Mature bucks have an uncanny ability to find these isolated hotspots and to hide and live out there lives there. 5 Overlooked Public Land Deer Hunting Hotspots, The New Hunters Guide to Buying Your First Deer Rifle, 23" EZ Hanger + Arrow Puller Combination 2 Pack, 5 Best Stand Setups for Pre-Rut Bowhunting, 7 Ways to Kill Bigger Deer on Small Properties, 20 Deer Hunting Lies Your Granddaddy Told You, The Best Way to Cook Chanterelle Mushrooms, 12 Reasons Why Your Venison Tastes Like Hell, Midwesterner Discovers Very Rare Melanistic Deer, Why an Old-School .30-06 Hunter is Switching to the 6.5 PRC, Southerners Shoot the Oldest Bucks, Texans Bag the Most Does, and More Highlights from the 2023 NDA Deer Report, Lost and Found: Neighbor Finds Hunters Huge Buck More Than a Year Later, Alabama Rut Kicking, Police Dog Saves Deer Hunter from Icy River, and More Deer Hunting News. Barbara Mudrak was a reporter for 25 years, mostly with the Akron Beacon Journal, and recently retired from teaching English and news writing at Alliance High School. Land Location. Although the distant swans were too far away to identify visually, when I came home and listened to the swan vocalizations (linked to at the bottom of this post), I believe they were all tundra swans. BBBC records indicated that southwest Ohio's Butler County has been a "big buck" producer in recent seasons. "This year he's doing the hard work for his dad. State Route 95, running east-west, goes through the middle of the area, from Blachleyville east, through Funk and Lake Fork to the west. This year weve seen cranes all up and down the valley, from the northernmost parts to the south near Millersburg, Solon said. Killbuck Marsh viewed near P-10 (described below) The Wildlife Area Buy Alert:23" EZ Hanger + Arrow Puller Combination 2 Pack. The islands that support oak trees can have great early season hunting because there are few oaks in wet terrain. 2593-KILLBUCK MARSH WA DEER Contact information: For more information about this permit contact Killbuck Marsh; 1691 Centerville Rd, Shreve, . The Model 336 is expected to be launched soon; the Model 1894 should launch this spring. In talking to various wildlife officers in some of the counties Rex revealed as producing large late-season deer, a pattern developed. If I can, I love to choose a nice, flat area inside of the cedars to plant a food plot. Mute swans are not native to North America, so these must have descended from escaped swans. I couldnt tell you the number of times Ive watched a deer (even big deer) emerge from standing corn, soybeans, and milo. Ahem, if a hunter couldnt tell the difference between a swan and a snow goose, I wouldnt give them a license, let alone a rifle. The wind blowing over the ridge creates a vacuum and pulls the rising thermal up the ridge. - Common, 02 How do I review information for a professional services project? 05 I've noticed logging activity that is polluting a stream with woody debris and mud. Its a win-win for the deer. Quite often, bucks leaving the beds in the evening take the safe way out. Solon, Long and Abele keep that from happening by mowing, cutting, burning and treating chemically when necessary. Just don't overpressure them or theyll be like all the rest. The links at the end of this post provide more information on how to distinguish tundra and trumpeter swans, but besides the teardrop-mark, the top of the head of the tundra swan is rounder and the bird is significantly smaller than the trumpeter swan. AloNovus Corp. Further information may be obtained at wildohio.gov. We are fortunate to have a pair of trumpeters visit during winter across the creek from us. The shovels piled up the dirt they dug, forming huge dikes on each side of the creek. !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 Below is a list of the best overlooked hotspots that produced my best public land bucks. Dont Miss:5 Overlooked Public Land Deer Hunting Hotspots. Terrain Tip: Use Google Earth and hydro maps to locate lowland areas that could be marshy. In recent weeks, six captive deer with ear tags had been harvested by hunters outside of fenced deer farms in Holmes County, two that were traced back to World Class Whitetails. Its amazing how every portion of high-timbered ground can have a hunter per acre, but hit the cattail water edge and all pressure stops. 07 Trees being cut on adjoining property and crossing property line. Prepare a list of questions to go over with your whitetail hunting expert, including topics such as hunting outfitters or mule deer hunts. Big bucks recognize these areas as safe spaces, as predators (even hunters) often cower at the mere mention of water. M#,sS.iZc;2JE7]%( KY+lm77e]Z|Wn[`a5q(n8EJSKzTj. These articles describe what our experience was like when we visited the park. The other late-season destination to consider in Wayne County for overlooked deer hunting opportunities is Shreve Lake WLA. One day we saw about 3,000 black ducks in a field, Solon said. The area lies in the glaciated central hills region of Ohio, with flat to moderately rolling topography resulting in the majority of the wildlife area consisting of seasonally flooded moist soil meadows and bottomland hardwoods. Marlin is back in the game with the re-introduction of the classic 336 and 1894 lever-action hunting rifles. After the slow morning of recording deer hunting success at Killbuck Marsh, it was expected that a few hunters would be bringing their deer to a check station at the Millersburg Fire Department, one of six chronic wasting disease check stations set up in Holmes County. You might be surprised. Site by Gray Loon. We saw many swans that were too far away for us to identify which species they were, but Id like to begin by talking about the trumpeter swan, a species that has successfully become established at Killbuck Marsh. This 5,671-acre wildlife area is situated in northeastern Ohio in portions of Wayne and Holmes counties. Locals called it Big Spring. Big bucks don't get big by hanging out where people hang out. Ive yet to see them but they are documented each year by the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center on whos property the trumpeters reside for a while. And beavers, which do most of the water management there. The check stations were established after Ohio's first positive test for CWD in late October, a captive deer at World Class Whitetails, a deer farm and hunting preserve in Holmes County. Its hard to beat a nice, dense cedar thicket. Deer are adaptive creatures. Deer love them. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Its genius, really. Phone: (330) 674-2300, Furniture Services: Manufacturing & Components. Help support TrekOhio by making purchases through Amazon links on this site. Does and big bucks alike are there for the taking if you know where to go for some later-season deer hunting. That can come in the form of tall grasses (like CRP and CREP fields), young oaks, cedars, etc. That said, they wont bed down in water. i have been hunting Killbuck Marsh for the last two years, and its got some pretty good hardwoods. Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area. > This is where we cover all things deer hunting, from experts and whitetail trivia to news, gear, and hardcore hunting advice. Together theyve created open fields and built dikes to increase the size of the wetlands. The property was acquired using multiple state funds and donations. TrekOhio is an Amazon affiliate. Don't be afraid to walk and look. Find these out in the middle of grassy CRP or CREP fields. Whom should I call? Its that simple, yet we all know how difficult it can be to consistently get close to and kill deer, especially mature bucks. Smith's Campground & Cabins 16325 Holmes Co. Rd. As usual, Solon and wildlife technicians Erich Long and John Abele make sure they and other wildlife have the habitat they need, and plenty to eat. Contact Information: DEC Region 6 Herkimer Office (M-F, 8:00AM - 4:30PM), (315) 866-6330; information.R6@dec.ny.gov. Edge terrain is where they find most of their food, water, and cover. Deer can still be found in the late season. Mohican State Park. Look for tight spots along the ridge like at the top of erosion draws, or where rock formations or fallen trees push the bucks thru a tight spot. Some bucks love to bed on ridge points. %%EOF To kill bucks in daylight, we need to hunt them where they move during daylight. Its common for deer to bed down in ditch and drainage systems, especially in plains states like Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, etc. The smart hunter will pick a leeward ridge during the rut that connects lots of bedding spurs. Brian Torrence, 53, of nearby Shreve has hunted the Killbuck area for years. May 22, 2019 |Brow Tines and Backstrap. rc/v:&;Is 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. Mike DeWine and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources that the Division of Wildlife launched the Big Spring Project to fix the problem. Today it remains a vast undeveloped swath and a refuge for wildlife including trumpeter swans. The Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area is more than 5,700 acres with land in both Wayne and Holmes counties. To an inexperienced hunter, it will seem like the setup should be in the valley. icon key. But once gun season concludes archery and primitive arms hunters have the place to themselves, especially during the week. The ones on island high ground may be producing the only acorns to feed on in the area. A smart hunter will set up on a "just off" wind so the buck is under a false sense of security. A smart hunter concentrates on the left over 10 percent. There wont be enough light to go around for the plants below and it becomes a biological desert.. Terrain Tip: Look at aerial maps of urban and suburban areas. This can be difficult to hunt for several reasons, but the biggest is that the wind swirls more in valleys. The action can be outstanding for does, and more productive than most think for mature bucks and the occasional trophy that slips out of the sanctuary for a chance at a meal. Bucks live and thrive in wet areas. Dont Miss:Micro Food Plots for Bow Season. From September through December, this unit receives an average of 2.75 inches of precipitation a month and the heaviest rainfall is in September. 06 How do I plant trees with a dibble bar? Terrain Tip: Scout ridges during the off-season. The group of three swans appears to be a family (two adult parents and one gray juvenile). Deer are edge animals. Our Killbuck Camp offers a cabin. I hope this year they come back and Im lucky to photograph them. Find that and youll likely find a rub-infested area where a big deer or two depending on the size of the area spends daylight hours. Once level with the bedding area, then you can work into position with less fear of bumping deer. The area is popular with birders and features nests of sandhill cranes and bald eagles. They will cruise the leeward ridges right in the thermal tunnel checking for does. In timbered swamps, they can be a little tougher to see without walking it. Millersburg, OH 44654 ELD Match, and 175 gr. Smart bucks bed in these locations because they can generally detect danger long before it reaches them. The wind can even be bad when you think its good, too. It is possible that renovations or other changes have occurred since the article was posted. When theres a logjam, the river finds a weak spot and creates a channel, said Dennis Solon, manager of the wildlife area. Lease. ELD-X Precision Hunter). So those folks know just how hard it can be to target a buck in that labyrinth of standing timber. . And they love cattails. Big Game Hunting (Examples Deer, Elk, Bear, etc..) Upland Bird Hunting (Examples Quail, Pheasant, Grouse, etc..) Listing Pricing. 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