Rush Creek Lake Public Hunting and Fishing Areas: hunting and access
Rush Creek Lake Public Hunting and Fishing Areas is 1,015 acres on ODNR's hunting map in Fairfield and Perry counties, next to Rushville, listed by ODNR as open to hunting. Hunters checked 2,351 deer in Fairfield 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 landRush Creek Lake Public Hunting and Fishing AreasCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 1,015 acres |
|---|---|
| Counties | Fairfield County and Perry County |
| Deer harvest unit | Fairfield County, Perry County |
| Hunting (ODNR) | Open |
| Kind (ODNR) | hunting area |
| Managed by | the Division of Wildlife |
| Held by ODNR as | agreement |
| Nearest towns | Rushville (next to it), West Rushville (2 mi) and Somerset (4 mi) |
What are the rules on Rush Creek Lake Public Hunting and Fishing Areas?
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 Rush Creek Lake Public Hunting and Fishing Areas?
Rush Creek Lake Public Hunting and Fishing Areas lies in 2 counties. Hunters checked 2,351 deer in Fairfield County in 2025-26, against 2,403 in 2024-25.
| County | Rush Creek Lake Public Hunting and Fishing Areas acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfield County | 516 | 2,351 | 2,403 | 2,059 |
| Perry County | 499 | 2,989 | 3,179 | 2,804 |
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 Rush Creek Lake Public Hunting and Fishing Areas?
Nearest towns: Rushville (next to it), West Rushville (2 miles), Somerset (4 miles) and Bremen (5 miles). Highways within 5 miles: OH 664, OH 13, OH 37, OH 668 and US 22.
What other public land is near Rush Creek Lake Public Hunting and Fishing Areas?
ODNR areas open to hunting within 10 miles:
- Oakthorpe Lake Public Hunting and Fishing Areas: 78 acres, 1.7 miles away
- Clouse Lake Wildlife Area: 96 acres, 4 miles away
- Colfax Lake Public Hunting Area: 73 acres, 5.6 miles away
- Hanby Wildlife Area: 20 acres, 5.8 miles away
- Twin Churches Lake Public Hunting Area: 72 acres, 6 miles away
- Flagdale Lake Public Hunting Area: 132 acres, 6.2 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Rush Creek Lake Public Hunting and Fishing Areas
Counting Rush Creek Lake Public Hunting and Fishing Areas itself, 1,153 of the 30,878 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (3.7%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and ODNR's land boundaries.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| Land on ODNR's hunting map | 1,093 |
| Land trusts and other open land | 60 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Rush Creek Lake Public Hunting and Fishing Areas?
In Fairfield and Perry counties, next to Rushville.
Can you hunt on Rush Creek Lake Public Hunting and Fishing Areas?
Yes. ODNR's layer lists it as open to hunting under Ohio's statewide seasons.
How much public land is around Rush Creek Lake Public Hunting and Fishing Areas?
1,153 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Rush Creek Lake Public Hunting and Fishing Areas included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and ODNR's land boundaries. The closest other ODNR area open to hunting is Oakthorpe Lake Public Hunting and Fishing Areas (1.7 miles).
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.