Photo by BillKinney.com

Buckeye State bowhunters have a lot of good hunting to look forward to this year, according to Mike Tonkovich, the Ohio Division of Wildlife biologist who heads up the Buckeye State's deer program.

"We've averaged over 200,000 deer around the state over the last five years," said Tonkovich.

"The record harvest was 216,000 whitetails a couple of years ago, and we'll top that number in 2007. A preliminary estimate of the number of deer that will be harvested is about 235,000. We'll certainly be setting a new harvest record this year."

The ODOW's deer management strategies are working, he said. And they'll work even better as hunters continue to see the value of harvesting antlerless deer along with the state's famous record-class bucks.

Some counties are showing higher populations of deer this year. Overall, the number of deer in Ohio remains stable, Tonkovich said.

According to wildlife biologist Mark Hemming, Buckeye Big Buck Club scorers recorded 11 deer scoring over 200 points in the 2002-03 season. By comparison, only five 200-class bucks have ever been recorded in neighboring Pennsylvania.

According to Hemming, the largest deer bagged in North America in 1999 was taken by Bobby Willis in Jackson County. That buck scored 252 points. In 2000, the first- and second-highest scoring deer were taken by Ohio hunters. Mike Beatty's buck scored 304 6/8, setting a record as the largest archery-killed deer ever.

Last December, the ODOW officially announced that Jonathan Schmucker's 34-point, non-typical crossbow buck final-scored at 291 2/8 Boone and Crockett points. The odds are that bigger bucks exist!

With world-class bucks and plenty of "meat" deer available to Ohio's bowhunters, here's a look at some of our best public hunting areas for archery whitetails in 2007:

DEER CREEK WILDLIFE AREA
"The Deer Creek Wildlife Area is first on the list for early bowhunting," said ODOW biologist Gary Ludwig.

"Its density of whitetails is high, and hunting pressure is lower than on other public areas."

Deer Creek's 4,085 acres are the perfect place for early-season Columbus and Dayton hunters. They offer a nice mixture of croplands, woods and brush with plenty of grass habitat. When hunting pressure picks up in the forested areas, the whitetails retreat to these grassy sections -- and are often overlooked.

According to Ludwig, several nice bucks are taken on Deer Creek every year. Hunters need to study a map to avoid the restricted hunting in adjoining Deer Creek State Park, as well as the restricted areas west of the north end of the lake.

According to Ludwig, the best section to target with bow and arrow is the northern half of the wildlife area between the rifle range and Mt. Sterling. This vast section receives the least amount of hunting pressure. Many hunters set up along the border of the wildlife area in hopes of tagging deer that stray off the park proper, where hunting isn't allowed.

Deer Creek Wildlife Area lies on state Route 207 in Pickaway, Madison and Fayette counties.

For more information, contact the ODOW's District One office at (614) 644-3925 or the Deer Creek State Park office at (740) 869-3124.

DELAWARE WILDLIFE AREA
Delaware WA is Ludwig's second pick for central Ohio whitetails. Early-fall bowhunting can be spectacular on Delaware, but its close proximity to Columbus means the area does get some hunting pressure.

"The north end of the area is less accessible, so there's not as much hunting pressure in that section," Ludwig pointed out.

The area has a mix of grass and crops, a combination that produces a lot of white-tailed deer. Hunters will find forested tracts on flat to rolling land where Ohio's "corn fed" deer grow fat, compliments of area farmers.

The ODOW has enhanced the whitetail habitat here by the construction of over 50 ponds and flooding over 100 acres of seasonal wetlands.

Bowhunters should go north of state Route 229 to get away from the crowds. It will take some footwork to dig into the tangle.