Staff Report
GALLIPOLIS — Ohio’s deer-gun season has opened with state wildlife officials expecting hunters to bag at least 115,000 deer.
The season that started Monday allows the legal hunting of white-tailed deer with a gun from one half-hour before sunrise to sunset through Sunday, Dec. 7. The Ohio Division of Wildlife also has scheduled an extra weekend of gun hunting Dec. 20-21.
Officials have estimated a pre-hunting season population of 700,000 white-tailed deer. They expect about 400,000 hunters will kill between 115,000 and 125,000 deer during the season.
State officials say the white-tailed deer is the most popular game animal in Ohio. Ohio ranks sixth nationally in annual hunting-related sales.