Ansel,

It sounds as if most of the guys replying have had some bad luck. I live in deep southern ohio. One of the most overlooked hunting places in the state. We have great hunting, public or private. We have one of the most stable deer, squirrel, deer, turkey, and grouse populations in state. Bowhunting here is pretty good.

Unless you go to public land during firearm season, its pretty quiet. The thing that makes hunting in the county i live in so great is that everyone thinks that all the other counties are much better and the leave my county go to other popular counties, like athens, muskingaham, guernsey, ect......

And most farmers will let you hunt if you ask them (but like most places you run into a few mean people, you cant avoid that anywhere) but the key is the gift of gab. Just shoot the breeze with them and get to kno them. I hunt private property, but I always find a farm every year to hunt on. I find farmers every year that want rid of deer so bad they want you to come out with a rifle and spotlight them.

Everyone has been complaining about not seeing deer, but every year I see plenty of deer and I see my fair share of bucks, and at least on truly big one every year. What makes hunting where I live so great is not many people hunt hard every day because the terrain is to rough (steep hills, brushy and thick as hell with lots of briars) and they hunt one week a year.......gun season. Typical lazy appalachians. Its there if you want to get out and look.