To thin the herd, protect landscaping plants and reduce deer-vehicle collision, the City of Aurora is accepting lottery entries for deer archery hunting on designated areas of city property.
Hunters must follow all regulations set by the Aurora Police Department and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. One entry per hunter will be accepted.
Hunters must provide a copy of their ODNR hunting permit, deer tags and Ohio driver’s license with their application. Hunters will be selected at random, with Aurora residents given priority consideration. Non-residents will be chosen if no residents enter the lottery.
All hunting must be done using a crossbow, compound bow or other bow-and-arrow hunting device. Hunters must possess a valid Ohio hunting license, have completed an approved hunter safety course and possess a current city permit, all of which must be carried while hunting.
Hunters must be familiar with the boundaries of the land in which they are hunting and may not pursue a wounded deer onto adjacent property without permission. Hunters located outside their designated hunting area will have their permits revoked and will be barred from future archery lotteries.
All hunting must take place from a tree stand at least eight feet off the ground. Each stand must be marked with the hunter’s name, address and phone number. Hunters may not insert fasteners such as screw-in steps or bow hangers into trees and must wear a safety harness when hunting from their deer stand. All stands, equipment and trash must be removed within a week after the end of the deer hunting season.
Hunters must harvest one doe before harvesting a buck. Hunters must report all kills to the Aurora Police Department within 24 hours, noting the location of the kill and the deer’s sex.
Selected hunters will be notified and will be encouraged to identify one hunting partner. All selected hunters must attend a mandatory meeting at which they will be shown their designated hunting areas and must pass an archery proficiency test. Hunters will also review state hunting ordinances, including archery ethics, shot placement and hunting safety.
Ohio’s 2024/25 deer archery season opens Sept. 28, 2024, and closes Feb. 2, 2025.
Interested hunters can register with Aurora Parks and Recreation at https://auroraoh.com/departments/parks___recreation/parks/index.php, by calling the office at 330-562-4333 or in person at the parks office, 129 W. Pioneer Trail, Aurora. Entries will be accepted from Aug. 1 until 4 p.m. Aug. 23.
Wendy DiAlesandro is a former Record Publishing Co. reporter and contributing writer for The Portager.