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Hunting area · District 2 ground
Cherp's Eagle Valley Wildlife Area for Buckeye State hunters
177 acres managed as a public hunting area in Richland County.
Photo: Nyttend (Public domain)
Getting to Cherp’s Eagle Valley Wildlife Area
Parking, trailheads and gates near Cherp’s Eagle Valley Wildlife Area
- Parking areaParking · 0.2 mi from the centreDirections
- Esbenshade Landis Wetland AreaParking · 0.4 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.3 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.3 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.5 mi from the centreDirections
- Boat rampBoat ramp · 2.5 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.6 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.7 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.5 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.
Access and conduct rules at Cherp's Eagle Valley Wildlife Area
The status layer says restricted, so check which zones of Cherp's Eagle Valley Wildlife Area allow hunting.
- Vehicles stay on marked roads and in parking areas.
- No campsites on this property.
- Closing hours apply to hikers, not to legal hunting or trapping.
- Shooting outside a hunt or a designated range is illegal.
- Hunting deer over bait is illegal here.
- No screw-in steps or nails in trees.
- Only two antlerless deer may come from public hunting areas each year.
From the agency page, public hunting area rules; checked November 6, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Cherp’s Eagle Valley Wildlife Area
Inside the Cherp's Eagle Valley Wildlife Area record
This public hunting area in Richland County spans 177 acres under the ODNR Division of Wildlife. It belongs to ODNR Wildlife District 2 (Northwest Ohio), whose office is in Findlay. Land tenure in the ODNR layer: protected by a conservation easement.
| Source | Size (ac) |
|---|---|
| Hunting-status layer | 177 |
| GIS parcel area | 177 |
From the agency page, ODNR hunting-status layer; retrieved 2026-11-05, checked November 6, 2026.
Cherp's Eagle Valley Wildlife Area: open seasons for its listed game
ODNR names no particular game for Cherp's Eagle Valley Wildlife Area, so the statewide seasons apply; the table shows the common ones. Read the spring turkey rows as 2026 dates.
| Species | Hunt | First day | Last day | Bag |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
Cherp's Eagle Valley Wildlife Area: deer limits and zones by county
Richland County is a 3-deer county for 2026-27. Richland County hunters checked 5,151 deer in 2025-26 (2,063 antlered). So far in 2026-27 (through November 3, 2026) the county shows 999.
| County | Deer limit | DSA | Duck zone | Spring turkey | Fall turkey | Deer 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richland County | 3 deer | No | B | South | Open | 5,151 |
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.
Ohio hunting ground a short drive from Cherp's Eagle Valley Wildlife Area
The nearest other public hunting ground is Black Fork Bottom Hunting Area, under a mile off to the northwest. The six nearest places include 3 public hunting areas, 2 wildlife areas and 1 state park. Closed to hunting nearby: Fowler Woods State Nature Preserve (nature preserve), Clear Fork Gorge State Nature Preserve (nature preserve) and Mohican State Park (park without hunting).
| Area | Kind | Acres | County | Miles off | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Fork Bottom Hunting Area | Hunting area | 124 | Ashland | under a mile | northwest |
| Charles Mill Lake Hunt Area | Hunting area | 3,234 | Ashland | 3 miles | south |
| Malabar Farm State Park | State park | 875 | Richland | 11 miles | south |
| Pleasant Hill Lake Hunt Area | Hunting area | 2,198 | Richland | 12 miles | south |
| Funk Bottoms Wildlife Area | Wildlife area | 1,536 | Wayne | 14 miles | east |
| Cool Springs Wildlife Conservation Park | Wildlife area | 192 | Ashland | 14 miles | east |
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.
Where to fuel up and grab ice near Cherp's Eagle Valley Wildlife Area
Count on Ashland, about 6 miles out, for supplies. Of the five, Mansfield is the biggest with 47,593 residents (2024 estimate). The nearest ODNR office sits in Shreve, 24 miles from the point.
| Community | County | Residents | Straight line | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashland | Ashland | 18,770 | 6 miles | northeast |
| Lucas | Richland | 586 | 7 miles | south |
| Mansfield | Richland | 47,593 | 8 miles | west |
| Jeromesville | Ashland | 528 | 10 miles | east |
| Loudonville | Ashland | 2,778 | 15 miles | southeast |
Towns from places.json (Census 2024 estimates); ODNR offices and businesses from services.json listings; straight-line miles. Checked November 6, 2026.
Phone numbers and maps for Cherp's Eagle Valley Wildlife Area
Wildlife District Two staff work from 952 Lima Ave, Findlay, OH 45840; phone 419-424-5000. County wildlife officer: Nathan Kaufmann, (419) 429-8392. Turn in a poacher at 1-800-POACHER (762-2437).
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.
Photo strip: land and game around Cherp's Eagle Valley Wildlife Area
Sun-up to sundown hunting clock for Cherp's Eagle Valley Wildlife Area
Furbearers have no hour limit in Ohio, but in the deer gun and muzzleloader weeks coyote hunting near Cherp's Eagle Valley Wildlife Area keeps to deer hours.
| Date | Why it matters | Sunrise | Sunset | Deer window | Ducks and squirrels | Sunrise birds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 2026 | Archery deer opens | 7:20 a.m. | 7:22 p.m. | 6:50 a.m. to 7:52 p.m. | 6:50 a.m. to 7:22 p.m. | 7:20 a.m. to 7:22 p.m. |
| Oct 1, 2026 | Fall turkey | 7:25 a.m. | 7:14 p.m. | 6:55 a.m. to 7:44 p.m. | 6:55 a.m. to 7:14 p.m. | 7:25 a.m. to 7:14 p.m. |
| Nov 6, 2026 | Rabbit and pheasant | 7:05 a.m. | 5:22 p.m. | 6:35 a.m. to 5:52 p.m. | 6:35 a.m. to 5:22 p.m. | 7:05 a.m. to 5:22 p.m. |
| Nov 21, 2026 | Second duck split | 7:23 a.m. | 5:08 p.m. | 6:53 a.m. to 5:38 p.m. | 6:53 a.m. to 5:08 p.m. | 7:23 a.m. to 5:08 p.m. |
| Nov 30, 2026 | Deer gun week | 7:33 a.m. | 5:04 p.m. | 7:03 a.m. to 5:34 p.m. | 7:03 a.m. to 5:04 p.m. | 7:33 a.m. to 5:04 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:50 a.m. | 5:05 p.m. | 7:20 a.m. to 5:35 p.m. | 7:20 a.m. to 5:05 p.m. | 7:50 a.m. to 5:05 p.m. |
| Jan 2, 2027 | Muzzleloader | 7:54 a.m. | 5:12 p.m. | 7:24 a.m. to 5:42 p.m. | 7:24 a.m. to 5:12 p.m. | 7:54 a.m. to 5:12 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.
Zeroing a slug gun on the way to Cherp's Eagle Valley Wildlife Area
Spencer Lake Wildlife Area Shooting Range is 27 miles from Cherp's Eagle Valley Wildlife Area and is the nearest public range on ODNR’s list. The other cards show clubs a 30-mile drive or less away.
From ODNR’s public range list and range pages, ranges’ own pages and directory listings, checked November 6, 2026.
Cherp's Eagle Valley Wildlife Area, answered one question at a time
What office handles Cherp's Eagle Valley Wildlife Area for ODNR?
Call 419-424-5000.
Which town on this site is nearest to Cherp's Eagle Valley Wildlife Area?
Ashland is the nearest, 6 miles off.
Which parts of Cherp's Eagle Valley Wildlife Area allow hunting?
Not all of it: ODNR lists it as restricted, so use the hunting map.
When must I check game taken on Cherp's Eagle Valley Wildlife Area?
Deer and turkeys go through the electronic game check by noon the next day.
Do Sunday rules limit hunting at Cherp's Eagle Valley Wildlife Area?
Yes; Ohio sets no Sunday ban.
What licenses and permits cover a hunt on Cherp's Eagle Valley Wildlife Area?
Your Ohio license and the right permit. First-time buyers need hunter education or an apprentice license.
How big is the Cherp's Eagle Valley Wildlife Area property in acres?
Roughly 177 acres all told.
Deer bag limit for Cherp's Eagle Valley Wildlife Area?
Up to 3, by the county rule. The statewide limit is six, one antlered; public land adds a two-antlerless cap.
Does Cherp's Eagle Valley Wildlife Area have lottery hunts?
Not in 2026: hunt it during the open seasons without a draw.
Duck zone and split dates for Cherp's Eagle Valley Wildlife Area?
Zone B dates apply: Oct 17 to Oct 25, 2026; Nov 21, 2026 to Jan 10, 2027.
Overnight stays at Cherp's Eagle Valley Wildlife Area?
Camping is prohibited.
Can I hang a stand on Cherp's Eagle Valley Wildlife Area?
Stands must be portable; bait and feed are prohibited.
When is hunter orange required on Cherp's Eagle Valley Wildlife Area?
In gun and muzzleloader seasons: an orange garment, unless you hunt waterfowl.
Sign-off notes for Cherp's Eagle Valley Wildlife Area hunters
Use this page to plan, then reread the official page for Cherp's Eagle Valley Wildlife Area the week before the trip.
Sources: source 1 · source 2; 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 (Public Domain Mark 1.0); fishhawk (CC BY 2.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Midwest Region (Public domain).