Wallace H. O'Dowd Wildlife Area: hunting and access
Wallace H. O'Dowd Wildlife Area is 10,149 acres on ODNR's hunting map in Hocking and Athens counties, next to Murray City, listed by ODNR as open to hunting. Hunters checked 2,643 deer in Hocking 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 forestFederal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakesOther state landMetro parks, county and city landLand trusts and other open landWallace H. O'Dowd Wildlife AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 10,149 acres in 2 pieces |
|---|---|
| Counties | Hocking County and Athens County |
| Deer harvest unit | Hocking County, Athens County |
| Hunting (ODNR) | Open |
| Kind (ODNR) | wildlife area |
| Managed by | the Division of Wildlife |
| Held by ODNR as | owned land |
| Nearest towns | Murray City (next to it), Glouster (next to it) and Buchtel (next to it) |
What are the rules on Wallace H. O'Dowd 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 Wallace H. O'Dowd Wildlife Area?
Wallace H. O'Dowd Wildlife Area lies in 2 counties. Hunters checked 2,643 deer in Hocking County in 2025-26, against 2,929 in 2024-25.
| County | Wallace H. O'Dowd Wildlife Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hocking County | 5,731 | 2,643 | 2,929 | 2,573 |
| Athens County | 4,419 | 917 | 3,663 | 2,924 |
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 Wallace H. O'Dowd Wildlife Area?
Nearest towns: Murray City (next to it), Glouster (next to it), Buchtel (next to it) and Carbon Hill (2 miles). Highways within 5 miles: OH 78, OH 13, US 33, OH 278 and OH 93.
What other public land is near Wallace H. O'Dowd Wildlife Area?
ODNR areas open to hunting within 10 miles:
- Taylor Ridge Wildlife Area: 1,226 acres, next to it
- Burr Oak State Park: 3,279 acres, 2.2 miles away
- Imhoff Preserve Wildlife Area: 106 acres, 4.5 miles away
- Poston Plant Lands Hunting Area: 1,159 acres, 6.9 miles away
- Wolf Creek Wildlife Area: 3,981 acres, 7 miles away
- Zaleski State Forest: 28,637 acres, 7.6 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Wallace H. O'Dowd Wildlife Area
Counting Wallace H. O'Dowd Wildlife Area itself, 42,099 of the 74,169 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (56.8%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and ODNR's land boundaries.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| National forest | 30,034 |
| Land on ODNR's hunting map | 11,835 |
| Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes | 96 |
| Other state land | 75 |
| Metro parks, county and city land | 53 |
| Land trusts and other open land | 6 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Wallace H. O'Dowd Wildlife Area?
In Hocking and Athens counties, next to Murray City.
Can you hunt on Wallace H. O'Dowd Wildlife Area?
Yes. ODNR's layer lists it as open to hunting under Ohio's statewide seasons.
How much public land is around Wallace H. O'Dowd Wildlife Area?
42,099 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Wallace H. O'Dowd Wildlife Area included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and ODNR's land boundaries. The closest other ODNR area open to hunting is Taylor Ridge 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, Wallace H. O'Dowd 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.