Zaleski state forest... anyone ever make the trip

[NYbuck50]

Some buddies and I are heading to Ohio for the 3 day muzzleloader season in January, with plans to stay and hunt in Zaleski state forest. . I've never hunted outside of NY, so going in completely blind without time to scout.  But its Ohio, so im going regardless of my slim chances.  Anyone ever make the trip out there? not looking for your best spot, just some general direction or info  to shorten my learning curve if possible. 

Edited December 15, 2015 by NYbuck50

[Death From Above]

I was very surprised to read this post tonight, as a friend of mine who lives in Kentucky and I were discussing meeting in Ohio for the late muzzleloader season as well, but he can't get the time off from work.  We were just talking about doing exactly what you are doing, and the same state forest.  We did make a trip to Ohio two years ago, rented a cabin for five days and hunted the pre rut during archery season.  Loved it for the most part, and can't believe I have yet to go back. 

 

I saw three bucks the first morning, and passed them all as I wasn't traveling to Ohio to shoot a 2 year old 9 point or the two smaller bucks that also came in bow range.  Unfortunately I did not see another buck during the trip, but it was great to hunt a place where I knew there were really nice bucks around.  Neither of us shot bucks, but both of us could have.  If I remember correctly we both passed on does.  We hunted Woodbury, which I believe is a bit north of where you are headed.  Some of the bucks I saw in the back of pick up trucks while there were unbelievable.  The guys in cabins around us that scored shot very nice bucks.  Out of the five or so I saw killed, just one was under 120".  I'd say one I saw was every bit of 170+.

 

Some things I was a bit surprised by:

 

1.  Woodbury was 90% briars and thorns, at least the areas we hunted.  I had never seen anything like it.  I had spent a good bit of time studying topos trying to find spots that most people might not hunt or might have to walk farther than they'd like.  I then tried to find good funnels and pinch points using the satellite imagery.  Didn't pan out well as I couldn't walk almost anywhere off the trails.  It was insane.  I have to assume that most of Ohio isn't like that, but a lot of Woodbury was.  Next time I'm going to call the park and speak to a ranger if possible to ask about the terrain.  Its worth your time to do so.

 

2.  Most of the hunters I met used bait.  I didn't, and really don't like the idea personally, but it is legal in Ohio.  I have heard that some state land or parks in Ohio no longer allow baiting, but I have not idea how many do or don't. 

 

3.  The area of Ohio you are going to is incredibly hilly, I believe.  Ups and downs, more so that flat.  That was my experience as well, and it made predicting the winds tough, as currents where up and down all over.

 

4.  If Zaleski is anything like Woodbury during the archery season I saw a ton of out of state trucks.  There are many others who apparently think like you and I, or read the articles about how great the hunting is in Ohio. 

 

5.  When you find that perfect spot don't get too excited till you have been there in the dark.  If you turn on the headlamp in the dark and the place lights up like a runway in different directions you will realize you the area might have already been hunted pretty hard.  Guess you never know till you try, but a lot of the good trees I found had climber marks on them already.  Hopefully that means that you have a good spot to hunt, and not that it means its been burned out.  Won't matter for your first trip, but if you are scouting for the future just keep that in mind.

 

If I were to go again there are some things I'd consider doing differently.  The first time I had looked for places others might not want to go to, such as tougher terrain or longer walks.  Many of the other guys I met focused on finding the edges of the park near private land.  I privately thought this tactic was too obvious and too easy, and that everyone would be doing that.  I didn't see a ton of deer trying to get back in as far as I could, but that could be simply due to the spots I chose to hang a stand.  The other guys did much better using their plan.  Might want to consider edges of the park.  Hard to believe that everyone else isn't doing the same, but it worked for them for sure.  Of course the upcoming rut might have aided their plans as the bucks were cruising.

 

I also wouldn't be afraid to take a trail camera with me.  While it is state land you can certainly get into some areas that might be worth putting a camera up to help you find the deer. 

 

Since my one and only tip to Ohio I have spoken to a few guys who hunt there yearly.  They told me that the place I went (Woodbury) has been flooded by hunters over the past 10-15 years.  They focus on the smaller parks to the south of Woodbury, and two of the guys mentioned Zaleski as a great place.  That is why I was thinking of heading there next month.  I was planning on using the trip to scout for next fall.  If the weather changes and there I snow on the ground, I may end up going by myself anyway as the fresh snow would really help me prepare for a trip next fall.  Your post here has got me thinking about it again, and that is not a good thing...going to have to come up with a good enough reason for my wife to approve... 

 

I wish you the best of luck, and I think you will have a great time.  If you go I'd love to hear how it went and what you thought if you would not mind.  Like you said I wouldn't ask for your hunting spots, just some ideas on the terrain, deer you saw, hunting pressure, etc.  I'm 45 and not getting younger,  I need to start taking these trips yearly before I get too old!  

 

Merry Christmas! 

 

[NYbuck50]

thanks so much great advise! let me know if u end up going

[The_Real_TCIII]

This is something I've also thought a lot about, Death from Above that was a great post its damned nice of you to take the time to type that all out to share

[Death From Above]

No problem.  Hope something there proves useful.  Have a great trip!

[phade]

Zaleski is up and down.

 

January is a tough month for me at work, but I do want to try my hand at the late bow season.

 

Baiting is only legal on private property - public lands there is no baiting allowed. That said, it never seemed to be an issue based off of the empty bags of acorn rage and corn/apple piles I saw on a few public parcels.

 

I picked up a really nice shed one year on a public piece, and within eye sight was a Scent bomb, a bag of acorn rage, and more trash than you can think of. Amazing a buck gets as old as it does with some of the pressure these ground gets. Of course, there are spots that are simply overlooked big time.