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Buckeye state wildlife area with open hunting
Pickaway County Wildlife Area 5: seasons, rules and access
One state wildlife area of 40 acres in Pickaway County, open to licensed hunters.
Photo: Paul Hurtado (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Getting to Pickaway County Wildlife Area 5
Pickaway County Wildlife Area 5: size, setting and history
Pickaway County Wildlife Area 5 covers 40 acres in Pickaway County, a state wildlife area run by the ODNR Division of Wildlife. Questions go to District 1 in Columbus, the district that covers it. Parcels are owned outright by the state. You will find it as "Pickaway county wildlife area 5" in OAC 1501:31-15-04(A)(1).
| Record | Acres |
|---|---|
| Area map PDF | 40 |
| Hunting-status layer | 40 |
| GIS parcel area | 40 |
From the agency page, ODNR hunting-status layer, OAC; retrieved 2026-11-05, checked November 6, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Pickaway County Wildlife Area 5
Pickaway County Wildlife Area 5: rules that apply on the ground
No restricted parcels: Pickaway County Wildlife Area 5 is open land in the status layer.
- Drive and park only on designated roads and lots.
- Overnight camping is off the table on this ground.
- 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 Pickaway County Wildlife Area 5 game is in season
No game is named in the sources for Pickaway County Wildlife Area 5; statewide dates hold.
| 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 |
| 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 Pickaway County Wildlife Area 5
Pickaway County allows 3 deer per hunter in 2026-27. 2025-26 harvest, Pickaway County: 1,153 deer. This season to November 3, 2026, 216 deer have been checked there.
| County | Deer limit | CWD | Zone | Spring | Fall | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pickaway County | 3 deer | No | C | South | Closed | 1,153 |
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 Pickaway County Wildlife Area 5
Pickaway County Wildlife Area 10 lies 2 miles southeast of the Pickaway County Wildlife Area 5 point, the nearest open land. Nearby public places: 5 wildlife areas and 1 state park.
| Name | Kind | Size (ac) | County | Away | Bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pickaway County WA 10 | Wildlife area | 45 | Pickaway | 2 miles | southeast |
| Deer Creek Wildlife Area | Wildlife area | 4,220 | Fayette | 4 miles | southwest |
| Pickaway County WA 4 | Wildlife area | 79 | Pickaway | 4 miles | southeast |
| Deer Creek State Park | State park | 2,337 | Pickaway | 6 miles | south |
| Fayette County WA 3 | Wildlife area | 53 | Fayette | 7 miles | southwest |
| Charles O. Trump WA | Wildlife area | 128 | Pickaway | 7 miles | southeast |
Point: ODNR DNR_Lands_Hunting_Status layer, 1 parcel (polygon centroid). Straight-line distances. Closed places from the lands.json closed list. Checked November 6, 2026. Statewide public land map.
Pickaway County Wildlife Area 5: who to call and which map to carry
District help: Wildlife District One, 1500 Dublin Rd, Columbus, OH 43215, 614-644-3925. Pickaway County is patrolled by officer Josh Elster ((614) 203-3406). Poaching tips go to 1-800-POACHER, any hour.
- Area map PDF (published 5/13/2022) · legend: parking area, parking
- 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, 1 parcel (polygon centroid); checked November 6, 2026.
Pickaway County Wildlife Area 5: towns, shops and the nearest ODNR office
Measured straight, Pancoastburg is 6 miles from Pickaway County Wildlife Area 5. Grove City tops the list at 44,019 people. Allow for 5 miles of straight-line distance to the Mount Sterling ODNR office.
| Town | County | 2024 population | Away | Which way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pancoastburg | Fayette | – | 6 miles | south |
| Grove City | Franklin | 44,019 | 14 miles | northeast |
| Washington Court House | Fayette | 14,446 | 16 miles | southwest |
| London | Madison | 10,743 | 17 miles | northwest |
| Circleville | Pickaway | 14,433 | 17 miles | southeast |
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 Pickaway County Wildlife Area 5 seasons
Around Pickaway County Wildlife Area 5, 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 | 7:23 a.m. | 7:25 p.m. | 6:53 a.m. to 7:55 p.m. | 6:53 a.m. to 7:25 p.m. | 7:23 a.m. to 7:25 p.m. |
| Nov 6, 2026 | Rabbit and pheasant | 7:06 a.m. | 5:27 p.m. | 6:36 a.m. to 5:57 p.m. | 6:36 a.m. to 5:27 p.m. | 7:06 a.m. to 5:27 p.m. |
| Nov 30, 2026 | Deer gun week | 7:33 a.m. | 5:10 p.m. | 7:03 a.m. to 5:40 p.m. | 7:03 a.m. to 5:10 p.m. | 7:33 a.m. to 5:10 p.m. |
| Dec 12, 2026 | Second duck split | 7:44 a.m. | 5:09 p.m. | 7:14 a.m. to 5:39 p.m. | 7:14 a.m. to 5:09 p.m. | 7:44 a.m. to 5:09 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:50 a.m. | 5:11 p.m. | 7:20 a.m. to 5:41 p.m. | 7:20 a.m. to 5:11 p.m. | 7:50 a.m. to 5:11 p.m. |
| Jan 2, 2027 | Muzzleloader | 7:54 a.m. | 5:19 p.m. | 7:24 a.m. to 5:49 p.m. | 7:24 a.m. to 5:19 p.m. | 7:54 a.m. to 5:19 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.
Dates held at or close to Pickaway County Wildlife Area 5
On November 5, 2026 the 10-mile circle held 1 date ahead.
| On | Listing | Distance | Venue and county | Button | Read at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 16, 2027 | RMEF Central Ohio Chapter Banquet · RMEF banquet, Orient | 8 | Orient, Pickaway County | Tickets | Source |
Pickaway County Wildlife Area 5 district scenes and wildlife photos
Public range and clubs on the road to Pickaway County Wildlife Area 5
Deer Creek Wildlife Area Shooting Range (the shooting range permit for adults ($5.00 a day)) is 4 miles from Pickaway County Wildlife Area 5. 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 Pickaway County Wildlife Area 5
Is Pickaway County Wildlife Area 5 fully open to hunters in the ODNR layer?
All parcels are open in the status layer.
Where do hunters buy supplies near Pickaway County Wildlife Area 5?
Pancoastburg sits 6 miles from the point.
Are Sundays open for hunting on Pickaway County Wildlife Area 5?
Ohio has no statewide Sunday restriction, so Sundays follow the regular seasons unless a lottery permit sets the day.
Game check rules after a kill on Pickaway County Wildlife Area 5?
Check it in by noon the next day; no check station visit is needed.
How big is the Pickaway County Wildlife Area 5 property in acres?
40 acres, according to the ODNR area map PDF. The acreage table shows the spread.
What must I hold to hunt Pickaway County Wildlife Area 5 legally?
Ohio license first, then the game permit. Public hunting land in Ohio charges no access fee.
Are there controlled hunts on Pickaway County Wildlife Area 5?
No drawn hunts here in 2026.
How many deer can I take on Pickaway County Wildlife Area 5?
The county limit of 3 applies. Only one buck per season in Ohio, and two antlerless deer at most from public land.
Where can hunters stay overnight at Pickaway County Wildlife Area 5?
No; book a room in a nearby town.
What are this season's duck dates for Pickaway County Wildlife Area 5?
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 Pickaway County Wildlife Area 5 during gun week?
Ohio requires a visible orange garment during deer gun seasons; camo orange counts.
May I bait deer on Pickaway County Wildlife Area 5?
Portable stands yes, bait no.
Where do I take questions about Pickaway County Wildlife Area 5?
The Wildlife District One office, 614-644-3925.
Sign-off notes for Pickaway County Wildlife Area 5 hunters
Rules, closures and lottery details for Pickaway County Wildlife Area 5 can change mid-season; posted signs and the ODNR page have the last word.
Sources: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4; seasons from the 2026-27 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations. Checked November 6, 2026.
Other photos on this page: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Midwest Region (Public domain); NPS Photo (Public domain); Raul654 (CC BY-SA 3.0).