Cooper Hollow Wildlife Area down in Jackson County is a good one, according to district wildlife manager Mark Hemming. This 5,421-acre area lies about 12 miles from Jackson on U.S. Route 35.

DISTRICT FIVE
District Five accounts for the second-lowest antlered deer harvest among the five districts. Last year, hunters took 9,638 antlered deer, a 4 percent increase from the year before.

Although its habitat is more varied than in District Two, it's still mostly dominated by huge agricultural fields and small woodlots. Nutrition is certainly more than adequate to produce spectacular bucks, but in areas where hunting is allowed, the nature of the habitat makes it difficult for deer to survive long enough to reach record status.

Highland County led District Five with 17 new Buckeye Big Buck Club entries, making it third best in the state. It ranks in a tie for 26th, with 142 all-time entries.

"Highland County is a three-deer county. It traditionally produces some great trophy deer," said Dave Kohler, district wildlife manager.

With 13 new entries, Warren County was second in the district. And Adams County was third with 12 new entries. The district ranks fourth, with 1,327 all-time entries and 108 new entries.

In the southwest corner of Ohio, Adams County led District Five with a kill of 1,375 antlered deer -- 26th in the state. With 1,249 antlered deer, Brown County was close behind, followed by Clermont County with 1,145 antlered deer.

2006 SEASON DATES
Deer season gets underway this year Sept. 30 with archery hunting, which continues through Feb. 4, 2007, providing trophy seekers with four-plus months of continuous hunting opportunity.

The early muzzleloader season runs from Oct. 23 to 28 at Salt Fork, Shawnee State Forest and Wildcat Hollow, by special permit only. A drawing will be held to issue a limited number of antlered and unlimited antlerless permits.

The youth gun season is Nov. 18 to 19. The one-week deer gun season begins on Monday, Nov. 27 and runs through Sunday, Dec. 3, but (new for the 2006 hunting season) there will be an extra weekend included -- Dec. 16 and 17.

The statewide muzzleloader season opens Wednesday, Dec. 27, and runs through Saturday, Dec. 30.

The three deer-hunting zones remain the same as last year. Zone C, with a three-deer limit, includes 38 central, south, southeastern and southwestern counties.

The two-deer-limit Zone B encompasses 30 counties. Zone A is managed under a one-deer limit and includes 20 northwestern counties.

A hunter may take one buck in Ohio, regardless of zone, hunting method or season. Be patient and make it a good one!

For more information about deer hunting in Ohio and about the Buckeye Big Buck Club, contact the Ohio Division of Wildlife headquarters, 1840 Belcher Drive, Columbus, OH 43224-1329. Call (614) 265-6300, or you can visit the agency's Web site at www.ohiodnr.com.

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