Hunters enjoyed great weather as they harvested 86,964 white-tailed deer during Ohio’s traditional week-long deer-gun season, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Wildlife.

The harvest yielded an anticipated slight decrease of 3.7 percent from 2011, when 90,282 deer were checked.
Counties reporting the highest numbers of deer checked during the 2012 gun season: Coshocton, 3,119; Muskingum, 2,927; Tuscarawas, 2,860; Guernsey, 2,620; Harrison, 2,370; Licking, 2,271.

The order of the top six counties remained unchanged from last year, said James Zehringer, director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

Hamilton County yielded 244 white-tailed deer compared to 298 last year.

Ohio’s week-long gun season was Nov. 26-Dec. 2. Archery season remains open through Feb. 3. The statewide deer-muzzleloader season is Jan. 5-8.