Delaware Wildlife Area
Delaware Wildlife Area is District One's largest public hunting area, providing both gun and bowhunters a nearby outlet for deer hunting in the Greater Columbus region.

The 6,800-acre area is relatively flat ground, with multiple ways to access hunting ground from all directions. Publication 107 is a detailed map of the area that can provide hunters this information.

Delaware is only half an hour north of Columbus, adjacent to U.S. Route 23 on the west side of I-71 North. It rests at the junction of Delaware, Marion and Morrow Counties. Delaware and Morrow are three-deer counties, and Marion is part of the 30 two-deer counties.

Kokosing Lake Wildlife Area
Another area worth mentioning is Kokosing Lake Wildlife Area northwest of Fredericktown, Ohio. This 1,200-acre area sits in northern Knox County, which is known for high deer densities and great hunting.

Last season, Knox County was ranked in the top 10 for total deer harvest, with over 6,700 deer. Any time you can hunt public ground in Knox County, you'll stand a great chance at getting a deer.

Big Island Wildlife Area
A final area that is relatively new to Ohio is Big Island Wildlife Area. This 5,000-acre parcel provides Marion County hunters a little more space to maneuver. One drawback to the area is the limited amount of standing timber, however, a good hunter can use this to their advantage.

Concentrating to the south along the Scioto River and in the center of the area, you will find a mixture of whitetail habitat. The combination of woodland, brushland and the swamp is ideal habitat, but a location that most hunters are reluctant to access.

Access to Big Island is very simple, as you can reach most of the area via State Route 95 west of Marion.

For more information about all the public hunting areas in central Ohio, contact the District One office at (614) 644-3925.

DISTRICT TWO
Northwest Ohio may be one of easier districts to hunt, since the landscape is relatively flat and deer are concentrated in limited pockets of habitat. Despite being the district with the lowest total harvest, it still produces decent numbers of healthy-sized deer. With the predominately agricultural landscape, these deer are not deprived of nutrition.

"Northwest Ohio's one giant food plot," said District Manager John Daugherty, and he's correct. A few key public areas provide the cover needed to hold deer that use agriculture as their main staple for survival.

Lake La Su An Wildlife Area
Several counties in District Two provide great deer hunting. Once of these is Williams County, which borders Indiana and contains Lake La Su An Wildlife Area. This 2,430-acre area can be reached by Williams County Road 7 from U.S. Route 20.

The area contains beech, white ash, white oak, red oak, and sugar maple and several lowland areas that are poorly drained, forming wooded wetlands. This combination provides ideal whitetail habitat.

Further information can be obtained from the Area Manager, Lake La Su An Wildlife Area, 09-455 Road R, Pioneer, OH 43554. Phone the Division of Wildlife at (419) 485-9092, or visit their Web site at www.ohiodnr.com/wildlife.

Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area
Whenever you can hunt adjacent to a wildlife refuge, you'll ultimately see your success rate improve, thanks to a deer population that isn't over-hunted. Killdeer Plains provides hunters this opportunity. This 8,627-acre wildlife area lies in the grain farming country of north-central Ohio, eight miles south of Upper Sandusky in Wyandot County.

Approximately two-thirds of the area is in cropland and meadows, with the other third divided almost equally between woods and shrubby coverts and water.

Killdeer lies half way between Columbus and Toledo and is worth a scouting trip for all of Ohio's deer seasons. To obtain further information, contact:

• The Area Manager, Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area, 19100 CH 115, Harpster, OH 43323. Phone (740) 496-2254.
• Wildlife District Two Office, 952 Lima Avenue, Findlay, OH 45840. Call (419) 424-5000.

DISTRICT THREE
Northeastern Ohio continues to get better for deer hunters. Not only are the deer numbers high, so are the public-land opportunities to hunt.