Salt Fork Wildlife Area: hunting and access
Salt Fork Wildlife Area is 364 acres on ODNR's hunting map in Guernsey County, 3 miles from Kimbolton, listed by ODNR as open to hunting. Hunters checked 4,804 deer in Guernsey 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 mapOther state landSalt Fork Wildlife AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 364 acres in 5 pieces |
|---|---|
| County | Guernsey County |
| Deer harvest unit | Guernsey County |
| Hunting (ODNR) | Open |
| Kind (ODNR) | wildlife area |
| Managed by | the Division of Wildlife |
| Held by ODNR as | owned land |
| Nearest towns | Kimbolton (3 mi), Old Washington (5 mi) and Cambridge (6 mi) |
What are the rules on Salt Fork Wildlife Area?
ODNR's land layer lists the area as open to hunting under Ohio's statewide seasons and rules.
ODNR's hunting map for the area shows the boundaries, parking and any no-hunting zones.
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 Salt Fork Wildlife Area?
Salt Fork Wildlife Area lies in Guernsey County. Hunters checked 4,804 deer in Guernsey County in 2025-26, against 5,762 in 2024-25.
| County | Salt Fork Wildlife Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guernsey County | 364 | 4,804 | 5,762 | 5,220 |
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 Salt Fork Wildlife Area?
Nearest towns: Kimbolton (3 miles), Old Washington (5 miles), Cambridge (6 miles) and Lore City (8 miles). Highways within 5 miles: I-77, OH 658, OH 285, I-70 and OH 541.
What other public land is near Salt Fork Wildlife Area?
ODNR areas open to hunting within 10 miles:
- Salt Fork State Park: 20,717 acres, next to it
- Wills Creek Lake Hunt Area: 6,659 acres, 5.3 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Salt Fork Wildlife Area
Counting Salt Fork Wildlife Area itself, 19,860 of the 53,407 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (37.2%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and ODNR's land boundaries.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| Land on ODNR's hunting map | 19,717 |
| Other state land | 143 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Salt Fork Wildlife Area?
In Guernsey County, 3 miles from Kimbolton.
Can you hunt on Salt Fork Wildlife Area?
Yes. ODNR's layer lists it as open to hunting under Ohio's statewide seasons.
How much public land is around Salt Fork Wildlife Area?
19,860 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Salt Fork Wildlife Area included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and ODNR's land boundaries. The closest other ODNR area open to hunting is Salt Fork State Park (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, Salt Fork Wildlife Area; 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.