Ohio Deer Hunting

Record Setting Ohio Whitetails

Ohio's World Famous Hole in the Horn Buck

Ohio is home to some of the biggest whitetail bucks in the world, including the #2 non-typical of all time...The "Hole in the Horn" buck. This unbelievable buck was found dead in Portage county in 1940 and scored an incredible 328 2/8 inches!

Ohio's Beatty Buck

Ohio's Jerman Buck

Ohio's Mike Rex Buck

Ohio's Amish Buck

This combination of incredible genetics, proper herd mangement, and an abundance of agriculture and cover makes Ohio one of our top choices for bagging a trophy whitetail!

Top Areas For Ohio Deer Hunting

For trophy bucks, three Ohio public deer hunting areas come to mind in this part of the state, Dillon Wildlife Area, Woodbury Wildlife area, and the Conesville Coal Lands. We personally hunted the Dillon Wildlife Area during the first week of November in 2007, and we can tell you that, while receiving a fair amount of pressure, if you look closely, you can find unpressured deer. Study the maps and look for places that other hunters will overlook. We did exactly that and had a 150 inch 10 pointer at 40 yards chasing a doe wrecklessly through the woodlot. There was not another hunter around...and we were within 100 yards of a main road!

The Woodbury Wildlife Area comprises almost 20,000 acres of prime whitetail habitat in east central Ohio. There is good public access along state routes 16, 36, 60 and 541, as well as numerous county and township roads. Again, the key to finding trophy bucks is to study maps of the area and find small spots that other hunters will overlook. These spots do not have to be miles into the timber...They can be right under everybodys noses!

The Conesville Coal Land consist of about 12,000 acres of prime whitetail habitat in Coshocton and Muskingum counties. Hunting here requires a free permit available at local bait shops or by contacting American Electric Power at www.aep.com/environmental/recreation/recland/permit.aspx.

Perhaps the best way to bag a trophy buck in these counties, is to gain access to private land, and the way to do that is to hire an Ohio deer hunting outfitter. There are many to choose from, but we have hunted with Craig Neace from bowhuntingwhitetails.com and we have been very impressed. Craig provides you with quality, unpressured, private land to hunt, and the rest is up to you. He has access to some of the best land in these counties. Check out Craig's Ohio trail camera pictures!

Another Ohio deer hunting outfitter that we have heard good things about is Joe Miller from Woodbury Outfitters. They offer unguided and semi guided hunts. Whichever outfitter that you choose, be sure to book early in order to get the dates that you want, good rut weeks fill up fast.

In addition to the east central part of the state, southwestern Ohio is rapidly gaining fame as a trophy buck hotspot, thanks in part to the Amish Buck and the Metzner Buck both taken in Adams county.

Ohio's Metzner Buck

Top Ohio Public Deer Hunting Areas In Southwest Part of the State

Brush Creek State Forest

Tranquility Wildlife Area

Shawnee State Forest

If you are looking for access to private land...Our choice for Ohio deer hunting outfitters in this part of the state is David Lusk at Southern Ohio Outfitters. David has over 6,500 acres of prime whitetail habitat, that has been managed to produce some of the biggest bucks Ohio can offer. Again, be sure to book early, good rut weeks go fast!

Here is our summary of why you should try your hand at Ohio deer hunting

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Ohio Trail Camera Pictures