# Ohio muzzle loader



## Jace (Dec 7, 2011)

Me and a couple friends are going to try and hunt public land. During the muzzle loader season and none of us have ever. Been there and just looking for advice should we bring quads? What are the odds of seeing a good buck? What is a good area to try? Is it a zoo like it is in Michigan? Just trying to get more prepared thanks


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## Titan34 (Dec 7, 2009)

If you plan on hunting southern Ohio you would be nutz not to bring your quads. Hills and more Hills!


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## QDMAMAN (Dec 8, 2004)

Jace said:


> Me and a couple friends are going to try and hunt public land. During the muzzle loader season and none of us have ever. Been there and just looking for advice should we bring quads? What are the odds of seeing a good buck? What is a good area to try? Is it a zoo like it is in Michigan? Just trying to get more prepared thanks


IF you hunt in the hills a quad would be great for recovery, the problem is, most of the public ground prohibits quads, at least where I've hunted.
You can take your deer out in pieces now, so consider a pack frame, deer cart, or a jet sled.
Have fun, your odds of "seeing" the biggest buck of your life go up considerably when you cross the state line.


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## Luv2hunteup (Mar 22, 2003)

Jace said:


> Me and a couple friends are going to try and hunt public land. During the muzzle loader season and none of us have ever. Been there and just looking for advice should we bring quads? What are the odds of seeing a good buck? What is a good area to try? Is it a zoo like it is in Michigan? Just trying to get more prepared thanks



Bring down some mules, they are the ultimate 4 legged atv.


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## brushbuster (Nov 9, 2009)

QDMAMAN said:


> IF you hunt in the hills a quad would be great for recovery, the problem is, most of the public ground prohibits quads, at least where I've hunted.
> You can take your deer out in pieces now, so consider a pack frame, deer cart, or a jet sled.
> Have fun, your odds of "seeing" the biggest buck of your life go up considerably when you cross the state line.


Yup, i think there are a few places in the wayne where you can use a quad, but I'm pretty sure state game areas and state forests are off limits to quads Im not sure about the energy lands.

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## brushbuster (Nov 9, 2009)

Just pick a spot that looks remote and go for it. The more rugged, the more remote, the less people you'll find. If you can deal with hardship, you should be all by yourself.

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## Jace (Dec 7, 2011)

Yes we should all be able to deal with hardship we are all in are mid 20s but was thinking either wayne.tranquility wildlife area or Portsmouth Just didn't want to haul quads up to find out it was not allowed thanks will post pictures if this turn out successful and we get a good one or 2


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## brushbuster (Nov 9, 2009)

Jace said:


> Yes we should all be able to deal with hardship we are all in are mid 20s but was thinking either wayne.tranquility wildlife area or Portsmouth Just didn't want to haul quads up to find out it was not allowed thanks will post pictures if this turn out successful and we get a good one or 2


 They are not allowed in the state forest around Portsmouth.


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## Jace (Dec 7, 2011)

Ok. Just out of curiosity had anybody had success at the maumee national forest? In northwest Ohio looks good from when we went there walleye fishing but never hear much about it.


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## limbhanger (Feb 10, 2010)

made 2 trips to SE Ohio bowhunting this year and hunted Wayne and Zaleski. Quads are required to stay on designated trails and require permits. did not research it as I left my quad at home but suspect it would cost quite a bit. my strategy was to get away from activity and find least pressured deer so I never hunted around the quad trails. Even if you took a quad, the real work would be getting the deer to the trail. I have been a flatlander for too long and that terrain kicked my butt both times. Had I shot anything, I would have had to debone it and pack it out on multiple trips. Took a cart but think it may have been more of a hinderance than help if I had to use it getting over down trees and up steep grades.


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## brushbuster (Nov 9, 2009)

Yup those hills are buttkickers. I was over a mile in them and the only way to haul a deer out is in pieces. 

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## ohio bound (May 15, 2011)

Jace said:


> Yes we should all be able to deal with hardship we are all in are mid 20s but was thinking either wayne.tranquility wildlife area or Portsmouth Just didn't want to haul quads up to find out it was not allowed thanks will post pictures if this turn out successful and we get a good one or 2


STAY away from Tranquility wildlife area b/c someone wrote in a popular magazine that the next world record whitetail will come from TWA and hunters are hammering that place...i stay at a hotel close to the TWA and hear about how many people hunt it....just fyi... not many ML hunters down there when i ML hunted down there 3 & 4 years ago


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## Sam22 (Jan 22, 2003)

I think I am going to go down for muzzle loader too. I may bowhunt a couple days prior, to get some quiet sits in before the drives start. 

Do the bucks ever drop their antlers before muzzle loader down there? Seems like some might. I am going to try to hunt food sources, but I don't know what food source the property I am hunting might have.


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## HookedUp (Dec 31, 2010)

Yes I have seen some in the passed that have.
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## bbi-smoke (Feb 21, 2010)

Do the bucks ever drop their antlers before muzzle loader down there? Seems like some might. I am going to try to hunt food sources, but I don't know what food source the property I am hunting might have.[/QUOTE]

Few years ago was down in SE for muzzle, opened around the 7th of Jan. That year and that was back when you had to physically have all deer checked, out of all the local check sites not one had check a antlered buck for the whole muzzle season.
Locals also said acorn crop was horrible that year.


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## Sam22 (Jan 22, 2003)

Wow. Is the hunt really about shooting does? Or is there a decent chance of seeing a good one with his headgear still on?


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## HookedUp (Dec 31, 2010)

Very few have lost there horns this time of year. But there are some that have in the muzzleloader season.
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## buck11pt24 (Mar 11, 2007)

I see plenty of bucks during ohio muzzleloader. This will be my 3rd yr. Big and small bucks seen. Only problem is they are mostly in the private land fields. Hard to get them in the ohio big woods. So far we haven't killed a buck during muzzleloader. Last yr I saw over 100 deer from the stand in 3 days. 2 giants but no shots.


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## Sam22 (Jan 22, 2003)

Thanks for the info guys. Buck11...I figured they would pile into the major food sources, which worries me a 8 because my spots have woods and pasture fields but no crops. I don't imagine the acorns draw them in the late season the way they do in Northern Michigan.


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## kaplan (Dec 26, 2011)

Dont bother with quads. There are very few areas in the state that they are allowed. AEP land doesnt allow them either. Ur chances of killing a big buck on Ohio public land are slim but it does happen. We had great public land hunting up until about 10 years ago. Now our public land gets hammered by Southerners who think a 120 class buck is a real beast.


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