COLUMBUS – The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife announced the beginning of Ohio’s white-tailed deer archery hunting season that kicked off Saturday, Sept. 26. The long-running season is open until Sunday, Feb. 7, 2027. Hunters may use crossbows, compound bows, recurve bows, and longbows to pursue deer during the archery season.

Deer are Ohio’s most sought-after wild game animal and an important food source for families in the Buckeye State. A deer provides up to 200 servings of high-quality, healthy protein, the ODNR Division of Wildlife reports. October and November are the most popular months for bowhunting because of increased deer activity during their breeding season.

Follow along as Ohio’s deer season harvest totals are posted every Wednesday at wildohio.gov.

Bowhunting in Ohio is one of the most popular ways to hunt. Out of 232,142 deer taken during the 2025-26 seasons, 107,738 (46%) were taken with a bow.New this year, a discounted deer permit package is available to resident hunters. This package contains two permits at a discounted price of $43.89 for Ohio residents 18 to 64 years of age at the time of purchase and may be used to hunt antlered and antlerless deer…. READ MORE…