I am going to try my first trip to ohio to deer hunt and kinda going blind.Anyone willing to give a hint on a good public land area.Some buddies of mine from NC have done well there but have sealed lips on where they go.

Tons of excellent public land in OH, I hunt there myself. Seriously, pick a spot get maps & scout online. Scout the spot in person & the deer will tell you what you need to do next.

And you call them friends(LOL)!
I have thought about doing the same Preston. I believe you can purchase your license in ohio. No draw or wait.

Wait until about the third of November, then hunt funnels, the bucks run like crazy, stay on stand all day if you can, it can be nuts!

public can get crowded during the rut. try to get private permission if possible  

Delaware State park just north of Columbus. In side the park is bow hunting only.

Preston, A real good area for you to check is Wolf Creek WMA in Morgan County. It has about 3600 arces and is surrounded by the Wayne Nat. Forest. It is located on State Route 78. Waterloo WMA is another good area. It is located in Athens and Vinton counties. It is rough hunting but well worth the effort. At Wolf Creek the Div. of Wildlife plant crop fields for the wildlife and I have seen lots of deer around them. I hope this helps.

Google Wayne National Forest....many hundreds of acres of public land with large timber....then contact the forest office for maps.
Your right John...you can purchase over the counter license and tags. PM me for info.

I appreciate all the help guys.Anything helps when it's our first trip up.We are just trophy hunting so you ain't gotta worry about a truckload of bloodthirsty rednecks piling into your public land shooting for anything brown.John,you and Don need to get up with us and go it's probly just me and Troy going.

Preston call me 338-214-1004. Lee

Two public areas with lots of land, deer and turkeys (but also hunters) are Salt Fork and Shawnee state forest.  You can get maps and info on both areas, plus many more, on the ODNR web site.  Unfortunately both have an early muzzleloader season in October that puts a lot of pressure on the deer, but the deer hunting is still good in early November.  Salt Fork has both food plots and a refuge area (golf course) which allows the bucks to grow BIG.  As usual, the hunting gets better the further you go from the road.  Good hunting.

I'll give you a call tomorrow Lee.I got a late start on here tonight.Thanks again for the pointers everyone.

When are you coming to ohio and where are you staying? Let me know and I can either hunt with you or help find someone for you to hunt with on either private or public property.

Two more tips - the AEP land near Zanesville has some BIG bucks but is tough to hunt initially because it is thick, nasty reclaimed strip mining land.  Somewhere here on Tradgang, there is a thread about an Ohio Tradgang hunt and I'm pretty sure it is on AEP land - this would be a great way to meet some new Tradgangers and learn a new area.  

You can also contact the regional ODNR wildlife offices and they will provide a list of landowners who allow hunters to hunt their land.  Some will allow only 1 hunter per season while some will allow anybody.  My buddy and I have killed some nice bucks on such a farm, but it is best to stop and ask in person rather than call or write a letter.

Good hunting!

Contact the DNR and ask for all land owners who have deer kill permits. In Ohio if you are awarded kill permits you MUST let hunters hunt your land. If they do not, they will lose their permits.
Otherwise, AEP and Egypt Valley wildlife areas are good places to go after trophy deer. Get back in off the roads and you'll see what I mean. Good luck.

QuoteOriginally posted by Jeff D. Holchin:
Two more tips - the AEP land near Zanesville has some BIG bucks but is tough to hunt initially because it is thick, nasty reclaimed strip mining land.  Somewhere here on Tradgang, there is a thread about an Ohio Tradgang hunt and I'm pretty sure it is on AEP land - this would be a great way to meet some new Tradgangers and learn a new area.  

Correct - the Ohio Trad Deer Hunt happens on the AEP land.  Here's the thread:

http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=076619

This is a good weekend - come on up and hunt with us.  :-D