The best way to harvest some venison, maybe even bag a trophy-class buck, might be by seeking permission to hunt lands adjacent to the no-hunting zones. It shouldn't be hard to convince landowners that you'd be performing a service by helping to keep the deer population in check.

The Spencer Lake Wildlife Area covers just 618 acres, but hunting pressure is low during the January bowhunting season. Deer use the area's brushy sections for cover once human activity decreases and the cold weather moves in.

The proximity of Spencer Wildlife Area to the southwest side of Cleveland makes it worth a look. It is about two miles east of Spencer in Medina County. From Cleveland, take Interstate Route 71 south to the Medina exit, and then follow Route 162 west.

The Grand River Wildlife Area is much larger, at 6,993 acres, and is the largest wild area in the northeastern counties. It probably offers more and better deer hunting than any other area close to the urban areas.

The Grand River WA is a reasonably short drive east from Cleveland by way of Route 422 to Southington, and then north on Route 534 to the area headquarters. From the Warren-Youngstown area, follow Route 422 west to Route 534. From Akron, take Interstate Route 76 east to Route 534 at Lake Milton.

This area's flat to gently rolling terrain features varied habitats ranging from wetlands to hardwood forest. The Grand River cuts diagonally through the wildlife area. Slightly less than half the area is hardwood forest. The largest forested area is on the west side of the river. Elsewhere, smaller woodlots are scattered between a mix of brush, crop fields and natural or maintained openings, wetlands and open water.

For a hunt in different habitat and terrain, try the Highlandtown Wildlife Area in Columbiana County. Steep hills cover most of this area's 2,265 acres, with elevations ranging from 1,060 feet to 1,340 feet. Most of the habitat is hardwood and conifer forest with some mix of cropland, reverting fields and brush. Conifers provide ideal winter cover.

Try still-hunting in the conifers during or immediately following snowstorms and during extremely cold weather. Scout for trails between oaks and conifers if there are still acorns on the ground.

Highlandtown Wildlife Area is in Columbiana County about eight miles south of Lisbon. Take Route 11 south from the Warren-Youngstown area to Lisbon and then travel south on Route 164 to the wildlife area. Various township roads lead into the public land from Route 164 and Route 39, which intersects Route 164 off the southwest corner of the wildlife area and forms part of the southern boundary.

More information about deer hunting in the northeastern counties is available by contacting the ODOW's Wildlife District Three office, 912 Portage Lakes Drive, Akron, OH 44319, or call (330) 644-2293.

Wayne National Forest is the biggest chunk of public land in the state. It is broken into three units: the Marietta, Athens and Ironton units. Each of these is composed of numerous individual tracts that are interspersed with private lands. Hunters must have written permission to hunt on private lands in Ohio, so acquire a map and study it well before planning a trip this month.

Wayne NF offers the ultimate opportunity for inexpensive public hunting in Ohio. Though weather conditions might be rough during winter, hunters who are prepared for cold-weather camping may hunt from primitive campsites with no other expense except getting here.

The key to locating deer in January is finding what and where they are eating.

"At this time of year there's still some mast on the ground," Tonkovich explained. "Browse becomes important, too, so hunters should be thinking about hunting in areas where there's an understory, heavy brush that deer can reach."

Browse becomes critical if there is no mast on the ground.

"If you've had no acorns, obviously you've got to concentrate your efforts on browse. We have lots of honeysuckle here in southeast Ohio. That's going to be one of the deer's major winter foods," Tonkovich said.

Another clue to January deer hotspots can be hay and alfalfa fields on adjacent private lands. Deer will move back and forth between the fields and thicker cover on the national forest, but they probably will not move far.

Several hiking and off-road-vehicle trails remain open through hunting seasons. Off-road vehicle operators must have a trail permit. These may be purchased at Wayne NF ranger stations and visitor centers or at various vendors in communities around the forest.

The various tracts of the national forest stretch across southeastern Ohio. Your first steps for preparing a hunt should be getting rules and maps by contacting the Wayne NF supervisor's office and Athens Ranger District, 13700 U.S. Highway 33, Nelsonville, OH 45764, or call (740) 753-0101.

Woodbury Wildlife Area can be one of the better state lands in the district for a January bowhunt. This is one of the largest tracts of public land in the state, covering 19,050 acres. A large portion of this area is reclaimed strip mines, which provide excellent deer habitat. More than half of the land is wooded, about a third is open fields and there is a good mix of brush and wetlands.

Woodbury WA is about five miles west from Coshocton, in west-central Coshocton County. From the Columbus area, take Route 16 northeast toward Coshocton, turning north on Route 60 to the wildlife area before Coshocton.

More information about hunting in District Four is available by contacting the Wildlife District Four office, 360 East State Street, Athens, OH 45701, or call (740) 594-2211.

"I'd suggest Tranquility Wildlife Area in Adams County," said Dan Frevert, wildlife management supervisor for District Five. "It's a large wildlife area. It has a good mixture of forest land, brush, old pastures."

Terrain in this 4,254-acre area is gently rolling. The forest, which covers about 40 percent of the area, is a mix of oak and hickory on higher, drier ground with maple, beech, elm and ash on the slopes and in the bottoms. Brush, including cedar thickets, covers another 40 percent. The remainder is grass, cultivated or ponds.

Tranquility WA is in northern Adams County. Take Route 32 east from the Cincinnati area to Route 247 north at Seaman, and then turn right onto Route 770 to the wildlife area. From Columbus, take Route 62 south to Hillsboro, and then Route 73 south to Route 770 and south to the wildlife area.

Frevert also suggested Indian Creek WA, a 1,799-acre public land in Brown County. More than half of the land is open ground, either cultivated, prairie grass or low brush. The rest is wooded, wetland or thick brush that can hide a surprising number of deer and offers them good winter cover. With lower hunting pressure in January, deer trickle back onto the public land from surrounding private lands to use that winter cover.

Terrain is mostly flat except where Indian Creek and Little Indian Creek cut small valleys. "There are a couple of streams that run all the way through it, so these are good corridors," Frevert said.

Indian Creek WA is a short drive from Cincinnati east on Route 50 and then south on Snowhill Road to the area headquarters.

For more information, contact the Wildlife District Five office at 1076 Old Springfield Pike, Xenia, OH 45385, or call (937) 372-9261.