It is almost deer hunting season in Ohio, and the Athens Deer Archery Program is set to begin Sept. 26. The program, which began in 2024, was established to combat deer overpopulation in the city.
In Athens, deer season runs from Sept. 26 to Feb. 7, and there are some new rules in place this year.
Last year, the bag limit, or amount of deer a hunter could shoot, was one. As stated on the Ohio Department of Natural Resources website for the 2025-26 bag limits, “A hunter may harvest no more than one deer in a one-deer county during the 2025-26 season. A hunter may use one either-sex permit or one deer management permit.”
However, for the 2026-27 season, that number has gone up. According to Ohio Wildlife Officer Ryan Donnelly, hunters in Athens County are now able to shoot up to two deer.
“Athens County has a two-deer limit this year, meaning that someone can only harvest two deer in Athens County,” Donnelly said. “And they can harvest one antlered deer and one non-antlered deer.”
Donnelly emphasized that hunters are not permitted to shoot two bucks or two does. They can shoot up to two deer, one being a buck and the other being a doe.
Following the outbreak of the epizootic hemorrhagic disease last year, the deer population and the number of deer harvested dropped.
EHD is a hemorrhagic disease, primarily caused by bites from midges, a type of small fly. The fly transmits the disease to the deer, and triggers internal bleeding. The infected deer are often found near bodies of water after they die because the diseased deer seek out water due to their bodies overheating, according to a previous report by The Post.
For the 2025-26 hunting season, only 917 deer were harvested in Athens County, according to ODNR. However, there is no significant outbreak of EHD ahead of this hunting season, meaning the deer population increased.
Last year, there were 211 deer infected with EHD, and this year, there was just one reported case in Athens County, according to ODNR.
The deer population in Athens has been notable for a while, with the average number of deer harvested from 2022-24 at 3,306 deer, leading the Athens Department of Arts, Parks and Recreation to implement the Deer Archery Program.
Katherine Ann Jordan, director of Athens City Arts, Parks and Recreation, said the department felt the program was necessary to combat the high deer population in residential areas.
“Citizens would come to city council, and they would ask for city council to do something about the deer population because there are deer in the neighborhoods,” Jordan said. “And one of the ways to help manage the deer herd in a local area is by hunting, and we knew that we had a lot of land that wasn't necessarily actively programmed in the city of Athens.”
The program takes place at several locations in Athens, including the Murphy Donation Tract, the Armitage Well Field and Strouds Ridge Reserve. A full list of locations can be found on the Arts, Parks and Recreation website.
Registration for the program ended Aug. 30, but hunters are still able to hunt without being in the program. To hunt, hunters must complete an education course and purchase a license, according to Donnelly.
According to the ODNR website, a senior either-sex deer permit costs $12, a resident either-sex deer permit costs $31.20, a youth either-sex deer permit costs $16 and a resident management deer permit costs $15. All permits expire on the last day of the season.
Jordan said for this hunting season, there were 19 people who applied for the program, which is based on a lottery system. Of those 19, three people purchased permits, as of Sept. 16.
Jordan also highlighted that public lands will remain safe for pedestrians during hunting season, despite some residents’ concerns when the program was established.
“It’s a little bit of education, educating those who aren't hunters, in how hunting works, and then from hunters and from people who aren't hunters, but you know are in support of anything to do to try to mitigate or help manage the deer population,” Jordan said.
However, Jordan said public reaction to the program has been largely positive.
Jordan said a collaboration with ODNR was important prior to implementing the program. The Arts, Parks and Recreation Department also spoke with the Cincinnati Department of Natural Resources.
“(CDNR has) a really active hunting program … they have a lot of content to share with me on how they run their program,” Jordan said. “So yes, we worked closely with ODNR, but it was more so just making sure (creating the program) was something that was OK.”
The program begins the first day of the hunting season, and it is split into five different sessions, beginning Sept. 26.
Anyone with further questions about the Deer Archery Program can contact the Athens Department of Arts, Parks and Recreation. For questions about hunting licenses or hunter safety courses, reach out to the ODNR.
