Home › Ohio › Public land › Tar Hollow State Park
State park in Ross County, Ohio
Tar Hollow State Park hunting, rules and county limits
A 604-acre Ohio state park in Ross County and Hocking County.
Photo: Dan Keck (CC0 1.0)
Getting to Tar Hollow State Park
Parking, trailheads and gates near Tar Hollow State Park
- Parking areaParking · 0.2 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.4 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.5 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.5 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.
Getting to know the Tar Hollow State Park ground
At 604 acres, Tar Hollow State Park is a state park in Ross County and Hocking County; the ODNR Division of Parks and Watercraft looks after it. The Division of Wildlife handles it from its Athens office (District 4, Southeast Ohio). Cover on the property page: fall color. Other uses listed: camping, kayaking, boating, hiking, miniature golf and paddling; trails are marked as Buckeye Trail, hiking trails and backpacking trails. The hunting layer shows the parcels as owned outright by the state. The administrative code lists it under 1501:31-15-04(A)(2), written "Tar hollow".
From the ODNR property page:
“Twisting park and forest roads pass through deep ravines and dense woodlands.”
Pick your number: 604 acres at the low end, 757 at the high end, by source.
| Source | Acres |
|---|---|
| Property Details layer | 604 |
| Water (Property Details) | 15 |
| Hunting-status layer | 757 |
| GIS parcel area | 744 |
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 Tar Hollow State Park
Tar Hollow State Park hunting rules, line by line
Restricted on the ODNR layer: read the map for Tar Hollow State Park before you set up.
- Leave the corn at home: no bait on public land.
- Two antlerless deer at most from all public hunting areas in a license year.
- Only the zones on the official park hunting map are open.
- A 400-foot no-hunting buffer surrounds park facilities.
- Roads and trails are no-shoot lines.
- Ask the park office about a permanent blind permit.
From the agency page, public hunting area rules, OAC 1501:46-15-07; checked November 6, 2026.
Hunting calendar matched to Tar Hollow State Park
The sources name deer, turkey, squirrel, ruffed grouse and trapping on Tar Hollow State Park; the table shows the 2026-27 dates for that game. The spring turkey dates are from 2026, since ODNR had not published 2027. Grouse are by controlled hunt only, one bird per permit.
| 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 |
| Mink | Trapping | Nov 10, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | No limit |
| Muskrat | Trapping | Nov 10, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | No limit |
| Beaver | Trapping | Dec 26, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | No limit |
| River otter | Trapping | Dec 26, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | 1 of the 3 |
Dates and limits from the 2026-27 hunting seasons list and the 2026-27 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations; species from the record (ODNR property page hunting text); checked November 6, 2026.
County limits that apply on Tar Hollow State Park
Deer bag in Ross County: 3, with a single antlered deer allowed across Ohio. The 2025-26 deer total for Ross County was 3,402, by ODNR's final report. The 2026-27 count stood at 579 on November 3, 2026.
| County | Limit | DSA | Zone | Spring | Fall turkey | 2025-26 deer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ross County | 3 deer | No | C | South | Open | 3,402 |
| Hocking County | 2 deer | No | C | South | Open | 2,643 |
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.
Tar Hollow State Park hunting, as the agency puts it
Hunting notes from the Tar Hollow State Park page:
“Numerous reptiles and amphibians, colorful game birds, songbirds and secretive mammals can be found here.”
“In spring, the wooded hollows echo with the gobbling of wild turkey and the drumming of the ruffed grouse.”
Quoted from the agency page; checked November 6, 2026.
Public hunting land within reach of Tar Hollow State Park
Drive 2 miles southwest and the next public tract is Tar Hollow State Forest. Around it on the map: 3 wildlife areas, 2 state forests and 1 state park. Within 15 miles but not open to hunters: Camp Oty'Okwa State Nature Preserve (nature preserve), Conkles Hollow State Nature Preserve (nature preserve) and Bison Hollow State Nature Preserve (nature preserve).
| Public land | Kind | Acres | County | Distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tar Hollow State Forest | State forest | 16,446 | Ross | 2 miles | southwest |
| Pickaway County WA 3 | Wildlife area | 68 | Pickaway | 8 miles | north |
| Pickaway County WA 6 | Wildlife area | 50 | Pickaway | 9 miles | north |
| Ross Lake Wildlife Area | Wildlife area | 1,107 | Ross | 9 miles | west |
| Great Seal State Park | State park | 1,682 | Ross | 10 miles | west |
| Hocking State Forest | State forest | 9,815 | Hocking | 10 miles | northeast |
Point: ODNR DNR_Lands_Hunting_Status layer, 2 parcels (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.
Tar Hollow State Park maps, address and officers
For permits and questions try the Wildlife District Four office, 740-589-9930. The Ross County wildlife officer is Bob Nelson, (614) 565-9754. Anonymous tip line: 1-800-POACHER.
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, 2 parcels (polygon centroid of the largest part); checked November 6, 2026.
Tar Hollow State Park: towns, shops and the nearest ODNR office
From the point, Adelphi sits 5 miles away. Chillicothe, 14 miles out, is larger: 21,769 people in 2024. For face-to-face help, the Mount Sterling ODNR office lies 33 miles away as the crow flies.
| Place | County | Population | Distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adelphi | Ross | 311 | 5 miles | north |
| Chillicothe | Ross | 21,769 | 14 miles | west |
| Massieville | Ross | – | 14 miles | southwest |
| Andersonville | Ross | – | 15 miles | west |
| McArthur | Vinton | 1,743 | 17 miles | southeast |
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 Tar Hollow State Park
ODNR prints no sunrise table and points hunters to its app, the NOAA calculator and the Naval Observatory; the times for Tar Hollow State Park 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 | 7:21 a.m. | 7:24 p.m. | 6:51 a.m. to 7:54 p.m. | 6:51 a.m. to 7:24 p.m. | 7:21 a.m. to 7:24 p.m. |
| Oct 1, 2026 | Fall turkey | 7:26 a.m. | 7:15 p.m. | 6:56 a.m. to 7:45 p.m. | 6:56 a.m. to 7:15 p.m. | 7:26 a.m. to 7:15 p.m. |
| Nov 6, 2026 | Rabbit and pheasant | 7:04 a.m. | 5:26 p.m. | 6:34 a.m. to 5:56 p.m. | 6:34 a.m. to 5:26 p.m. | 7:04 a.m. to 5:26 p.m. |
| Nov 30, 2026 | Deer gun week | 7:31 a.m. | 5:09 p.m. | 7:01 a.m. to 5:39 p.m. | 7:01 a.m. to 5:09 p.m. | 7:31 a.m. to 5:09 p.m. |
| Dec 12, 2026 | Second duck split | 7:41 a.m. | 5:08 p.m. | 7:11 a.m. to 5:38 p.m. | 7:11 a.m. to 5:08 p.m. | 7:41 a.m. to 5:08 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:47 a.m. | 5:11 p.m. | 7:17 a.m. to 5:41 p.m. | 7:17 a.m. to 5:11 p.m. | 7:47 a.m. to 5:11 p.m. |
| Jan 2, 2027 | Muzzleloader | 7:51 a.m. | 5:18 p.m. | 7:21 a.m. to 5:48 p.m. | 7:21 a.m. to 5:18 p.m. | 7:51 a.m. to 5:18 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 Tar Hollow State Park
Tar Hollow State Park: the nearest public range, then clubs
Hocking County holds the ODNR-listed range nearest Tar Hollow State Park: Hocking Hills State Park Archery Range (12 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.
Tar Hollow State Park: what Buckeye hunters keep asking
Is every part of Tar Hollow State Park open to hunting?
Restricted: only mapped zones are open.
Game check rules after a kill on Tar Hollow State Park?
Report deer and turkeys by noon the day after the kill, online, by phone or in the HuntFish OH app.
Can Tar Hollow State Park be hunted all seven days?
No statewide Sunday limit applies.
Is any special pass needed to hunt Tar Hollow State Park?
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 Tar Hollow State Park on the ODNR books?
About 604 acres by the main source; other layers are in the acreage table. Different layers give slightly different totals.
How many deer may one hunter kill around Tar Hollow State Park?
Each county sets its own: Ross 3; Hocking 2. Statewide: 6 deer, 1 antlered; public hunting areas: 2 antlerless at most.
Is any hunting at Tar Hollow State Park by permit only?
No; the 2026 lottery list does not include it.
Which zone sets the waterfowl calendar at Tar Hollow State Park?
Zone C. Splits: Oct 17 to Oct 25, 2026; Dec 12, 2026 to Jan 31, 2027.
Can I camp at Tar Hollow State Park?
Yes, at the campground; no hunting near it.
Can I leave a tree stand or use bait on Tar Hollow State Park?
No bait, and stands must be portable.
Must I wear orange while hunting Tar Hollow State Park 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 Tar Hollow State Park?
7:01 a.m. to 5:39 p.m. on November 30, 2026.
Which phone line answers questions on Tar Hollow State Park?
Phone (740) 887-4818.
Last checks before loading up for Tar Hollow State Park
Gravel lanes and parking lots can flood or close in wet weather; check access to Tar Hollow State Park before the drive.
Sources: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4 · source 5 · source 6; seasons from the 2026-27 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations. Checked November 6, 2026.
Other photos on this page: ShenandoahNPS (Public domain); Gerry (CC BY 2.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0).