Being from Ohio I will try to explain THEIR logic.
Most of Ohio is flat. The SE part gets hilly but nothing big. Something like 70% of the state is fairly flat thanks to the last ice age. That is their concern number one, bullets can travel long distances more easily in their minds.
Ohio is a small state. Our square mileage is not large, but we are the 5th or 6th most populous state in the nation. This means a lot of people in a small space.
We grow BIG deer here. People from all over the nation hunt in Ohio for our 7 day season. Since we only have a seven day season (for some damn reason) the woods are typically crowded during gun season.
If Ohio were to legalize all rifle cartridges, I think they should expand the season to three weeks similar to Indiana (exact same issues above) so people had more options when to hunt rather than be forced into a single week. Michigan has similar issues but the state has a dividing line for the northern half of the mitten and the UP. Ohio could do the same in the SE part where there are more hills and less population density.
I don't mean this to disagree with you, but I've also seen recent posts on the subject where the poster claimed the reason why there are the current regulations is that the deer are too small and the land is too hilly. My point is that no one can really agree on why the regs are there.
I have to agree with the woods being crowded. I hunted Eagle Creek WMA back in 2000, and the Opener was shrowded in fog. About 1000, the fog lifted and for miles around all you could see were little orange hats glinting in the sunlight like fireflies.
In regards to season length: it goes Monday to Sunday and then opens back up for two days on the next Saturday.
