Home › Ohio › Public land › Darke Wildlife Area
Buckeye state wildlife area with open hunting
Darke Wildlife Area: seasons, rules and access
One state wildlife area of 316 acres in Darke County, open to licensed hunters.
Photo: Logan Rickert (CC BY 2.0)
Getting to Darke Wildlife Area
Parking, trailheads and gates near Darke Wildlife Area
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- Parking areaParking · 1.0 mi from the centreDirections
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- Parking areaParking · 1.6 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 1.6 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.
Darke Wildlife Area: size, setting and history
Darke Wildlife Area covers 316 acres in Darke County, a state wildlife area run by the ODNR Division of Wildlife. ODNR puts it around 3 miles to the west of Gettysburg. Questions go to District 5 in Xenia, the district that covers it. Walk it and you will find woods, grassland, crops, streams, wetlands and meadow, according to the agency listing. Expect company: the page names kayaking, hiking, birding, pheasant release and fishing, plus hunter access. Its story as public land begins in 1960 and runs to 1965, using several state funds and Fish Restoration money. Parcels are owned outright by the state. You will find it as "Darke" in OAC 1501:31-15-04(A)(1).
Sources disagree on size, from 299 to 373 acres; this page uses 316 (ODNR property page).
| Record | Acres |
|---|---|
| ODNR property page | 316 |
| Area map PDF | 373 |
| Property Details layer | 299 |
| Water (Property Details) | 18 |
| Hunting-status layer | 317 |
| GIS parcel area | 315 |
From the ODNR property page, ODNR hunting-status layer, OAC; retrieved 2026-11-05, checked November 6, 2026.
Darke Wildlife Area: rules that apply on the ground
No restricted parcels: Darke 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 Darke Wildlife Area game is in season
ODNR and the lottery list tie dove and pheasant to Darke Wildlife Area.
| Game | Season | Opens | Closes | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pheasant | Regular | Nov 6, 2026 | Jan 10, 2027 | 2 roosters 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 |
| Mourning dove | Dove | Sep 1, 2026 | Nov 8, 2026 | 15 daily |
| Mourning dove | Dove | Dec 12, 2026 | Jan 1, 2027 | 15 daily |
Dates and limits from the 2026-27 hunting seasons list and the 2026-27 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations; species from the record (dove fields layer); checked November 6, 2026.
Managed hunting features at Darke Wildlife Area
Where ODNR plants for doves on Darke Wildlife Area
Darke Wildlife Area has 10 acres of dove fields in 3 block(s) (wheat, millet and sprayed millet 8-15-25). Non-controlled fields: no permit beyond the license and HIP.
| Field | Acres | Status | Planting |
|---|---|---|---|
| B9 | 2.8 | Non-Controlled | wheat, millet, sprayed millet 8-15-25 |
| B2 | 3.9 | Non-Controlled | wheat, millet |
| B12 | 3.5 | Non-Controlled | wheat, millet |
Pheasant ground: Darke Wildlife Area
Pheasants are stocked here: public release and youth release, 8 fields on 45 acres. Fresh releases come on the youth weekends and November 6, November 14 and November 26.
From the ODNR dove fields layer, pheasant release list; checked November 6, 2026.
County rules around Darke Wildlife Area
Darke County allows 3 deer per hunter in 2026-27. Darke County hunters checked 1,356 deer in 2025-26 (553 antlered). This season to November 3, 2026, 266 deer have been checked there.
| County | Deer limit | CWD | Zone | Spring | Fall | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darke County | 3 deer | No | C | South | Closed | 1,356 |
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 Darke Wildlife Area
Lake Loramie State Park lies 20 miles northeast of the Darke Wildlife Area point, the nearest open land. Nearby public places: 3 wildlife areas, 2 state parks and 1 conservation area. Neighbours closed to hunting: Stillwater Scenic River (scenic river land), Goode Prairie State Nature Preserve (nature preserve) and Stillwater Scenic River – Greenville Falls Non-Dedicated Natural Area (natural area).
| Area | Kind | Acres | County | Miles off | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Loramie State Park | State park | 407 | Shelby | 20 miles | northeast |
| Vernon A Luthman Tecumseh WA | Wildlife area | 102 | Shelby | 21 miles | northeast |
| Sycamore State Park | State park | 2,384 | Montgomery | 23 miles | south |
| Stillwater Wildlife Area | Wildlife area | 5 | Montgomery | 25 miles | southeast |
| Mercer Wildlife Area | Wildlife area | 316 | Mercer | 27 miles | north |
| Burntwood-Langenkamp Wetland | Conservation area | 89 | Mercer | 27 miles | north |
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.
Darke Wildlife Area: who to call and which map to carry
District help: Wildlife District Five, 1076 Old Springfield Pike, Xenia, OH 45385, 937-372-9261. Darke County is patrolled by officer Jeff Wenning ((937) 621-5779). Poaching tips go to 1-800-POACHER, any hour.
- Area map PDF (published 5/13/2022) · legend: parking area, parking, trail
- 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, 1 parcel (polygon centroid of the largest part); checked November 6, 2026.
Where to fuel up and grab ice near Darke Wildlife Area
Measured straight, Greenville is 5 miles from Darke Wildlife Area. Of the five, Huber Heights is the biggest with 43,590 residents (2024 estimate). Allow for 26 miles of straight-line distance to the Celina ODNR office.
| Town | County | 2024 population | Away | Which way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenville | Darke | 12,701 | 5 miles | west |
| Troy | Miami | 27,122 | 17 miles | east |
| Sidney | Shelby | 20,392 | 23 miles | northeast |
| Eaton | Preble | 8,337 | 26 miles | south |
| Huber Heights | Montgomery | 43,590 | 28 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 Darke Wildlife Area seasons
Around Darke 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 | 7:28 a.m. | 7:31 p.m. | 6:58 a.m. to 8:01 p.m. | 6:58 a.m. to 7:31 p.m. | 7:28 a.m. to 7:31 p.m. |
| Nov 6, 2026 | Rabbit and pheasant | 7:12 a.m. | 5:31 p.m. | 6:42 a.m. to 6:01 p.m. | 6:42 a.m. to 5:31 p.m. | 7:12 a.m. to 5:31 p.m. |
| Nov 30, 2026 | Deer gun week | 7:40 a.m. | 5:14 p.m. | 7:10 a.m. to 5:44 p.m. | 7:10 a.m. to 5:14 p.m. | 7:40 a.m. to 5:14 p.m. |
| Dec 12, 2026 | Second duck split | 7:51 a.m. | 5:13 p.m. | 7:21 a.m. to 5:43 p.m. | 7:21 a.m. to 5:13 p.m. | 7:51 a.m. to 5:13 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:56 a.m. | 5:15 p.m. | 7:26 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. | 7:26 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. | 7:56 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. |
| Jan 2, 2027 | Muzzleloader | 8:00 a.m. | 5:23 p.m. | 7:30 a.m. to 5:53 p.m. | 7:30 a.m. to 5:23 p.m. | 8:00 a.m. to 5:23 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.
Darke Wildlife Area district scenes and wildlife photos
Public range and clubs on the road to Darke Wildlife Area
St. Marys Fish Hatchery Shooting Range is 29 miles from Darke Wildlife Area and is the nearest public range on ODNR’s list. 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 Darke Wildlife Area
Are Sundays open for hunting on Darke 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 Darke Wildlife Area?
Check it in by noon the next day; no check station visit is needed.
Acreage check: how large is Darke Wildlife Area?
316 acres, according to the ODNR property page. The acreage table shows the spread.
What must I hold to hunt Darke Wildlife Area legally?
Ohio license first, then the game permit. Public hunting land in Ohio charges no access fee.
Are there controlled hunts on Darke Wildlife Area?
No drawn hunts here in 2026.
Deer bag limit for Darke Wildlife Area?
Up to 3, by the county rule. Only one buck per season in Ohio, and two antlerless deer at most from public land.
Overnight stays at Darke Wildlife Area?
No; book a room in a nearby town.
What are this season's duck dates for Darke 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 Darke Wildlife Area during gun week?
Ohio requires a visible orange garment during deer gun seasons; camo orange counts.
May I bait deer on Darke Wildlife Area?
Portable stands yes, bait no.
What office handles Darke Wildlife Area for ODNR?
The area phone is 1-800-WILDLIFE.
Deer hours at Darke Wildlife Area on the first gun day?
Thirty minutes before sunrise to thirty after sunset; on November 30, 2026 that is 7:10 a.m. to 5:44 p.m. here (NOAA solar formula).
Does Darke Wildlife Area have managed dove fields?
Yes: 3 fields, B9, B2 and B12.
Sign-off notes for Darke Wildlife Area hunters
Rules, closures and lottery details for Darke 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: greenebriar (Public domain); Peter Wallack (CC BY-SA 3.0); lwolfartist (CC BY 2.0).