Question for any tradgangers from the area...My father and a friend are going to try bowhunting ohio this year on public land...We will be out there the first week of november, the main two places i was thinking of were tranquility wildlife area and dillon wildlife area....any recommendations or comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks all
Dillon is hunted hard. In Morgan county is Wolf Creek Wildlife area (3500+ acres) and also some Wayne National Forest land. All together tens of thousands of public hunting. Plus about 10 miles south is Burr Oak State Forest. My friends hunt down there and they always bring home deer. These three areas I believe would be better than the other two.
Thanks for the input greatly appreciated, you can get started looking on line but there is no substitute for knowledge from people that live in the areas and have actually been there!
I like the Tri- Valley Wildlife area. I have not been able to go for the last 4 years but it had been good hunting there. I think there are 25000 acres or something like that. It is in Muskingum County north of Zanesville. I hunt the Rt.208 and Mollies Rock roads coming out of Dresden. There are a lot of small hills and long draws with bordering brush and multiflora rose. I have seen and missed a few whoppers while hunting there. Send me a PM if you would like some more recommended places.
Oh yeah, I had always camped at Woodbury Wildlife area and drove down everyday.
You might also check in to the Ohio Power / AEP ReCreation land - more or less in that neighborhood.
The thing about Wolf Creek is that the Division of Wildlife plant food plots. I have hunted around them and seen plenty of deer. There is a primitive campground there also. Only thing they have is a water pump. There is a shooting range just up the drive from campground. You have to practice there. Bring a 3d target with you cause there is no targets. You have to supply your own.
Thats awesome guys thanks for all the info each place sounds great....if there are any other suggestions keep em comin ! :thumbsup:
zaleski state forest around lake hope campground has a shower house and water and plenty and I mean plenty or great hunting
If you decide on the AEP land you have to get a permit to hunt and camp. They have several campgrounds to choose from. Plus excellent fishing in the ponds. At one time there was 30,000 arces to hunt. I don't know if that is still the case. You can get the permit by going to the Ohio DNR website or they will tell you who to contact. The permit is free.
If you could draw a 25 mile circle away from McConnellsville in Morgan County you are in prime deer territory and heaven.
Thanks all for the the starting points and points in the right direction....Archer Fanatic thanks for the info with the permits especially, although not top priority we would prefer to camp so thats a plus!
you could also go on line and check out killdeer wildlife area in is NW Ohio in wyndot county I have not hunted it in years but it does not get to much preasure in the bow season It is the sama area that Roger Rothhaar hunted in his Ohio days.
Good Luck!
pcappy08,
Check this link out.
http://www.lothac.com/TarHollowHunt.html
I go to this camp every year.
OHIO POWER has big bucks.
Is the Ohio power land scattered or consolidated?
QuoteOriginally posted by IronCreekArcher:
Is the Ohio power land scattered or consolidated?
Depends on your point of view, I guess. :-p
http://www.aep.com/environmental/recreation/maps.aspx
The first link "Map of ReCreation Land" will get you a pdf file that tends to be much more useful than the "hunting" map on that site.
Sounds like there are no shortage of great places to hunt out there guys i cant wait for the fall! Thanks again for all the help!
If I may, there is a part of the Egypt Valley wildlife area thaqt gets very little pressure during bow season. If you don't mind walking then there are some hogs(big bucks,not pigs) there. Just look at longbowbens avatar on page 1 and you can see the quality bucks we have in the area. The specific hollow I'm referring to is the Jockey hollow area.
How is the Tri-Valley area in particular? I have heard mixed reports...
Leatherneck, Just based on the picture alone is worth the exploration and research...they dont get much more impressive looking than that guy...i guess the next step is to start looking at topo maps and such...thanks again all!
The tri-valley area is reclamed strip mine area. Many small pockets of wildlife area between farms. Lots of open rolling hills of grass and scub with hardwoods left in the vallys and some ridgelines,lots of funnels. Some ares are a good hike in from limited road accesspre-season scouting can really help. Have hunted it about ten years and have my own favorite spots. Have been thinking of looking into Egypt valley also this year.
AEP is a great place to hunt
AEP? :help:
Oh I got it...American Electric Power...where does one start in all that country?
I live about 30 minutes from Tar Hollow. Although I don't hunt it, I have walked on much of it and I'll say this: If you want to get some exercise, hunt big hills, feel alone, and be in the company of lots of deer...Tar Hollow is a prime consideration. Some of those deep hollows feel semi-wilderness.
Kevin Dill
I have hunted some of the National Forest in Ohio.
They are nice, but they can get crowded with other hunters.
All the public wildlife areas get a considerable amount of people and you will come across others unless you go in further. I have also hunted in sight of a main road and had deer stand further in and look out towards the crops until dark. If I see bags and bones in ditches along fields, I don't hunt there. I have traveled to all of the major wildlife areas in Ohio in the past 25 years. My top 2 places for both size and solitude. Avondale and Tri-Valley.
Ive hunted Ohio power "Sunday Creek" butts right up to wayne national without the allowed atv access that wayne has. Great rough terrain lots of deer and plenty of solitude "bow season"
What about a National Forest pick? I know that Wayne is large but which are quality in the numbers of decent deer with few people?
Tranquility is supposed to be great with less pressure.
You will have many fellow hunters at Dillon. I have spent some time over there and there is heavier pressure. You can get away from the pressure with some effort.
Hunted Kildeer last year. Not many deer, but those that are there are big-bodied. Very low pressure during bow season.
I have found that the national forest land around Wolf Creek WMA in Morgan County does not get much pressure when I'm there. We are talking thousands of acres.
More Deer in Kildeer than you think! Great place top bow hunt...very few people, I have seldom seen any people?? See the deer that is attached to my author name...I shot him in Kildeer, he was a massive 8pt, 294lbs, scored 161 gross! Kildeer rocks!
Also, shot a 131 in 2007...lots of good deer.
djanko,
It looks like there are not a lot of trees there...did you hunt from the ground or around the lakes and ponds? It also looks to be difficult to find an area next to the refuge to hunt. If you shoot a deer and it runs into the refuge are you allowed to retrieve it? Thanks a bunch...
djanko
thats a toad of an 8pt congrats on an amazing deer! and thanks all for the tips and advice!
There are plenty of tree...you just have to do some exploring. My 161 and my 131 were both shot from 2 wooden ladder stands that I dragged in and left them there for the last 3 years. Probably replace this year. Again, virtually no bow hunts this area...especially if you go in 1/4 mile or so. Regarding the refuge, you can go in an pick up you deer...no problem.
I know I will be down there again this year, especially Nov 1 - Nov 15!!!
PCappy- check out Ohiosportsman.com. Lots of info on public hunting there. Just don't listen to any of those local folks saying to stay home because there are any big bucks in Southern Ohio! There is so much out there you can never begin to cover it.
I've been hunting various areas of WNF for almost ten years and certain areas are seeing a serious increase in pressure during the first two weeks of November. Not as bad as the orange army invasion during gun season, but I saw more plates this past November from Mi, Ms, Nj, Vt, Tn and PA thean I ever have before.
There is still plenty of great places to get away from hunters. Also check the Wayne National Forest site and call them. They have always been helpful as can be and you can get maps/topos of the different federal areas (units). Good luck
Darb
Wayne National forest can be crowded. Last two years there have been guys coming in from other states (N. Carolina) who run 4 wheelers in violation of the law. They have ruined more than one hunt and location for us. We taked to them about this, they say they are going to do whatever they want ot do, do not care about the 4 wheeler law.
We reported them to Forest rangers and Game Wardens, so far nothing has been done.
Real arrogant jerks.
I cant stand the abuse of 4 wheelers on public land, its rampant on state land here too, and i have never seen anything done about it, nothing worse than going far back super early to avoid the crowds then to have some lazy guy ride up on a quad right after sunrise.
You can also check out Woodbury public land---23,000 acres. It's where I live and hunt almost exclusively.
VERY busy during gun seasons and a little less so during the 2 wks. around the rut-----but in my experience------most hunters don't go too far off the oil-well roads. And sometimes you don't have too either, because you can walk down the road and then in and others will drive by because it's too much walking or something.
You can check it out on Google Earth. Good mix of habitats from open grass and swampland, to very dense woods with some hard wood patches thrown in. It is all re-claimed strip mine land so it can be rough and jagged in places.
ben
I would have to agree that there are too many people that don't follow the regulations here in Ohio.
There just aren't enough game wardens to keep an eye on everything. If you hunt public land here, you have to expect(not like or accept) some degree of violations.
I was bowhunting youth shotgun weekend and watched two adults shoot three deer. They then had the kids put tags on the deer. I called the game warden for the county, but nothing could be proven. Made me sick, they did nothing but teach the kids poaching was okay.
-Charlie
It's always nice to have the area supervisor(game warden) on speed dial. He's a great friend of mine and is always available. Only had to call him once in the last ten years. Most people around here know he hunts with our crew so we don't get too many violators.
Don't like 4-wheelers!!!!! They just make trails and people love to walk trails. I've drug for 4 hours to get a buck out. They are good to get deer out but only when the property allows. Most people who hunt with them use them all the time instead of just to retrieve game.
Sorry to get off subject.
I think I have my hunt this year narrowed to the Woodbury and Tri-Valley areas. Do any have some suggestions where or how to start? Being a reclaimed mining area are there dangerous areas that I should be aware of? I really don't want to step into a hidden mine shaft or something. Granted I will pre-scout in the daylight but I am just wondering...
watch out for high walls in reclaimed strip mined areas.unstable rock formations that you could walk off in the dark if you don't know your way around!also would'nt set up at the base of a highwall area either.have seen rocks come tumbling down unexpectantly.
At Woodbury there are no mine shafts that I'm aware of----it was all strip mined and reclaimed. lots of cuts, saddles, high-walls, and ponds all over the place. If you are new to the area---bring a compass to keep from getting turned around. If you like hunting THICK stuff---look for the autumn olive fields ----you can set up REAL CLOSE on the ground if you do some trimming or find where the trails enter the woods.
Good trick I picked up from Elkherder and expounded on a little----I go to Google earth and check out a prospective area when looking for a new spot. I then print off the page and take it with me---makes it easier to re-orient yourself if you get into a mess of cutbacks and ravines while scouting or hunting. Lots of deer here----I have only seen a few BIG bucks myself----but then again I don't hunt them----I hunt the does cause I figure the boys will be there eventually and in the meantime, I can fill my freezer.
If you have any questions or need help in this area---you can PM me.......I've never hunted the Tri-valley area though. I'm pretty sure you can get on the ODNR website and get a map of each area, but they are really only good for locating boundaries.
ben
If you hunt Woodbury make sure you look up Twig Archery. He sells wood shafts and other trad. equipment. Plus you will enjoy his log home and personal 3-d course.
Not much to worry about around the Egypt valley area in regards to mining shafts. Plenty of highwalls though. Pretty easy to navigate with the walls due to the fact only certain places to go up anmd down. great for funnels too. Bring some glow tacks and that will help you out a bunch.
Thanks a bunch guys I will keep you all in mind as the season draws closer and I get a little more info...
Twig Archery.Does he have a website?
No, Twig does not have a website. His number is (740)829 2847.
ttt for any more suggestions or advice...