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Wildlife area in Seneca County, Ohio
Hunt Silver Creek Wildlife Area this 2026-27 season
A 42-acre Ohio state wildlife area in Seneca County.
Photo: Self-forming Streams (CC BY 2.0)
Getting to Silver Creek Wildlife Area
Getting to know the Silver Creek Wildlife Area ground
At 42 acres, Silver Creek Wildlife Area is a state wildlife area in Seneca County; the ODNR Division of Wildlife looks after it. The Division of Wildlife handles it from its Findlay office (District 2, Northwest Ohio). Cover on the property page: grassland, marsh and brush. Other uses listed: hiking and birding. The hunting layer shows the parcels as owned outright by the state. The administrative code lists it under 1501:31-15-04(A)(1), written "Silver creek".
Pick your number: 25 acres at the low end, 42 at the high end, by source.
| Source | Acres |
|---|---|
| ODNR property page | 42 |
| Property Details layer | 25 |
| Water (Property Details) | 17 |
| Hunting-status layer | 42 |
| GIS parcel area | 42 |
From the ODNR property page, ODNR hunting-status layer, OAC; retrieved 2026-11-05, checked November 6, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Silver Creek Wildlife Area
Silver Creek Wildlife Area hunting rules, line by line
ODNR marks every parcel of Silver Creek Wildlife Area open to hunting.
- Park in designated spots; off-road driving is illegal.
- Leave the tent at home: no camping here.
- Night closure (8 p.m. to 6 a.m. in fall and winter) does not apply to hunters and trappers.
- Plinking is not allowed outside the designated ranges.
- Leave the corn at home: no bait on public land.
- Stands: portable, no devices driven into the bark.
- Two antlerless deer at most from all public hunting areas in a license year.
From the agency page, public hunting area rules; checked November 6, 2026.
Hunting calendar matched to Silver Creek Wildlife Area
The property page is silent on species, so the rows below are the usual statewide seasons. The spring turkey dates are from 2026, since ODNR had not published 2027.
| Quarry | Season | Start | End | 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.
County limits that apply on Silver Creek Wildlife Area
Deer bag in Seneca County: 3, with a single antlered deer allowed across Ohio. ODNR counted 3,017 deer in Seneca County for 2025-26, 1,752 of them antlerless. The 2026-27 count stood at 595 on November 3, 2026.
| County | Limit | DSA | Zone | Spring | Fall turkey | 2025-26 deer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seneca County | 3 deer | No | B | South | Open | 3,017 |
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.
Public hunting land within reach of Silver Creek Wildlife Area
Drive 9 miles west and the next public tract is Heck Bridge Area – Sandusky Scenic River. Around it on the map: 4 wildlife areas and 2 scenic river areas. Within 15 miles but not open to hunters: Collier State Nature Preserve (nature preserve), St. John’s Sandusky Scenic River Area (scenic river land) and Izaak Walton Area – Sandusky Scenic River (scenic river land).
| Nearby | Type | Acres | County | Miles | Heading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heck Bridge Area – Sandusky Scenic River | Scenic river | 22 | Seneca | 9 miles | west |
| Kildow Sandusky Scenic River Area | Scenic river | 188 | Seneca | 10 miles | west |
| Seneca County WA 2 | Wildlife area | 40 | Seneca | 11 miles | west |
| Knobbys Prairie Wildlife Area | Wildlife area | 47 | Seneca | 12 miles | northwest |
| Seneca County WA 3 | Wildlife area | 70 | Seneca | 13 miles | north |
| Willard Marsh Wildlife Area | Wildlife area | 1,670 | Huron | 13 miles | east |
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.
Silver Creek Wildlife Area maps, address and officers
For permits and questions try the Wildlife District Two office, 419-424-5000. The Seneca County wildlife officer is Brock Williamson, (419) 429-8394. Anonymous tip line: 1-800-POACHER.
- Area map PDF · legend: grassland, brushland
- ODNR hunting regulations web map
- Map pin
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.
Towns and outfitters a short drive from Silver Creek Wildlife Area
From the point, Tiffin sits 10 miles away. For face-to-face help, the Harpster ODNR office lies 26 miles away as the crow flies.
| Place | County | Population | Distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tiffin | Seneca | 17,729 | 10 miles | northwest |
| Celeryville | Huron | – | 15 miles | east |
| Bucyrus | Crawford | 11,567 | 16 miles | south |
| Upper Sandusky | Wyandot | 6,627 | 19 miles | southwest |
| Fremont | Sandusky | 15,814 | 23 miles | north |
Towns from places.json (Census 2024 estimates); ODNR offices and businesses from services.json listings; straight-line miles. Checked November 6, 2026.
Gun-week light and other opener times on Silver Creek Wildlife Area
ODNR prints no sunrise table and points hunters to its app, the NOAA calculator and the Naval Observatory; the times for Silver Creek Wildlife Area below are worked out with the NOAA solar formula for its own location.
| Date | Opener | Sunrise | Sunset | Big game | Duck window | Pheasant window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 2026 | Archery deer opens | 7:22 a.m. | 7:25 p.m. | 6:52 a.m. to 7:55 p.m. | 6:52 a.m. to 7:25 p.m. | 7:22 a.m. to 7:25 p.m. |
| Oct 1, 2026 | Fall turkey | 7:27 a.m. | 7:16 p.m. | 6:57 a.m. to 7:46 p.m. | 6:57 a.m. to 7:16 p.m. | 7:27 a.m. to 7:16 p.m. |
| Nov 6, 2026 | Rabbit and pheasant | 7:08 a.m. | 5:24 p.m. | 6:38 a.m. to 5:54 p.m. | 6:38 a.m. to 5:24 p.m. | 7:08 a.m. to 5:24 p.m. |
| Nov 21, 2026 | Second duck split | 7:26 a.m. | 5:10 p.m. | 6:56 a.m. to 5:40 p.m. | 6:56 a.m. to 5:10 p.m. | 7:26 a.m. to 5:10 p.m. |
| Nov 30, 2026 | Deer gun week | 7:36 a.m. | 5:06 p.m. | 7:06 a.m. to 5:36 p.m. | 7:06 a.m. to 5:06 p.m. | 7:36 a.m. to 5:06 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:53 a.m. | 5:06 p.m. | 7:23 a.m. to 5:36 p.m. | 7:23 a.m. to 5:06 p.m. | 7:53 a.m. to 5:06 p.m. |
| Jan 2, 2027 | Muzzleloader | 7:57 a.m. | 5:14 p.m. | 7:27 a.m. to 5:44 p.m. | 7:27 a.m. to 5:14 p.m. | 7:57 a.m. to 5:14 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.
Field and woods views near Silver Creek Wildlife Area
Silver Creek Wildlife Area: the nearest public range, then clubs
Silver Creek Wildlife Area hunters reach Wyandot Wildlife Area Shooting Range, the nearest ODNR-listed range, after about 20 miles. Next to it: the nearest club ranges, all inside 30 miles.
From ODNR’s public range list and range pages, ranges’ own pages and directory listings, checked November 6, 2026.
Silver Creek Wildlife Area: what Buckeye hunters keep asking
Must I wear orange while hunting Silver Creek Wildlife Area in winter?
During the youth gun, gun, bonus gun, DSA early gun and muzzleloader seasons, every hunter except waterfowl hunters wears a hunter orange vest, coat, jacket or coveralls.
When does legal deer light start on Silver Creek Wildlife Area?
7:06 a.m. to 5:36 p.m. on November 30, 2026.
Who should I phone about hunting Silver Creek Wildlife Area?
The area phone is (419) 424-5000.
Nearest town for supplies near Silver Creek Wildlife Area?
Tiffin (10 miles).
Is every part of Silver Creek Wildlife Area open to hunting?
The whole area is open.
What is the deadline to report a deer from Silver Creek Wildlife Area?
Report deer and turkeys by noon the day after the kill, online, by phone or in the HuntFish OH app.
Can Silver Creek Wildlife Area be hunted all seven days?
No statewide Sunday limit applies.
Is any special pass needed to hunt Silver Creek Wildlife Area?
An Ohio hunting license ($19 resident, $180.96 nonresident) plus the permit for your game: deer or turkey permit, fur taker permit, or HIP and stamps for waterfowl.
What size is Silver Creek Wildlife Area on the ODNR books?
About 42 acres by the main source; other layers are in the acreage table. Different layers give slightly different totals.
What deer limit covers Silver Creek Wildlife Area?
3 deer, the Seneca County limit. Statewide: 6 deer, 1 antlered; public hunting areas: 2 antlerless at most.
Is any hunting at Silver Creek Wildlife Area by permit only?
No; the 2026 lottery list does not include it.
Which zone sets the waterfowl calendar at Silver Creek Wildlife Area?
Zone B. Splits: Oct 17 to Oct 25, 2026; Nov 21, 2026 to Jan 10, 2027.
Where can hunters stay overnight at Silver Creek Wildlife Area?
No. Camping is banned on wildlife areas except at Appalachian Hills, Simco and Woodbury.
Silver Creek Wildlife Area: the night-before checklist
Gravel lanes and parking lots can flood or close in wet weather; check access to Silver Creek Wildlife Area before the drive.
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: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0); Wing-Chi Poon (CC BY-SA 2.5); USFWS Mountain Prairie (Public domain).