Wayne National Forest, OH Deer Hunting

[postman]

Never had any problems. I try to hunt in center of Wayne, that way I won't have to worry about private land. If you have an ATV you can get permit and really get back in Wayne where the monster bucks are at.

[huskyarcher]

Unfortunately life got in the way last fall and i wasnt able to make any trips up north last fall! Just never did have the time to get away. The short time i got to spend scouting there though last may makes me excited for this fall however!

Is it September yet?

[Kevin Dill]

A lot of folks don't know what kind of opportunities really exist on some of Ohio's larger tracts of state and national forest land. There are places large enough and rough enough that few hunters spend any time going in there and seriously hunting. Those areas don't lend themselves to typical whitetail hunting strategies where you drive, park, walk and climb a tree. I'm talking about getting back in a mile or more and through rough terrain in many cases.

There are plenty of opportunities to do a true backpack hunt on larger tracts, or on tracts that present some formidable terrain (acres in parentheses) such as Tar Hollow (16,354), Shawnee (60,000 total, and 8,000 is designated wilderness), Scioto Trail (9600), Vinton Furnace (12,000 and Ohio's largest bobcat population), Brush Creek (13,500), Zaleski (27,000 and has a 23 mile trail loop). The afore-mentioned are all state forest lands with good hunting.

Wayne National Forest offers over a quarter million acres in the state. Most of it is hunted but the kick is that most of the very remote pieces don't get hunted hard and steadily. If you can put on a pack and get back in over a solid mile you're likely to see no other hunters and probably hear nothing but the sounds of the forest.

[huskyarcher]

I would love to do a backpack hunt for deer! Just the experience would be worth it-deer or not.

I try to be as optimistic as possible. So when i lay down that Buckeye state stud, what do you suggest is the best way to get it out? Deer cart maybe? I always have to approach of "crossing that bridge when i get to it" but maybe this would be an example of a time planning needs to be in order?

[Longbowlogan]

I would use a frame pack and quarter it and pack it out. From what I've found this is legal to do in Ohio, you have to call in your deer first and have the tag number they give you before cutting up the deer. Once you have the number they supply you with you do not have to leave the sex organ attached to anything like in some other states. The E-mail I read was from an ODNR officer, she said as long as the scraps are left where the deer died and not at a parking lot that you would be fine. Here's the E-mail

Thank you for your e-mail.

This is a new issue for the agency to deal with.

A deer may be quartered once it is permanently checked in. In previous
years a deer had to be taken whole with the head attached to a check
station, but that is no longer the case and deer can be checked over the
telephone. Once checked it, a deer may be handled in whatever way the
hunter wants.

Going from a strict interpretation of the law, it is not illegal to
leave the material from field dressing or quartering a deer at the place
it fell on a wildlife area.

The law states: "No person shall place or dispose of in any manner,...
anything ... of an unsightly or unsanitary nature on any state owned,
controlled, or administered land,..." While it may not be very clear,
the key words are "place or dispose of" mean that you cannot take the
material off-site and then bring it back and dump it. The other words
to look at are unsightly or unsanitary. In the woods, it is a normal
thing to find dead deer or other wild animals occasionally and is not
really thought of as unsightly or unsanitary. At the parking lot, it is
not normal, and could fit the terms unsightly or unsanitary.

If you quarter a deer at the place it fell, and leave the scraps etc. at
the site, it is not a problem under the current law. If it is done at
the parking lot or away from the hunting area and the material is
brought back, it is likely to result in a ticket.

State parks and other public areas not operated by ODNR Division of
Wildlife may have different rules.

If you have further questions or concerns, please contact us at
1-800-WILDLIFE.

Laura Roth
Division of Wildlife

[Kevin Dill]

A cart left in your vehicle could be useful, but do keep in mind southeast Ohio is really hilly. Powering a wheeled cart + deer up a hillside is hard work. An alternative strategy depending on how far back you're in is to keep a plastic toboggan/sled at your vehicle. Kill a deer? Hike some gear out to the vehicle and do a mobile check-in. Come back with the sled. You can bring the deer out whole or sectioned and loaded on the sled. They tow nicely in the woods if you tie them off to your climbing harness, leaving your hands free to move limbs. It might take you an hour or more, but that's the price of getting back in and killing one.

[huskyarcher]

I didnt realize i could pack it out, i thought i might get in trouble for the left over carcass. That will be what i do and i dont hunt alone out of state, so with two or three the job shouldnt be bad at all. Thanks for the info!

[Longbowlogan]

No problem, Kevin's info is very good also! Sounds like a fun trip, I might have to run down to Wayne and do a long weekend pack in hunt if none of my private ground produces.

[Jeff D. Holchin]

Dalton, I bet with those two hillbillies you hunt with in NC and drag to the CTA shoots, after you kill that monster buck, you could fake a back injury and let them do all the work.....I think you are on the right track with a western-style backpack hunt.

[deerhunter_w]

Sounds like a good hunt to me. Jeff thanks for letting the cat out of the bag. I will remember that Just in case Dalton tries to pull that card.

Jeff

[actionjackson22]

Ive bow hunted on public land in southern ohio every year for 13 years and have always had a good time. Wayne would be fun to try especially a backpack hunt. Ive been hunting zealski and it just got way to crowed with non residents everywhere even if you went in deep but Wayne you could get away from people I'm sure

[huskyarcher]

Originally posted by Jeff D. Holchin:
Dalton, I bet with those two hillbillies you hunt with in NC and drag to the CTA shoots, after you kill that monster buck, you could fake a back injury and let them do all the work.....I think you are on the right track with a western-style backpack hunt.

Genius! I'm guessing it wont work on you on that PBS hunt either huh?

[David Mitchell]

My buddies and I have hunted Zaleski State Forest for at least 35 years and have seen the deer numbers constantly decline.  Last fall we decided that we were going to hang it up at Zaleski and look elsewhere. We also tried Vinton Furnace but had no success there last year at even seeing a deer. I began hunting there when I lived in Ohio and have continued to hunt with my buddies from there. This has been a place we have loved and enjoyed for years.

[DannyBows]

Hello Dalton! Congrats on all your Trad adventures and successes since we last corresponded.      

I've been wanting to do a backpack hunt in Wayne for years. Harvesting a Deer would be great, but for me the attraction is the experience of a back country style hunt without going out west. However, putting it together from New Jersey has been impossible for me.

Things have changed though as I'm moving back to Ohio this summer. I'm originally from Cleveland and I'll be moving to the country east of Cleveland where my parents are. So a Wayne hunt is now a lot easier to put together.

Worsening Arthritis in my hip has given me trepredations about backpacking though. The VA has started me on Gel shots that help so it's still a possibility. However, I may have come up with a better plan. I've discovered at least two rivers that go thru Wayne and I'd love to make it a canoe/hunting/fishing/bushcrafting trip. I plan on taking at least a month off between leaving here and getting back to work in Ohio and during that time I want to make a scouting trip down at least one of those rivers. I have a new SOT kayak now and will be picking up a canoe before then. I'm hoping a canoe hunting trip there is viable, but don't know why it couldn't be worked out. I expect it would need to be at least a week long to make it worth it.

I have no exact date for leaving here but expect it will be around July or August at the latest.

So, can you paddle? Can you paddle really fast if the sound of Banjo music is heard? Ha!

Anyway, thought I'd throw out another option for a Wayne hunt I've been considering and you might find interesting.

[Jeff D. Holchin]

Oh hi there Jeff W       maybe that trick will work on Tim?

Dalton, the best think about that wilderness lake where I am having my PBS member hunt, is that everywhere we hunt is UP from the lake.  That means all drags are downhill.  Longest drag we had last year was 1/4 mile.  However, that big buck that PBSer George killed was at least 200 pounds dressed and after about a 200 yard drag, we was whipped! Sure enjoyed that boat ride!

[Jeff D. Holchin]

[IndaTimber]

I'm planning a back pack hunt on the Wayne for this upcoming season, basically due to Kevin Dill's thread last year about hunting alone. I did some short trips, on some local areas, this year to figure out gear and what exactly I would need and really enjoyed it.

Good Luck!

[huskyarcher]

Just looking at that picture gets me all sorts of pumped, Holchin! Maybe i can get lucky enough to stumble into one of those suckers wi th y'all this fall! Cant wait for that hunt.

Dan! good to hear from you! I had been meaning to shoot you a PM just to catch up! Glad to hear you're going to get to spend some time in the woods this year! Maybe the dates will work out and il come find you while up there and yes, paddle a while. Im from the hills and collars of NC, i know what to do when i hear banjo music lol.

[Jeff D. Holchin]

Dalton, here is another, where he fell.  Check out that neck - a prime southern Ohio public land buck!

[huskyarcher]

This will be the year i kill one, mark it down!! Lol i hope it is anyway.