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Wildlife area in Seneca County, Ohio
Seneca County Wildlife Area 1 hunting, rules and county limits
A 40-acre Ohio state wildlife area in Seneca County.
Photo: joannapoe (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Getting to Seneca County Wildlife Area 1
Getting to know the Seneca County Wildlife Area 1 ground
At 40 acres, Seneca County Wildlife Area 1 is a state wildlife area in Seneca County; the ODNR Division of Wildlife looks after it. The Division of Wildlife handles it from its Findlay office (District 2, Northwest Ohio). The hunting layer shows the parcels as owned outright by the state. The administrative code lists it under 1501:31-15-04(A)(1), written "Seneca county wildlife area 1".
| Source | Acres |
|---|---|
| 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 Seneca County Wildlife Area 1
Seneca County Wildlife Area 1 hunting rules, line by line
ODNR marks every parcel of Seneca County Wildlife Area 1 open to hunting.
- Park in designated spots; off-road driving is illegal.
- No camping; only three wildlife areas allow it.
- Night closure (8 p.m. to 6 a.m. in fall and winter) does not apply to hunters and trappers.
- Plinking is not allowed outside the designated ranges.
- Leave the corn at home: no bait on public land.
- Stands: portable, no devices driven into the bark.
- Two antlerless deer at most from all public hunting areas in a license year.
From the agency page, public hunting area rules; checked November 6, 2026.
Hunting calendar matched to Seneca County Wildlife Area 1
The property page is silent on species, so the rows below are the usual statewide seasons. The spring turkey dates are from 2026, since ODNR had not published 2027.
| Quarry | Season | Start | End | 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 limits that apply on Seneca County Wildlife Area 1
Deer bag in Seneca County: 3, with a single antlered deer allowed across Ohio. The 2025-26 deer total for Seneca County was 3,017, by ODNR's final report. The 2026-27 count stood at 595 on November 3, 2026.
| County | Limit | DSA | Zone | Spring | Fall turkey | 2025-26 deer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seneca County | 3 deer | No | B | South | Open | 3,017 |
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.
Public hunting land within reach of Seneca County Wildlife Area 1
Drive 2 miles southwest and the next public tract is Seneca County Wildlife Area 3. Around it on the map: 4 wildlife areas, 1 state forest and 1 public hunting area. Within 15 miles but not open to hunters: Abbotts Bridge Area – Sandusky Scenic River (scenic river land), Wolf Creek Area – Sandusky Scenic River (scenic river land) and Izaak Walton Area – Sandusky Scenic River (scenic river land).
| Public land | Kind | Acres | County | Distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seneca County WA 3 | Wildlife area | 70 | Seneca | 2 miles | southwest |
| Ron Abraham Forest | State forest | 116 | Sandusky | 2 miles | north |
| Knobbys Prairie Wildlife Area | Wildlife area | 47 | Seneca | 3 miles | southwest |
| Sandusky County WA 4 | Wildlife area | 75 | Sandusky | 3 miles | northeast |
| Sugar Creek Wildlife Area | Wildlife area | 125 | Seneca | 3 miles | southwest |
| Seneca County Park District Conservation Area | Hunting area | 56 | Seneca | 4 miles | southwest |
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.
Seneca County Wildlife Area 1 maps, address and officers
For permits and questions try the Wildlife District Two office, 419-424-5000. The Seneca County wildlife officer is Brock Williamson, (419) 429-8394. Anonymous tip line: 1-800-POACHER.
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.
Stores, deer processors and towns serving Seneca County Wildlife Area 1
From the point, Fremont sits 9 miles away. Tiffin, 10 miles out, is larger: 17,729 people in 2024. For face-to-face help, the Vickery ODNR office lies 15 miles away as the crow flies.
| Place | County | Population | Distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fremont | Sandusky | 15,814 | 9 miles | north |
| Tiffin | Seneca | 17,729 | 10 miles | southwest |
| Wightmans Grove | Sandusky | – | 14 miles | north |
| Castalia | Erie | 746 | 19 miles | northeast |
| Port Clinton | Ottawa | 5,915 | 21 miles | north |
Towns from places.json (Census 2024 estimates); ODNR offices and businesses from services.json listings; straight-line miles. Checked November 6, 2026.
Gun-week light and other opener times on Seneca County Wildlife Area 1
ODNR prints no sunrise table and points hunters to its app, the NOAA calculator and the Naval Observatory; the times for Seneca County Wildlife Area 1 below are worked out with the NOAA solar formula for its own location.
| Date | Opener | Sunrise | Sunset | Big game | Duck window | Pheasant window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 2026 | Archery deer opens | 7:22 a.m. | 7:25 p.m. | 6:52 a.m. to 7:55 p.m. | 6:52 a.m. to 7:25 p.m. | 7:22 a.m. to 7:25 p.m. |
| Oct 1, 2026 | Fall turkey | 7:27 a.m. | 7:16 p.m. | 6:57 a.m. to 7:46 p.m. | 6:57 a.m. to 7:16 p.m. | 7:27 a.m. to 7:16 p.m. |
| Nov 6, 2026 | Rabbit and pheasant | 7:09 a.m. | 5:24 p.m. | 6:39 a.m. to 5:54 p.m. | 6:39 a.m. to 5:24 p.m. | 7:09 a.m. to 5:24 p.m. |
| Nov 21, 2026 | Second duck split | 7:27 a.m. | 5:10 p.m. | 6:57 a.m. to 5:40 p.m. | 6:57 a.m. to 5:10 p.m. | 7:27 a.m. to 5:10 p.m. |
| Nov 30, 2026 | Deer gun week | 7:37 a.m. | 5:05 p.m. | 7:07 a.m. to 5:35 p.m. | 7:07 a.m. to 5:05 p.m. | 7:37 a.m. to 5:05 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:54 a.m. | 5:06 p.m. | 7:24 a.m. to 5:36 p.m. | 7:24 a.m. to 5:06 p.m. | 7:54 a.m. to 5:06 p.m. |
| Jan 2, 2027 | Muzzleloader | 7:58 a.m. | 5:14 p.m. | 7:28 a.m. to 5:44 p.m. | 7:28 a.m. to 5:14 p.m. | 7:58 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.
Field and woods views near Seneca County Wildlife Area 1
Range stops on the way to Seneca County Wildlife Area 1
Erie County holds the ODNR-listed range nearest Seneca County Wildlife Area 1: Resthaven Wildlife Area Shooting Range (17 miles). Next to it: the nearest club ranges, all inside 30 miles.
From ODNR’s public range list and range pages, ranges’ own pages and directory listings, checked November 6, 2026.
Seneca County Wildlife Area 1: what Buckeye hunters keep asking
What size is Seneca County Wildlife Area 1 on the ODNR books?
About 40 acres by the main source; other layers are in the acreage table.
Deer bag limit for Seneca County Wildlife Area 1?
3, as set for Seneca County. Statewide: 6 deer, 1 antlered; public hunting areas: 2 antlerless at most.
Is any hunting at Seneca County Wildlife Area 1 by permit only?
No; the 2026 lottery list does not include it.
Which zone sets the waterfowl calendar at Seneca County Wildlife Area 1?
Zone B. Splits: Oct 17 to Oct 25, 2026; Nov 21, 2026 to Jan 10, 2027.
Overnight stays at Seneca County Wildlife Area 1?
No. Camping is banned on wildlife areas except at Appalachian Hills, Simco and Woodbury.
Can I leave a tree stand or use bait on Seneca County Wildlife Area 1?
No bait, and stands must be portable.
Must I wear orange while hunting Seneca County Wildlife Area 1 in winter?
During the youth gun, gun, bonus gun, DSA early gun and muzzleloader seasons, every hunter except waterfowl hunters wears a hunter orange vest, coat, jacket or coveralls.
When does legal deer light start on Seneca County Wildlife Area 1?
7:07 a.m. to 5:35 p.m. on November 30, 2026.
Which phone line answers questions on Seneca County Wildlife Area 1?
Try 419-424-5000.
Nearest town for supplies near Seneca County Wildlife Area 1?
About 9 miles from Fremont.
Is every part of Seneca County Wildlife Area 1 open to hunting?
The whole area is open.
Do I have to report game shot on Seneca County Wildlife Area 1?
Report deer and turkeys by noon the day after the kill, online, by phone or in the HuntFish OH app.
Can Seneca County Wildlife Area 1 be hunted all seven days?
No statewide Sunday limit applies.
Final word on Seneca County Wildlife Area 1 for this season
Gravel lanes and parking lots can flood or close in wet weather; check access to Seneca County Wildlife Area 1 before the drive.
Sources: source 1 · source 2 · source 3; 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); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0); Raul654 (CC BY-SA 3.0).