MARIETTA, Ohio (AP) — Hunters taking part in Ohio’s deer-gun
season that opens Monday will no longer have to take their kills to a
check station for a physical inspection, thanks to the state’s new
automated system for checking game.
The automated system that went
into effect earlier this year is the biggest change for this year’s
deer season, Lindsay Rist of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources,
Division of Wildlife, said.
She said the new system offers hunters three options for reporting their harvests, The Marietta Times
reported.
They can make the report through the Internet, by phone or by visiting a traditional licensing agent.
Hunters
have a full week to harvest whitetail deer after the deer-gun season
opens statewide Monday, according to a Division of Wildlife news
release. The upcoming season also again will include an extra weekend of
gun hunting on December 17-18.
The Division of Wildlife
anticipates 115,000 to 125,000 deer will be killed during the nine-day
season and about 420,000 hunters will participate. The pre-hunting
season population has been estimated at 750,000 white-tailed deer.
Hunters
may take only one antlered deer, regardless of zone, hunting method or
season, state officials have said. A deer permit is required in addition
to a valid Ohio hunting license. Any time a hunter is allowed to take
more than one deer, they must purchase an additional permit.
Ohio
is divided into three deer hunting zones, and limits on the number of
deer that can be taken vary according to the zone. The deer can be
hunted with a legal muzzleloader, handgun or shotgun from one half-hour
before sunrise to sunset through December 4 and December 17-18.
The Division of Wildlife says Ohio ranks 8th nationally in annual hunting-related sales.
One
hunter in southeast Ohio began stocking up last week on ammunition and
other hunting gear in an effort to beat the anticipated rush of hunters,
the Times reported.
"I’ve been here the weekend before gun season
opens and it’s a zoo," Mike Hamilton, 40, of Marietta, said while
shopping at a Marietta-area store. "A lot of the things you want are
sold out.
"I’ve hunted ever since I was a kid and still get excited about going out and hunting the big
one," Hamilton said.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.