DIY Public Land Ohio

[Wanabhunter]

OK so I am from Wester-New York and as we do have some decent deer here, I think its time to see what other areas (States) have to offer. After getting a buddy to decide to go with me we are thinking Ohio for next bow season. As we are both new to doing a DIY trip we just want a good honest chance at seeing a great deer. Now I know as much as anyone, no one wants to give up there spots and yet alone have another person come to there area to increase hunting pressure, but I am not looking for anyone to do that, rather just some direction of overlooked spots or areas that'll give us a good honest chance of seeing a decent buck.

We are open to hunting pretty much anywhere but I was looking at the eastern side if possible. Someone mentioned Fernwood State Forest, has anyone hunted there?

[gjs4]

I haven’t been to fernwood but have hunted a few places in Ohio. It’s really gone south over the past 5-6 years.

Pm me your number; I’m in wNY also. by the way- there are no big deer here.

[adelle26]

I do some hunting in Ohio. have you heard of Brush Creek? It’s a pretty rugged piece of public land but we’ve hunted it and saw deer on the first few sits.
I have not hunted Fernwood but I do hunt some private in New Alexandria which is just a few miles away. There’s some decent bucks around there. Good luck...I was thinking of doing some scouting on Fernwood this spring just to check it out.

[flinginairos]

I do some hunting in Ohio. have you heard of Brush Creek? It’s a pretty rugged piece of public land but we’ve hunted it and saw deer on the first few sits.
I have not hunted Fernwood but I do hunt some private in New Alexandria which is just a few miles away. There’s some decent bucks around there. Good luck...I was thinking of doing some scouting on Fernwood this spring just to check it out.

I've scouted Brush Creek some and it is STEEP in places. I'm sure there are good deer there. I have a buddy that hunts that area within a mile of some Brush Creek property and they see some giant deer.

[BradC36]

WNY here as well. If you've hunted public locally, you'll also know that your best odds at seeing a good buck on public put you a few hrs from home. My fiance and I are actually looking at moving to OH in the next few months so I'll be putting some serious time in scouting, and can try to give you some info as I figure it out myself. Don't overlook big public parcels in NY or PA though both states have great deer if you put the time in.

[Josh_S]

Lots of options in SE Ohio, all terrain types. I began hunting OH 2 years ago and plan on doing the trip yearly. I would suggest picking an area based on the type of terrain you prefer, and make sure you can find lodging close by that fits your budget. Scout, hunt, repeat again next year. Learn the area and it will begin to feel like home.

[smcalhou]

Some of the areas on this list will probably be a little more overlooked they aren't listed on the states website.

https://www.mwcd.org/enjoy-our-lakes/fi ... ng/hunting

[Rich M]

Make sure you know when gun season opens.

Know a guy who went bow hunting and got there the day before shotgun season - he said he couldn't believe no-one was there when he got there an hour before light. 15 min before shooting time folks started showing up, someone behind every tree kind of thing - at shooting time someone drove a truck thru a farmer's field and deer were running everywhere, shotguns blazing... Then came the laughing, gutting, and dragging - they were all making a point of checking him out in his tree stand with a bow.

I have no idea where he was other than Ohio.

[brancher147]

Lots of options in SE Ohio, all terrain types. I began hunting OH 2 years ago and plan on doing the trip yearly. I would suggest picking an area based on the type of terrain you prefer, and make sure you can find lodging close by that fits your budget. Scout, hunt, repeat again next year. Learn the area and it will begin to feel like home.

Yep. This is how you learn. And calling the DNR wildlife managers for certain areas can be very helpful also. But there is nowhere overlooked in Ohio, and as already mentioned, it really has gone downhill the last 5 years. Still a great place to hunt, and still better than most of what I have close to home, but nothing like it used to be. Out of state pressure has really gotten out of hand in places IMO. Still good deer, and still places you can get away from people a little bit, but it takes hard work. The steeper, the better if you want to get away from people.

[Matt6506]

Some of the areas on this list will probably be a little more overlooked they aren't listed on the states website.

https://www.mwcd.org/enjoy-our-lakes/fi ... ng/hunting

That's actually who I work for, I work out of the Seneca lake location.

[Greinert]

I hunt multiple public areas all in district one here in Ohio. High pressure from Halloween thru 11/15 and then gun week. Other than that you can still find ground that isn't overrun with people. I've seen a few good ones this year but they have moved just before and just after shooting light. I will say that the deer out here on public are pretty call shy unless it's extremely thick cover. Good luck man

[Wanabhunter]

All really great information guys and I greatly appreciate it. Time to start doing all my homework. Thanks again

[dan]

Sounds like you got some great suggestions. People on this site are really good about sharing info and helping others.

[Brian1986]

If you are thinking about hunting Ohio state forest land, it's worth your time to take a look at the annual forest work plan. They publish where they are planning to do their logging projects for the year. It seems a lot of times they start logging the last week of October. Not exactly ideal for hunting! But at least you can plan around it and not put time into a spot that may not be available in the fall (they temporarily close public access to the specific area marked for logging). Here's a link to the forest work plan for 2018: http://forestry.ohiodnr.gov/stateforestplans
Good luck!

[brancher147]

If you are thinking about hunting Ohio state forest land, it's worth your time to take a look at the annual forest work plan. They publish where they are planning to do their logging projects for the year. It seems a lot of times they start logging the last week of October. Not exactly ideal for hunting! But at least you can plan around it and not put time into a spot that may not be available in the fall (they temporarily close public access to the specific area marked for logging). Here's a link to the forest work plan for 2018: http://forestry.ohiodnr.gov/stateforestplans
Good luck!

That is a very cool resource. I actually called the state forester who oversees the areas I hunt this year asking for such information and he did not provide me with anything like that... Thanks. I think it is what I have been looking for.