# Public hunting



## crooked stripe (Apr 17, 2004)

I stopped by West Branch off E Cabeline Rd to check out the woods. There where a ton of nuts and opened nut shells all over the ground. I walked the woods for a couple hours and didn't see or hear 1 spuirrel. Is it possible that the section of woods is hunted out already. There was one car parked just off 14 and didn't see a soul. I have never hunted public lands except for deer one year and will never try that again. To many hunters. I would be nice to hunt just 11 miles from home. The trip to Millersburg every weekend just gets to be to much. Any thoughts? John


----------



## DarbyMan (Dec 11, 2005)

I feel your pain. My family was lucky enough to acguire some land in Perry County. I do most of my hunting there. It is an hour drive but it is peaceful out there. I live close to some public hunting areas but I go there only when I don't have time to drive out east.
There are quite a few hunters in the State Forest that sets next to our Perry County land. I use them to drive deer to me. It usually works great, plus the public land there helps to expand my hunting territory.


----------



## nicklesman (Jun 29, 2006)

hey man I hunt wb quite often if you ever want to hook up pm me. There are a ton of squirrels out there you have to work for them. They are pretty smart. I drive a blue f-150 with a cap. I hunt mostly off porter road but i was off cable line saturday and shot two and missed one and heard another one


----------



## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

It's very, very unlikely it's been hunted out. If the nuts were there, more squirrels would continue to move in. What most likely happened is the squirrels cleaned out all the good nuts and moved on. Also, squirrels are very good at only being seen when they want to, if they know your there.


----------



## Guest (Sep 25, 2006)

I have about 1800 acres of public land just down the road from my house. I have hunted hard there for squirrels for the past 3 years. From my experience, it is very possible for the squirrels to be "hunted out". When I say hunted out, I dont mean completly eliminated from the woods forever. I do mean that the numbers are reduced so significantly that one my think that there are virtually no squirrels there at all. Almost every where I walk there I am tripping over old shotgun shells. 

The trick is to get in deep and hunt places that are not so obvious to other hunters. Also be a very moblie hunter and dont kill all your squirrels from one spot, even if the oppertunity presents itself. This will pay off in the years to come when you are seeing more squirrels and other game.


----------



## RiverRunner88 (Jun 15, 2006)

as nicklesman said public huntin squirrels are pretty wise to whats goin on and u havta work for em i went last weekend and this weekend to some public huntin ground around troy saw a few but to far off. their there just tricky little fellers, i'll probably try it again next weekend, i like it there only seen one car there once and theres about 3 or 4 other spots


----------



## jiggin'fool (Dec 18, 2005)

I hunt westbranch every year.... and every year its the same I see more people than deer... but I see a couple deer... and i have one unbelievable squirrel spot... I usually hunt southern Ohio but you can't get that big buck sittin on the couch... my dad shot a buck quite a few years ago during gun season out of westbranch across the street from the campground park that scored 148 and 5/8.... it was 179 before deductions... and that was the smaller of the two bucks he saw runnin together... there are big deer there... they are just mostly nocturnal because of all the pressure... set up closer to the bedding areas than you normally would...


----------



## crooked stripe (Apr 17, 2004)

I must admit I didn't venture to far from the road. I walked north by the lake just looking. Next time I will carry the gun and head south into the woods. There are sections I spotted that looks like not a soul has ventured. Like I said this is the first time in years and have never hunted West Branch. There must be other good looking spots other than Cableline Rd. I will have to take more time and check things out. Every other trip I will be learning more. Thanks for all the replys. I WILL keep trying. John


----------



## WalleyeGuy (Apr 9, 2004)

There are a ton of Flying Squirrels around.
That could explain the nut droppings with no other signs.
They feed at night for the most part.


----------



## Lewzer (Apr 5, 2004)

Cableline area is where everyone hunts. Try the north side of the lake south of the RR tracks.
Berlin has some good squirrel hunting too.


----------



## jiggin'fool (Dec 18, 2005)

I shot my very first deer bow hunting off of cable line on a opening morning a few years back! Missed a nice buck two years after that! that was off of rocksprings road... now that is where everyone is at!


----------



## nicklesman (Jun 29, 2006)

I dont think there are to many spots out at west branch where man has not visited. I realize it is a huge huge area but there are so many people that think like this. Sometimes the best spots can be a hundred yards in the woods because people think that this is the area that is hunted the hardest this is not always true. I see a lot of people walk in the woods and walk right by me without even noticing me. There are some thick almost impossible places to hunt there but the key is to move slow. Where camo and sometimes you have to sit still and just wait. I have hunt up there just about every night and have seen or heard squirrels every night. You just have to be patient.


----------

