AEP Southern Ohio Recreation Area: hunting and access
AEP Southern Ohio Recreation Area is 2,349 acres on ODNR's hunting map in Meigs County, 4 miles from Rutland, listed by ODNR as open to hunting. Hunters checked 1,060 deer in Meigs County in 2025-26.
Data updated October 2026. Area facts: ODNR's ODNR area open to hunting data, read 2026-10. Harvest: Division of Wildlife harvest reports, 2021-22 to 2025-26.
Land on ODNR's hunting mapLand trusts and other open landAEP Southern Ohio Recreation AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 2,349 acres in 3 pieces |
|---|---|
| County | Meigs County |
| Deer harvest unit | Meigs County |
| Hunting (ODNR) | Open |
| Kind (ODNR) | hunting area |
| Managed by | the Division of Wildlife |
| Held by ODNR as | agreement |
| Nearest towns | Rutland (4 mi), Wilkesville (4 mi) and Vinton (5 mi) |
What are the rules on AEP Southern Ohio Recreation Area?
ODNR's land layer lists the area as open to hunting under Ohio's statewide seasons and rules.
Deer bag limits in Ohio are set by county; the Division's 2026-27 season list points to the bag limit map.
How many deer are taken around AEP Southern Ohio Recreation Area?
AEP Southern Ohio Recreation Area lies in Meigs County. Hunters checked 1,060 deer in Meigs County in 2025-26, against 3,614 in 2024-25.
| County | AEP Southern Ohio Recreation Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meigs County | 2,349 | 1,060 | 3,614 | 2,964 |
Harvest for the whole county, not the hunting area alone: the Division of Wildlife's 2025-26, 2024-25 and 2023-24 final deer harvest reports and Publication 5304 (2021-22).
How do you get to AEP Southern Ohio Recreation Area?
Nearest towns: Rutland (4 miles), Wilkesville (4 miles), Vinton (5 miles) and Cheshire (7 miles). Highways within 5 miles: OH 124, OH 325, OH 554 and OH 160.
What other public land is near AEP Southern Ohio Recreation Area?
ODNR areas open to hunting within 10 miles:
- Gavin Wildlife Area: 1,346 acres, next to it
- Samuels Wildlife Area: 84 acres, 5.3 miles away
- Tycoon Lake Wildlife Area: 690 acres, 8.1 miles away
- Shade River State Forest: 3,043 acres, 8.3 miles away
- Vinton Furnace Experimental Forest: 12,331 acres, 8.8 miles away
- Vinton Furnace Wildlife Area: 3,533 acres, 9.1 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of AEP Southern Ohio Recreation Area
Counting AEP Southern Ohio Recreation Area itself, 3,626 of the 46,065 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (7.9%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and ODNR's land boundaries.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| Land on ODNR's hunting map | 3,597 |
| Land trusts and other open land | 29 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is AEP Southern Ohio Recreation Area?
In Meigs County, 4 miles from Rutland.
Can you hunt on AEP Southern Ohio Recreation Area?
Yes. ODNR's layer lists it as open to hunting under Ohio's statewide seasons.
How much public land is around AEP Southern Ohio Recreation Area?
3,626 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, AEP Southern Ohio Recreation Area included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and ODNR's land boundaries. The closest other ODNR area open to hunting is Gavin Wildlife Area (next to it).
Get a Ohio hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Ohio are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Ohio included.
Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: ODNR lands hunting status.
- Boundary and acres: ODNR's map layer above. Surrounding public land: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public) and ODNR's land boundaries with hunting status.
- Deer harvest: the Division of Wildlife's 2025-26, 2024-25 and 2023-24 final deer harvest reports and Publication 5304 (2021-22).
FilledTag is not part of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife. Check ODNR's rules and posted signs before you go.