Home › Ohio › Public land › Acadia Cliffs Wildlife Area
Buckeye state wildlife area with open hunting
Acadia Cliffs Wildlife Area: seasons, rules and access
One state wildlife area of 273 acres in Washington County, open to licensed hunters.
Photo: Wayne National Forest (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
Getting to Acadia Cliffs Wildlife Area
Parking, trailheads and gates near Acadia Cliffs Wildlife Area
- Parking areaParking · 0.1 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 1.9 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.8 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.8 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.9 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.9 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.1 mi from the centreDirections
Parking, trailhead and gate locations come from OpenStreetMap contributors. Roads into public land can be gated or seasonal; check with the managing agency before you go.
Acadia Cliffs Wildlife Area: size, setting and history
Acadia Cliffs Wildlife Area covers 273 acres in Washington County, a state wildlife area run by the ODNR Division of Wildlife. Questions go to District 4 in Athens, the district that covers it. Walk it and you will find woods and unique geology, according to the agency listing. Expect company: the page names hiking and birding, plus hiking trails. Parcels are owned outright by the state. You will find it as "Acadia cliffs" in OAC 1501:31-15-04(A)(1).
Sources disagree on size, from 164 to 275 acres; this page uses 273 (ODNR property page).
| Record | Acres |
|---|---|
| ODNR property page | 273 |
| Area map PDF | 275 |
| Property Details layer | 275 |
| Hunting-status layer | 167 |
| GIS parcel area | 164 |
From the ODNR property page, ODNR hunting-status layer, OAC; retrieved 2026-11-05, checked November 6, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Acadia Cliffs Wildlife Area
Acadia Cliffs Wildlife Area: rules that apply on the ground
No restricted parcels: Acadia Cliffs Wildlife Area is open land in the status layer.
- Drive and park only on designated roads and lots.
- No campsites on this property.
- From May 2 to August 31 the night closure runs 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
- Target practice only at a designated Division of Wildlife range.
- No salt, grain or feed may be put out.
- Portable stands only; nothing inserted into a tree.
- Count your does: two antlerless deer from public areas per year.
From the agency page, public hunting area rules; checked November 6, 2026.
When the Acadia Cliffs Wildlife Area game is in season
No game is named in the sources for Acadia Cliffs Wildlife Area; statewide dates hold. Spring gobbler dates listed are the 2026 ones.
| Game | Season | Opens | Closes | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | Archery | Sep 26, 2026 | Feb 7, 2027 | County limit |
| Deer | Youth gun | Nov 21, 2026 | Nov 22, 2026 | County limit |
| Deer | Gun | Nov 30, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | County limit |
| Deer | Bonus gun | Dec 19, 2026 | Dec 20, 2026 | County limit |
| Deer | Muzzleloader | Jan 2, 2027 | Jan 5, 2027 | County limit |
| Wild turkey | Fall | Oct 1, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | 1 turkey |
| Squirrels | Regular | Sep 1, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | 6 daily |
| Cottontail | Regular | Nov 6, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | 4 daily |
| Pheasant | Regular | Nov 6, 2026 | Jan 10, 2027 | 2 roosters daily |
| Cottontail | Youth small game weekend | Oct 24, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | 4 daily |
| Cottontail | Youth small game weekend | Oct 31, 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 | 4 daily |
| Pheasant | Youth small game weekend | Oct 24, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | 2 roosters daily |
| Pheasant | Youth small game weekend | Oct 31, 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 | 2 roosters daily |
| Raccoon | Hunting | Nov 10, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | No limit |
| Raccoon | Trapping | Nov 10, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | No limit |
Dates and limits from the 2026-27 hunting seasons list and the 2026-27 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations; species from the record (No species named by ODNR for this area); checked November 6, 2026.
County rules around Acadia Cliffs Wildlife Area
Washington County allows 2 deer per hunter in 2026-27. Washington County hunters checked 783 deer in 2025-26 (451 antlered). This season to November 3, 2026, 309 deer have been checked there.
| County | Deer limit | CWD | Zone | Spring | Fall | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County | 2 deer | No | C | South | Open | 783 |
From the deer bag limit map, DSA, waterfowl zones, turkey zones, 2025-26 deer harvest report, harvest to date (ODNR Division of Wildlife); checked November 6, 2026.
Mapped hunting places beside Acadia Cliffs Wildlife Area
Acadia Cliffs State Nature Preserve lies under a mile northeast of the Acadia Cliffs Wildlife Area point, the nearest open land. Nearby public places: 2 state forests, 1 nature preserve and 1 wildlife area. Neighbours closed to hunting: Ladd Natural Bridge State Nature Preserve (nature preserve), Desonier State Nature Preserve (nature preserve) and Boord State Nature Preserve (nature preserve).
| Area | Kind | Acres | County | Miles off | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acadia Cliffs SNP | Nature preserve | 113 | Washington | under a mile | northeast |
| Gifford State Forest | State forest | 320 | Athens | 9 miles | north |
| Veto Lake Wildlife Area | Wildlife area | 464 | Washington | 10 miles | east |
| Strouds Run State Park | State park | 2,606 | Athens | 10 miles | west |
| Shade River State Forest | State forest | 2,859 | Meigs | 14 miles | south |
| Ohio River Lock & Dam 18 WA | Access area | 20 | Washington | 15 miles | east |
Point: ODNR DNR_Lands_Hunting_Status layer, 2 parcels (polygon centroid). Straight-line distances. Closed places from the lands.json closed list. Checked November 6, 2026. Statewide public land map.
Acadia Cliffs Wildlife Area: who to call and which map to carry
District help: Wildlife District Four, 360 E State St, Athens, OH 45701, 740-589-9930. Washington County is patrolled by officer Scot Gardner ((740) 412-9184). Poaching tips go to 1-800-POACHER, any hour.
- Area map PDF (published 5/13/2022) · legend: parking area, parking
- ODNR hunting regulations web map
- Route to the point
Address and phone from the agency page and the ODNR Property Details layer; district offices from the ODNR Districts layer; officers from the officer list; point from ODNR DNR_Lands_Hunting_Status layer, 2 parcels (polygon centroid); checked November 6, 2026.
Where to fuel up and grab ice near Acadia Cliffs Wildlife Area
Measured straight, Tuppers Plains is 10 miles from Acadia Cliffs Wildlife Area. Of the five, Athens is the biggest with 24,824 residents (2024 estimate). Allow for 13 miles of straight-line distance to the Athens ODNR office.
| Town | County | 2024 population | Away | Which way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuppers Plains | Meigs | – | 10 miles | south |
| Chesterhill | Morgan | 267 | 12 miles | north |
| Athens | Athens | 24,824 | 14 miles | west |
| Trimble | Athens | 329 | 17 miles | northwest |
| New Marshfield | Athens | – | 20 miles | west |
Towns from places.json (Census 2024 estimates); ODNR offices and businesses from services.json listings; straight-line miles. Checked November 6, 2026.
First and last legal minutes across Acadia Cliffs Wildlife Area seasons
Around Acadia Cliffs Wildlife Area, deer light opens 30 minutes before sunrise and ends 30 minutes after sunset; rabbit and pheasant hunters keep strict sunrise to sunset.
| Day | Marker | Sun up | Sun down | Deer hours | Duck hours | Upland hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 2026 | Archery deer opens | 7:17 a.m. | 7:20 p.m. | 6:47 a.m. to 7:50 p.m. | 6:47 a.m. to 7:20 p.m. | 7:17 a.m. to 7:20 p.m. |
| Oct 1, 2026 | Fall turkey | 7:22 a.m. | 7:12 p.m. | 6:52 a.m. to 7:42 p.m. | 6:52 a.m. to 7:12 p.m. | 7:22 a.m. to 7:12 p.m. |
| Nov 6, 2026 | Rabbit and pheasant | 7:00 a.m. | 5:22 p.m. | 6:30 a.m. to 5:52 p.m. | 6:30 a.m. to 5:22 p.m. | 7:00 a.m. to 5:22 p.m. |
| Nov 30, 2026 | Deer gun week | 7:27 a.m. | 5:06 p.m. | 6:57 a.m. to 5:36 p.m. | 6:57 a.m. to 5:06 p.m. | 7:27 a.m. to 5:06 p.m. |
| Dec 12, 2026 | Second duck split | 7:38 a.m. | 5:05 p.m. | 7:08 a.m. to 5:35 p.m. | 7:08 a.m. to 5:05 p.m. | 7:38 a.m. to 5:05 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:43 a.m. | 5:07 p.m. | 7:13 a.m. to 5:37 p.m. | 7:13 a.m. to 5:07 p.m. | 7:43 a.m. to 5:07 p.m. |
| Jan 2, 2027 | Muzzleloader | 7:47 a.m. | 5:14 p.m. | 7:17 a.m. to 5:44 p.m. | 7:17 a.m. to 5:14 p.m. | 7:47 a.m. to 5:14 p.m. |
Hours rules from the 2026-27 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations; sunrise and sunset worked out for this location with the NOAA solar formula (Eastern Time); checked November 6, 2026. Legal hours for every county.
Acadia Cliffs Wildlife Area district scenes and wildlife photos
Acadia Cliffs Wildlife Area hunters: public range plus clubs
Veto Lake Wildlife Area Shooting Range (free (Class D)) is 11 miles from Acadia Cliffs Wildlife Area. After it come club ranges that sit inside 30 miles.
From ODNR’s public range list and range pages, ranges’ own pages and directory listings, checked November 6, 2026.
Things people ask before driving to Acadia Cliffs Wildlife Area
Are Sundays open for hunting on Acadia Cliffs Wildlife Area?
Ohio has no statewide Sunday restriction, so Sundays follow the regular seasons unless a lottery permit sets the day.
When must I check game taken on Acadia Cliffs Wildlife Area?
Check it in by noon the next day; no check station visit is needed.
How many acres of hunting land is Acadia Cliffs Wildlife Area?
273 acres, according to the ODNR property page. The acreage table shows the spread.
What must I hold to hunt Acadia Cliffs Wildlife Area legally?
Ohio license first, then the game permit. Public hunting land in Ohio charges no access fee.
Are there controlled hunts on Acadia Cliffs Wildlife Area?
No drawn hunts here in 2026.
Deer bag limit for Acadia Cliffs Wildlife Area?
Up to 2, by the county rule. Only one buck per season in Ohio, and two antlerless deer at most from public land.
Overnight stays at Acadia Cliffs Wildlife Area?
No; book a room in a nearby town.
What are this season's duck dates for Acadia Cliffs Wildlife Area?
It is in Zone C; duck splits run Oct 17 to Oct 25, 2026; Dec 12, 2026 to Jan 31, 2027.
Do I need hunter orange on Acadia Cliffs Wildlife Area during gun week?
Ohio requires a visible orange garment during deer gun seasons; camo orange counts.
May I bait deer on Acadia Cliffs Wildlife Area?
Portable stands yes, bait no.
What office handles Acadia Cliffs Wildlife Area for ODNR?
Try (740) 589-9930.
Deer hours at Acadia Cliffs Wildlife Area on the first gun day?
Thirty minutes before sunrise to thirty after sunset; on November 30, 2026 that is 6:57 a.m. to 5:36 p.m. here (NOAA solar formula).
Is Acadia Cliffs Wildlife Area fully open to hunters in the ODNR layer?
All parcels are open in the status layer.
Sign-off notes for Acadia Cliffs Wildlife Area hunters
Rules, closures and lottery details for Acadia Cliffs Wildlife Area can change mid-season; posted signs and the ODNR page have the last word.
Sources: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4 · source 5; seasons from the 2026-27 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations. Checked November 6, 2026.
Other photos on this page: Mas3cf (CC BY-SA 4.0); Russ (CC BY 2.0); Vince pahkala (CC BY-SA 3.0).