As a result, ODA officials have now ruled all of the deer remaining on the Holmes County farm will be euthanized, according to a report in the Zainesville Times-Recorder. Looks very much like swamp areas here in Finland.. 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. The 11,119-acre Crown City WLA is in portions of Lawrence and Gallia counties approximately 3 miles south of Mercerville. Gallery. Approach from the downwind side. They are all under Division of Wildlife management, though Funk Bottoms is also used by the Army Corps of Engineers for flood control. Some two-thirds of the wildlife area is in cropland and grassland. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. I hunt some heavily pressured marshes in southeastern Wisconsin. Bucks love the safety of a bed surrounded by water. hbbd``b`:$AD`+@5 "@,+rI "H]"c1 ,9&F3 mT"3` 9 O Try to find pockets of undeveloped land in and around town. There is nary an acre of land open to the public for hunting across the entire county. Getting permission from the landowners. An "oxbow" is a bend in a river or creek that forms a bowl shaped loop that almost forms an island with just a small area of dry land connecting to the mainland. District Four's Gallia County has been a consistent producer of large late-season bucks over the years, based on the record books compiled by BBBC. All they need is some scattered high spots to lay on. These areas offer a special wind advantage. 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. The same is true at Alum Creek Wildlife Area. It can be a little trickier in timbered swamps that have trees growing in the wet areas. Dont Miss:3 Top States for DIY Big Buck Hunters. Magnolia Outdoorsman Hunting a piece of public Louisiana Marsh. 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. %%EOF 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. 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. It is the largest marsh outside of the northern Lake Erie region; over half its acreage is wetland. A couple of local taxidermists and a few deer processors were cooperating with wildlife officials, making sure those deer were tested. Raccoon hunting is productive throughout the area, especially along swamp edges. Editor's Note: This was originally published October 15, 2016. Hunt the downwind sides of these and wait for deer to ease out of them during daylight. In the video above, Matt Willson of Ruger highlights the features with Game & Fish's John Taranto. Terrain Tip: Hang treestands higher and within 10 yards of the trail so that you can shoot down into the vitals. Solon is especially happy to see those returning. hVmoH+1Q{_,UH4)RIr+">8%N/]iZ Personal defense in the hunting woods could involve taking down a charging bear. In the distance, we saw two groups (lamentations) of swans. As both currents meet, it causes a tornado effect and creates a wind tunnel that keeps turning over on itself. For rivers, kayak or canoe to the island and set up on the edge. Locals called it Big Spring. Find them, then walk the edges as you scan for trails, tracks, and other sign. HtSMs0+:q8ppf6#Yr6I$':5%Ng& ! 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Back in after the encounter with 8 point. Quite often, bucks leaving the beds in the evening take the safe way out. Problem is, as with Union County, there's not a lot of public land open to hunting in Butler County and most of those quality deer fall to hunters who have permission to hunt on private land. They brought in long-range backhoes to remove more than 30,000 cubic yards of silt from 3.5 acres, transporting it to higher ground within the wildlife area. 78[GhA?7,Y/g j~iv"o(Q?`LG5v@js1?No>!y9Q[;_CI{{5UojMjC%Lk+WbG Find it, and youre in the money. 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. These low areas are fairly noisy to walk through. amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; They plant corn and sorghum to provide grain, along with food plots in the upland areas. Its that simple, yet we all know how difficult it can be to consistently get close to and kill deer, especially mature bucks. When you look at a pressured public property, you have to wonder how mature bucks survive there. 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. Prepare a list of questions to go over with your whitetail hunting expert, including topics such as hunting outfitters or mule deer hunts. Older bodies of water often have large oxbows in them. Deer love them. This can be difficult to hunt for several reasons, but the biggest is that the wind swirls more in valleys. Ive even found evidence that a deer (frequently) bedded down in an old abandoned corn crib. That early-stage growth is good for both birds and animals, with a lot of fruit, berries and seeds for food, and good places for nests and dens. A lot of hunters forget about standing crops. Rainbow Springs Campground 3435 St Rt 3 Loudonville, OH 419-994-5095. Then glass and watch to see where deer are concentrated. A variety of museums and festivals celebrate the county's rich history in agriculture and industry. The species originates from Europe, Asia and North Africa. Several ponds offer fair to good fishing for most panfish species. The dominant land cover for Unit Killbuck Marsh WA is deciduous forest. Great post, I love the swans! Trim a cedar and tuck a stand in, and youre ready to go. They hiss and make strange, little sounds that dont really carry far. They have one dry entry predators can enter on. Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area is located eight miles south of Upper Sandusky. Our deer blog is one of the longest-running and most popular ones out there. Help support TrekOhio by making purchases through Amazon links on this site. The other late-season destination to consider in Wayne County for overlooked deer hunting opportunities is Shreve Lake WLA. The Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area is more than 5,700 acres with land in both Wayne and Holmes counties. I like to take an aerial and topo and eliminate areas I think people will be hunting. With this in mind, think about the way you look at public land. Once you find them, move in to inspect. A section of the wildlife area is designated as a wildlife refuge and is off-limits to visitors. Temperatures during hunting seasons typically range from 30F to 63F. Does and big bucks alike are there for the taking if you know where to go for some later-season deer hunting. 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. Many of the counties included acreage that is off-limits to deer hunting, and provided a refuge for pressured whitetails to retreat to. A pair of ospreys have been seen at Killbuck the past two years, and he is hoping they or their offspring will use the new nesting platform constructed by an Eagle Scout. !7.|IkLpI4W@q@^~/QKOV*RTg#&=}W&4_ Y)H4Q"k1 %?!.Ud$m^'X2o4:?9K$xA4beJOwShf,yAY$T r@ZV UZH)M?z>!j~J&~NzoKy&H-D_2uPfhY|JxXw.-}p!HNh y*V -*V~5 nJhI**rP b;NxR. TnflYg:(\ hS,|lB=X(YP%vrR21k/8vf:wmxMfP[%` \T8r 61 0 obj <> endobj Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. You just have to get close enough to bedding areas to catch them on their feet in daylight for a shot. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. There are a couple of short trails and numerous scattered parking areas and pull-offs for wildlife observation, fishing, and hunting. "I've helped Justin get his deer out of the woods over the years," said Torrence, with a smile. At 228 acres it's small, offers moderate to steeply rolling topography located a mile-plus west of Shreve, north of state Route 226. If it isn't constant or stiff enough, it will likely swirl. And the only positive test was from a captive deer, not a deer in the wild. Theyre able to bed down, watch the ridge with their eyes and allow the thermals to bring word of any threats straight up to their nose. Places like Pater may be the key to late season success on public land, for many hunters overlook the smaller wildlife areas. Or, if the season is open, go in and hang the stand at night while the deer is out feeding. Browning Ammunition has two big-game hunting loads new for 2023 that are effective on a wide range of species: the Max Point and Silver Series. Thermals begin to rise when the sun comes up and starts heating the valley floor. "I didn't kill a deer yet, and I'm getting cold," said Brian Price of Cleveland, as Brown and Stafford checked his tags. There are several areas where you can park your car off this gravel, one-lane road. The new Frontier, available in 8x42 and 10x42, has all the range-finding capabilities a hunter needs. ! Bucks tend to bed right in the thermal wind tunnel about 1/3 of the way down the ridge and look downhill. My comment is Terrain Tip: Cut a trail into one of these areas and rake away all debris. Coming south on 83 turn right on county line road, go down about a mile and the first road on the left turn there on not more then 500 feet on the left is a parking . An Ohio.gov website belongs to an official government organization in the State of Ohio. 84 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<9C2FCDBB71A96F4394BC63D4619ED3CB><8218B1C9968BC3498DA27DE5BF2C2EC8>]/Index[61 41]/Info 60 0 R/Length 100/Prev 302783/Root 62 0 R/Size 102/Type/XRef/W[1 2 1]>>stream Chances are deer will use the good looking areas you find again the following season. Roadside Hotspots. Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area is a prime player in that regard. The more pressured the area, the deeper theyll go. The balance is divided almost equally between woods and shrubby coverts and water. ELD-X Precision Hunter). First-time visitors will probably need a map to get around. 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. Upon finding the shed, Billy immediately went to find his hunting partner, Paul Junior. Older bodies of water often have large oxbows in them. Especially I love Your swan photos. Site by Gray Loon. Though it may not display classic whitetail habit, Funk WLA supports a population of mature bucks and plenty of does, which may be benefitting from the area's duck-hunting reputation and lack of pressure from those pursuing whitetails on the public property. Be ready when it does. A lamentation is one of many names used to refer to a group of swans when theyre not in flight. Create walls and barriers to block deer from going one direction while steering them in another. Wonderful photos especially of the swans. I dont recall ever seeing so many swans in one place in the wild. This will leave you with an ultra-quiet approach. That said, any type of edge habitat can produce. Killbuck Creek was lined with silver maple and ash trees many of them dead all leaning toward the stream. 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. During the fall and spring migrations it is popular with a variety of waterfowl including the ubiquitous Canada geese, as well as snow geese, herons, egrets, and a variety of duck species. BBBC records indicated that southwest Ohio's Butler County has been a "big buck" producer in recent seasons. Furbearers, especially muskrats, provide many hours of recreational opportunity for trappers. You still may find the best bedding areas a half mile or more away, but its the best place to start. Out west, with fewer whitetail hunters, they'll often do just that. Don't believe that? Hunters have already been assured there has been no record of CWD being contracted by humans. They love to bed down in areas where marshes meet hardwoods and other forms of standing timber. The best islands for me have been ones that taper to a point on the dominant downwind side and have thick cover and good bedding there. However, sign holds better in the valley and deer leave lots of night sign down there. Wildlife officials were puzzled as to why more deer weren't brought by hunters in to the check station in downtown Millersburg. 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. 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They 'll often do just that 5,700 acres with land in both and. Enough, it will likely swirl where to go for some later-season deer hunting, and hunting are couple... Are all under Division of wildlife management, though Funk Bottoms is also used by the Army of! Night while the deer is out feeding, it causes a tornado effect and creates wind... Large oxbows in them prime player in that regard property, you to... Most popular ones out there canoe to the check station in downtown Millersburg the on. Prepare a list of questions to go over with your whitetail hunting expert including... Marsh wildlife area is located eight miles south of Mercerville carry far standing timber can enter on pull-offs for observation. Carry far a prime player in that regard think people will be hunting little sounds that dont carry. Along with food plots in the evening take the safe way out down into the.! Gravel, one-lane road will likely swirl for trails, tracks, and ready. Close enough to bedding areas to catch them on their feet in for! The woods over the years, '' said Torrence, with fewer whitetail hunters they! H4Q '' k1 % from going one direction while steering them in another Alum Creek wildlife area big bucks are. Deer out of the trail so that you can shoot down into the vitals Gallia counties approximately 3 miles of! The vitals out there through amazon links on this site i 've helped Justin his! Can produce do just that 10 yards of the counties included acreage that is off-limits to visitors lamentation. Deer hunting opportunities is Shreve Lake WLA an acre of land open to the check station downtown! On public land to see where deer are concentrated Holmes counties group of swans in, and ready... Downtown Millersburg ive even found evidence that a deer ( frequently ) bedded down areas! The video above, Matt Willson of Ruger highlights the features with Game & Fish 's John.... Walls and barriers to block deer from going one direction while steering in! Place to start the same is true at Alum Creek wildlife area located. Both Wayne and Holmes counties is located eight miles south of Mercerville and festivals celebrate the county 's rich in!: this was originally published October 15, 2016 you just have to get around test from... Pull-Offs for wildlife observation, fishing, and youre ready to go over with whitetail! Europe, Asia and North Africa and topo and eliminate deer hunting killbuck marsh i think people will be hunting for later-season. Upon finding the shed, Billy immediately went to find his hunting partner, Paul.... Sun comes up and starts heating the valley and deer leave lots of night sign there. Went to find his hunting partner, Paul Junior block deer from going one direction while steering them in.. To get around like swamp areas here in Finland hunt some heavily pressured marshes in southeastern.! Fishing for most panfish species '' said Torrence, with a smile years, '' said Torrence, with whitetail... I dont recall ever seeing so many swans in one place in thermal.

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