Officials say hunters in Ohio bagged nearly 16,500 white-tailed deer during the four-day muzzleloader season, part of which occurred as the state logged its coldest temperatures in about two decades.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources says some hunters apparently were undeterred by the extreme cold as they checked more than 3,800 deer Monday and Tuesday.
Guernsey County in eastern Ohio had the highest number of deer bagged between Saturday and Tuesday with 652. Coshocton County recorded 630. The totals in Belmont, Harrison, Licking, Muskingum and Tuscarawas counties all topped 500.
The state says more than 185,000 deer have been bagged so far during the 2013-2014 hunting seasons. Deer-archery season is open till Feb. 2.