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Buckeye state park with open hunting
Kelleys Island State Park: seasons, rules and access
One state park of 677 acres in Erie County, open to licensed hunters.
Photo: Benny Mazur (CC BY 2.0)
Getting to Kelleys Island State Park
Parking, trailheads and gates near Kelleys Island State Park
- North Pond ParkingParking · 0.4 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.5 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.6 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.6 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.6 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.7 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.7 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.8 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.8 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.8 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.8 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.9 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.
Kelleys Island State Park: size, setting and history
Kelleys Island State Park covers 677 acres in Erie County, a state park run by the ODNR Division of Parks and Watercraft. Questions go to District 2 in Findlay, the district that covers it. Walk it and you will find Lake Erie, according to the agency listing. Expect company: the page names camping, kayaking, boating, hiking, powerboating and paddling, plus hiking trails and mountain bike. Parcels are owned outright by the state. You will find it as "Kelley's island" in OAC 1501:31-15-04(A)(2).
One line from the ODNR listing:
“Kelleys Island State Park offers great Lake Erie views, easy access to the shoreline, and scenic overnight accommodations.”
Sources disagree on size, from 639 to 677 acres; this page uses 677 (ODNR Property Details layer).
| Record | Acres |
|---|---|
| Property Details layer | 677 |
| Hunting-status layer | 639 |
| GIS parcel area | 647 |
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 Kelleys Island State Park
Kelleys Island State Park: rules that apply on the ground
Part of Kelleys Island State Park is off limits or carries special limits, according to the status layer.
- No salt, grain or feed may be put out.
- Count your does: two antlerless deer from public areas per year.
- Open zones are marked on the park map; the rest is closed.
- Park facilities carry a 400-foot safety zone.
- Trails and roads: no shooting across them.
- Build no permanent blind without a permit.
From the agency page, public hunting area rules, OAC 1501:46-15-07; checked November 6, 2026.
When the Kelleys Island State Park game is in season
ODNR and the lottery list tie deer, waterfowl, fox and trapping to Kelleys Island State Park. Bird rows are filtered to Zone B.
| 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 |
| Red fox | Hunting | Nov 10, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | No limit |
| Red fox | Trapping | Nov 10, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | No limit |
| Gray fox | Hunting | Nov 10, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | No limit |
| Gray fox | Trapping | Nov 10, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | No limit |
| Mink | Trapping | Nov 10, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | No limit |
| Muskrat | Trapping | Nov 10, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | No limit |
| Mink | Lake Erie trapping | Nov 10, 2026 | Mar 15, 2027 | No limit |
| Muskrat | Lake Erie trapping | Nov 10, 2026 | Mar 15, 2027 | No limit |
| Beaver | Trapping | Dec 26, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | No limit |
| River otter | Trapping | Dec 26, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | 1 of the 3 |
| Canada goose | Early Canada goose | Sep 5, 2026 | Sep 13, 2026 | 5 daily |
| Teal | Early teal | Sep 5, 2026 | Sep 13, 2026 | 6 daily |
| Ducks | Ducks (split 1) | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | 6 ducks daily |
| Ducks | Ducks (split 2) | Nov 21, 2026 | Jan 10, 2027 | 6 ducks daily |
| Geese and brant | Geese (split 1) | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | 5 daily |
| Geese and brant | Geese (split 2) | Nov 21, 2026 | Feb 15, 2027 | 5 daily |
| Ducks | Youth waterfowl | Oct 3, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 | Regular limits |
| Ducks | Veterans and military | Oct 3, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 | Regular limits |
Dates and limits from the 2026-27 hunting seasons list and the 2026-27 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations; species from the record (ODNR property page hunting text); checked November 6, 2026.
County rules around Kelleys Island State Park
Erie County allows 3 deer per hunter in 2026-27. Final 2025-26 figure for Erie County: 1,161 deer checked. This season to November 3, 2026, 311 deer have been checked there.
| County | Deer limit | CWD | Zone | Spring | Fall | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erie County | 3 deer | No | A | South | Open | 1,161 |
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.
Kelleys Island State Park in the agency's words
What the managing agency says about the game on Kelleys Island State Park:
“The North Pond offers excellent birding, with hundreds of species of migrating songbirds, and dozens of waterfowl species resting here before winging across the lake.”
“The eastern fox snake is common and harmless, but often mistaken for a rattlesnake because of its bold coloration and tendency to shake its tail when alarmed.”
Quoted from the agency page; checked November 6, 2026.
Mapped hunting places beside Kelleys Island State Park
East Harbor State Park lies 7 miles southwest of the Kelleys Island State Park point, the nearest open land. Nearby public places: 4 wildlife areas and 2 state parks. Neighbours closed to hunting: North Pond State Nature Preserve (nature preserve), North Shore Alvar State Nature Preserve (nature preserve) and Marblehead Lighthouse State Park (park without hunting).
| Place | Type | Acres | County | Straight line | Which way |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Harbor State Park | State park | 1,831 | Ottawa | 7 miles | southwest |
| Dempsey Sandusky Bay WA | Wildlife area | 68 | Ottawa | 7 miles | southwest |
| Kuehnle Wildlife Area | Wildlife area | 19 | Ottawa | 8 miles | northwest |
| West Harbor Wildlife Area | Wildlife area | 77 | Ottawa | 9 miles | southwest |
| Honey Point Wildlife Area | Wildlife area | 8 | Ottawa | 9 miles | northwest |
| North Bass Island SP | State park | 593 | Ottawa | 10 miles | northwest |
Point: ODNR DNR_Lands_Hunting_Status layer, 1 parcel (polygon centroid of the largest part). Straight-line distances. Closed places from the lands.json closed list. Checked November 6, 2026. Statewide public land map.
Kelleys Island State Park: who to call and which map to carry
District help: Wildlife District Two, 952 Lima Ave, Findlay, OH 45840, 419-424-5000. Erie County is patrolled by officer Michele Butler ((419) 429-8382). Poaching tips go to 1-800-POACHER, any hour.
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 of the largest part); checked November 6, 2026.
Supply towns and ODNR help around Kelleys Island State Park
Measured straight, Sandusky is 10 miles from Kelleys Island State Park. Allow for 10 miles of straight-line distance to the Sandusky ODNR office.
| Town | County | 2024 population | Away | Which way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandusky | Erie | 24,174 | 10 miles | south |
| Port Clinton | Ottawa | 5,915 | 14 miles | southwest |
| Castalia | Erie | 746 | 15 miles | south |
| Wightmans Grove | Sandusky | – | 22 miles | southwest |
| Norwalk | Huron | 17,172 | 25 miles | south |
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 Kelleys Island State Park seasons
Around Kelleys Island State Park, 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 | 7:21 a.m. | 7:23 p.m. | 6:51 a.m. to 7:53 p.m. | 6:51 a.m. to 7:23 p.m. | 7:21 a.m. to 7:23 p.m. |
| Oct 1, 2026 | Fall turkey | 7:26 a.m. | 7:15 p.m. | 6:56 a.m. to 7:45 p.m. | 6:56 a.m. to 7:15 p.m. | 7:26 a.m. to 7:15 p.m. |
| Nov 6, 2026 | Rabbit and pheasant | 7:08 a.m. | 5:21 p.m. | 6:38 a.m. to 5:51 p.m. | 6:38 a.m. to 5:21 p.m. | 7:08 a.m. to 5:21 p.m. |
| Nov 14, 2026 | Second duck split | 7:18 a.m. | 5:13 p.m. | 6:48 a.m. to 5:43 p.m. | 6:48 a.m. to 5:13 p.m. | 7:18 a.m. to 5:13 p.m. |
| Nov 30, 2026 | Deer gun week | 7:37 a.m. | 5:03 p.m. | 7:07 a.m. to 5:33 p.m. | 7:07 a.m. to 5:03 p.m. | 7:37 a.m. to 5:03 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:54 a.m. | 5:03 p.m. | 7:24 a.m. to 5:33 p.m. | 7:24 a.m. to 5:03 p.m. | 7:54 a.m. to 5:03 p.m. |
| Jan 2, 2027 | Muzzleloader | 7:57 a.m. | 5:11 p.m. | 7:27 a.m. to 5:41 p.m. | 7:27 a.m. to 5:11 p.m. | 7:57 a.m. to 5:11 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.
Kelleys Island State Park district scenes and wildlife photos
Public range and clubs on the road to Kelleys Island State Park
The closest ODNR-listed range to Kelleys Island State Park is Resthaven Wildlife Area Shooting Range, about 15 miles off as the crow flies. 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 Kelleys Island State Park
Are Sundays open for hunting on Kelleys Island State Park?
Ohio has no statewide Sunday restriction, so Sundays follow the regular seasons unless a lottery permit sets the day.
Do I have to report game shot on Kelleys Island State Park?
Check it in by noon the next day; no check station visit is needed.
Acreage check: how large is Kelleys Island State Park?
677 acres, according to the ODNR Property Details layer. The acreage table shows the spread.
What must I hold to hunt Kelleys Island State Park legally?
Ohio license first, then the game permit. Public hunting land in Ohio charges no access fee.
Are there controlled hunts on Kelleys Island State Park?
No drawn hunts here in 2026.
Which county deer limit applies to Kelleys Island State Park?
Erie County allows 3. Only one buck per season in Ohio, and two antlerless deer at most from public land.
May I camp while hunting Kelleys Island State Park?
The park has a campground; reserve a site and stay 400 feet from it while hunting.
What are this season's duck dates for Kelleys Island State Park?
It is in Zone B; duck splits run Oct 17 to Oct 25, 2026; Nov 21, 2026 to Jan 10, 2027.
Do I need hunter orange on Kelleys Island State Park during gun week?
Ohio requires a visible orange garment during deer gun seasons; camo orange counts.
May I bait deer on Kelleys Island State Park?
Portable stands yes, bait no.
Which number reaches the Kelleys Island State Park managers?
(419) 746-2546 reaches the managers.
Deer hours at Kelleys Island State Park on the first gun day?
Thirty minutes before sunrise to thirty after sunset; on November 30, 2026 that is 7:07 a.m. to 5:33 p.m. here (NOAA solar formula).
Is Kelleys Island State Park fully open to hunters in the ODNR layer?
Only part of it is open.
Kelleys Island State Park trip, last details
Rules, closures and lottery details for Kelleys Island State Park 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 · source 6; seasons from the 2026-27 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations. Checked November 6, 2026.
Other photos on this page: USFWS Mountain Prairie (Public domain); USFWS Headquarters (CC BY 2.0); USFWS/Southeast (Public domain).