West Blue Rock State Forest: hunting and access
West Blue Rock State Forest is 675 acres on ODNR's hunting map in Muskingum County, 3 miles from South Zanesville, listed by ODNR as open to hunting. Hunters checked 6,283 deer in Muskingum 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 landMetro parks, county and city landLand trusts and other open landWest Blue Rock State ForestCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 675 acres in 3 pieces |
|---|---|
| County | Muskingum County |
| Deer harvest unit | Muskingum County |
| Hunting (ODNR) | Open |
| Kind (ODNR) | forest |
| Managed by | the Division of Forestry |
| Held by ODNR as | owned land |
| Nearest towns | South Zanesville (3 mi), Roseville (4 mi) and Philo (5 mi) |
What are the rules on West Blue Rock State Forest?
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 West Blue Rock State Forest?
West Blue Rock State Forest lies in Muskingum County. Hunters checked 6,283 deer in Muskingum County in 2025-26, against 6,269 in 2024-25.
| County | West Blue Rock State Forest acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muskingum County | 675 | 6,283 | 6,269 | 5,789 |
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 West Blue Rock State Forest?
Nearest towns: South Zanesville (3 miles), Roseville (4 miles), Philo (5 miles) and Duncan Falls (5 miles). Highways within 5 miles: OH 555, OH 93, OH 60 and OH 669.
What other public land is near West Blue Rock State Forest?
ODNR areas open to hunting within 10 miles:
- Meiners Wildlife Area: 36 acres, 4.3 miles away
- Blue Rock State Forest: 4,499 acres, 5.4 miles away
- Blue Rock State Park: 301 acres, 6.8 miles away
- Dillon Wildlife Area: 4,480 acres, 7.9 miles away
- Appalachian Hills Wildlife Area: 50,099 acres, 8.4 miles away
- Perry State Forest: 4,781 acres, 8.6 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of West Blue Rock State Forest
Counting West Blue Rock State Forest itself, 2,851 of the 33,696 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (8.5%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and ODNR's land boundaries.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| Land trusts and other open land | 2,067 |
| Land on ODNR's hunting map | 675 |
| Other state land | 77 |
| Metro parks, county and city land | 32 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is West Blue Rock State Forest?
In Muskingum County, 3 miles from South Zanesville.
Can you hunt on West Blue Rock State Forest?
Yes. ODNR's layer lists it as open to hunting under Ohio's statewide seasons.
How much public land is around West Blue Rock State Forest?
2,851 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, West Blue Rock State Forest included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and ODNR's land boundaries. The closest other ODNR area open to hunting is Meiners Wildlife Area (4.3 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.