year ago, although six counties had their season take limit bumped to three from two and Butler County’s limit was reduced to two from three.
Hunters in the chronic wasting disease surveillance area comprising Hardin, Wyandot and Marion counties will again have extra opportunities to take a whitetail.
The statewide deer seasons shake out as follows:
— Archery begins Sept. 30 and runs through Feb. 4, 2024.
— Youth gun will be Nov. 18-19.
— Gun runs Nov. 27 through Dec. 3 and Dec. 16-17.
— Muzzleloader is scheduled for Jan. 6-9, 2024.
Following form, the hunting seasons for squirrel, rabbit, pheasant, early waterfowl, and bobwhite quail got their typical thumbs up. Trappers, too, can look forward to much the same in terms of regulations and season length.
More: Walleye fishing tournament cheaters sentenced after pleading guilty
Trapping could trigger something hairier a year from now if the division decides to put bobcats on the target list. but what will be will be.
What is the case for fall turkey and ruffed grouse will be familiar to the fall hunter. However, there was some debate regarding that behind the scenes.
Fall turkey hunting, open in 70 counties, will allow a permit-buying hunter to take a single bird of either sex from Oct. 14 through Nov. 12. This is despite the fact that when council members in January received the division’s proposal for fall turkey hunting, a few of them made it known that, given the state’s low turkey numbers, they were likely to vote down a fall season that included hens.
Ruffed grouse also proved contentious after some council members let it be known they couldn’t approve a hunting season for a once-thriving bird that is close to vanishing in Ohio.
Rather than settling the issue during the wildlife council in April, pretty much a tradition for the upcoming fall, the division countered with a brief November hunt in 15 southeastern Ohio counties.
Turkey talk
Hunters in Ohio had checked 12,755 bearded turkeys through last Sunday, surpassing last year’s season total of 11,872, the wildlife division reported last week. A one-bird limit went into effect a year ago and remains the cap.
What remains to be determined is whether the current season take can surpass 14,548 bearded birds checked during the 2021 season, the most recent with a two-bird limit.
Turkey season continues through next Sunday in the South Zone, which includes central Ohio. The season in five northeastern counties lags by a week and so continues through May 28.
Through Sunday, Muskingum led Ohio counties with 368 birds checked, followed by Gallia with 365, Tuscarawas 356, Monroe 347 and Belmont 329. Licking led central Ohio counties with 246, followed by Fairfield with 89, Delaware 79, Union 42, Pickaway 23, Franklin 20 and Madison eight.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Division of Wildlife releases 2023-24 hunting regulations
