Deer hunting in the Buckeye State has definitely come of age. Wildlife managers now spend more time worrying about how to keep whitetail numbers in check than they do about finding ways to protect them.

Every fall, out-of-state trophy hunters flock to Ohio to take advantage of what may be the Midwest's best deer-hunting opportunities. They all hope for a chance at one of this state's legendary world-class bucks.

IS THIS OUR BEST COUNTY?
Though big bucks do exist in most of the state's 88 counties, all things considered, Coshocton County in east-central Ohio may be the best spot in the state to find a big Buckeye Big Buck Club qualifier.

One look at the records of the Buckeye Big Buck Club will show that Coshocton County has been the top-producing county of trophy deer for four years running. Last year, it yielded a total of 8,656 antlered and antlerless all-season white-tailed deer.

Licking County is consistently at the top of the list for its archery-season harvest, and it's interesting to note that it borders Coshocton County on the northeast side. The entire region is a deer hunter's paradise.

A LOCAL CONTACT
According to Denise Shivers, who works at Wills Creek General Store in Wills Creek, the number of deer harvested in the county is always high.

"We checked in 1,030 deer last season," said Shivers, "and that was actually kind of low compared to other years. "The biggest buck was a 19-pointer, and one of the deer taken during the Youth Season was a 16-pointer.

"The first part of last year's archery season went really well," she added. "We checked in about 230 deer during that time. There are good numbers of deer and some excellent bucks around here."

Coshocton County's public and private lands offer equally good hunting, said Shivers. In most areas of the state, the locals keep the private lands to themselves and leave the public lands to visitors and those who don't have access to private property.

Not so in Coshocton County. Local hunters are as at home on public land as they are on the area's farms, taking plenty of deer from both. (Continued)

Shivers said she would even provide contacts for visiting hunters who seek permission to tag a big buck on private land: "All they have to do is to stop by the store, and I'll provide a few names," she said. "It's up to the hunters from there."

Most of the local landowners who hunt are willing to share their bounty. There is no "official" list of private landowners, so information on those willing to give permission to hunt is spread by word of mouth.

PUBLIC LANDS
Woodbury Wildlife Area
The public lands in Coshocton County are loaded with deer. The Woodbury Wildlife Area and the Conesville Coal Lands offer thousands of acres of prime whitetail habitat and are open to bowhunters on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Woodbury WA spreads through much of Coshocton County and may explain why this county has been able to maintain its No. 1 ranking for deer-harvest numbers.

This is rough country for central Ohio. Prior to the state's acquisition of the property in the early 1990s, about half of it had been strip-mined. The results are obvious, with high spoil hills covered with young trees and extensive open grasslands, thanks to reclamation efforts.

Well over 100 small ponds and over 40 wetland areas add to the mix of diverse habitat, and it all adds up to quality deer. Big bucks know exactly where to go when the pressure is heavy, and it will be worth your effort to go in after them.

Farmland borders part of this huge area that covers 19,050 acres. Bucks move in and out of Woodbury's remote forested sections, chasing does or foraging in crop fields at their leisure. To take advantage of deer travel patterns, early-season hunters can set up on public acreage near the farms. But to find out which fields are being utilized by the herd, hunters should do a little pre-season scouting.