Ohio Muzzle loader Help

[germs087]

I am thinking about heading over to Ohio to hunt the late season muzzle loader window from 1/7-1/10.  Has anyone done this in the past?  I have been looking through counties to target based on buck harvest but was wondering if anyone had any pointers in selecting in area.  

With that being said, at this time it is just myself so if anyone would want to tag along let me know.

 

[smokecreeks guy]

check this site lots of info     http://www.ohiosportsman.com   http://www.deerhuntingguide.net/ohio-deer-hunting.html     http://www.mytopo.com/products/public-land-state.cfm?state=OH

[Adkhunter1590]

I'm headed out to Ohio for the late muzzy season. Me and 2 other guys have been going the last couple years. It's a fun trip and I look forward to it every year.

I'm by no means a expert on where to hunt in Ohio. I've done a ton of online research and there's really no good answer on where the best hunting land is, as far as public land goes at least. All of Ohio has monster buck potential and just about every county has produced booners. Where you should go is more based on what kind of hunting your looking to do. There's state lands that have more flat terrain with more agriculture lands around, but they get hammered HARD by the orange army. Then there's bigger chunks of state land that also get hunted pretty hard, but there's a lot more land to spread out on and get back away from the crowd. These bigger blocks of state land are usually in the SE area of the state and the terrain can be pretty rough in a lot of it. Plenty of hills and thick undergrowth. Similar to most NY terrain.

Me and my buddies prefer the bigger blocks of state land that we can get spread out on and have a lower chance of bumping into a lot of other hunters. We've been going to Vinton Furnace experimental forest. It's 15 thousand acres. There's a few other state lands close by that are also very big. Haven't checked those out at all since vinton is so big we just never have time. It's a short season and we go in with little to no pre scouting. Odds are against us every year but regardless, it's always a awesome trip. We always get there early Friday morning and scout around for a couple of hours and get our stands hung up.

Lodging is easy to come by. Lots of different ways to do it. Some of the state lands have primitive camp grounds you can stay at in a tent for free. Motel/hotel. Cabin rentals. Or our new favorite way, Airbnb. You can find houses and cabins to rent for either cheaper or same price as a decent hotel room. The cabin we are renting this year sits on 8 acres bordering the state land we hunt for only $500 for Friday-Tuesday. Not a bad price at all split between 3 guys. Plus you have the hunting camp feeling when you stay in a cabin in the woods vs a cramped hotel room.

Search around the Athens, vinton county areas for the different state lands in the area. You'll find there's ALOT of land available to hunt. And just about all of it has potential to give you a shot at a great buck. But beware, Ohio has a lot of resident hunters and a lot of non-resident hunters who show up for the late season. So don't be surprised when you see a lot of trucks Saturday morning!

[Otto]

Great info, we are headed to Holmes County for first ever trip to Ohio.  

[germs087]

Agreed. This is exactly the info I was hoping for. I truly appreciate your time and insight.

Seems like I will just continue to scour the topo maps and pick out a few locations.