public land

[kentuckyoutdoorsman]

im coming up the third week of october for a bow hunt and possibly for the late muzzy season. im considering either hunting the Wayne national forest or Tranquility Wildlife Area. which one of these areas would be best? if the wnf than which one of the areas? any info would be appreciated. thanks

[mrbb]

well to be honest, its hard for anyone here to say what's better, because on an open forum, if you say
"GO HERE"
that place won't be good for long
the wayne holds some great mix of all types of land, from farm lands to bigger tracts of forested lands, and everything in between, food plots just for game, and so on
a lot depends on what type of terrain you like to hunt, how far your willing to walk in off a road, and so on!
NOTHING beats boot time learning an area
as on all public lands, can have the place to yourself one day and the next day be packed, or from yr to yr!!
best bets are to do a lot of aerial looking online, then after you find some likely area's, call the local game wardens in them area's/park rangers
and ask them for some honest input on current hunting pressure and deer numbers!
then if you can take a drive and walk it!
Ohio holds BIG bucks all over the entire state, so there there, any place in Ohio has potential!
its up to you to find the sweeter spots
Not bashing, just saying!
Good Luck!

[kentuckyoutdoorsman]

I understand public land can be hard to hunt and that people aren't going to tell me there spots. I'm just trying to figure out which one of the three areas on the Wayne I have the best opportunity at killin a deer on. Or just some info about them. Like which one gets more hunting pressure or what the Land is like ( hills, flat, ect.) any info I can get will be Appriciated. Thanks

[Big_Holla]

Kentuckyoutdoorsman anything in the SE portion of Ohio will be pretty hilly around any of the Wayne National Forest. My personal recommendation is to find a place in the Vinton County area. Be prepared for some rugged hills and hollers there though but there are some big boys back in there from what family and friends have said in the past. It's more off the beaten path so to speak than where most go around Nelsonville and that surrounding area. Also, some guys on here hunt nearer the Zaleski State Forest too.

[mrbb]

Well I agree that most of SE ohio is rather hilly, but there are still many farm lands, and food plots onn many of the public huntig area's
and the easier spots get the most pressure for sure, as most folks like the easy accdss, in and out places!
But Morgan/Athens co. And there bordering counties, all have some great public area's and hold some slammer bucks, but again, so does almost any where in Ohio.
In Or near Nielsonville is the Wayne head quarters, and its a great place to visit, they have great maps for free, the rangers there have always been nice, and who knows what tips they can tell you about where to try, I would strongly suggest a visit there if you travel to that area.
You can ask about farmers in the area with crop damage, or that might allow access if asked?
and like I said, Google earth is a great tool, to look at things some what before going?
find several like spots, then go and look at them, that is always best, as it will show elevation(hilly or flat), water and farms near by,houses,and so on, saving a bunch of time walking some what, and a head start on where to look once in Ohio!

[kentuckyoutdoorsman]

well i think im going to hunt the Ironton Ranger District. im hoping to get some scouting time in this summer. anyone have any advise for this area? whats the hunting presure like compared to the other areas of the wayne?

[blackbeard]

I'd say all three units have quite a bit of pressure but Ironton maybe the least, those hills shouldn't bother you considering where you are coming from, I live near the Ironton unit, make sure you travel up state route 93 and get a bite to eat at one of the several places in oak hill. If you need sporting goods you can get anything you need at Lakeview Grocery and Sporting Goods which is right outside oak hill on StateRoute279 beside Jackson lake, there's a campground at Jackson lake also, check out the oak hill area chamber of commerce's Facebook page for more information, we have our visitors guide and business directory posted on there. If you have any questions on the oak hill area message the Facebook page and I'll try to answer them. I'm the president of the chamber. Good luck and enjoy the area.

[Miller]

I looked into Wayne a couple years ago and i called the main office and told them what I was doin and what I was looking for and they sent me a padded envolope with more maps and info that you can read in a week.... So give em a call and that will be a great place to get you headed in the right direction...

Brian