Why Hunt Coshocton?

Deer Hunting Ohio- What Makes Coshocton County Special?

To understand why certain areas of the country produce bigger deer than others you have to understand what constitutes good deer habitat, and how hunting pressure affects the deer herd. The following information has been obtained from various deer experts from around the State and Country.

History in Ohio

Deer live in all 88 Ohio counties. But that has not always been true. From about 1904 to 1923 very few, if any, deer lived in Ohio. That's because deer hunting was unregulated before the year 1900. That means there were no laws to protect deer. Also, good habitat - the food, water, shelter, and space deer need to live - had been destroyed. Thanks to the Division of Wildlife, deer are back in Ohio. More than 450,000 whitetails live in the state. They returned because deer hunting is now highly regulated. In fact, there are so many deer living in Ohio that deer hunting is necessary to control the size of the deer herd. Deer hunting is the most popular type of hunting in Ohio. Deer are our state's only big-game animal.

A healthy whitetail population is the primary reason for the high harvest statistics of recent decades. Ohio Division of Wildlife biologists agree that quality habitat is a prerequisite in order to have a healthy herd of deer. A combination of croplands, woodlands and brushy areas mean ideal whitetail habitat, and most of Ohio has a plentiful supply of such cover. Counties across the state are turning in Buckeye Big Buck Club qualifiers like never before. What accounts for such deer population growth? How did Ohio go from having nearly no deer population to being one of the top deer states in the country? Once again, the answer is habitat. Relatively few open areas existed, and deer numbers were low. In the early 1800s, family farmers began a land-clearing crusade that virtually eliminated Ohio's native forestlands. This clearing frenzy continued for over a century, and by 1940 less than 15 percent of the state still held large plots of contiguous timber and brush.

After World War II, change took place quickly. Jobs in the city replaced working on the family farm. When old farmers passed on, few of their offspring stayed to continue the family tradition. Croplands and pasture fields reverted to brush and timber. By the 1960s, enough land had regenerated to the point where wildlife biologists could begin a whitetail reestablishment program.

Whitetails moved in and multiplied as more land reverted to brush and timber. Now, especially in the southeastern region of the state, large tracts of woodlands and brush lands bordering croplands provide Buckeye State archery hunters with an abundance of game.

Current Status in Ohio

The southeastern portion of the Buckeye State is the gold mine of Ohio's whitetail population. The rugged, wooded terrain in this region has produced successful archery seasons with consistently high numbers of deer harvested.

When asked about the district's top three archery deer counties, Keith Morrow, wildlife management supervisor for District Four said, "Coshocton, Muskingum and Hocking counties are on the fringe of the agricultural activity in the region. This mix of agriculture and woodlands are of great benefit to the deer in this region."

Morrow also noted that some of the southeastern region's counties contain more mature timber, which is not beneficial to deer. A mixture of brushy areas bordering timber and croplands is better habitat because this combination provides the cover and browse required by whitetails.

Two of the district's top archery hunting counties are Coshocton and Hocking. Coshocton County deer hunters harvested 1,579 deer by bow last year and Hocking County bow hunters took 1,043. In Coshocton County, the AEP ReCreation lands provide much of the public lands available for archery hunters, and Hocking State Forest is one of the better hotspots for archery deer in Hocking County.

Current Status in the U.S.

Boone & Crockett put together a study in 2002 in an effort to study the distribution of big bucks in the U.S. The first step was record book data from the Boone and Crockett Club. Jack Reneau, Director of Big Game Records, provided the information needed and explained how it was organized. B&C assembled 5,568 whitetail entries spanning the years 1830-2001 (only two entries were included from 2001, and only 120 from 2000) and successfully entered 5,439 entries into a Geographic Information System (GIS) that allowed them to produce a variety of maps and analyze the data. It did not include 129 entries lacking county-specific information on where the deer was taken. The information and maps shown here are based on the 5,439 deer entered into the GIS.

During the last two decades, the range and total population of the whitetail has expanded immensely, with managers now working to either stabilize deer populations or reduce them. With increasing numbers of deer came more interest in trophy-class deer. The 3,950 entries (74 percent of the record book total) come from 41 states and 1,254 counties. Incredibly, the years 1990-2001 account for 2,811 or 52 percent of the record book entries during this period.

Distribution has shifted to include the mid-western states, where deer herds are growing, aided by excellent habitat. The top 10 states are IL (509), IA (507), WI (395), MN (293), MO (244), KY (242), KS (235), OH (199), TX (159), and IN (138). The map shows the dominance of Midwestern states during the last 20 years, especially the last decade. States and counties that yielded many entries during the previous period have, by and large, continued to produce; but they account for a smaller percentage of entries.

The top 50 counties are distributed in the following states: IA (17), IL (11), WI (6), KY (4), MN (4), TX (4), ME (2), MI (1), and MT (1). Twenty-eight of the top 50 counties come from Iowa and Illinois, which is why these states attract hunters. For some states, the last 20 years account for nearly all of their entries. For example, Kansas recorded 235 Awards Book entries during this period, and 255 All-time entries, while Kentucky had 242 and 279, respectively.

Why do some counties produce so many entries?
Answering this question is difficult since so many natural and man-made factors come to bear. Still, the relationship between record book entries and river systems is plainly evident throughout the country, especially in heavily farmed states. For example, in Iowa the best deer counties are not the most heavily farmed, but tend to have a mixture of farmland and forest cover associated with river bottoms. Counties bordering the Missouri, Mississippi and Des Moines Rivers account for the majority of entries from Iowa. This pattern is evident in nearly all states, especially along the Mississippi, Ohio, and Missouri River systems.
The relationship between deer densities and number of entries is also interesting. States with high deer densities and long firearms seasons with liberal bag limits produce, on balance, fewer entries. States with lower deer densities, shorter gun seasons, and more restrictive buck harvests tend to produce more entries. A good comparison is between Ohio, which averages around 10 deer per square mile, and Mississippi, which averages more than 30.

Perhaps the most interesting pattern is the impact state management practices can have on entries. In Kansas, modern rifle season takes place after the rut, while in Oklahoma it generally falls during the peak of the rut. Also, the black powder season in Kansas is in mid-September, when the trees still wear leaves and temperatures are high. In contrast, Oklahoma's black powder season occurs in late October and early November, when temperatures are cool, bucks are starting to rut, and the leaves are falling. Since the majority of bucks killed are taken during gun seasons, timing those seasons so bucks are less vulnerable gives the animals time to mature. Similar differences are apparent between seasons and the number of big-buck entries from Iowa and Missouri, Ohio and West Virginia, and Nebraska and Kansas.

The maps produced for this article give hunters an accurate picture of where B&C-class bucks are being taken. Though your odds are definitely higher in certain states and counties, the maps also show that entries come, literally, from all over. They have come from 1,443 different counties, half the counties in the forty-two states that have produced entries. So no matter where you hunt, there is always a "geographical chance" of bringing home a record book buck!

Deer Information

White-tailed deer get their name from the white underside of their tail. When a deer runs it flips its tail straight up. The white "flag" is easily seen then and signals danger to other deer.

A deer's senses of smell and hearing are very good. Its eye-sight is less keen. Deer are also great jumpers. They have been known to jump eight-foot-high fences.

Female deer usually weigh 90 to 210 pounds. They give birth to one fawn their first year and usually twin fawns each year after that. Sometimes they might even have triplets. Male deer usually weigh 130 to 300 pounds. The largest buck ever weighed in Ohio was 408 pounds!

Deer Antlers

Buck deer grow antlers, while doe deer normally do not. Antler growth begins in the spring and is over by late summer. The bucks then rub their antlers against small trees to remove the "velvet." This velvet is a layer of special skin that covers the antlers as they grow. Bucks use their antlers to fight each other during the fall breeding season. Their antlers drop off in late winter. A deer grows a new set of antlers the following summer. Antlers are true bone and different from horns. Animals that have horns never lose them. Members of the deer family - like moose, elk, and deer - shed their antlers each year.

Growing as much as a ½ inch per day during peak development. The development process can vary greatly depending upon the genes and nutrition of each deer. Growing antlers are covered with a living tissue called velvet. During development, the deer's antlers are very delicate and extremely sensitive to the touch. This is also the time when most antler damage or breakage occurs. Velvet is shed or rubbed off by the buck as he rubs saplings with his antlers. Older bucks will shed their velvet before younger bucks. A buck's first set of antlers begins to grow when it's about 10 months old. Spikes are more common in yearling deer than older ones because antler growth starts at a time when the young buck's body is still growing rapidly. Antler development is tied in closely with the animal's nutritional status. Older bucks might also carry spikes if they come from an area with poor food conditions.

In Ohio antlers are usually shed in February and March. Antler shedding usually occurs earlier in northern states than southern ones. Spike bucks shed their antlers sooner than bucks with branched antlers.

Whitetail antlers are an amazing example of nature's wonderful and beautiful handiwork. They range from tiny sharp spikes to amazing typical and non-typical racks. Antlers develop into every size and shape. But antler size, growth and irregularities are often misunderstood by many deer hunters. A great deal of misinformation has been passed down for ages. One major mistake is commonly made by hunters who don't know that antlers are not horns, and horns are not antlers. Antlers are made of dead bone, and are yearly growths that begin growing from two pedicels on the buck's head in late winter and early spring. Antlers reach full growth in late summer, usually October. Antlers are normally branched (except for spikes), and maturity, good nutrition, lack of stress and good genes determine antler size and formation.

As a rule, only male deer grow antlers. But one female in several thousand whitetail does will grow antlers because of a hormone imbalance. Horns, rather than antlers, are living bone that is covered with hard layers of skin. They are typically un-branched and permanently established on the animal's head. Wild sheep, for example, continue to grow horns throughout their lives. Horns also are found on bison, cows and goats in North America.

Nutrition

Good nutrition is required for button-buck fawns to grow large pedicels. Often, the larger the pedicel, the larger the antlers will be at a later age. Like I said earlier, antlers can grow at the rate of a ½ inch per day, but body growth takes precedence over antler growth. Any deficiency in dietary energy, protein, calcium, phosphorus or certain vitamins during spring and summer can have strong negative effects. There are only two possible solutions to poor nutrition. One is to reduce deer numbers to more closely match the capacity of the natural habitat. The other is to improve the habitat by cutting, burning, planting or fertilizing to restore the land's capacity to support healthy deer.

Genetics

Genetics is an extremely important component of the deer management formula. However, genetics is just one of the factors of antler development. Age, nutrition, disease, and injury are often more important contributors to a buck's antlers than genetics.

To understand the role that genetics plays in antler development it is first necessary to understand the contributions other factors make to a buck's antlers. Most importantly, the animal has to have adequate nutrition. Without adequate nutrition a buck with the genetic background to become the world record whitetail buck might be less than average. An example of the importance of nutrition would be to take that buck and feed him mostly corn for one year.

It should be noted that corn is a very poor quality food for deer except during periods of high-energy drain during cold periods of the year. It is high in carbohydrates but low in protein (about 8 percent). On the this corn diet, the deer would maybe grow an 8 point rack with a 17 inch inside spread and have a Boone and Crockett score of about 115. Now take the same deer for one year and feed him the normal 16% protein ration, the deer's antlers would increase to maybe 21 points, a 27.5 inch inside spread and have a Boone and Crockett score of 210.

Age

Age can also effect a buck's antlers. Whitetail deer do not achieve maturity until they are 5 to 8 years of age. Studies have demonstrated the average buck achieves only about 10 percent of his potential antler development by age 1.5 years (when he completes his first set of antlers as an 18-month-old buck).

It has also been able to demonstrate that there is little relationship between the first year antlers and the antler development a buck will have when he reaches the mature age classes of 5 years or older. This means a spike-antlered buck has a good chance of becoming a trophy-quality adult buck. By the time a buck has completed his second set of antlers he still only has achieved only 25-35 percent of his potential antler development.