2018-19 Ohio regulations
- Thread starter giles
- Start date
huntn2
Senior Member
No baiting on Public has been in place since at least 2009.
Well then...maybe it’s a good thing I haven’t hunted public land in some time and haven’t ever really baited off my property. 
dante322
*Supporting Member*
In other rule changes, only antlered deer may be taken from public hunting areas following the weeklong deer gun season (beginning December 3, 2018). In addition, no more than one antlerless deer may be taken from public hunting areas per license year, except from an ODNR Division of Wildlife authorized control hunt.
Found in an article on wild ohio published 5/21/18. Seems to be a bit more clear. Sounds like there are no exceptions to the antlerless rule after gun other than controlled hunts
Found in an article on wild ohio published 5/21/18. Seems to be a bit more clear. Sounds like there are no exceptions to the antlerless rule after gun other than controlled hunts
In some ways this may help the late season hunters still chasing horns on public ground. I would think this would thin the amount of hunters putting pressure on some of the state land. A lot of guys I would chat with in the parking lots or the local diner near the public land I used to hunt, most, if not all, were meat hunters. When the weather turns cold and your chances of taking a deer decreases dramatically, a lot of hunters are throwing the towel. Case in point, If I recall correctly, years ago during gun week after Wednesday you could only shoot bucks in the zone we were in (A). I bet that nearly 2/3 of the people hunting on that state land gave up after Wednesday. My step dad shot a nice nine pointer that Saturday.
Makes a fella wonder how many deer this will actually save. I bet it’s a very small number, but it looks good on paper. I know it’s pretty hard to find a doe on public land after gun season anyways.
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Typically the last few days of gun week up here most hunters are doing drives, and a lot of this is done on private grounds. Tons of deer get moved miles and miles from their "core" area. Probably a lot different down south where timber and sanctuaries are more prevalent. I guess I'm just looking for the silver lining for those stuck grinding away on state land.
Sgt Fury
Sgt. Spellchecker
I’ve been hunting in Ohio since 2010 and it was not legal then to bait on public land.
cspot
Member
It won't save a ton of deer, but it will save some which will make a difference. The one thing I have noticed is that late gun season and muzzleloader season there alot of big groups (mostly amish) that do drives on WNF and do take a fair amount of doe.
You think they care?! Probably use land owner tags if they use any at all. Rules don’t apply to them land raping animals.
cspot
Member
They can still poach deer. HOwever they would be taking a risk when dragging them out to the road though. I think this rule is a step in the right direction at trying to manage public lands differently.
I can’t argue any of those points. I’ve also said before that this was a great step in the right direction.
dante322
*Supporting Member*
I'm sure it will help the population a little. There are guys that will break the rules, there always will be, but for the most part, most will abide by the law and refrain from shooting does after gun.