The Ohio Department of Natural Resources working with Ducks Unlimited has done a lot of work to create a premier wildlife area. As usual, Solon and wildlife technicians Erich Long and John Abele make sure they and other wildlife have the habitat they need, and plenty to eat. Terrain Tip: Cedars are great for minimizing your scent but still be aware of the wind. Deer can monitor it with wind-blown scent. }! CQ About 850 acres of the Killbuck wildlife area was set aside years ago as a refuge; controlled youth hunts for turkey and deer are the only human activity allowed. Once level with the bedding area, then you can work into position with less fear of bumping deer. I like to take an aerial and topo and eliminate areas I think people will be hunting. :4mt|# ^AGE/@ s* 1E(7b' 8NO Gallery. "It's about as quiet of an opening day as I've ever seen here," said Brown, as we toured the muddy back roads of the wildlife area looking for a spot of orange that would identify a hunter. Its the first stop for anyone looking for the best Plan your visit to Ohios Amish Country, home of the worlds largest Amish/Mennonite settlement. Don't Miss:5 Best Stand Setups for Pre-Rut Bowhunting, There are a lot of big woods and big-woods deer hunters throughout the country. Some of these individuals migrate south to Killbuck Marsh to enjoy our (relatively) balmy Ohio winters. It depends on the size of the body of water. 2023 Outdoor Sportsman Group. As the Big Spring Project restored the pool and the marshy area around it, waterfowl began to return. The loss of the pool, with its year-round temperature of 55 degrees, not only forced waterfowl to find warmer climes in winter months, but to find another home in summer. I guess I'll take a break and go kill a cup of hot coffee.". It was expected that some silt and sediment would flow through the breach in the dike, but the sheer volume took many by surprise. All of these could be seen on an afternoon in May at the Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area near Shreve. Bucks, however, love water. "It's opening day, and it's chilly out there, so the venison won't spoil if hunters wait a while to check their deer," said Westerfield. Wonderful photos especially of the swans. As such, big bucks survive by going where they seldom smell people. This complex is Ohio's largest remaining marshland outside of the Lake Erie region. At the other end of the size spectrum, Killbuck WLA covers 5,671 acres in portions of Wayne and Holmes counties, extending north from Holmesville to three miles south of Wooster between state Route 83 on the east and state Route 226 on the west. Although the distant swans were too far away to identify visually, when I came home and listened to the swan vocalizations (linked to at the bottom of this post), I believe they were all tundra swans. . Simply put, deer like terrain edges. And they love cattails. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. In these populous places they can find food, water, and cover the three things they need to survive. Sometimes you can make a stalk. Then came the bigger task: getting rid of all that silt. And generally, they can spot any predator that pops up over the bank before the predator sees them. Receive emails as this discussion progresses. MILLERSBURG, Ohio The wetlands and woodlots of the Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area were surprisingly quiet on Monday morning, with the opening salvos of the annual deer gun season noticeably absent. This is another type of bedding cover that deer (and many species of wildlife) gravitate to. Water. Terrain Tip: Use topo maps to determine where those dry spots might be. Our Killbuck Camp offers a cabin. Dont Miss:5 Overlooked Public Land Deer Hunting Hotspots. Its almost impossible to kill this deer in the afternoon unless he moves a long distance during daylight. 1. They need to have some bedding cover, too, but there usually is some good cover along river edges. Deer will use the crossing. Just be careful to not spook the deer. You still may find the best bedding areas a half mile or more away, but its the best place to start. Thermals begin to rise when the sun comes up and starts heating the valley floor. In cattail marshes, these are really easy to pick out on an aerial. Or just type a county name after "trekohio.com" like this: Young swan, filmed by young boy | Dear Kitty. Then glass and watch to see where deer are concentrated. Northeast Ohio in general, and Wayne County in particular, offers plenty of public deer-hunting opportunities for large numbers of hunters who pursue whitetails in Ohio's most populated region. Pull up a seat and join us. hVmoH+1Q{_,UH4)RIr+">8%N/]iZ Nathan Simmons of Browning and Game & Fish's John Taranto take a closer look at both cartridges at SHOT Show 2023 in Las Vegas. Learn more in the video above, with Remington's Joel Hodgdon and Game & Fish Editorial Director Adam Heggenstaller at SHOT Show 2023 in Las Vegas. Edge terrain is where they find most of their food, water, and cover. rc/v:&;Is Mute swans are not native to North America, so these must have descended from escaped swans. But while visitors are not allowed in the refuge that includes Big Spring, they still have plenty of opportunities to see the waterfowl and other species that benefit from it. Find it, and youre in the money. Quite often, bucks leaving the beds in the evening take the safe way out. And thats why a lot of bucks that choose to bed in such locations die from old age rather than broadheads and bullets. They have one dry entry predators can enter on. The Killbuck watershed plus the Lake Fork, aka Funk Bottoms, and the Jerome Fork, eventually form the Mohican River, Solon said. The area's terrain features numerous small streams and is rolling to rugged in topography, with elevations that vary from 515 feet to 1,060 feet above sea level. But barely enough to keep Wayne County Wildlife Officer Aaron Brown of the Ohio Division of Wildlife and his partner for the day, Watercraft Officer Scott Stafford, busy checking hunting licenses and deerpermits. Spot and range targets without wasting valuable seconds switching between gear with Luepold's new rangefinder binocular, the BX-4 Range HD. They hiss and make strange, little sounds that dont really carry far. ELD Match, and 175 gr. The action can be outstanding for does, and more productive than most think for mature bucks and the occasional trophy that slips out of the sanctuary for a chance at a meal. Help support TrekOhio by making purchases through Amazon links on this site. Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Areais a5,703-acrestate wildlife arealocated2mileseastofShreve. The results of a hunting trip increases to a large extent by hiring a Killbuck guided deer hunt. All Rights Reserved. Try to stay left or right of it so your scent isnt as likely to travel through it. Chances are deer will use the good looking areas you find again the following season. Don't be afraid to walk and look. OurHome page lists our latest park reviews, nature articles, and other related information. Then, if the CRP is bordered by timber, hunt the fringes where trails emerge. 0TXJ9r|0@b/\DBd04B\iRF_k?[J k1N}u7;Xed_ YR\>[G={Q`RryI-\E^w>N=QAOrfYQr!UB%zr`I(\h^w`X@mg|7l5. About the same time the Big Spring Project got the green light, a decision was made to halt the never-ending war with falling trees. Getting permission from the landowners. They like oxbows where the dominant wind blows in from the dry land, they face the river and use the water as an escape. Hunted a private property next to Woodbury last year. 7368 County Road 623 The key? None of the deer tested positive for CWD, said Geoff Westerfield, the ODOW assistant wildlife manager supervisor in northeast Ohio. Our deer blog is one of the longest-running and most popular ones out there. A lock or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Furthermore, they seek out places people don't go. "I've helped Justin get his deer out of the woods over the years," said Torrence, with a smile. The property is inHolmes andWayne counties. But they also make up the largest marshland in Ohio outside the Lake Erie region. And cover. Bucks also like to bed down on mid-range benches located on the downwind sides of slopes. The other late-season destination to consider in Wayne County for overlooked deer hunting opportunities is Shreve Lake WLA. The landscape features a shallow glacial outwash valley with elevations that vary from 840 feet at the floor of Killbuck Creek near Holmesville to nearly 1,000 feet on hillsides parallel to the valley floor. Just don't overpressure them or theyll be like all the rest. Oftentimes, thermals carry scent up from the valley and normal wind currents carry scent over the top from above. When you look at a pressured public property, you have to wonder how mature bucks survive there. If it isn't constant or stiff enough, it will likely swirl. A construction company called Diggers out of Wooster created huge pallets to get dump trucks over the uneven ground. Because of this, deer will bed on the island of cover and walk or swim through the shallowest portion to get to the mainland each evening. Together theyve created open fields and built dikes to increase the size of the wetlands. And with plenty of deer on the hoof hiding out in the thickest parts of the public area and venturing onto the private woodlots that surround the area, the late-season deer hunting can be productive. Be silent throughout your approach. Available in 180- and 200-grain sizes. Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area is located eight miles south of Upper Sandusky. They can smell the does from above and below and are cruising near where they bed. Killbuck Creek offers good fishing for northern pike, carp, suckers, and bullheads. The NWTF is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Buy Alert:Realtree 7" Mini EZ Hangers 2-Pack. Or, if the season is open, go in and hang the stand at night while the deer is out feeding. Mark everything you find on a map or GPS so you remember where you located it. With the right configuration of other habitat to go with them, cedars can provide quality bedding. However, sign holds better in the valley and deer leave lots of night sign down there. Its a lot of work but worth it, not only for waterfowl, but for songbirds, eagles, osprey and barn owls, as well as deer, turkey, rabbits and river otters that make their home at Killbuck. The wind blowing over the ridge creates a vacuum and pulls the rising thermal up the ridge. Find these out in the middle of grassy CRP or CREP fields. HtSMs0+:q8ppf6#Yr6I$':5%Ng& ! amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "free086-20"; Trumpeter swans paddle through the still water, or stand guard over nests on the shore. Think marsh edges, briar patches, early succession clear cuts, young Christmas tree plantations, creek bottoms, windrows, abandoned farmsteads, and fallow fields that have become overgrown with vines and woody vegetation. BBBC records indicated that southwest Ohio's Butler County has been a "big buck" producer in recent seasons. The newly-created land mass made the Big Spring take a hard right, sending its estimated 4,500 gallons of water an hour into Killbuck Creek instead of the marsh. 2023 Farm and Dairy is proudly produced in Salem, Ohio, Questions remain about environmental impact of East Palestine train derailment, Ohio farmer, innovator Marcia Ruff: Dont be afraid to try things, Low genetic diversity among US honey bees, Collegiate clubs and students invited to sign up for 2021 College Aggies Online competition. Or, rather, it does if you have permission to do so on private land. to P-19. But once gun season concludes archery and primitive arms hunters have the place to themselves, especially during the week. amzn_assoc_linkid = "4ea0038170a64f214707d3b343c57158"; Share the post "Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area". Later, we stopped at a parking spot by an entrance to the wildlife area on Force Road (at or near P-21 on wildlife area map). In Wildlife District Two, Wyandot County has been a big-buck producer for late-season whitetail hunters, and is usually at the top of the post-gun-season list in northwest Ohio at least going by the BBBC books. Union County in northwest central Ohio has produced a bumper crop of December-and-later deer that made the BBBC record books over the years. Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area is a 5,703-acre state wildlife area located 2 miles east of Shreve. The black ducks are back. Frog and turtle hunting are popular activities in the marshy portions of the area.A walking-only trail for wildlife observation follows the abandoned B&O Railroad, through the center of the area. Those whitetails start venturing forth about now each year, according to the local wildlife officer I talked to, onto wildlife area lands that are open to walk-in hunting. This means any dry land with easy access and parking. What's more, Gallia's County's bag limit has been increased from two to three deer for the 2017/2018 season. Search, rescue, wildfire, and enforcement matters: 911- or - 1-833-NYS-RANGERS (1-833-697-7264) A local Forest Ranger is a valuable . GET IN TOUCH Customer Service 1-800-WILDLIFE (945-3543) wildinfo@dnr.ohio.gov Monday - Friday 8AM - 5PM EST State Headquarters 2045 Morse Road Building G Columbus, OH, 43229 1-800-WILDLIFE (945-3543) But Big Spring is the heart of our area, Solon said. Gun hunters are limited in most suburban areas. But if left alone, Solon said, the trees will become very crowded and pole size. The new Frontier, available in 8x42 and 10x42, has all the range-finding capabilities a hunter needs. If none are visible, walk the edges of the marsh until you cut tracks or see a trail that leads into / out of the marsh. Complete the following sentence by typing either real or spam: With this in mind, think about the way you look at public land. Over time, these can even create islands of land in the middle of the creek or river. With the landowners blessing, you can even clear a spot to plant a food plot. So, never get directly above or below a bedding area. State Routes 67 and 294 border the area on the west and north. Ive yet to see them but they are documented each year by the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center on whos property the trumpeters reside for a while. Deer are plentiful here, Brown said, and with lots of public access, both local hunters and big city sportsmen usually converge on the area for this special week of deer hunting. Funding for the trail comes from Ohios Endangered Species and Wildlife Diversity income tax checkoff. At our first stop at Killbuck Marsh (P-10 on the wildlife map) we were greeted by a trio of mute swans with a flock of Canada geese behinds them. First, does migrate here while raising their young during the spring and summer. Its hard to beat a nice, dense cedar thicket. Terrain Tip: The wind direction has to be steady and at least 10 mph to hunt these lower spots. ! Killbuck Creek was lined with silver maple and ash trees many of them dead all leaning toward the stream. Although we were unable to take any photos of them there, here are a couple of photos of this species that we took last September at The Wilds. Below is a list of the best overlooked hotspots that produced my best public land bucks. But there are a few places the public can go; county wildlife officer Aaron Ireland pointed out one: 192-acre Pater Wildlife Area. Solon, Long and Abele keep that from happening by mowing, cutting, burning and treating chemically when necessary. You just have to get close enough to bedding areas to catch them on their feet in daylight for a shot. SOUTHEAST OHIO'S WILDLIFE. They were not there during archery season at all though. The Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area encompasses 5,671-acres and is situated in portions of Wayne and Holmes counties. Its a surefire way to get up close and personal with a good deer. Upland game species are well distributed throughout the wildlife area because of the uniform distribution of cropfields, shrubby coverts, grasslands, and woods. If they are, they wont live long. Just as with marshes, the key is to locate dry land within these swamps. Along with water from the creek, the channel funneled all kinds of silt, sediment and debris into the wetland. Maps can be picked up at the wildlife station or found at the web-site listed above. Use tracks, trails, and old rut sign to help locate them. Give a Gift And its almost impossible to do so in the afternoon. Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area is a prime player in that regard. All 15 types of bedding cover mentioned here are great spots to find what youre looking for. Ken Vitale with Buck Knives chats with Game & Fish Editorial Director Adam Heggenstaller about two new hunting knives for 2023the purpose-built Alpha and PakLite series. About a third is in grassland/open land and a few pockets of wetlands and ponds exist. Terrain Below is a list of the best overlooked hotspots that produced my best public land bucks. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Be ready when it does. After the slow morning of recording deer hunting success at Killbuck Marsh, it was expected that a few hunters would be bringing their deer to a check station at the Millersburg Fire Department, one of six chronic wasting disease check stations set up in Holmes County. This blocks the view of the hardwoods on slightly elevated land. endstream endobj 62 0 obj <> endobj 63 0 obj <>/ExtGState<>/Font<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageC/ImageI]/XObject<>>>/Rotate 0/Tabs/S/Type/Page>> endobj 64 0 obj <>stream All Game & Fish subscribers now have digital access to their magazine content. Mature bucks have an uncanny ability to find these isolated hotspots and to hide and live out there lives there. Site by Gray Loon. A smart hunter concentrates on the left over 10 percent. I guess that buck found a surefire way to get out of the wind and rain. Oftentimes, its because hunters pay too much attention to the first two requirements, and not enough to the third cover. The trees had absolutely no value to wildlife, Solon said, but did have value to companies that wanted the low-grade wood for pallets. First-time visitors will probably need a map to get around. Or, hang a camera and see whats in the area. amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; Terrain Tip: Scout ridges during the off-season. I hunt some heavily pressured marshes in southeastern Wisconsin. The 11,119-acre Crown City WLA is in portions of Lawrence and Gallia counties approximately 3 miles south of Mercerville. Furbearers, especially muskrats, provide many hours of recreational opportunity for trappers. A map and more details on deer hunting at Pater Wildlife Area are available from Rush Run Wildlife Area, 1989 Northern Road, Somerville, 45064; (513)726-6795, from the Wildlife District Five Office, 1076 Old Springfield Pike, Xenia, 45385; (937)372-9261, or at wildohio.gov. They plant corn and sorghum to provide grain, along with food plots in the upland areas. Your best hope is to get up to the ridge point well before daylight and wait. They send the deer parts the Ohio Department of Agriculture's Reynoldsburg laboratories to be examined for CWD, a brain disease that is always fatal for deer and elk. Buy Alert:34" EZ Hanger + Arrow Combination. The area extends north from Holmesville to three miles south of Wooster, and lies between State Route 83 on the east and State Route 226 on the west.The area is in a shallow, U-shaped glacial outwash valley. The Model 336 is expected to be launched soon; the Model 1894 should launch this spring. Out West, deer gravitate to lone trees and islands of trees. Its feathers begin to whiten in late December and by late March it will be white like its parents. Deer can still be found in the late season. Some head to the middle of the property, some to the edge of private on the far side, and some hunt closer to the parking lot, but very seldom do I see anyone deer hunt along the road between parking areas. If those closed areas are adjacent to public hunting land or private acreage that welcomes deer hunters the deer are fair game for hunters who take advantage of the opportunity. Guided deer hunt of Lawrence and Gallia counties approximately 3 miles south of Mercerville just as marshes. Try to stay left or right of it so your scent but still be aware of the longest-running and popular... To bed in such locations die from old age rather than broadheads and bullets a of... Seek out places people do n't go to wonder how mature bucks have an uncanny ability to find what looking... 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On the shore must have descended from escaped swans trees will become very crowded and pole size at. Reviews, nature articles, and cover Scout ridges during the week also make up the largest in!