It depends on where your at in Ohio. If you live way in the south you can start shortly before the season, not much food down there so they will find it fast and use it. But up here in NW Ohio with all the farms its already a full service buffet for them so you have to start real early and get them used to it, They will not hit it hard until after gun season when the crops are down and the ground is froze or snow covered. My food plot did not get used really good until the next year and thats hit and miss until late season.