Bowhunting Ohio
 

First off let me say hello to everyone. Ive been a "lurker" on this site for over a year now. I know some of you from other forums. Anyway, my question is, are there any good public hunting grounds in Ohio? How about getting access to private land, like a farm. I would be willing to pay to hunt. I just dont want to use an outfitter if I dont absolutley have to. I am going to hunt Ill. in the near future with an outfitter and I would like to hunt Ohio between now and then. Thanks for any info you can give!

RE: Bowhunting Ohio
 

SCBOWMAN, welcome to the forum! I don't live near Ohio so I have no specific information about hunting grounds in ohio. If you know of some farms I would suggest knocking on some doors. This is probably the best way to get a spot to hunt on private land. If you are going to knock on doors I suggest starting this time of year. Most people shy away from hunters in the fall.

check out http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/wildlife/pdf/pub352.pdf
or http://www.carrollcountyohio.com/Rec...n/huntfish.htm

I found a couple of others as well on a google search.

RE: Bowhunting Ohio
 

Welcome SC...

I haven't hunted alot in Ohio, but last year I leased some property in Athens. There are many opportunities to lease property, but if you don't have an enormous amount of time to spend in the location, it's probably not worth the money. The Ohio DNR site has some great info on hunting Ohio and I have been told there are some great public hunting areas, however, and don't hold this against me guys if you're from Ohio, but the gun season is definitely no time to be in the woods bowhunting. No offense and maybe it was just my location, but it was intense. Too much lead flying around and the deer were so spooked, I think they mostly stayed in hard to access areas. There are A LOT of hunters during gun season. Almost like a war zone. So, if you stick to bow season and hunt through October and November, it can be great, tough but great.

So, take a look at the Ohio DNR site and good luck.

RE: Bowhunting Ohio
 

HEY SCBOWMAN I MAY BE ABLE TO HELP YOU OUT. MY BROTHER, 5SHOT AND I HAVE HUNTED LOTS OF PUBLIC LAND HERE IN OHIO AND HAVE HAD GOOD SUCCESS. THE CONESVILLE COAL LANDS IN COSCHOCTON COUNTY IS A GREAT PLACE.

RE: Bowhunting Ohio
 

As mentioned above, gun season is insane on the public lands (muzzle loader season too!). If you want to bowhunt, you may have the area to yourself. A lot of Ohio is getting leased up now. You can contact the Ohio DNR and ask for a co-op list by county of people who will usually allow hunting with permission. There is excellent public land in Ohio. I have seen rubs the size of my thigh on public land. If you stick with the bow, you can hunt just about anytime you want. Hope this helps.

RE: Bowhunting Ohio
 

SCBowman,

Ohio is a great place for deer hunting. Due to the bag limit of two deer per season there are some nice bucks. If you do go hunting, as mentioned, go during the bow season. Gun season is absolutely nuts, and yes people sometimes "wonder" onto private lands so be careful. Also, because there are a number of quality bucks, wait for at least a 3 1/2 year old before taking your Ohio buck.

Also, most people are pretty friendly, so do not be afraid to knock on doors especially if you are willing to buy them a case of beer.

I just moved to Maryland, but will be paying my $100 or so for an Ohio out of state license. I plan on making a couple trips over this summer to scout the farm I normally hunt to see how much things have changed.

RE: Bowhunting Ohio
 

OH REDNECK:
I thought the limit was 6? Not two, unless they changed it this year.