MOUNT VERNON — Preliminary deer totals were released on Tuesday and Knox County is right on par with recent years. Wildlife Officer Mike Miller was happy with the early total of 1,047.
“I think that is a good number,” said Miller. “It is a little off from last year. It is right around 100 deer less than last year, but this is our media count. The media count is the number of deer checked in the county. It is not necessarily the number of deer killed in the county because people can check deer in adjacent counties.”
Final numbers are expected to be released later this week, but Miller is sure the number killed will be higher.
“Once all the information is turned into our office at the end of this week, they will actually scan it all and be able to tell the exact number of deer killed in each county,” said Miller. “I think Knox County will be up a little bit. We will be at least where we were last year or maybe a little bit ahead. They are saying that the special early antlerless deer tag sales have increased about 22 percent so there will be a natural increase because of that.”
With over 1,000 deer killed so far this season, there have been a number of big bucks taken as well. Big bucks are one of the main reasons people come from all over to hunt in Knox County.
“There actually have been quite a few big bucks taken,” Miller said. “This is the peak of the rut and a lot of guys are out. If you’re a trophy hunter, this is the time of the year to get a big buck. (Monday) I saw a couple of Buckeye Big Bucks that people have killed. When I was in some check stations, I saw some of those bucks, which means they score 140 or better. I did see a really nice buck chasing some does around in a field up near Amity. There are plenty of big deer to be taken.
“The majority of those checked in this year — probably 60 percent — have been antlerless deer, but I am definitely seeing big bucks. I know of one deer killed in the county that scored over 180 in Boone and Crockett points. That’s a really big deer. I know of a couple of others of similar size killed in the county, but I haven’t seen pictures.”
Archery season runs through Feb. 7. Gun season will start Monday, Dec. 1, and run through Dec. 7. Youth gun season will be held on Nov. 22 and 23, and muzzleloader season will be held Dec. 27 through Dec. 30.
