Moving on....sorta.

[mauser06]

Many here have followed my adventures and know the last 2 years I've began tackling southern Ohio.

I've been doing a lot of pondering since the 2021 season and figured I'd share the thought process and maybe it'll help guys or others will have valuable input for me.


If you followed along last year, I didn't take my rut trip. The rut was spotty...I knew guys down there and pressure was said to be abnormally high..it was hot. And I was still dealing with my coondog unexpectedly passing on in October. Really that was the biggest issue. I was kinda going through the motions but wasn't 100% me.

I did go down in gun season.

Gun season in 2020 was a totally different experience. Mondays opener was a wash out. I drove down that day. Hunted in fresh s ow Tuesday and never saw a person or cut a boot track as I followed big buck tracks dark till dark. Very little shooting and nothing real close. Wednesday I killed my buck at like 1pm a few hundred yards from a road.

Archery season wasn't bad in 2020 pressure wise. I got on deer and saw several bucks 115"+ and a couple real gooduns.


2021 gun season was borderline a zoo...mostly on the opener but after that the next few days were brutal. I couldn't outwalk pressure. Totally different experience.

Really odd because gun pressure is local (Ohio players anyways) pressure. Where as archery season is 99% out of staters. You'd think gun guys would hit the same spot year after year.


I've made some possibly life long friends on my trips now. They've invested a bit more seasons than I have and have done well. Sounds like pressure almost flops year to year and spikes on different properties in the area.

2021 I also went down a day of muzzleloader and couldn't get away from driving crews. Only shot I heard was my own when I snuck up on a coyote.


I've been debating what my next steps are. I really considered abandoning the area completely.


Now I'm considered a different tactic.

I have a good "home base" I won't lie. I like some comfort after a daycin the woods. Shower, bed, actual food. Aka....I don't camp. Lol. Air BnB or a hotel. So, I have all that sorts logistics ironed out. It actually works out well. There's a small town with everything I'd ever need...but I can hunt some pretty deep remote stuff not far away.

I know several areas of the one property now.

I can expand my horizons and start learning different properties.

I've learned to focus on the rut. It's not a gun or late season friendly place IMO unless you live close enough to stick with the deer. After the pressure of November and gun season, the low deer density, big woods food situation, I feel like rut hunts are my best bet for the coming years anyways till I become more familiar with the deer and land.


I've been looking at maps and restarting my initial way of locating promising properties. Tons of opportunities within a reasonable daily drive of "home base"

Seems like a good option...as much as it's tough to even consider learning new properties after I spent 2 seasons learning pieces of 1 property. I think the end results will be worth it. Learning more areas will allow me to escape heavy pressure (Hopefully) and I can adapt..bad Acorn years..low deer population years..whatever. options are always good.


I am trying to get down there in October prior to the rut trip. If I do, I think I'll completely focus on new areas. Scout and evening hunt. If it's good maybe morning hunt the same set but mostly scout and hunt a few evenings.


Im also looking at different hunting tactics. If you goto that area and consider any common rut tactic....look around. You'll find a stand, a tree someone has recently climbed, cameras...the deer I was in range of in 2020 was because I was hunting hot food where does were hitting. The other bucks I saw while using traditional rut tactics were well out of range traveling where they "shouldnt" have been traveling. They were skirting cameras and stands.


Looking forward to this season. I continue to grow as a hunter and the out of state adventures, although extremely frustrating at times, they are a blast and help me learn more and grow.

[brancher147]

Pretty much mirrors my ohio adventures 5-10 years ago. I finally decided it wasn’t worth going anymore-mostly because I have kids now and am busy and I’ve spent enough time around home I can find big bucks there now. Just not worth going anymore and too much pressure.

A guy randomly invited me to go last year and I was able to go for a few days. Was the first trip there in 3 years I think. It was fun and I got on some good bucks second week of November but saw very few deer. And the rut was not happening there and it was peak rut and chase in WV and friends were killing good bucks in WV so it was tough. I ended up leaving a day early because I was homesick and weather was warm and rain.

It’s a fun place to go but agree it can be very frustrating also. I have another friend that still goes every year and has knocked down a few P&Y bucks but he’s got a lot of time and over 10 years invested at this point.

[mauser06]

The lack of deer is absolutely mind blowing IMO.

For the most part there aren't even deer trails. They also removed the time restrictions on when doe could be killed on public so they must think things are better? I can't remember when the restriction started. I think it was after regular gun season.


The land and habitat can definitely support more deer than currently live there. Last season I found chestnut oak acorns rotting on the ground. Granted, that ridge was loaded, I've never seen whites or chestnuts lay on the ground. Just not enough deer to eat them all.

That makes hunting tough too. I hiked about 10 miles before the light bulb went off....hey dummy...you're not going to find sign like you are used to because the deer just aren't there. I learned a couple rubs or scrapes that are fresh is likely THE spot to be. Stuff that probably wouldn't even get me to slow down my walk in most of my PA areas in late October or November.


I'm not ready to throw in the towel just yet. Hopefully exploring new grounds will help. But, I won't continue to make the trips forever.



From what guys I've ran into say, 20 years ago it was vastly different. Lots of deer and lots of sign.

[Hawthorne]

I live half hour from the Ohio border. I probably won’t hunt there again unless I tag out in Michigan early. Wasn’t impressed with public land down there. $300 to leave areas I already know to junkier areas not worth it for me

[mauser06]

If the "norm" is my 2020 experience, it's definitely worth it for me. If the norm is 2021 and 2020 was dumb luck, I'll be looking for another adventure in the future. I just don't know which is which.



We can only kill 1 buck in PA so I like getting away and hunting somewhere different.

[Matt Gill]

I finally decided not to hunt southern Ohio this year coming either, I’m from WV right on the Ohio river. The quality has just rapidly deteriorated and pressure has grown. I’m driving 45 mins over there and not seeing hardly anything worthwhile, and driving by great hunting close to home here in WV. Ohio is the place to hunt if you’re looking for a possible stud but I’m to the point where I’ll take decent deer at home and enjoy the experience

[OH nontypical]

Best hunting I ever saw for buck movement last Nov 6-10th in SOhio. Been hunting there for over 30 years.

I was on private so pressure was minimal. In the northern part of the state where I hunt mostly public saw great movement until I left for my trip on the 5th, then the out of state hunters started showing up. When I got back deer were still moving in the South on my buddies private but nothing was moving on the public in the North. We were over run with plates from PA, MI, and even Georgia.

To me it’s all about pressure. No issue with out of state hunters as I use to hunt PA and WV too, but if you can’t find unpressured deer you are gonna struggle to see them.

[PAbowhunter10]

I have one year in the books for Ohio (2020). Turned out to be a long hard trip trying to find deer. Yes the population is that low… way different from the area I hunt in PA, but I did find some sign proving that big ones roam the hills.

I’m going to try again this year. Like Mauser06 said, going to try new tactics and scout my but off. The key will be to find where the pressure is minimal. That will require plan A, B, C, and possibly D. And a lot of boot leather.

I believe the fun is in conquering the challenge….

[1STRANGEWILDERNESS]

I went down there in 2010 or 2011. It was hard to find deer and sign but when you did see a deer good chance it was large.

In Michigan I had deer “cow” paths everywhere, highway style trails. Not the case in the bigwoods down southern Ohio. I wouldn’t be too discouraged by deer numbers tho.. The worst places I’ve hunted for big bucks had crazy high numbers of deer. See 10-20 deer per sit. My best big buck hunts are in low deer density areas.

Depending on the level of pressure.. that would be very discouraging. I can contend with people but there are situations where entire parcels are burnt to a crisp. I love getting away from people.

[1STRANGEWILDERNESS]

I finally decided not to hunt southern Ohio this year coming either, I’m from WV right on the Ohio river. The quality has just rapidly deteriorated and pressure has grown. I’m driving 45 mins over there and not seeing hardly anything worthwhile, and driving by great hunting close to home here in WV. Ohio is the place to hunt if you’re looking for a possible stud but I’m to the point where I’ll take decent deer at home and enjoy the experience

That’s how I feel. I’ve got millions of acres surrounding me. Unpressured. Is there monster bucks? Not many but there are 5 and 6 yr old bucks. Wouldn’t trade it for hunting anywhere.

[cspot]

Been hunting it since 2016. Pressure down there really varies year to year and spot to spot. I like the challenge. Definitely not a place to go if you want to see numbers of deer in a day.

[mauser06]

Cspot, that's the same thing I've been hearing...pressure will be nuts one year and the next they are pounding another property down the road.


I'm not ready to throw in the towel. I feel like learning more areas and trying some different tactics will help.

Overall, the rack size is bigger than what I have on PA public. We have some good bucks. But average is a 80-100 inch basket. The odds of a true beast coming by are much much higher down there too. No...they easy to come by....but they are actually there to be found. That's what drives me. I've killed a lot of deer. I wanna kill some bigger deer.

The terrain and habitat down there is pretty wild too. Michigan was the same way for me...just drawn to unique terrain and habitat.

The rut seems 10000x more intense too. That's just a cool experience. I rarely hear deer vocalizations here. I heard all kinds down there. Including a legit buck roar which I honestly believed was absolutely a gimmick lol.


I was truly shocked after a few miles looking at the habitat and terrain and not seeing sign like I was accustomed to...I had no idea going in that the deer population was light.

It's IMO more of a struggle than other low density areas. Here in PA I hunt some big woods stuff that the deer population is low. But it's largely cause by habitat. When you find the deer, you generally find a pretty good pocket of them. Down there, there's prime bedding, habitat and food scattered pretty much everywhere.

I don't have kids or anything. Hunting is my vacation....it's nice to get away and just kinda get lost a while.

[Evanszach7]

Many here have followed my adventures and know the last 2 years I've began tackling southern Ohio.

I've been doing a lot of pondering since the 2021 season and figured I'd share the thought process and maybe it'll help guys or others will have valuable input for me.


If you followed along last year, I didn't take my rut trip. The rut was spotty...I knew guys down there and pressure was said to be abnormally high..it was hot. And I was still dealing with my coondog unexpectedly passing on in October. Really that was the biggest issue. I was kinda going through the motions but wasn't 100% me.

I did go down in gun season.

Gun season in 2020 was a totally different experience. Mondays opener was a wash out. I drove down that day. Hunted in fresh s ow Tuesday and never saw a person or cut a boot track as I followed big buck tracks dark till dark. Very little shooting and nothing real close. Wednesday I killed my buck at like 1pm a few hundred yards from a road.

Archery season wasn't bad in 2020 pressure wise. I got on deer and saw several bucks 115"+ and a couple real gooduns.


2021 gun season was borderline a zoo...mostly on the opener but after that the next few days were brutal. I couldn't outwalk pressure. Totally different experience.

Really odd because gun pressure is local (Ohio players anyways) pressure. Where as archery season is 99% out of staters. You'd think gun guys would hit the same spot year after year.


I've made some possibly life long friends on my trips now. They've invested a bit more seasons than I have and have done well. Sounds like pressure almost flops year to year and spikes on different properties in the area.

2021 I also went down a day of muzzleloader and couldn't get away from driving crews. Only shot I heard was my own when I snuck up on a coyote.


I've been debating what my next steps are. I really considered abandoning the area completely.


Now I'm considered a different tactic.

I have a good "home base" I won't lie. I like some comfort after a daycin the woods. Shower, bed, actual food. Aka....I don't camp. Lol. Air BnB or a hotel. So, I have all that sorts logistics ironed out. It actually works out well. There's a small town with everything I'd ever need...but I can hunt some pretty deep remote stuff not far away.

I know several areas of the one property now.

I can expand my horizons and start learning different properties.

I've learned to focus on the rut. It's not a gun or late season friendly place IMO unless you live close enough to stick with the deer. After the pressure of November and gun season, the low deer density, big woods food situation, I feel like rut hunts are my best bet for the coming years anyways till I become more familiar with the deer and land.


I've been looking at maps and restarting my initial way of locating promising properties. Tons of opportunities within a reasonable daily drive of "home base"

Seems like a good option...as much as it's tough to even consider learning new properties after I spent 2 seasons learning pieces of 1 property. I think the end results will be worth it. Learning more areas will allow me to escape heavy pressure (Hopefully) and I can adapt..bad Acorn years..low deer population years..whatever. options are always good.

I am trying to get down there in October prior to the rut trip. If I do, I think I'll completely focus on new areas. Scout and evening hunt. If it's good maybe morning hunt the same set but mostly scout and hunt a few evenings.


Im also looking at different hunting tactics. If you goto that area and consider any common rut tactic....look around. You'll find a stand, a tree someone has recently climbed, cameras...the deer I was in range of in 2020 was because I was hunting hot food where does were hitting. The other bucks I saw while using traditional rut tactics were well out of range traveling where they "shouldnt" have been traveling. They were skirting cameras and stands.


Looking forward to this season. I continue to grow as a hunter and the out of state adventures, although extremely frustrating at times, they are a blast and help me learn more and grow.

I'm a resident and know the frustration, and can mirror what everybody is saying about cyclical pressure and low deer density. Think you're on the right track.

SE Ohio is about a 2 hour drive for me. Once I started treating it like an out of state hunt, in an area I'm not familiar with, I started getting on bucks. It's hard to abandon a spot you've got time invested, but if pressure is there, the spot is most likely burnt. If I don't have at least 2.5 days to drive around, scout, and hunt, I don't go until I do.

[mauser06]

I knew going in that it wouldn't be easy and it'll be something that takes a long term time investment to actually see consistent results. I'm 5 hours or so away...just far enough I can't just hop in the truck regularly.


I was wrong by my initial 2020 impressions though. The cyclical pressure is bizarre. That's something you can't plan for or understand till you see it.

Now that my eyes are opened, I think I can prepare better for this season. A pre trip would be wildly beneficial.


Thats what I did in 2020 was took a few day weekend and ran down....drove the entire property I picked out. Dropped a pin everywhere you could pull a truck off. Parking lots with pressure got aa different colored pin. I then picked 1 area based on cyber scouting and pressure and walked it. It at least gave me a starting point.


Over the next couple years I'd like to come up with a few solid rut spots on different properties so I have some goto spots....eventually it'd be nice to go down and put in solid tree time in good spots.

[amarty734]

Mauser, we texted a while back about hunting close to each other. Last year I hunted the 1st week of November and barely saw a deer until things lit up the last few days. Almost every property has several groups hunting it and was pretty discouraging. I saw bucks in a few different spots but I really only have one little hidey hole that I have real confidence in. Actually I saw 5 different guys hunting the same property in that week but it didn't slow the movement in my little hidden corner. Its just so tough with the varying pressure, and bucks laying down way less sign than at home in Michigan. I actually just got back from a quick scouting trip this weekend and didn't find anything I felt confident with. The properties look entirely different with the thick vegetation right now so that definitely plays a factor. Don't sleep on the early season though, in 2020 we hunted first weekend of October with not another soul in sight. We killed a good buck and saw a nice number of deer. We never saw another hunter the entire trip. Turkey hunting was a different story first week of may. We saw more hunters than Michigan rut or gun season.

What types of spot location/habitat do you guys find yourselves the most successful seeking out? I have scouted countless spots and for some reason only have 2 or 3 that I felt were worth hunting much. Just seems like I must be passing by stuff.