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Hunt Hancock County Wildlife Area 2 this 2026-27 season
Hunting ground of 51 acres, run as a state wildlife area in Hancock County.
Photo: Nyttend (Public domain)
Getting to Hancock County Wildlife Area 2
Hancock County Wildlife Area 2 by the numbers ODNR keeps
The ODNR Division of Wildlife manages Hancock County Wildlife Area 2, 51 acres of state wildlife area ground in Hancock County. For wildlife work it falls under District 2, run from Findlay. By tenure the ground is owned outright by the state. It appears in OAC 1501:31-15-04(A)(1) as "Hancock county wildlife area 2", the legal list of public hunting land.
| Measure | Acres |
|---|---|
| Hunting-status layer | 51 |
| GIS parcel area | 51 |
From the agency page, ODNR hunting-status layer, OAC; retrieved 2026-11-05, checked November 6, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Hancock County Wildlife Area 2
Ground rules for hunting Hancock County Wildlife Area 2
Hancock County Wildlife Area 2 is open ground in the ODNR status map.
- No driving off the posted roads; park in the lots.
- Overnight camping is off the table on this ground.
- Closed 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. from September through May 1 to anything but hunting, trapping and fishing.
- Guns may be fired only in lawful hunting, trapping or range use.
- Feed and bait are not allowed.
- Bring a portable stand; permanent stands are illegal.
- The public-area antlerless limit is two per license year.
From the agency page, public hunting area rules; checked November 6, 2026.
Dates and limits for hunting Hancock County Wildlife Area 2
No species list exists for Hancock County Wildlife Area 2; Ohio statewide seasons govern it. Spring turkey rows show the 2026 dates; the 2027 spring dates were not out when checked.
| Game | Window | From | To | Daily limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | Archery | Sep 26, 2026 | Feb 7, 2027 | County limit |
| Deer | Archery (DSA) | Sep 12, 2026 | Feb 7, 2027 | 6 deer (DSA) |
| Deer | Early gun (DSA) | Oct 10, 2026 | Oct 12, 2026 | 6 deer (DSA) |
| 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.
Hancock County Wildlife Area 2: next-nearest open land, by miles
Closest neighbour on the ODNR map: Van Buren State Park, 5 miles east. Neighbour mix: 5 wildlife areas and 1 state park.
| Name | Kind | Size (ac) | County | Away | Bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Van Buren State Park | State park | 296 | Hancock | 5 miles | east |
| Hancock County WA 1 | Wildlife area | 57 | Hancock | 6 miles | east |
| Hancock County WA 4 | Wildlife area | 53 | Hancock | 6 miles | south |
| Wood County WA 10 | Wildlife area | 40 | Wood | 6 miles | northwest |
| Wood County WA 6 | Wildlife area | 72 | Wood | 7 miles | northeast |
| Wood County WA 8 | Wildlife area | 39 | Wood | 7 miles | north |
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.
Where Hancock County Wildlife Area 2 sits in Ohio's rules
The Hancock County deer limit is 3 this season, only one of them antlered statewide. 2025-26 harvest, Hancock County: 2,345 deer. Through November 3, 2026: 428 deer checked.
| County | Bag | CWD area | Waterfowl | Turkey zone | Fall | Harvest 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hancock County | 3 deer | Some townships | B | South | Open | 2,345 |
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.
Resupply stops around Hancock County Wildlife Area 2
Findlay is the closest town on this site to Hancock County Wildlife Area 2, 7 miles in a straight line. ODNR staff closest to Hancock County Wildlife Area 2 work out of Findlay, 8 miles off.
| Town | County | Pop. 2024 | Miles off | Bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Findlay | Hancock | 40,343 | 7 miles | southeast |
| Bowling Green | Wood | 30,463 | 17 miles | north |
| Ottawa | Putnam | 4,422 | 18 miles | southwest |
| Neapolis | Lucas | – | 26 miles | north |
| Napoleon | Henry | 8,724 | 28 miles | northwest |
Towns from places.json (Census 2024 estimates); ODNR offices and businesses from services.json listings; straight-line miles. Checked November 6, 2026.
Hancock County Wildlife Area 2 legal-hour chart by opener
Ohio deer hunters may shoot from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset; ducks, geese, squirrels and fall turkeys stop at sunset; rabbits, pheasants, quail and doves wait for sunrise.
| When | Event | Rise | Set | Deer | Waterfowl | Small game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 12, 2026 | DSA archery opens | 7:11 a.m. | 7:52 p.m. | 6:41 a.m. to 8:22 p.m. | 6:41 a.m. to 7:52 p.m. | 7:11 a.m. to 7:52 p.m. |
| Sep 26, 2026 | Archery deer opens | 7:25 a.m. | 7:27 p.m. | 6:55 a.m. to 7:57 p.m. | 6:55 a.m. to 7:27 p.m. | 7:25 a.m. to 7:27 p.m. |
| Oct 1, 2026 | Fall turkey | 7:30 a.m. | 7:19 p.m. | 7:00 a.m. to 7:49 p.m. | 7:00 a.m. to 7:19 p.m. | 7:30 a.m. to 7:19 p.m. |
| Oct 10, 2026 | DSA early gun | 7:39 a.m. | 7:04 p.m. | 7:09 a.m. to 7:34 p.m. | 7:09 a.m. to 7:04 p.m. | 7:39 a.m. to 7:04 p.m. |
| Nov 6, 2026 | Rabbit and pheasant | 7:11 a.m. | 5:26 p.m. | 6:41 a.m. to 5:56 p.m. | 6:41 a.m. to 5:26 p.m. | 7:11 a.m. to 5:26 p.m. |
| Nov 21, 2026 | Second duck split | 7:29 a.m. | 5:13 p.m. | 6:59 a.m. to 5:43 p.m. | 6:59 a.m. to 5:13 p.m. | 7:29 a.m. to 5:13 p.m. |
| Nov 30, 2026 | Deer gun week | 7:39 a.m. | 5:08 p.m. | 7:09 a.m. to 5:38 p.m. | 7:09 a.m. to 5:08 p.m. | 7:39 a.m. to 5:08 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:56 a.m. | 5:09 p.m. | 7:26 a.m. to 5:39 p.m. | 7:26 a.m. to 5:09 p.m. | 7:56 a.m. to 5:09 p.m. |
| Jan 2, 2027 | Muzzleloader | 8:00 a.m. | 5:16 p.m. | 7:30 a.m. to 5:46 p.m. | 7:30 a.m. to 5:16 p.m. | 8:00 a.m. to 5:16 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.
Reaching Hancock County Wildlife Area 2 and its managers
Your district office: 952 Lima Ave, Findlay, OH 45840, 419-424-5000. The officer assigned to Hancock County is Ryan Burke, (419) 429-8384. Call 1-800-POACHER to report a violation anonymously.
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.
Images for sizing up a Hancock County Wildlife Area 2 hunt
Hancock County Wildlife Area 2 hunters: public range plus clubs
Wildlife District 2 Office Shooting Range is 8 miles from Hancock County Wildlife Area 2 and is the nearest public range on ODNR’s list. Club and private ranges within 30 miles fill the other cards.
From ODNR’s public range list and range pages, ranges’ own pages and directory listings, checked November 6, 2026.
Common Hancock County Wildlife Area 2 questions with sourced answers
Is hunting restricted anywhere on Hancock County Wildlife Area 2?
Open: no restricted parcels.
Where is Hancock County Wildlife Area 2 relative to the nearest town?
Findlay sits 7 miles from the point.
Does Ohio law allow Sunday hunts on Hancock County Wildlife Area 2?
Sunday is a normal hunting day in Ohio.
How is a turkey or deer from Hancock County Wildlife Area 2 checked?
Noon the next day is the deadline for the game check.
How many acres of hunting land is Hancock County Wildlife Area 2?
51 acres, from the ODNR lands layer SUM_CALC_ACRES.
Which Ohio license and permits do I need for Hancock County Wildlife Area 2?
A hunting license and species permits, as anywhere in Ohio; no separate area permit for general hunting.
Can I apply for a drawn hunt at Hancock County Wildlife Area 2?
No controlled hunts are on file for it.
Which county deer limit applies to Hancock County Wildlife Area 2?
The county limit of 3 applies. Remember the one-antlered rule and the two-antlerless public land cap.
May I camp while hunting Hancock County Wildlife Area 2?
No overnight camping.
When can ducks be hunted on Hancock County Wildlife Area 2 this year?
Ducks in Zone B open Oct 17 to Oct 25, 2026; Nov 21, 2026 to Jan 10, 2027.
Hunter orange rules for Hancock County Wildlife Area 2 in deer season?
A hunter orange vest or coat during the gun deer seasons; no square-inch rule.
Stand and bait rules for Hancock County Wildlife Area 2?
Portable stands only, with nothing driven into the tree, and no bait: deer baiting is illegal on public hunting areas.
What office handles Hancock County Wildlife Area 2 for ODNR?
419-424-5000 reaches the managers.
Hancock County Wildlife Area 2: the night-before checklist
Report your deer or turkey by noon the next day, and keep your license and permits on you while hunting Hancock County Wildlife Area 2.
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: Alabama Extension (CC0 1.0); Mas3cf (CC BY-SA 4.0); Raul654 (CC BY-SA 3.0).