As it stands now, a hunter can kill up to 18 deer in one year with the combination of muzzleloaders, shotgun, and archery seasons. ODNR wants to cut that to nine in the 2013-2014 season, while also instituting local bag limits instead of the regional limits is now uses.

The proposed rule changes would do away with both the bonus shotgun hunting weekend that usually follows the week-long hunt, and the early muzzleloader season offered at three state parks in the fall.

The changes were proposed by ODNR on Wednesday, and will be voted on in April after several townhall meetings in March.

The proposed changes come as state wildlife officials report 21,555 deer killed during Ohio’s muzzleloader hunt last month. That’s a 12 percent increase over the 2012 muzzleloader hunt.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources numbers released Wednesday showed 190,725 deer were taken during the first 95 days of this year’s hunting season. That’s down a little more than 1 percent from the same period in last year’s season.

The number includes 86,964 deer killed during the week-long gun season, and another 14,365 taken during the additional gun weekend last month.

Coshocton County leads all Ohio counties in the number of deer harvested so far, followed by Licking, Tuscarawas, Muskingum and Guernsey – all in central or eastern Ohio.

According to the ODNR, the four-day muzzleloader season for deer opens Saturday. Archery season remains open through Feb. 3.