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Wildlife area · District 4 ground
Vinton Furnace Wildlife Area for Buckeye State hunters
3,533 acres managed as a state wildlife area in Vinton County.
Photo: Ohio Department of Natural Resources (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
Getting to Vinton Furnace Wildlife Area
Parking, trailheads and gates near Vinton Furnace Wildlife Area
- Parking areaParking · 0.8 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.
Access and conduct rules at Vinton Furnace Wildlife Area
The status layer says restricted, so check which zones of Vinton Furnace Wildlife Area allow hunting.
- Vehicles stay on marked roads and in parking areas.
- Camping is prohibited (Appalachian Hills, Simco and Woodbury are the exceptions).
- Closing hours apply to hikers, not to legal hunting or trapping.
- Shooting outside a hunt or a designated range is illegal.
- Hunting deer over bait is illegal here.
- No screw-in steps or nails in trees.
- Only two antlerless deer may come from public hunting areas each year.
- Some hunts here are by lottery permit only.
From the agency page, public hunting area rules; checked November 6, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Vinton Furnace Wildlife Area
Inside the Vinton Furnace Wildlife Area record
This state wildlife area in Vinton County spans 3,533 acres under the ODNR Division of Wildlife. It belongs to ODNR Wildlife District 4 (Southeast Ohio), whose office is in Athens. Land tenure in the ODNR layer: owned outright by the state. Ohio rule 1501:31-15-04(A)(1) names it ("Vinton furnace") as land open to public hunting.
The acreage runs from 3,462 to 3,533 depending on the layer; the headline figure is 3,533.
| Source | Size (ac) |
|---|---|
| Hunting-status layer | 3,533 |
| GIS parcel area | 3,462 |
From the ODNR property page, ODNR hunting-status layer, OAC; retrieved 2026-11-05, checked November 6, 2026.
Vinton Furnace Wildlife Area: open seasons for its listed game
Listed game: ruffed grouse. Dates follow. Read the spring turkey rows as 2026 dates. Only drawn hunts take grouse in Ohio now.
| Species | Hunt | First day | Last day | Bag |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 (controlled hunt lotteries); checked November 6, 2026.
Lottery permits for Vinton Furnace Wildlife Area
ODNR runs 1 controlled hunt here in 2026: 1 small game. Enter each drawing once per year for $3, holding the license and permits for that game first.
| No. | Lottery hunt | Game | Window | Packet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2748 | Vinton Furnace WA and SF grouse | Small game | July 1-31 | – |
Hunts from the ODNR controlled hunting access lotteries page and the 2026-27 regulations, pp. 26-27; checked November 6, 2026.
Vinton Furnace Wildlife Area: deer limits and zones by county
Vinton County is a 2-deer county for 2026-27. Final 2025-26 figure for Vinton County: 1,931 deer checked. So far in 2026-27 (through November 3, 2026) the county shows 368.
| County | Deer limit | DSA | Duck zone | Spring turkey | Fall turkey | Deer 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vinton County | 2 deer | No | C | South | Open | 1,931 |
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.
Ohio hunting ground a short drive from Vinton Furnace Wildlife Area
The nearest other public hunting ground is Jackson County Line Wildlife Area, 1 mile off to the southwest. The six nearest places include 4 wildlife areas, 1 state forest and 1 state park. Closed to hunting nearby: Miriam Walter Barrens State Dedicated Nature Preserve (nature preserve).
| Place | Type | Acres | County | Straight line | Which way |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson County Line WA | Wildlife area | 42 | Jackson | 1 mile | southwest |
| Vinton Furnace Experimental Forest | State forest | 12,331 | Vinton | 3 miles | north |
| Lake Alma State Park | State park | 292 | Vinton | 6 miles | west |
| Wellston Wildlife Area | Wildlife area | 1,446 | Vinton | 7 miles | northwest |
| Broken ARO Wildlife Area | Wildlife area | 2,914 | Jackson | 8 miles | southwest |
| Flint Run Wildlife Area | Wildlife area | 567 | Jackson | 8 miles | southwest |
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.
Supply towns and ODNR help around Vinton Furnace Wildlife Area
Count on Hamden, about 6 miles out, for supplies. For a full grocery run, Jackson (6,226 people) is the pick. The nearest ODNR office sits in Oak Hill, 15 miles from the point.
| Community | County | Residents | Straight line | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamden | Vinton | 717 | 6 miles | west |
| Wellston | Jackson | 5,493 | 7 miles | west |
| McArthur | Vinton | 1,743 | 8 miles | northwest |
| Coalton | Jackson | 444 | 11 miles | west |
| Jackson | Jackson | 6,226 | 15 miles | southwest |
Towns from places.json (Census 2024 estimates); ODNR offices and businesses from services.json listings; straight-line miles. Checked November 6, 2026.
Phone numbers and maps for Vinton Furnace Wildlife Area
Wildlife District Four staff work from 360 E State St, Athens, OH 45701; phone 740-589-9930. County wildlife officer: Cole Tilton, (614) 565-0805. Turn in a poacher at 1-800-POACHER (762-2437).
- Area map PDF (published 5/26/2022) · legend: parking area, parking, trail
- Vinton Furnace Wildlife Area [pdf]
- Google Maps 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.
Sun-up to sundown hunting clock for Vinton Furnace Wildlife Area
Furbearers have no hour limit in Ohio, but in the deer gun and muzzleloader weeks coyote hunting near Vinton Furnace Wildlife Area keeps to deer hours.
| Date | Why it matters | Sunrise | Sunset | Deer window | Ducks and squirrels | Sunrise birds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 2026 | Archery deer opens | 7:20 a.m. | 7:22 p.m. | 6:50 a.m. to 7:52 p.m. | 6:50 a.m. to 7:22 p.m. | 7:20 a.m. to 7:22 p.m. |
| Oct 1, 2026 | Fall turkey | 7:24 a.m. | 7:14 p.m. | 6:54 a.m. to 7:44 p.m. | 6:54 a.m. to 7:14 p.m. | 7:24 a.m. to 7:14 p.m. |
| Nov 6, 2026 | Rabbit and pheasant | 7:02 a.m. | 5:25 p.m. | 6:32 a.m. to 5:55 p.m. | 6:32 a.m. to 5:25 p.m. | 7:02 a.m. to 5:25 p.m. |
| Nov 30, 2026 | Deer gun week | 7:29 a.m. | 5:09 p.m. | 6:59 a.m. to 5:39 p.m. | 6:59 a.m. to 5:09 p.m. | 7:29 a.m. to 5:09 p.m. |
| Dec 12, 2026 | Second duck split | 7:39 a.m. | 5:07 p.m. | 7:09 a.m. to 5:37 p.m. | 7:09 a.m. to 5:07 p.m. | 7:39 a.m. to 5:07 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:45 a.m. | 5:10 p.m. | 7:15 a.m. to 5:40 p.m. | 7:15 a.m. to 5:10 p.m. | 7:45 a.m. to 5:10 p.m. |
| Jan 2, 2027 | Muzzleloader | 7:49 a.m. | 5:17 p.m. | 7:19 a.m. to 5:47 p.m. | 7:19 a.m. to 5:17 p.m. | 7:49 a.m. to 5:17 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.
Photo strip: land and game around Vinton Furnace Wildlife Area
Zeroing a slug gun on the way to Vinton Furnace Wildlife Area
The closest ODNR-listed range to Vinton Furnace Wildlife Area is Zaleski State Forest Shooting Range, about 10 miles off as the crow flies. The other cards show clubs a 30-mile drive or less away.
From ODNR’s public range list and range pages, ranges’ own pages and directory listings, checked November 6, 2026.
Hunting events on and around Vinton Furnace Wildlife Area
Ahead: 1. Already held here: 0.
| Day | Name | How far | Place | Next step | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 1, 2027 | Vinton County Sharp Spurs NWTF Banquet · NWTF banquet, McArthur | 8 | McArthur, Vinton County | Tickets | Source |
Vinton Furnace Wildlife Area, answered one question at a time
How big is the Vinton Furnace Wildlife Area property in acres?
Roughly 3,533 acres all told.
Which county deer limit applies to Vinton Furnace Wildlife Area?
Vinton County allows 2. The statewide limit is six, one antlered; public land adds a two-antlerless cap.
Does Vinton Furnace Wildlife Area have lottery hunts?
Yes: small game, 1 in all. Entry: $3.
Duck zone and split dates for Vinton Furnace Wildlife Area?
Zone C dates apply: Oct 17 to Oct 25, 2026; Dec 12, 2026 to Jan 31, 2027.
May I camp while hunting Vinton Furnace Wildlife Area?
Camping is prohibited.
Can I hang a stand on Vinton Furnace Wildlife Area?
Stands must be portable; bait and feed are prohibited.
When is hunter orange required on Vinton Furnace Wildlife Area?
In gun and muzzleloader seasons: an orange garment, unless you hunt waterfowl.
When is legal shooting light for deer at Vinton Furnace Wildlife Area?
On the gun opener (November 30, 2026): 6:59 a.m. to 5:39 p.m.
Which number reaches the Vinton Furnace Wildlife Area managers?
Call 740-589-9930.
Which town on this site is nearest to Vinton Furnace Wildlife Area?
Hamden, 6 miles away in a straight line.
Which parts of Vinton Furnace Wildlife Area allow hunting?
Not all of it: ODNR lists it as restricted, so use the hunting map.
Do I have to report game shot on Vinton Furnace Wildlife Area?
Deer and turkeys go through the electronic game check by noon the next day.
Do Sunday rules limit hunting at Vinton Furnace Wildlife Area?
Yes; Ohio sets no Sunday ban.
Vinton Furnace Wildlife Area trip, last details
Use this page to plan, then reread the official page for Vinton Furnace Wildlife Area the week before the trip.
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: ShenandoahNPS (Public domain); Gerry (CC BY 2.0); GlacierNPS (Public domain).