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I've got a question for you seasoned hunters (ie old farts who been killin deer since forever ago):

What were the bag limits and herd like back in the 60's / 70's / 80's / 90's?

I have no idea, and think it would kinda provide some backdrop for what we're dealing with here - I'd sure like to know so I could put it in perspective, just for my own curiousity.

When I started hunting in the 80's in Allen county it was 1 buck a year. They would have a drawing for a few doe permits otherwise no doe. I would like to see Allen county go back to this for at least 2 years.
 
I have always hunted in Carroll County or Noble County. In the mid 70's, I know you sent in to be drawn for a doe permit. If I remember correctly you could only kill one deer regardless of sex. I quit deer hunting in the late 70's to hunt waterfowl. I did that for 27 years and then started deer hunting again. I have no idea what the limits and tags were about during those 27 years. I know that in the mid 70's I killed deer almost every year during gun season.
 

Hedgelj

Senior Member
Supporting Member
8,356
189
Mohicanish
My DAD has been hunting part of Egypt Valley wildlife area since the 80s. We hunt many of the same places today. I started hunting there around 1995 (now that makes me sound old).

When my dad started it was one deer only per year. I started at the one deer a year and then through all the increased opportunity of recent years.

There is a series of drives we have done for years. On a good day gun or muzzy season you could count on seeing 10-20+ deer between the drivers and standers but that doesn't mean we shot them but we would see them. This year doing the same drives two days in a row we didn't see ANY deer but we did see sign.

I have noticed the slow decline in the numbers we were seeing after the bubble got burst by Joe a year or two ago.
 

Redhunter1012

Senior Member
Supporting Member
When I started hunting in the 80's in Allen county it was 1 buck a year. They would have a drawing for a few doe permits otherwise no doe. I would like to see Allen county go back to this for at least 2 years.

It was the same for me in Wood/Hancock counties in late 1980's. We actually for the most part gun hunted at Killdeer plains and a couple other public hunting areas. As a matter of fact, the first deer I remember us getting was a button buck at Killdeer in a year that my Dad and Brother both were drawn for Doe permits. We were walking down a fencerow after sitting a few hours in the woods and that deer ran up on us from across the road. Dad seen it coming and we hid for a minute and it ran to within 20 yards of us and they both shot at it with their Muzzy's and we watched it run maybe 50 yards and die. Their shots were perfect behind the shoulder about 2 inches apart. That will always be one of my biggest thrills. Our first deer ever just ran up on us. As far as populations, there were very sparse in the NW part of the state back then. And I knew of nobody other than my dad who bowhunted. And he only did it if he happened to see a deer at 1 of the places we could hunt.
 
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1,560
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It was the same for me in Wood/Hancock counties in late 1980's. We actually for the most part gun hunted at Killdeer plains and a couple other public hunting areas. As a matter of fact, the first deer I remember us getting was a button buck at Killdeer in a year that my Dad and Brother both were drawn for Doe permits. We were walking down a fencerow after sitting a few hours in the woods and that deer ran up on us from across the road. Dad seen it coming and we hid for a minute and it ran to within 20 yards of us and they both shot at it with their Muzzy's and we watched it run maybe 50 yards and die. Their shots were perfect behind the shoulder about 2 inches apart. That will always be one of my biggest thrills. Our first deer ever just ran up on us. As far as populations, there were very sparse in the NW part of the state back then. And I knew of nobody other than my dad who bowhunted. And he only did it if he happened to see a deer at 1 of the places we could hunt.

Lol I remember sitting with my dad when I was 10 or so on a drive and a doe came trotting up a fence row and stopped 10yrds from us and the old man latching ahold of me saying don't do it. The next year we drew a doe tag and I killed my first deer it was a button buck.
 

MK111

"Happy Hunting Grounds in the Sky"
Supporting Member
6,551
66
SW Ohio
About 2 years ago I posted a year by year deer harvest numbers starting with the 1st legal deer 1943 season was started. I can't find the post and can't seem the chart find it on the net either.
I killed my 1st Ohio deer in 1972 and there was less than 6,000 for the whole state. The Willard newspaper heard I shot a buck and took pictures and printed a short article. It sorta was big news then.
After 1972 the yearly harvest just started sky rocketing upward to a peak couple years ago.

In 1961 a buck jumped across the road in front of our school bus and the Ottawa newspaper put the big news in the newspaper. Couple years later we started seeing deer tracks along the Riley Creek but I seen almost no deer and I moved to Willard in 1971 and there was more deer there.

Read back a few pages, Frank chimed in on the herd back in the 60's and 70's.
 
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MK111

"Happy Hunting Grounds in the Sky"
Supporting Member
6,551
66
SW Ohio
A interesting article that will show what us 'old farts' went through with deer hunting.
http://www.ohkyinoutdoors.com/?p=347

Short history of deer in Ohio,
1904 deer population was Zero.
1922 Ohio started buying 200 deer from other states for 7 yrs.
1938 Ohio deer population is 2000 in 28 counties.
1943 Ohio 1st 12 day deer season with 168 harvested in 3 counties.
1956 deer season in all 88 counties.

I do know when I moved to Butler county in 1976 there was no gun season here only bow season.

Guys we have come a long way in regards to deer hunting and it wasn't always this way. IMHO


I've got a question for you seasoned hunters (ie old farts who been killin deer since forever ago):

What were the bag limits and herd like back in the 60's / 70's / 80's / 90's?

I have no idea, and think it would kinda provide some backdrop for what we're dealing with here - I'd sure like to know so I could put it in perspective, just for my own curiousity.
 
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Lundy

Member
1,312
141
I personally like the majority of the changes. I hate to see the youths moved to October only because I think it reduces their opportunities because of the foliage.

I hope the reduced deer tags going away reduces the archery harvest.

The ODNR initiated the reduced tags to put big push on population reduction. It created a huge increase in archery participation and harvest. That needs to go away.

The ODNR provided the opportunity and the vehicle for the population reduction but hunters gleefully participated, including many on this forum that now complain about dwindling populations.

I would personally like to see separate licenses for methodology, one for archery, one for gun, one for MZ. Limit one deer per method, no more than two combined with all methods and no more than one buck regardless of method. Youth season tag is good for one deer and is valid during any season.
 

Jamie

Senior Member
6,015
177
Ohio
I agree that a "choose your weapon" licensing format would likely have a measureable impact on harvest. one of the more reasonable ways to manage, imo. forcing hunters to make choices tempers the "anything goes" attitude our ODNR has adopted and lays a better foundation for meaningful conservation efforts.
 

GoetsTalon

Senior Member
Supporting Member
4,532
139
Walbridge oh
Was it back in the early 90's when you could shoot a buck or doe on monday and tuesday then after that it was buck only? For gun season? might have been late 80's?
 
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Lundy

Member
1,312
141
Was it back in the early 90's when you could shoot a buck or doe on monday and tuesday then after that it was buck only? For gun season? might have been late 80's?

I don't think that was statewide. I don't ever remember that is the SE zone
 

reo

Junior Member
484
68
N.E. Ohio
I've got a question for you seasoned hunters (ie old farts who been killin deer since forever ago):

What were the bag limits and herd like back in the 60's / 70's / 80's / 90's?

I have no idea, and think it would kinda provide some backdrop for what we're dealing with here - I'd sure like to know so I could put it in perspective, just for my own curiousity.

In Coshocton county in the late 70's early 80's it was one deer, buck or doe. Sometime in the late 80's they went to 2, then 3, then added gun days and seasons youth, etc, etc. I have to say the 80's and 90's were a blast as you most always saw deer wile on stand. I never did kill more than one per year but I readily admit I tried!
 

reo

Junior Member
484
68
N.E. Ohio
I personally like the majority of the changes. I hate to see the youths moved to October only because I think it reduces their opportunities because of the foliage.

I hope the reduced deer tags going away reduces the archery harvest.

The ODNR initiated the reduced tags to put big push on population reduction. It created a huge increase in archery participation and harvest. That needs to go away.

The ODNR provided the opportunity and the vehicle for the population reduction but hunters gleefully participated, including many on this forum that now complain about dwindling populations.

I would personally like to see separate licenses for methodology, one for archery, one for gun, one for MZ. Limit one deer per method, no more than two combined with all methods and no more than one buck regardless of method. Youth season tag is good for one deer and is valid during any season.

I agree with almost all of this but this looks like something that would begin to allow for a population rebound, something that is not on the ODNR agenda.
 

RedCloud

Super Moderator
Super Mod
17,438
207
North Central Ohio
Was it back in the early 90's when you could shoot a buck or doe on monday and tuesday then after that it was buck only? For gun season? might have been late 80's?

It was 98' when that was put in place for certain counties. It was only in place that one year as far as I know. It was doe only Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday through Saturday it was buck only. I know it was in place for Crawford County but not sure what other select counties did it.
 

jagermeister

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
18,284
237
Ohio
It was 98' when that was put in place for certain counties. It was only in place that one year as far as I know. It was doe only Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday through Saturday it was buck only. I know it was in place for Crawford County but not sure what other select counties did it.
Most of NW Ohio I believe.
 

GoetsTalon

Senior Member
Supporting Member
4,532
139
Walbridge oh
Yeah we hunted Defiance county back then and would only hunt the first couple days because if you didn't see anything then you were wasting your time to hunt the rest of the week. Seems like at least back then they tried to boost the population some.
 

Redhunter1012

Senior Member
Supporting Member
Yeah we hunted Defiance county back then and would only hunt the first couple days because if you didn't see anything then you were wasting your time to hunt the rest of the week. Seems like at least back then they tried to boost the population some.

They went with those regulations because they decimated it a couple years prior with the 2 deer limit. And those regs helped bigtime
 

jagermeister

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
18,284
237
Ohio
They went with those regulations because they decimated it a couple years prior with the 2 deer limit. And those regs helped bigtime
Yep they sure did. Hardly anyone bowhunted "back then" though. It wouldn't have near the same impact if that same strategy was implemented today.