When Is Deer Season in Ohio? 2025 Dates and Regulations

Ohio is also one of the best places to go to see deer in the Midwest, and therefore every autumn, thousands of people organize their time out of work around the deer season schedule. The goals of hunters, farmers, you drive outfitters, and wildlife officers are good herds and a healthy harvest. This guide contains all the crucial dates, licensing details, weight limits on the bag, and very useful suggestions for 2025.

If you searched for Ohio deer season 2025 or Ohio hunting season, the answers sit below. Keep the article close when you map scouting routes or submit vacation requests.

When Does Deer Season Start in Ohio?

The statewide opener of the archery gear falls on the 27th of September 2025. The licensed hunters are allowed to shoot an arrow or bolt at a legal whitetail in any county at first light on that day. The calendar of 2025 does not show any previous weapon period. There will be a need to adapt among these people, as Ohio begins later when most velvets are in.

When Is Ohio Deer Season 2025? Key Dates

A busy work or school schedule can derail hunting dreams if a person waits too long to request time off. Mark the following segments now and share them with family so nobody puzzles over your dawn departure.

• Archery Season (September 27, 2025, to February 1, 2026): The archery season lasts 128 days, one of the most decent in the country. Vertical bows or crossbows utilized by hunters can be of a 40-pound draw. Broadheads that are of the type that open at least 7/8 inch remain legal.

• Gun Season (December 1-7th, 2025): Gun season is the Ohio 7-day gun season that begins on the Monday following Thanksgiving. Single slugs in shotguns, rifles up to and including the .50 caliber, with straight walls, and handguns with an initial barrel length of five inches are permitted.

• Bonus Gun Season (December 20 to December 21, 2025): Holiday plans can restrict time on the ground, hence the reason why few hunters and with less movements at dawn are in the two-day bonus window. Concentrate on feeding in the afternoon towards plots of standing corn, brassica, or natural browse on south-facing slopes.

• Muzzleloader Season (January 3 to January 6, 2026): Walking through the bare trees also makes sight lines long, but a crunchy snow cover can mislead in careless footsteps. When talking of path-finding at night, scout entry routes should avoid the thick ice and protect the noise. In-line shooting one projectile through a closed ignition system is well able to travel beyond the range of 100 yards, although ethical shooters restrict themselves to the range they train.

• Youth Deer Season (November 22 to November 23, 2025): The youth deer night is the one event where the theme is neither raw harvest nor concrete lucrative harvest: the theme of the weekend is learning. Young hunters under the age of 17 years are required to purchase a youth license and have a valid deer permit. A full-fledged hunting license holder, who is of age, can carry the rest of the shells of the youth, but the youngster can only draw the trigger.

Source：Ohio Gov.

When Does Deer Season End in Ohio?

The final whistle for whitetail hunting blows at the close of shooting light on Sunday, February 1, 2026. No legal method remains after that sunset. Conservation officers will cite anyone who pursues or possesses deer until new dates become official later in the summer. Hunters who find injured deer tangled in fences or struck by vehicles must call the local officer before dispatch. Shed hunting does not require a license, but people may not collect naturally dropped antlers on state wildlife areas until deer seasons close.

Deer Hunting Season in Ohio: Regulations & Bag Limits

Every hunter in 2025 must carry two essential items: an annual hunting license and at least one deer permit. The license authorizes the pursuit of any legal game, while the permit validates deer harvest. Write the harvest time in ink on the permit before you drag the animal, then report online or by telephone no later than noon of the next day.

Tips for Successful Hunting in Ohio Deer Season

Dedication starts months before September. These practical pointers rest on field notes from archery shooters, slug-gun enthusiasts, and biologists who track herd trends.

• Check crop rotation in July: Soybeans beside narrow tree lines attract summer bucks that still travel in bachelor groups. Mark where each row meets a secondary ridge. When beans yellow, bucks shift to white-oak acorns. Anticipate the turn and hang a stand near the first dropping tree.

• Use quiet access routes: Deer notice repeated truck stops quickly. Park on the downwind side of the property, enter through a ditch, and clip low branches before the season starts so you avoid loud snags on frosty mornings. Every step saved at dawn keeps sweat off clothing and scent off dry leaves.

• Rattle sparingly during rut: Ohio’s primary rut peaks from November 5 to November 20. A light sparring sequence can pull a cruising two-year-old into range, yet long, loud crashes may alert older bucks. Rattle once every 90 minutes, then listen for grunts or hooves.

• Shoot broadheads before opening day: Each broadhead brand flies differently. Practice with the exact arrow, insert weight, and nock you plan to carry. Confirm groups at 20, 30, and 40 yards. If the pattern drifts, adjust rest alignment rather than sight pins; that keeps your tune with field points intact.

• Prepare for cold muzzleloader days: Pack heat packs, wool liners, and a thermos of warm soup. Activate heat packs only after settling in, so they last for the full hours. A warm core supports steady aim, and less shivering means steadier barrels on long shots.

• Maintain respect for private land: Ask landowners weeks ahead. Offer help mending fences or stacking wood as thanks. Good relationships outlast a single season and may open doors to prime rut funnels that receive minimal pressure from public-land crowds.

• Use a trail camera to monitor activity. Once you’ve selected a zone, you can install a wildlife camera there if permitted. These cameras let you track wildlife activity directly from your mobile device.

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FAQs

When is gun season in Ohio?

The Ohio gun season falls from Monday, the 1st of December 2025, to Sunday, the 7th of the same month. Shotguns, straight-wall rifles, and some handguns still remain legal throughout the state. Hunters will be required to wear blaze orange, check deer after two days before noon, and abide by county bag limits. Season dates of both public and private lands are the same throughout the state.

What are the changes in Ohio hunting in 2025?

Ohio retained its six deer statewide but increased the antlerless appropriations in Cuyahoga, Franklin, and Hamilton Counties. It also opened controlled archery hunt with Paint Creek Wildlife Area and included online forms of landowner permission throughout the state, and expanded the legal straight-wall caliber up to .460 S&W. There was no significant difference in prices of licenses and permits.

What are the dates for deer season in Ohio?

Open seasons are starting from the 27th of September, 2025, up to the 1st of February, 2026. Youth gun weekend, Nov. 22-23. The week of main guns occurs after 1-7 December. Bonus gun weekend is going on December 20- 21. The season of muzzleloader is January 3- 6, 2026. Any season falls within the six-deer statewide season, and each hunter is given only one antlered deer.

Conclusion

Clear dates, firm limits, and workable strategies define the 2025 Ohio deer calendar. Hunters who organize early avoid stress during rut week. They also protect herd health by following bag limits, tagging rules, and safe-gun practices. Share your planned setups or field stories in the comments so fellow Ohio sportsmen can improve next season’s results.