Ohio public

[hoyt31786]

I hunt SW and SE Ohio. My experiences mirror what everybody else is saying with density and pressure. I’ve had more encounters with mature bucks this year where it’s almost impossible to hang a stand. Going to focus more next year on ground hunting.

Then again, was hunting into a crp transition zone on public yesterday that I’d hit in early October and found a 10’ tripod stand with what looked to be a good sized buck’s bottom 1/2 front leg near it (quartered out). Must’ve been from gun week. Hard to escape the pressure.

Comparing the last 3 seasons... Mobile pressure has increased and guys are using kayaks and hip waders. Spring scouting put me in the game, but without in season scouting I would have had a really dull season. Had less pressure and more action the last 2 weeks in October. Pressure has died off since Thanksgiving but the majority of mature bucks move to unpressured private ag, at least in SW Ohio. Areas with multi flora rose still hold deer for browse if you can find the unpressured pockets.

Yes people will go deep and hard access now so sometimes the best spots are the overlooked !

[Mikehunts257]

Great feedback. I think more and more hunters are also hearing about and trying Dans strategies and getting into more un accessible places which is also putting more pressure and making the competition that much harder. Even when you've think you found a place nobody would go you find a hunter or sign of one thats been there recently

[cspot]

Great feedback. I think more and more hunters are also hearing about and trying Dans strategies and getting into more un accessible places which is also putting more pressure and making the competition that much harder. Even when you've think you found a place nobody would go you find a hunter or sign of one thats been there recently

One issue with like WNF is that the public is checkerboarded with private land. Some places look hard to get to when you cyberscout are actually easy access for the neighboring private landowners and hunters. I scouted a place like this a couple of weeks ago. I got all the way to it and then I see a small camper on the private land. You can see a worn path from his place all the way out the ridge that I was scouting. Needless to say I removed that place from consideration.

[Jdw]

Great feedback. I think more and more hunters are also hearing about and trying Dans strategies and getting into more un accessible places which is also putting more pressure and making the competition that much harder. Even when you've think you found a place nobody would go you find a hunter or sign of one thats been there recently

One issue with like WNF is that the public is checkerboarded with private land. Some places look hard to get to when you cyberscout are actually easy access for the neighboring private landowners and hunters. I scouted a place like this a couple of weeks ago. I got all the way to it and then I see a small camper on the private land. You can see a worn path from his place all the way out the ridge that I was scouting. Needless to say I removed that place from consideration.

I found that exact thing yesterday way back in a back corner of a public piece. That is what I find more often than not. But I found a lot of fresh sign much closer to the access. So x 2 for over looked spots.

[G-Patt]

I exclusively hunt public land in SW OH. Unlike the majority of folks on this site, I'm not going for the most mature bucks. When I have more time, I will. My spring scouting is locating bedding, food, funnels and pinch points. My strategy is to quietly set up at a pinch or funnel closest to bedding (no closer than 70 yards if I can get away with it). Sometimes I kill a doe and other times it's a buck. Two in the freezer, and I'm back to squirrel hunting. Seems to work for me so far even on highly pressured public lands. I prefer ground hunting since it's more stealth and easier to move around. I like to deer hunt during the weekdays and avoid the weekends.

[Doublejake]

Looking for Ohio hunters that hunt public. I live in northeastern Ohio and would greatly appreciate others experiences with surrounding areas. Ive never had great success and would like to really push myself these next coming seasons. Successful stories....successfull areas...not so successful stories or areas? Any info would help. Thank you

My Brother and his Friend have hunted Ohio Public Lands in the North Eastern part of the State. This year the ONLY Seer he saw out of a week was a 130s 11 point which he was lucky enough to get a perfect chip shot and watched it go down. Beautiful Buck, but when you take a 11 day trip only seeing 1 Deer is frustrating. He said the Amish Have been pounding the areas according to a local he spoke with. They show up in a Bus!

[Horizontal Hunter]

He said the Amish Have been pounding the areas according to a local he spoke with. They show up in a Bus!

I have some friends that hunt private in Ohio; and have for years.

The Amish pound everything public or private, permission or not, saving their own land for last. Two seasons ago one of my friends shows up to his stand, on private land, only to find it occupied by a neighboring Amish man who refused to get out of his stand.

The Amish guy told him he was hunting here and my friend should go hunt somewhere else.

Bob

[Doublejake]

He said the Amish Have been pounding the areas according to a local he spoke with. They show up in a Bus!

I have some friends that hunt private in Ohio; and have for years.

The Amish pound everything public or private, permission or not, saving their own land for last. Two seasons ago one of my friends shows up to his stand, on private land, only to find it occupied by a neighboring Amish man who refused to get out of his stand.

The Amish guy told him he was hunting here and my friend should go hunt somewhere else.

Bob

Yikes

[gravebeforeshave80]

Ive spent a lot of time in Vinton co at zaleski state forest/lakehope state park after that I started going to woodbury wildlife in Coshocton co.....both are fairly rugged for someone like myself hailing from NW ohio that is flat as a sheet of paper

[csoult]

I hunt southern Ohio private and public, and during the rut the pressure rivals anything I've seen in PA.

[DYICUE42]

I live right in the middle of WNF and around my house you don’t see many hunters during bow season. But come fun season katiebar the doors. This year wasn’t as bad as last season as far as pressure, most of it comes from locals. Like mentioned previous WNF is all broken up which is good and bad.


Jason.

[cspot]

I hunt southern Ohio private and public, and during the rut the pressure rivals anything I've seen in PA.

I do see alot of vehicles during the rut.

[Brian1986]

I hunt wildlife areas, state parks, and state forest lands here in Ohio. Each location has a different personality. The smaller parks and wildlife areas are very thick and get pounded by locals. Yet you can still have a chance at a B&C caliber deer in some of them. A good start is to drive the perimeter of a property and locate trails crossing the road. Mark them down on your map and then backtrack them. You'll get a feel for what's going on-hunter pressure, deer density, how they're maneuvering through the land etc. If a big buck is your goal, you want to find sign that verifies a big buck is present on the property. Keep going until you find it. If you cover the whole property and don't find any, move on to a new property. I seem to always find good deer sign around old homesteads in reclaimed farmland, dont know what it is. As others have stated, you've gotta find the bedding. It takes a while and you have to stick with it, but eventually you will start finding the spot within a spot.

On forest land, most of the pressure I see is from out of state hunters. And with the advent of apps like On-X, I've really noticed a difference in guys now getting to spots off the beaten path that I used to normally have for the most part to myself. I think it's taken away some of the fear factor of getting lost or not knowing how to find a place. So the obvious transitions that show up on aerial photos and topo maps, they're still decent spots. But you will probably have company during the rut. I've found the spots that are best are the more subtle thick transitions that dont show up on the aerial.

[bigredneck61088]

My advice is Pick a big block and scout scout scout. Pound that ground and you will find what you need eventually.

Big bucks can be killed here and are every year. It was better before every magazine hailed Ohio as a big buck state, then pressure went way up. ESP in southern Ohio, and I have hunted spots in the whole eastern half of the state...

I see you are in Trumbull/Ashtabula areA. I know for a fact big deer live on those wildlife areas. Pound ground and don’t hunt like everyone else, think outside the box

Good Luck!

[rfickes87]

My advice is Pick a big block and scout scout scout. Pound that ground and you will find what you need eventually.

Big bucks can be killed here and are every year. It was better before every magazine hailed Ohio as a big buck state, then pressure went way up. ESP in southern Ohio, and I have hunted spots in the whole eastern half of the state...

I see you are in Trumbull/Ashtabula areA. I know for a fact big deer live on those wildlife areas. Pound ground and don’t hunt like everyone else, think outside the box

Good Luck!

I too hunt alot in eastern Ohio, live in sw PA. All those wildlife areas are good IMO. I do see a lot of pressure, especially in rut, but from the trail cam pics and what I've seen on the hoof in my 4 years of Ohio, it is really amazing how many 3 1/2 year olds there are on public in highly pressured areas. I can think of one spot where you park and the main trail takes you to the big open woods but off to the side is a NASTY crp, 6' tall briar field that you have to swim thru and cuss and swear . But if you do that there is buck sign and beds like crazy on the opposite side on this transition of the field/hardwoods. and its only about 200 yards from the parking lot but guys are walking a 1/2 mile plus down into the big woods.

Guys just have to find away to break out of the norm of walking down the main path. do something different to get those different results. For me in this instance, its swimming thru briars, bleeding to death.