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Wildlife area · Ohio public hunting land
Hunt Marsh Wetlands State Nature Preserve this 2026-27 season
152 acres of public state wildlife area ground in Portage County.
Photo: Jack Pearce (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Getting to Marsh Wetlands State Nature Preserve
Parking, trailheads and gates near Marsh Wetlands State Nature Preserve
- Parking areaParking · 0.3 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.4 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.4 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.4 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.4 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.4 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.4 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.5 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.5 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.5 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.5 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.5 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.
What kind of place Marsh Wetlands State Nature Preserve is
Expect 152 acres of state wildlife area here, in Portage County, with the ODNR Division of Wildlife in charge. In ODNR terms this is District 3 country, with district staff based in Akron. Habitat named by ODNR includes woods and wetlands. Non-hunters share the ground for hiking. In the parcel data the land is owned outright by the state.
In the words of its ODNR page:
“Marsh Wetlands State Nature Preserve has fine examples of marsh habitats that provide great wildlife viewing opportunities.”
Not every ODNR source agrees: the spread is 152 to 154 acres.
| Where the figure comes from | Acres |
|---|---|
| Property Details layer | 152 |
| Hunting-status layer | 152 |
| GIS parcel area | 154 |
From the ODNR property page, ODNR hunting-status layer; retrieved 2026-11-05, checked November 6, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Marsh Wetlands State Nature Preserve
Before the first shot on Marsh Wetlands State Nature Preserve
Restricted status means only some of Marsh Wetlands State Nature Preserve is open; take the map along.
- Keep trucks on the open roads and in marked lots.
- Leave the tent at home: no camping here.
- Hours: other visitors leave by 8 p.m. from September 1 to May 1.
- No casual shooting: guns are for hunting, trapping or a Division range.
- Baiting deer is banned on all public hunting areas.
- Tree stands must be portable, with no nails or screw-in steps.
- Public land limit: no more than two antlerless deer a year.
From the agency page, public hunting area rules; checked November 6, 2026.
Marsh Wetlands State Nature Preserve season dates, game by game
Without a species list for Marsh Wetlands State Nature Preserve, use the statewide calendar below. 2027 spring turkey dates are pending, so the 2026 dates are shown.
| Game | Kind | Begins | Ends | 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 |
| 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.
What else lies near Marsh Wetlands State Nature Preserve on the map
First on the neighbour list is Ladue Hunting Area, 7 miles away and north of here. Six neighbours by kind: 2 state parks, 2 wildlife areas and 1 public hunting area. Off limits to hunting close by: Upper Cuyahoga-Mantua Scenic River Area (scenic river land), Mantua Bog State Nature Preserve (nature preserve) and Mennonite Road-Upper Cuyahoga Scenic River Area (scenic river land).
| Nearby | Type | Acres | County | Miles | Heading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ladue Hunting Area | Hunting area | 8,427 | Geauga | 7 miles | north |
| Tinkers Creek State Park | State park | 397 | Portage | 8 miles | west |
| Auburn Marsh Wildlife Area | Wildlife area | 466 | Geauga | 8 miles | north |
| Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center | Military | 21,884 | Portage | 9 miles | southeast |
| West Branch Wildlife Area | Wildlife area | 2,913 | Portage | 10 miles | south |
| West Branch State Park | State park | 5,379 | Portage | 11 miles | southeast |
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.
Zone and limit check for Marsh Wetlands State Nature Preserve
County limit where it lies: 3 deer (Portage County). ODNR counted 3,498 deer in Portage County for 2025-26, 2,090 of them antlerless. Early 2026-27 tally (to November 3, 2026): 949 deer.
| County | Deer bag | DSA | Duck zone | Turkey | Fall | 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portage County | 3 deer | No | B | South | Open | 3,498 |
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.
Towns and outfitters a short drive from Marsh Wetlands State Nature Preserve
Fuel, ice and groceries: Ravenna is nearest, 8 miles away. A bigger stop is Stow, population 34,101. The closest ODNR desk: West Farmington, 16 miles in a straight line.
| Nearest towns | County | Population | Miles | Heading |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ravenna | Portage | 11,236 | 8 miles | south |
| Kent | Portage | 27,720 | 12 miles | southwest |
| Burton | Geauga | 1,408 | 14 miles | north |
| Stow | Summit | 34,101 | 14 miles | southwest |
| West Farmington | Trumbull | 534 | 15 miles | northeast |
Towns from places.json (Census 2024 estimates); ODNR offices and businesses from services.json listings; straight-line miles. Checked November 6, 2026.
Daylight math for Marsh Wetlands State Nature Preserve, worked from its own point
The sun comes up roughly a quarter hour later in Defiance than in Marietta, so use the times worked out for Marsh Wetlands State Nature Preserve rather than a Columbus table.
| Date | Season point | Sunrise | Sunset | Deer | Waterfowl, squirrel | Rabbit, pheasant, dove |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 2026 | Archery deer opens | 7:15 a.m. | 7:17 p.m. | 6:45 a.m. to 7:47 p.m. | 6:45 a.m. to 7:17 p.m. | 7:15 a.m. to 7:17 p.m. |
| Oct 1, 2026 | Fall turkey | 7:20 a.m. | 7:09 p.m. | 6:50 a.m. to 7:39 p.m. | 6:50 a.m. to 7:09 p.m. | 7:20 a.m. to 7:09 p.m. |
| Nov 6, 2026 | Rabbit and pheasant | 7:01 a.m. | 5:16 p.m. | 6:31 a.m. to 5:46 p.m. | 6:31 a.m. to 5:16 p.m. | 7:01 a.m. to 5:16 p.m. |
| Nov 21, 2026 | Second duck split | 7:20 a.m. | 5:02 p.m. | 6:50 a.m. to 5:32 p.m. | 6:50 a.m. to 5:02 p.m. | 7:20 a.m. to 5:02 p.m. |
| Nov 30, 2026 | Deer gun week | 7:30 a.m. | 4:58 p.m. | 7:00 a.m. to 5:28 p.m. | 7:00 a.m. to 4:58 p.m. | 7:30 a.m. to 4:58 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:47 a.m. | 4:58 p.m. | 7:17 a.m. to 5:28 p.m. | 7:17 a.m. to 4:58 p.m. | 7:47 a.m. to 4:58 p.m. |
| Jan 2, 2027 | Muzzleloader | 7:50 a.m. | 5:06 p.m. | 7:20 a.m. to 5:36 p.m. | 7:20 a.m. to 5:06 p.m. | 7:50 a.m. to 5:06 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.
Maps and contacts for Marsh Wetlands State Nature Preserve
The Wildlife District Three office is at 912 Portage Lakes Dr, Akron, OH 44319 (330-644-2293). Report problems to Marino Pellegrini, the county wildlife officer, at (330) 245-3040. Report poaching at 1-800-762-2437. Map text: southern and eastern boundaries. Map text: will in turn increase the diversity of wetland wildlife species.
- Area map PDF · legend: parking, no hunting, hunting area, trail, wetland, marsh, grassland
- Marsh Wetlands State Nature Preserve and Wildlife Area Map [ARCHIVE pdf]
- Point on Google Maps
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.
Dates held at or close to Marsh Wetlands State Nature Preserve
Rows marked for this land meet on it; upcoming rows also count within about 10 miles. In all, 1 date ahead.
| Scheduled | What | Miles | Where held | Link | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 7, 2026 | ODNR Hunter Education Class (Ravenna) · hunter education class, Ravenna | 8 | Ravenna, Portage County | Register | Source |
Pictures from Marsh Wetlands State Nature Preserve country and its game
Zeroing a slug gun on the way to Marsh Wetlands State Nature Preserve
Marsh Wetlands State Nature Preserve hunters reach Punderson State Park Archery Range, the nearest ODNR-listed range, after about 12 miles. Private and club lines no more than 30 miles away complete the set.
From ODNR’s public range list and range pages, ranges’ own pages and directory listings, checked November 6, 2026.
Marsh Wetlands State Nature Preserve questions, from permits to parking
Orange clothing rules at Marsh Wetlands State Nature Preserve?
Wear an orange vest, coat or coveralls in all deer gun weeks; duck hunters are exempt.
What time can I start deer hunting at Marsh Wetlands State Nature Preserve?
Legal deer light on November 30, 2026: 7:00 a.m. to 5:28 p.m.
Who should I phone about hunting Marsh Wetlands State Nature Preserve?
The area phone is (614) 265-6419.
How far is Marsh Wetlands State Nature Preserve from the closest town?
Ravenna (8 miles).
Are parts of Marsh Wetlands State Nature Preserve closed to hunters?
It is restricted; check the map.
What is the deadline to report a deer from Marsh Wetlands State Nature Preserve?
By noon the following day, through HuntFish OH, wildohio.gov or by phone.
Can I hunt Marsh Wetlands State Nature Preserve on a Sunday in Ohio?
Ohio law has no Sunday closure.
Do I need more than an Ohio hunting license for Marsh Wetlands State Nature Preserve?
Carry a valid Ohio hunting license; add a deer, turkey or fur taker permit, and for ducks the federal duck stamp, the $15 Ohio wetlands stamp and HIP.
How big is the Marsh Wetlands State Nature Preserve property in acres?
It takes in 152 acres of ground. GIS and map figures vary.
What deer limit covers Marsh Wetlands State Nature Preserve?
3 deer, the Portage County limit. One antlered deer statewide; public areas cap antlerless deer at two a year.
Does ODNR draw permits for Marsh Wetlands State Nature Preserve?
None on the 2026 list, so regular seasons apply.
Which Ohio waterfowl zone covers Marsh Wetlands State Nature Preserve?
Waterfowl Zone B: ducks Oct 17 to Oct 25, 2026; Nov 21, 2026 to Jan 10, 2027.
Where can hunters stay overnight at Marsh Wetlands State Nature Preserve?
Not allowed; only three wildlife areas have camping.
Marsh Wetlands State Nature Preserve: the night-before checklist
Saw a violation on Marsh Wetlands State Nature Preserve? Call 1-800-POACHER; tips can stay anonymous.
Sources: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4; seasons from the 2026-27 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations. Checked November 6, 2026.
Other photos on this page: Wing-Chi Poon (CC BY-SA 2.5); Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren (CC BY 2.0); Mas3cf (CC BY-SA 4.0).