Ohio hunting on Forest Service, refuge and military land

The Wayne National Forest (244,351 acres), two national wildlife refuges and two military sites, plus the federal units closed to hunting.

Wayne NF Refuges Military Hunting gear

244,351 Wayne NF acres

2 Refuges open

9 Closed federal units

Photo: OhioOakTree (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Wayne National Forest and its ranger districts

The Wayne is Ohio's only national forest: 244,351 acres of Forest Service land by the EDW statistics, in two ranger districts. Ohio hunting licenses, seasons and limits apply on it, hunting is allowed almost anywhere outside a 150-yard buffer around homes, campsites and developed sites, and OHVs stay on designated trails.

Unit	Acres	Counties	Main counties
Wayne National Forest	244,351	12	Lawrence, Washington and Hocking
Athens Ranger District	137,168	8	Washington, Hocking and Monroe
Ironton Ranger District	107,002	4	Lawrence, Gallia and Scioto

From the Wayne NF hunting page and USFS EDW. Checked November 6, 2026.

Lake Erie refuges open to hunting

Ottawa and Cedar Point are the two Ohio refuges in 50 CFR 32.54, both on the Lake Erie marshes. Ottawa has public units (Metzger Marsh, Middle and Upper Toussaint, Turkey Run) and controlled deer and waterfowl hunts drawn by ODNR; Cedar Point hunts are by permit. West Sister Island refuge is closed.

Refuge	FWS acres	Counties	CFR	Hunt-unit acres	Lottery hunts
Cedar Point NWR	2,105	Lucas	50 CFR 32.54(a)	2,593	0
Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge	7,593	Ottawa, Lucas	50 CFR 32.54(b)	7,014	8

From 50 CFR 32.54 and the FWS hunt units layer. Checked November 6, 2026.

Military land with hunting

Camp James A. Garfield in Portage and Trumbull counties opens only for ODNR lottery deer hunts (shotgun and antlerless shotgun). Wright-Patterson Air Force Base runs hunting through iSportsman with a recreation permit and check-in; its page does not say who may get a permit. 13 other military sites in the federal MIRTA layer have no public hunting and are not listed.

Installation	Acres (MIRTA)	Counties	Program
Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center	21,884	Portage, Trumbull	ODNR controlled hunting access lotteries
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base	5,169	Greene	iSportsman outdoor recreation program

Federal units closed to hunting in Ohio

All eight National Park Service units in Ohio are closed to hunting under 36 CFR 2.2, Cuyahoga Valley National Park included, and West Sister Island is not in the refuge hunting rule.

Place	Kind	County	Why not open	Source
Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers	Nat. Monument	Greene	NPS monument	source
Cuyahoga Valley National Park	Nat. Park	Summit, Cuyahoga	national park	source
Dayton Aviation Heritage	Nat. Historical Park	Greene, Montgomery	NPS park	source
First Ladies	Nat. Historic Site	Stark	NPS site	source
Hopewell Culture	Nat. Historical Park	Ross	NPS park	source
James A. Garfield	Nat. Historic Site	Lake	NPS site	source
Perry's Victory and International	Nat. Memorial	Ottawa	NPS memorial	source
West Sister Island	Nat. Wildlife Refuge	Lucas	refuge closed	source
William Howard Taft	Nat. Historic Site	Hamilton	NPS site	source

Federal land questions

How big is the Wayne National Forest?

244,351 acres of NFS land in Ohio: Athens Ranger District 137,168, Ironton Ranger District 107,002.

Do I need a federal permit to hunt the Wayne?

No. An Ohio resident or nonresident license and Ohio permits are all you need.

Is any of Cuyahoga Valley National Park open to deer hunters?

No; NPS rules prohibit hunting anywhere in the park.

What are the two ways into Ottawa NWR for a hunter?

Use the public units under the refuge rules, or apply for the ODNR controlled deer and waterfowl hunts on the refuge.

Can a member of the public hunt Camp James A. Garfield in Portage County?

Only through the ODNR controlled deer hunt lottery.

Forest and refuge views

Sugar maples in brilliant orange and red fall color in Ohio (file photo)

Restored wetland with cattails and a small stream on Ohio farmland (file photo)

Other Ohio public land

All public land Public land map Wildlife areas State forests State parks Hunting and access areas Access programs Dove fields Pheasant releases

Wayne National Forest CWD area

Other photos on this page: James St. John (CC BY 2.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0); Frank.Vassen (CC BY 2.0).