2026–27 season · nonresident whitetail
$399 total nonresident cost — NR annual license $180.96 + either-sex deer permit $218.40 (2025-26 fee table, effective through Aug 31, 2026 — confirm at wildohio.gov before purchase). Antlerless management permits $15 each.
Statewide; disease-surveillance-area archery opens early, Sept 12. Approved by the Ohio Wildlife Council April 29, 2026.
Crossbows are legal archery equipment in Ohio (min 75 lb draw); same dates as archery.
Deer gun week: straight-walled cartridge rifles (.357–.50) and slug shotguns only — bottleneck centerfire rifles are illegal for deer.
Second (weekend) gun segment; same straight-walled rules.
Statewide; muzzleloading rifle .38 cal or larger.
First-time buyers: complete hunter education, present a prior license from any state, or attest 21+ with a previously held license. Alternative: NR Apprentice license ($180.96) to hunt under a licensed mentor.
wildohio.gov, the HuntFish OH app, or any agent. License year runs Mar 1 – end of Feb. The $40.56 3-day tourist license is NOT valid for deer.
Required on top of the license; one antlered or antlerless deer, any season. Add $15 antlerless management permits toward county bag limits if wanted.
Fill in the permit before moving the carcass; complete game check by noon the day after the kill (11:30 p.m. same day on a season's last day) — HuntFish OH app, ohiogamecheck.com, 1-877-TAG-IT-OH, or an agent.
Rules that commonly differ state to state — check the ones your home state handles differently.
Answer four questions — home state, weapon, dates, points — and this page becomes your checklist: deadlines ranked against your season, costs totaled, and the steps in order.
Plan Ohio →WhiteTailPlanner summarizes public regulations to help you plan. The state's published regulations are the legal authority — confirm with the official sources linked above.
