ODNR to offer special deer hunts on 8 state nature preserves

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Natural Areas and Preserves will hold special deer hunts at eight state nature preserves across Ohio during the 2024-25 hunting season.

These locations were identified as areas where deer populations pose a threat to native plant communities, according to a July 23 news release from ODNR. The division is offering both gun and archery hunts this year.

Special gun hunts will be offered at Boch Hollow and Stage’s Pond state nature preserves. Lake Katharine State Nature Preserve will offer archery, gun, and muzzleloader hunting opportunities. The remaining hunts at Caesar Creek, Davey Woods, Goll Woods, Hueston Woods, and Lawrence Woods state nature preserves will be archery only.

Ohio’s nature preserve system protects some of the state’s rarest and highest-quality ecology, according to the release. Excessive browsing, when deer feed on leaves and plants, can negatively impact many sensitive habitats and has been linked to increasing the spread of non-native, invasive plant species.

Hunters must attend a mandatory meeting for each preserve they would like to hunt, according to the release. After each meeting, hunters will have an opportunity to purchase a $5 ticket to be entered into the preserve’s special hunt drawing. Hunters who want to apply for hunts at multiple sites will have to attend multiple meetings and purchase additional tickets. Entry forms will not be accepted by mail.

After the drawing, successful entrants will be asked to remain for a pre-hunt orientation, according to the release. Other special hunt requirements include the following:

• Hunters must possess a valid 2024-25 hunting license to purchase tickets.
• Names will be randomly drawn, and those selected will be assigned a specific time to hunt. For archery hunts, an orientation will be conducted immediately after the drawing.
• Hunters will be permitted to hunt with a partner; the partner is not required to attend the drawing or orientation.
• Hunters interested in the Lake Katharine gun, muzzleloader, and archery hunts will have to purchase separate lottery tickets for each event.

Some of the hunts this year will be “antlerless deer only,” whereas others will allow hunting of antlered deer but only after harvesting an antlerless deer first, according to the release. Other special regulations will be addressed at the orientation meetings after the drawings.

This year’s hunt locations and meeting dates are as follows:

Boch Hollow (Hocking County), gun

• Mandatory meeting, 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 24
• Meeting location, 7211 Bremen Road, Logan
• For more information, call preserve manager Levi Miller at 740-380-8919 or email [email protected].

Caesar Creek (Warren County), late-season archery

• Mandatory meeting, noon Saturday, Aug. 24
• Meeting location, preserve parking lot, 4080 Corwin Road, Oregonia
• For more information, call preserve manager Eric Sagasser at 937-418-8710 or email [email protected].

Davey Woods (Champaign County), archery

• Mandatory meeting, 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 24
• Meeting location, preserve parking area, 7661 Lonesome Road, St. Paris
• For more information, call preserve manager Michelle Comer at 937-537-6173 or email [email protected].

Goll Woods (Fulton County), archery

• Mandatory meeting, 9 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 24
• Meeting location, preserve office, 26093 County Road F, Archbold
• For more information, call preserve manager Ryan Schroeder at 419-445-1775 or email [email protected].

Hueston Woods (Butler and Preble counties), late-season archery

• Mandatory meeting, 8 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 24
• Meeting location, state park conference center, 6301 Park Office Road, College Corner
• For more information, call preserve manager Eric Sagasser at 937-418-8710 or email [email protected], or call Michelle Comer at 937-537-6173 or email [email protected].

Lake Katharine (Jackson County), gun, muzzleloader, and archery

• Mandatory meeting, 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 17
• Meeting location, preserve office, 1703 Lake Katharine Road, Jackson
• For more information, call preserve manager Coleman Minney at 740-979-9707 or email [email protected].

Lawrence Woods (Hardin County), archery

• Mandatory meeting, 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 24
• Meeting location, preserve parking area, 13278 County Road 190, Kenton
• For more information, contact Preserve Manager Ryan Schroeder at (419) 445-1775 or [email protected].

Stage’s Pond (Pickaway County), gun

• Mandatory meeting, 9 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 24
• Meeting location, preserve office, 4792 Hagerty Road, Ashville
• For more information, call Levi Miller at 740-380-8919 or email [email protected].