Tar Hollow State Forest: hunting and access
Tar Hollow State Forest is 16,425 acres on ODNR's hunting map in Ross, Vinton and Hocking counties, 3 miles from Adelphi, listed by ODNR as open to hunting. Hunters checked 3,402 deer in Ross 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 mapNational park landOther state landTar Hollow State ForestCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 16,425 acres in 3 pieces |
|---|---|
| Counties | Ross County, Vinton County and Hocking County |
| Deer harvest unit | Ross County, Vinton County, Hocking County |
| Hunting (ODNR) | Open |
| Kind (ODNR) | forest |
| Managed by | the Division of Forestry |
| Held by ODNR as | owned land |
| Nearest towns | Adelphi (3 mi), Laurelville (4 mi) and Kingston (6 mi) |
What are the rules on Tar Hollow State Forest?
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 Tar Hollow State Forest?
Tar Hollow State Forest lies in 3 counties. Hunters checked 3,402 deer in Ross County in 2025-26, against 3,338 in 2024-25.
| County | Tar Hollow State Forest acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ross County | 12,898 | 3,402 | 3,338 | 2,749 |
| Vinton County | 2,347 | 1,931 | 2,156 | 1,708 |
| Hocking County | 1,180 | 2,643 | 2,929 | 2,573 |
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 Tar Hollow State Forest?
Nearest towns: Adelphi (3 miles), Laurelville (4 miles), Kingston (6 miles) and Richmond Dale (7 miles). Highways within 5 miles: OH 327, OH 180, US 35, OH 56 and US 50.
What other public land is near Tar Hollow State Forest?
ODNR areas open to hunting within 10 miles:
- Tar Hollow State Park: 757 acres, next to it
- Ross Lake Wildlife Area: 1,107 acres, 3.9 miles away
- Great Seal State Park: 1,849 acres, 4.7 miles away
- Wildlife Production Area 13 Wildlife Area: 68 acres, 5.2 miles away
- Hocking State Forest: 9,363 acres, 5.6 miles away
- Wildlife Production Area 1 Wildlife Area: 119 acres, 6.3 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Tar Hollow State Forest
Counting Tar Hollow State Forest itself, 17,210 of the 87,982 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (19.6%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and ODNR's land boundaries.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| Land on ODNR's hunting map | 17,182 |
| Other state land | 28 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Tar Hollow State Forest?
In Ross, Vinton and Hocking counties, 3 miles from Adelphi.
Can you hunt on Tar Hollow State Forest?
Yes. ODNR's layer lists it as open to hunting under Ohio's statewide seasons.
How much public land is around Tar Hollow State Forest?
17,210 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Tar Hollow State Forest included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and ODNR's land boundaries. The closest other ODNR area open to hunting is Tar Hollow 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, Tar Hollow State Forest; 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.