Southern Ohio is renowned for big, mature bucks, and they certainly exist in the Wayne National Forest. You may hunt for days without seeing a shooter, but remain focused. (Shutterstock)
November 26, 2024
By Josh Honeycutt
A heavy-antlered, timber-dwelling buck steps into view as he feeds on white-oak acorns along the edge of his bedding area. You’re downwind, and he only needs to walk another 15 yards to be in range. This is the public-land hunting moment many dream of—and that some are fortunate to experience on many national forests, including Ohio’s sprawling Wayne National Forest. While it certainly isn’t an easy place to hunt, the Wayne is a top Midwest destination if you’re serious about mature public-land whitetails.
LEARN THE BASICS Wayne National Forest consists of more than 240,000 acres, with more than 200,000 of those open to hunting. The forest is broken into several tracts, including the Athens, Ironton and Marietta units. All are in southeastern Ohio, which is well known for big-woods deer hunting.
The Athens Unit lies in parts of Athens, Hocking, Morgan, Perry, Vinton and Washington counties, and the district office is in the unit’s southeastern corner. The Ironton Unit comprises more than 107,000 acres and occupies parts of Gallia, Jackson, Lawrence and Scioto counties. Hunters can get visitor information at the Ironton Ranger Station, which is north of Ironton in Pedro. The Marietta Unit occupies parts of Monroe, Noble and Washington counties. Its district office is located just southeast of Reno.
As is to be expected, many other outdoor enthusiasts also use the forest. So, hunters should be aware of those who are merely camping , hiking or riding ATVs, UTVs or horses on designated trails.
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During the rut, pay close attention to ridges, as bucks often cruise these areas looking for does throughout the forest. (Shutterstock) In many areas, the Wayne poses dangers. Some of these include abandoned mines, black bears, dangerous caves, poisonous plants, ticks, venomous spiders and snakes (mostly copperheads and timber rattlers) and more. Authorities advise against drinking stream water, even if filtered or treated. These methods do not remove heavy metals, which are concerns in Wayne National Forest, as the region was once heavily mined, thus many streams are polluted.
Wayne National Forest is like other federally owned and managed properties in that it has a lot of big woods, rough topography and challenging terrain. Expect a lot of oak, hickory and other mast trees. While some tracts of the Wayne National Forest are quite large, there are many smaller pockets of public land scattered about, too, often lying amidst private properties. With some of these, hunters can scout and glass deer from the road, which makes it possible to easily and comfortably pattern them, then make a game plan for the nearby public ground.
On public lands, it’s often common to see hunters and signs of hunters close to roadways, though some of these easy-to-reach areas are overlooked more frequently than you might expect. And, of course, there are generally fewer hunters deeper into larger tracts that are more difficult to access. While many hunt the Wayne National Forest, there is plenty of land for those looking to spread out.
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In many areas, the Wayne offers a mix of mature timber and early-successional cover. Usually, higher elevations have mature hardwoods, while lower elevations have brushy, thick early-successional habitat. Often, wet-weather streams and creeks wind down and through these hills.
Bucks like to bed in thick, brushy cover at low elevations, but beds at higher elevations offer scenting advantages. (Shutterstock) Generally, most deer (especially mature bucks) bed down in the thicker cover. Much of that is at lower elevations, but some is higher up, and bucks prefer the latter due to scenting advantages. They’ll spend most daylight hours in that denser cover with higher stem counts. However, sometimes they’ll head up the ridges to find falling mast, such as red- and white-oak acorns. During the rut, deer run these ridges in search of receptive does.
STUDY OTHERS’ SUCCESS Thousands of hunters pursue whitetails on the Wayne each season. One such individual is Josh Raines. A veteran of the Wayne National Forest, he freely admits it’s a difficult hunt.
“There have been years I’ve hunted from daylight to dark for 10 days straight without laying eyes on a single shooter,” Raines says. “That said, with Ohio being a one-buck state, and the majority of the season being archery-only, the national forest does hold some mature bucks with very good genetics.”
Raines lives in Virginia, but he’s hunted Ohio’s Wayne National Forest for seven years. He’s scouted and hunted in numerous counties, and in seven seasons, he’s harvested two great bucks. While it took a few seasons to get a feel for the place, he now understands it much better. In 2020, he bagged a 130-inch 8-pointer. During the 2023 season, on day six of a planned 10-day hunt, he shot a 12-pointer that scored 164 4/8 inches.
Raines says to expect a lot of steep ground, side hills and—in a few areas—property adjacent to ag ground. Sometimes, tackling challenging ground,or diving deep into larger tracts can help in escaping hunting pressure. However, this doesn’t always work.
On one hunt during the 2023 season, Raines walked about an hour deep into an area away from roads and access points. After setting up for the morning hunt, four headlamps appeared through the trees shortly before two guys with bows and two hunters with cameras walked by. While Raines feels that Ohio’s public lands receive more hunting pressure than other states he’s hunted, success is still possible. He encourages people to scout more than they hunt. Raines arrives about five days before the hunt and spends each of them scouting, sometimes even continuing to scout during the hunt until he finds an area he likes.
“Don’t give up because it doesn’t go your way,” he says. “Keep going and stay after it. Eventually it will pay off. Keep going until you find the area you’re looking for.”
Adam Wycuff has similarly logged many days hunting whitetails on the Wayne. One thing he stresses is that the hunting can change drastically from one year to the next.
Red- and white-oak acorns are a deer staple in the Wayne. Find deer sign around dropping trees and set up nearby. (Shutterstock) “The deer hunting in Wayne is very cyclical, usually coinciding with mast crop,” he says. “The best years for me are when we have a good acorn crop, but they’re not dropping everywhere.”
He indicates that most hillsides and ridges have red and white oak trees, and he recommends simply finding fresh deer sign nearby and hunting. As noted, an overabundance or complete absence of acorns makes this more difficult.
Wycuff’s favorite time to hunt the forest is from mid-October (around the 18th) to early November (roughly the 7th). He likes this period because it’s just before most trees lose all their leaves, and he can still slip in closer to bedding areas. During one of his favorite early-season bowhunts, in October of 2020, he skipped the morning hunt and instead settled in for an afternoon sit. Set up in a spot he’d hunted for more than 20 years, he saw deer, but not the buck he wanted.
The next morning, Wycuff returned to hunt the area again. Around 8:30, he saw a doe he’d seen the previous afternoon, along with a companion.
“Suddenly, a 10-point buck appeared out of nowhere,” Wycuff says. “He watched the doe and fed closer to me. I took a quartering-away shot at 24 yards. He kicked and ran over the hill.”
After a long recovery process, Wycuff and his friend finally found the buck, which he says scored in the mid-130s.
Hunters who consistently kill big bucks in the Wayne spend more time scouting than hunting and are willing to put several years into collecting information. (Photo courtesy of Bear Archery) STAY LEGAL Wayne National Forest isn’t just one big piece of land. Rather, it’s a fragmented collection of parcels. Some are big, others small, but each has property lines hunters must respect. Mapping apps can help a ton, as they typically show property lines and have public hunting land layers that depict private-public boundaries. A digital tool like this can make the hunt better, safer and more enjoyable. Just remember to save offline map versions, as phone service may be limited or non-existent in some areas. After all, the Wayne is a rugged place, though one with big-buck potential for determined hunters.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO Things to consider when planning a DIY whitetail hunt on the Wayne.
The Wayne National Forest has loads of scenic views and trails, many of them designated for off-highway vehicles (OHVs). (Photo courtesy of © TheAmericanExplorer/Dreamstime) Ohio is very accommodating to out-of-state deer hunters. A non-resident hunting license and deer permit are required and easily purchased online. However, these are simpler and less expensive to obtain than in many other Midwestern states where drawings and expensive tags are the norm.
Ohio hunting laws and season dates are enforced on the Wayne National Forest. Usually, hunting is allowed anywhere except for developed recreation areas—campgrounds, picnic areas, swimming areas, trailheads, etc.—which have boundaries. Hunters must also stay away from any oil or gas operations. Recreational target shooting isn’t allowed, but shooting at in-season game animals is. It’s also unlawful to discharge a firearm within 150 yards of a building, campsite, residence, recreation area, trailhead or other occupied areas, and hunters cannot shoot from or across roadways or bodies of water, or from or into caves.
Towns and cities close to the Athens Unit include New Lexington, McConnelsville, Athens, South Bloomingville, Logan, New Straitsville and Nelsonville, most of which offer at least a few lodging options. Around the Ironton Unit, look to Ironton, Gallipolis, Portsmouth, New Boston and Wheelersburg for lodging and amenities. Near the Marietta Unit, your best bet for accommodations is Marietta itself.
If camping is more your style, Burr Oak Cove Campground is popular in the Athens Unit, and the Lake Vesuvius Recreation Area offers three campgrounds within the Ironton Unit. Meanwhile, there are at least five different campgrounds in the Marietta Unit. There are also dispersed camping opportunities within each unit and other nearby private campgrounds.
If you are fortunate to tag out early in your hunt, consider exploring other recreational opportunities like hiking, ATV and horse-riding trails, many scenic lakes and the Ohio River.
This article was featured in the November 2024 issue of Game & Fish magazine. Click to subscribe .
