"If I were hunting public lands, I would head to Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area in Holmes and Wayne counties. There are plenty of isolated pockets that hold deer."

Carter likes Killbuck WA because of its proximity to leftover corn crops. In January, deer will often try to conserve energy by bedding near feeding areas. Their habits remain fairly consistent. If you catch a herd feeding one afternoon, chances are they'll be back the next day.

Killbuck WA covers nearly 5,500 acres in Wayne and Holmes counties. Permanent wildlife cover has been established through plantings of thousands of trees and shrubs, helping to create terrific deer habitat.

According to Carter, the size of the area makes hunting pressure in January virtually nonexistent.

"Chances are good you won't see another hunter in Killbuck in January," he said.

Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area lies 35 miles from Mansfield and Akron and 55 miles from Cleveland. The area extends north from Holmesville to three miles south of Wooster.

County and township roads provide good access to most of the area, and small parking lots are scattered throughout.

For more information and maps, log on to www.outdoorohio.com.

DISTRICT FOUR
Forked Run State Park
Forked Run State Park in Meigs County is in the heart of Appalachia and runs along the Ohio River. While the area also borders the Shay River State Forest, the bottom area along the Ohio is farmed, providing leftover corn for hungry deer.

"This is an excellent area for late- season hunting," said Keith Wood, a Meigs County wildlife officer.

"There's never a lot of hunting pressure, and the habitat is good for deer."

Wood, who has served as a game warden in Meigs for 25 years, likes Forked Run for its combination of bordering crops, water and state forest for whitetail browsing. Area farmers grow cabbage, melons, tomatoes and sweet corn.

Forked Run is 34 miles south of Marietta in Reedsville on state Route 7. The park has nearly 800 acres of land and 100 acres of water. The bordering state forest boasts more than 2,000 acres of woodland. Directions may be found on the Internet at www.dnr.state.oh.us.

DISTRICT FIVE
Sycamore State Park
Trent Weaver, a Montgomery County wildlife officer, talked of seeing a multitude of deer in urban areas of the county where farms and development have merged. The only public hunting ground in Montgomery County, Sycamore State Park, is a perfect example.

In 2006, 137 deer were taken in Montgomery County during archery season. Weaver said that those low kill numbers weren't due to a low deer population, but the result of hunters overlooking these prime hunting grounds.

Sycamore State Park offers nearly 2,400 acres of land and more than three miles of creek. The area is northwest of Dayton in an area where farming still occurs among growing suburban developments.

Directions to the area may be found at www.dnr.state.oh.us.

A record 67,912 whitetails were taken during Ohio's 2006-07 archery season. With fewer hunters out and deer clustering around prime feeding areas, there's good reason to get off the couch and into the woods this month.