I got this off the Ohiodnr.com page:
2003-04 deer regulations proposed
Proposed 2003-04 Deer Zones, Season
Dates, and Zone Bag Limits
SEASON DATES AREA
Archery Season October 4, 2003 through
January 31, 2004 Statewide
Special Area Primitive Season October 20-25, 2003
Gun Season December 1st through
December 7th Statewide
Zone R 7 days (2 days either-sex, 5 days buck only)
Zones A
and B 7 days
either-sex
Primitive Season December 27-30, 2003 Statewide either-sex
BAG LIMITS Zone R 1 Deer bag limit for the 2003-04 season
Zone A 1 Deer bag limit for the 2003-04 season
Zone B 2 Deer bag limit for the 2003-04 season
COLUMBUS, OH - A new, statewide deer gun hunting season for youth hunters and an expansion of the existing youth spring turkey hunting season highlighted the proposals submitted to the Ohio Wildlife Council last night by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.
A youth deer gun season has been proposed for Saturday, November 22 and Sunday, November 23, 2003, according to Steve Gray, chief of the ODNR Division of Wildlife. Young hunters would be permitted to bag only one deer of either sex in any county of Ohio. Any deer taken will be part of the young hunters total season limit.
“A new youth deer season is a way for Ohio youth to have an opportunity to hunt our state’s most popular game species on two days when they do not have school,” said Gray.
The youth hunters would be allowed to use any firearm that is permitted in the state’s regular deer gun season. The guns include shotguns plugged to hold a maximum of three shells, and muzzleloading rifles. Youth hunters must be accompanied by a non-hunting adult.
During the youth deer gun season all other hunting seasons would continue, however all hunters including archery deer hunters would be required to wear hunter orange as is required during the deer gun season.
Another proposal to enhance hunting opportunities for Ohio youth includes a youth spring turkey hunting season in 2004, on both private and public land. Currently the season is restricted to public land only.
Ohio currently has special youth only hunting seasons for waterfowl, rabbits, pheasants, and wild turkey. These seasons have been in place for several years.
Following Ohio’s record 202,492 deer taken this past season, the 2003-2004 deer season proposal calls for an expansion of counties with a two deer limit, while eliminating the three deer bag limit in some Ohio counties. The proposal calls for 54 counties in Zone B, mostly in southern and eastern Ohio, to have a two deer limit. Zone A would consist of 29 northern and western counties which would have a one deer limit. And a Restricted Zone, Zone R, would encompass five northwest Ohio counties.
“Even though there will be no three deer counties proposed for the coming season, we expect that next year we will likely need some counties to return to a three deer bag limit,” said Dave Risley, wildlife management and research administrator for ODNR’s Division of Wildlife. “Our flexible system of professional deer management allows us to keep deer populations at responsible, healthy target levels.”
The regular deer gun season will begin on Monday, December 1, the traditional opening day and run through Sunday, December 7. The archery season is proposed for October 4 through January 31, 2004. The statewide primitive or muzzleloader season will open on the traditional date of December 27 and run four days through December 30. The special area primitive hunts will be open October 20 - 25 at Salt Fork, Shawnee and Wildcat Hollow for antlered deer only.
Also, proposals called for the continuation of only one antlered deer being taken per hunter during the year, regardless of season or method.
Hunting for coyotes and wild boar between sunset and one-half hour before sunrise would be prohibited during the deer gun season and the statewide primitive season. All daylight hunting except for deer, coyote, wild boar and waterfowl would be prohibited during deer gun season and on the special areas during the early primitive hunts.
ODNR's Division of Wildlife will hold regional open house meetings on March 2 to allow for public comment on the proposals. A statewide fish and game hearing will be held on March 13 in Columbus. The Ohio Wildlife Council is scheduled to vote on all proposals and regulations on April 9.
Proposed bag limits and Deer Hunting Zones would be as follows (those in bold are changes from last year).
Zone R -- Hunters could take only one deer during the 2003-04 deer seasons, which could be a deer of either sex during archery or primitive seasons, or during the first two days of the statewide gun season or a buck only during the last five days of the gun season. Five counties include: Paulding, Putnam, Henry, Van Wert, Wood.
Zone A -- Hunters could take only one deer during the 2003-04 seasons, which could be a deer of either sex. Twenty-nine counties, including: Allen, Auglaize, Cuyahoga, Darke, Defiance, Erie, Fulton, Geauga, Hancock, Hardin, Lake, Lorain, Lucas, Marion, Medina, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Ottawa, Portage, Preble, Sandusky, Seneca, Shelby, Stark, Summit, Wayne, Williams, Wyandot.
Zone B -- Hunters could take no more than two deer during the 2003-04 seasons, of which only one could be an antlered deer. Fifty-four counties, including: Adams, Ashland, Ashtabula, Athens, Belmont, Brown, Butler, Carroll, Champaign, Clark, Clermont, Clinton, Columbiana, Coshocton, Crawford, Delaware, Fairfield, Fayette, Franklin, Gallia, Greene, Guernsey, Hamilton, Harrison, Highland, Hocking, Holmes, Huron, Jackson, Jefferson, Knox, Lawrence, Licking, Logan, Madison, Mahoning, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Morrow, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, Pickaway, Pike, Richland, Ross, Scioto, Trumbull, Tuscarawas, Union, Vinton, Warren, Washington.
2003-04 deer regulations proposed
Proposed 2003-04 Deer Zones, Season
Dates, and Zone Bag Limits
SEASON DATES AREA
Archery Season October 4, 2003 through
January 31, 2004 Statewide
Special Area Primitive Season October 20-25, 2003
Gun Season December 1st through
December 7th Statewide
Zone R 7 days (2 days either-sex, 5 days buck only)
Zones A
and B 7 days
either-sex
Primitive Season December 27-30, 2003 Statewide either-sex
BAG LIMITS Zone R 1 Deer bag limit for the 2003-04 season
Zone A 1 Deer bag limit for the 2003-04 season
Zone B 2 Deer bag limit for the 2003-04 season
COLUMBUS, OH - A new, statewide deer gun hunting season for youth hunters and an expansion of the existing youth spring turkey hunting season highlighted the proposals submitted to the Ohio Wildlife Council last night by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.
A youth deer gun season has been proposed for Saturday, November 22 and Sunday, November 23, 2003, according to Steve Gray, chief of the ODNR Division of Wildlife. Young hunters would be permitted to bag only one deer of either sex in any county of Ohio. Any deer taken will be part of the young hunters total season limit.
“A new youth deer season is a way for Ohio youth to have an opportunity to hunt our state’s most popular game species on two days when they do not have school,” said Gray.
The youth hunters would be allowed to use any firearm that is permitted in the state’s regular deer gun season. The guns include shotguns plugged to hold a maximum of three shells, and muzzleloading rifles. Youth hunters must be accompanied by a non-hunting adult.
During the youth deer gun season all other hunting seasons would continue, however all hunters including archery deer hunters would be required to wear hunter orange as is required during the deer gun season.
Another proposal to enhance hunting opportunities for Ohio youth includes a youth spring turkey hunting season in 2004, on both private and public land. Currently the season is restricted to public land only.
Ohio currently has special youth only hunting seasons for waterfowl, rabbits, pheasants, and wild turkey. These seasons have been in place for several years.
Following Ohio’s record 202,492 deer taken this past season, the 2003-2004 deer season proposal calls for an expansion of counties with a two deer limit, while eliminating the three deer bag limit in some Ohio counties. The proposal calls for 54 counties in Zone B, mostly in southern and eastern Ohio, to have a two deer limit. Zone A would consist of 29 northern and western counties which would have a one deer limit. And a Restricted Zone, Zone R, would encompass five northwest Ohio counties.
“Even though there will be no three deer counties proposed for the coming season, we expect that next year we will likely need some counties to return to a three deer bag limit,” said Dave Risley, wildlife management and research administrator for ODNR’s Division of Wildlife. “Our flexible system of professional deer management allows us to keep deer populations at responsible, healthy target levels.”
The regular deer gun season will begin on Monday, December 1, the traditional opening day and run through Sunday, December 7. The archery season is proposed for October 4 through January 31, 2004. The statewide primitive or muzzleloader season will open on the traditional date of December 27 and run four days through December 30. The special area primitive hunts will be open October 20 - 25 at Salt Fork, Shawnee and Wildcat Hollow for antlered deer only.
Also, proposals called for the continuation of only one antlered deer being taken per hunter during the year, regardless of season or method.
Hunting for coyotes and wild boar between sunset and one-half hour before sunrise would be prohibited during the deer gun season and the statewide primitive season. All daylight hunting except for deer, coyote, wild boar and waterfowl would be prohibited during deer gun season and on the special areas during the early primitive hunts.
ODNR's Division of Wildlife will hold regional open house meetings on March 2 to allow for public comment on the proposals. A statewide fish and game hearing will be held on March 13 in Columbus. The Ohio Wildlife Council is scheduled to vote on all proposals and regulations on April 9.
Proposed bag limits and Deer Hunting Zones would be as follows (those in bold are changes from last year).
Zone R -- Hunters could take only one deer during the 2003-04 deer seasons, which could be a deer of either sex during archery or primitive seasons, or during the first two days of the statewide gun season or a buck only during the last five days of the gun season. Five counties include: Paulding, Putnam, Henry, Van Wert, Wood.
Zone A -- Hunters could take only one deer during the 2003-04 seasons, which could be a deer of either sex. Twenty-nine counties, including: Allen, Auglaize, Cuyahoga, Darke, Defiance, Erie, Fulton, Geauga, Hancock, Hardin, Lake, Lorain, Lucas, Marion, Medina, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Ottawa, Portage, Preble, Sandusky, Seneca, Shelby, Stark, Summit, Wayne, Williams, Wyandot.
Zone B -- Hunters could take no more than two deer during the 2003-04 seasons, of which only one could be an antlered deer. Fifty-four counties, including: Adams, Ashland, Ashtabula, Athens, Belmont, Brown, Butler, Carroll, Champaign, Clark, Clermont, Clinton, Columbiana, Coshocton, Crawford, Delaware, Fairfield, Fayette, Franklin, Gallia, Greene, Guernsey, Hamilton, Harrison, Highland, Hocking, Holmes, Huron, Jackson, Jefferson, Knox, Lawrence, Licking, Logan, Madison, Mahoning, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Morrow, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, Pickaway, Pike, Richland, Ross, Scioto, Trumbull, Tuscarawas, Union, Vinton, Warren, Washington.
