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Thinking about moving to Ohio, what part has some of the best hunting?

I personally think it much more about hunting pressure, or lack thereof, on the properties surrounding your property more than it is the size of you property.

For deer to get big they must live long enough to do so. If my primary objective for my land was deer hunting I would rather have 50 acres next to a metro park or other no hunting lands than 500 surrounded by intense hunting pressure.
 
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Excellent point Lundy. And in regards to 150" being obtainable anywhere, I am not sure I agree with this one. "Possible" anywhere? Yes. Probable? Sure. Just takes doing your homework before you whip out the checkbook.
 
In an area with a couple hundred huntable acres, I think 150" will be probable. Not every year, don't get me wrong here, but a 150" goal is realistic and good one.

I also agree with Kim about location. Golf courses, orchards are also good places to boarder. Don't be afraid to think outside the box.
 
Lundy brings up an excellent point with hunting pressure. However, if your property is large enough you can also use neighboring pressure to your advantage depending on how much pressure you put on your property.

The hardest part as the property gets larger are the slob "hunters" who either are ignorant of property lines or blatantly disregard them. I honestly do not think there is any one part of Ohio that is better than others for large deer, its just a matter of letting them grow to maturity to see what they are capable of and giving them the nutrition to reach that potential.

Ohio has such varied terrain from the natural features to the man made features left from strip mining that hunting techniques that I use when I hunt SE Ohio in and around the Egypt Valley Wildlife area don't completely translate when I hunt the edge of the glacial zone in Ashland county. There is a learning curve and then up in the flatter areas of Ohio such as the NW where agriculture is even more dominant has completely different style of hunting.

Stark County has some sleepers but that is imho partially due to the urbanization and the fact that there are pockets of no pressure where those deer can grow to monstrous size along with enough agriculture and urban greenery to allow for good nutrition.
 
Ok. I am from SWPA and just bought a camp this Spring in Washington County Ohio that borders WNF. Here are my current thoughts in no particular order.

1. There are less deer in Washington County Ohio than there is in SWPA.
2. Odds of killing a bigger buck is probably better in Ohio than SWPA.
3. WNF does give you the benefit of hunting alot of ground. Got tired of deer hunting over the weekend, so Sunday Morning my son and I went for a walk squirrel hunting and covered a bunch of "new ground"
4. Advantage of property bordering national forest is you know that it will always be national forest and won't be a turd neighbor. You can own hundreds of acres and 1 or 2 turd neighbors can turn it into a miserable place to hunt. We only have 13 acres but it borders WNF on 2 sides.
5. Don't get too hung up on current deer numbers in an area. In my experience hunting particular tracts over the years is deer numbers on a local level will fluctuate over time. I would find a piece of property that you like. You can improve the hunting on it over time.
6. Trespassing isn't as big of an issue in Ohio (from my experience) as it is in PA. I have never seen anyone or gotten any trail cam pics of trespassers on our 13 acres of property in Ohio. Maybe I am lucky, but I think Ohio tougher laws help.
7. Hunting in WNF is totally different hunting than SWPA. It is big woods at least where I am. Deer are less tolerant of being disturbed than where I am at in PA. That being said I am learning and I am going to be making several changes and have several new stand locations for next year.
 
I'm not going to call this guy a troll but it doesn't look like he has been back since the initial start of this thread. I'm happy to see this hasn't gone south like it might on other forums. There is a lot of great input here. I hope the OP comes back with some more input or questions because it is a fantastic hypothetical situation to kick around. I'm enjoying reading and learning different viewpoints on areas to hunt and why. Good stuff!
 
As a Washington County native, I'd advise against purchasing land near WNF if you're an outsider. Tough neighborhood up there; you'll have some headaches for a while and some that will never go away. But if you like big woods, that's one of the better places to go. Or look further south near Shawnee State Forest or even Crown City Wildlife Area.
 
cspot said:
Ok. I am from SWPA and just bought a camp this Spring in Washington County Ohio that borders WNF. Here are my current thoughts in no particular order.

1. There are less deer in Washington County Ohio than there is in SWPA.
2. Odds of killing a bigger buck is probably better in Ohio than SWPA.
3. WNF does give you the benefit of hunting alot of ground. Got tired of deer hunting over the weekend, so Sunday Morning my son and I went for a walk squirrel hunting and covered a bunch of "new ground"
4. Advantage of property bordering national forest is you know that it will always be national forest and won't be a turd neighbor. You can own hundreds of acres and 1 or 2 turd neighbors can turn it into a miserable place to hunt. We only have 13 acres but it borders WNF on 2 sides.
5. Don't get too hung up on current deer numbers in an area. In my experience hunting particular tracts over the years is deer numbers on a local level will fluctuate over time. I would find a piece of property that you like. You can improve the hunting on it over time.
6. Trespassing isn't as big of an issue in Ohio (from my experience) as it is in PA. I have never seen anyone or gotten any trail cam pics of trespassers on our 13 acres of property in Ohio. Maybe I am lucky, but I think Ohio tougher laws help.
7. Hunting in WNF is totally different hunting than SWPA. It is big woods at least where I am. Deer are less tolerant of being disturbed than where I am at in PA. That being said I am learning and I am going to be making several changes and have several new stand locations for next year.
Click to expand...

Until it gets sold off
 
When buying a tractor an old farmer told me "think of the hp you want andbjy 10-20hp more"


Land is the same. If you want 100 try to buy 300. If you own a few hundred anywhere in Ohio, chances are good to chase good deer. Maybe I'm overly optimistic but I own way less the 100 and I have some great deer year in and out. Yes I have Amish near by as well
 
hey guys!! thanks for all these replys! lots of good info here. i am looking at a place that is 100 acres in licking county in the south east corner of the county. it is a big patch of woods that is pretty much surrounded by AG. the taxes on this place are close to 7 grand so im not to sure about buying it yet. Does that sound crazy high to you guys or is that normal? it has 2 houses and 3 barns and they are all in good to great shape. i already asked about the neighbors and the home owners said that they are nice older people who will possibly let me hunt there 100+ acres that borders it. this is such a crazy situation for me because i have to have this house/land found within 40 more days, so i have time to close on it before i leave where im at.
 
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