Clendening Lake is the largest undeveloped lake in Ohio. Surrounding its 41 miles of shoreline is 4,801 acres of land that's open to hunting. These rolling, forested hills provide excellent bowhunting, yet pressure is invariably light to moderate.

Boats provide the best access to remote areas, but bowhunters should know that there is a 10-horsepower limit on motors.

Clendening Lake is west of Cadiz in Harrison County. To get there, take U.S. Route 22 west from Cadiz, go north on state Route 342 to Freeport, and then take state Route 799 to the marina.

For information on camping and lodging, contact the Clendening Marina office at (740) 658-3691. A map of the lake and surrounding lands is available at the agency's Web site at www.mwcdlakes.com.

Other Muskingum Watershed Conservancy Lakes information can also be found at this Web site.

Tappan Lake and Piedmont Lake are in the same vicinity. Tappan Lake is north of Clendening Lake. Take U.S. Route 250 West from Cadiz.

Surrounding the 2,350-acre lake is about 5,000 acres of land. Tappan Lake Park has 500 campsites and rental cabins. Motors are limited to 299 horsepower.

For more information, call (740) 922-3649.

Piedmont Lake is south of Clendening Lake. U.S. Route 22 passes close to the dam west from Cadiz. The dam and lower part of the lake are in Harrison County; the remainder is in Belmont County.

The lake is surrounded by 4,416 acres of land that are open to bowhunting. Boats are limited to motors of 10-horsepower, maximum. Piedmont Mill Lake Marina and Campgrounds has 80 campsites.

For more information, call (740) 658-3735.

DISTRICT ONE
Deer Creek Wildlife Area
Bowhunters in central Ohio face a different situation than in the other districts.

"In our district, the amount of public land is limited," said Dan Huss, the ODOW's District One wildlife management supervisor.

"Most of the deer hunting that occurs in central Ohio takes place on private land," Huss said. "But there are some areas, especially lands adjacent to urban areas, where there are both good numbers of deer and some good bucks."

One of the few public lands in District One with good bowhunting potential is the Deer Creek Wildlife Area.

"This is a mixture of woodland, brushland, cropland and open grassland," Huss said. "There's a lot of tall prairie grass in that area."

Deer Creek Wildlife Area has an area of 4,085 acres. About a quarter of the generally flat terrain is hardwood forest. Another quarter is cultivated.

This public land is about 35 miles from Columbus. Head south from Columbus on I-71, exit onto state Route 3 or state Route 56 to Mt. Sterling, and then head south on state Route 207.

Deer Creek State Park is adjacent to the wildlife area. This park is a major resort facility with a 277-site campground, 25 cottages and a 110-room lodge.

Get park information by contacting Deer Creek State Park, 20635 Waterloo Road, Mt. Sterling, OH 43143. Call the park office at (740) 869-3124, or visit the park's Web site at www.dnr.state.oh.us/parks/parks/deercrk.htm.

Some hunting is allowed in the park, but it's the closed area that generates this area's trophy buck potential.

"Most of the state park is closed to hunting, but all of the wildlife area is open to hunting," Huss explained. "So the deer move back and forth. Some bucks get a little more age on them as a result."

Information about these wildlife areas, including maps, can be obtained from the ODOW's Wildlife District One office, 1500 Dublin Road, Columbus, OH 43215; or call (614) 644-3925.

For more information about bowhunting opportunities in Ohio, contact the Ohio Division of Wildlife headquarters, 1840 Belcher Drive, Columbus, OH 43224-1329. Call (614) 265-6300, or you can visit the ODOW at www.ohiodnr.com, where maps and descriptions of most wildlife areas are available.

For travel information, contact the Ohio Division of Travel and Tourism at www.OhioTourism.com, or call them at 1-800-BUCKEYE.