Anyone ever hunted coshocton county, oh?

[admiral04]

I was thinkin about possibly doing a DIY hunt here this fall. Probably in the aep recreation land. Was just curious if anyone has ever tried there luck here or near it. If so, any tips, known lodging,etc. is the area worth the 7 hr drive? Never travelled out of state to hunt before so any help would be appreciated. Is there alot of deer in This area? Good bucks?

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[DEERSLAYER]

I have been wanting to go to Coshocton county for a while. For Ohio it would be my #1 pick for numbers of bucks in the 130"-150" range, but there are bigger ones there too. It's well worth a 7 hour drive IMO.

[gjs4]

Coshocton, Mus, Brown, Licking, etc...... if they have published high numbers and big deer they have big turn outs and lots of leasing.... Ohio holds fewer secrets than ever before IMO

[backstraps]

I have hunted Coshocton County.

I hunted around a lot of "highwalls" We seen a ton of deer, nothing I wanted to bend a string on.
We did return during the orange invasion, and let me tell you....that was exactly what is was. I have never heard so many gun shots in a days time ever!

One of the State's top counties for deer harvest. The population is unreal!

It has been several years since I have been to Coshocton, may have to make a couple long weekend trips this year.

There are some lcoal guys that own a sporting goods store there. They are SUPER nice and have options available if you wanted some private land to hunt and stay on while you are there. Woodbury Outfitters.

[kenn1320]

I hunted there several times, only shooters I saw were in the head lights with exception to one when we went into town. People in the public camp ground were friendly, but made it clear they had spots they hunt every year. Im not the type to just go in and hunt wether there is a guy sitting where I want to be or not. For this reason I struggled to find a decent spot. I had not scouted pre-season and figured I would drive around till 10am glassing and then go in the afternoon and scout and hang a stand and hunt that evening. I couldnt find a spot to park hardly, mostly Mi cars/trucks jambed in the small pull offs. I didnt want to be rude and block somebody in and walk past them while they were hunting. I saw a lot of small bucks killed in camp, and when I talked to the DNR he said that has been the trend and they cant explain it. Said there are decent numbers of good bucks in the area, but hunters are starting to shoot anything. The areas I did scout didnt impress me, but then again I didnt know any of Dans info about hunting hill country. I saw one shooter brought into camp and it was a guy that wasnt camping there, just going around bragging. He said the trick is to get at least 1 mile off the road. He either cant see the painted tree's indicating the boundary, didnt care he was trespassing, or thinks he was walking further then he really was. The public land in those wma's are purposely broken up with roads that are easy to drive even with a car and if you go 1mile, your hitting another road. I also hunted down there for 1 gun season and 1 ML season. My gun hunting was further south, down in Meigs county. I only had 1 slug buzz over me, didnt hear number of shots anywhere near what I hear in MI. Didnt see any bucks I would shoot, other then 1 during ML and I had already removed the cap from my gun. The buck had been shot at with a 22lr 30min earlier, cause we heard the rapid fire. A kid came down the road later asking if we had seen a huge buck cross. We told him no, he said his grandpa shot at it with his 22, but wasnt sure if he got it. My suggestion, go down now and scout out your spots. Be prepaired to get there early and you may get lucky and not have to flashlight guys. I went back to Ohio this year and avoided that area. I like bigger areas where you can move around a bit. Also fyi, the green rose is a nightmare. Get a good pair of chaps, or plan on avoiding a lot of areas. Id bet the nice bucks are aware of this and bed in those areas. Good luck.

[admiral04]

I have hunted Coshocton County.

I hunted around a lot of "highwalls" We seen a ton of deer, nothing I wanted to bend a string on.
We did return during the orange invasion, and let me tell you....that was exactly what is was. I have never heard so many gun shots in a days time ever!

One of the State's top counties for deer harvest. The population is unreal!

It has been several years since I have been to Coshocton, may have to make a couple long weekend trips this year.

There are some lcoal guys that own a sporting goods store there. They are SUPER nice and have options available if you wanted some private land to hunt and stay on while you are there. Woodbury Outfitters.

if the local guys set you up with a cabin and some private land were they asking outrageous prices?

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[gogebicbuckslayer]

I have hunted the aep land in coshocton county, saw a few small bucks nothing to shoot at. I really wasn't that impressed there was tons of pressure. If I were to do it again I would spend more time scouting and try to find some private land to hunt.

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[admiral04]

Sounds like everyone had the same experience with this area. Lots of little deer, does anyone have any recomendations where i can go in ohio for some larger bucks? Preferably public u less you can tie me in on some private and keep in mind im on a budget. Thnx

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[DEERSLAYER]

...mostly Mi cars/trucks jambed in the small pull offs...

...when I talked to the DNR he said that has been the trend and they cant explain it. Said there are decent numbers of good bucks in the area, but hunters are starting to shoot anything...

I think the first quote explains the second quote. It's been a few years since I talked to anyone that hunts that county, but last I knew Coshocton was great for bowhunting which is what I have a habit of assuming. I heard the whole state is a mad house anywhere access is easy during gun season.

I have not made it to Coshocton partially because if I go out of state I'm thinking more about booners. I'll shoot a 150" in a heartbeat, but I want to be in an area where I feel I have a decent chance of coming across a slob and for that I think the best place is Southern Ohio (private) & SE Ohio (Public). The best counties there might be Browns or Adams for private land. For public without a doubt I definitely think Wayne National and Shawnee State forests are the way to go. With Shawnee being the best if your looking for 6.5-8.5+ year old bucks.

[woody-san]

I did the majority of my hunting on the AEP land this year. Here were my observations:

-Early season is awesome! Lots of land with few hunters! It was rare to see another truck during the first 4 weeks of the season

-I think there are a good number of deer, but they're not super concentrated...lots of places to hide and eat. Most of those those highwalled points/plateaus usually have a bunch of oaks on top of them, so the options for foraging are plentiful.

-I believe there are decent bucks there, but "decent" is different from guy to guy. If you're expecting to sit down on the stand during the rut and watch 150" deer all day, you'll probably be disappointed. That being said, there are some big boys out there, got the pics to prove it.

-Most of the good spots I've found will require you to wear out some boot leather, but I'd imagine most guys on this site know this already.

-Come Nov. 1st, out-of staters and local rut warriors will start putting some pressure on the lands. This isn't a deal breaker or anything, just something to be aware of. If you have some good, far-off spots scouted, you should still be okay.

-Gun season...forget it, it's not worth a long trip if you live out of state. Find some private or local to hunt. Orange invasion is the absolute perfect way to describe it. They bring van loads of Amish guys to these public lands and they get hit hard! Maybe opening morning would be good if you have some can't miss spots, but beyond that...good luck!

What I learned from hunting this last year was to really value and cherish the first few weeks of the season. My strategy for the fall is to fill the freezer early and, hopefully, enjoy the fact that they guys in orange have one less mature buck to shoot at.

My tip to anyone planning a hunting trip would be to do plenty of remote scouting and have a Plan B, C, D, and E ready to go should another hunter bugger up your spots.

[phade]

Ohio still has secrets, many of them. The problem is that word has gotten out on some of the better/larger parcels in the heart of the top performing counties.

I think that is fine, because people ignore the real gems - nearly spots across the state. It's just about how you go about finding them.

The easiest answer would be WNF because its size and terrain can take the increased pressure. You need to be well-prepared for that type of hunting, but if you cannot find a good spot elsewhere, and want to focus on scouting it/spending time there...go for it, as it can produce.

[Sweet Shot 7]

This will entice you a little. Found this spring in Ohio power land (AEP). Cell pic sucks but you can see its a beast.

[phade]

I believe that pic came from public land near (across the river) WV. Someone on AT mentioned the bridge in the background and had some info on it.

[Sweet Shot 7]

My old boss sent it to me Saturday. He is from Zanesville area.