Wills Creek Lake Hunt Area: hunting and access
Wills Creek Lake Hunt Area is 6,659 acres on ODNR's hunting map in Coshocton, Guernsey and Muskingum counties, next to Plainfield, listed by ODNR as restricted to hunting by place, season or permit. Hunters checked 8,527 deer in Coshocton 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 landWills Creek Lake Hunt AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 6,659 acres in 8 pieces |
|---|---|
| Counties | Coshocton County, Guernsey County and Muskingum County |
| Deer harvest unit | Coshocton County, Guernsey County, Muskingum County |
| Hunting (ODNR) | Restricted |
| Kind (ODNR) | hunting area |
| Managed by | the Division of Wildlife |
| Held by ODNR as | agreement |
| Nearest towns | Plainfield (next to it), Conesville (3 mi) and Kimbolton (4 mi) |
What are the rules on Wills Creek Lake Hunt Area?
ODNR's land layer lists hunting here as restricted: hunting is limited by place, season or permit, and the area's hunting map shows where.
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 Wills Creek Lake Hunt Area?
Wills Creek Lake Hunt Area lies in 3 counties. Hunters checked 8,527 deer in Coshocton County in 2025-26, against 8,196 in 2024-25.
| County | Wills Creek Lake Hunt Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coshocton County | 6,572 | 8,527 | 8,196 | 7,740 |
| Guernsey County | 70 | 4,804 | 5,762 | 5,220 |
| Muskingum County | 17 | 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 Wills Creek Lake Hunt Area?
Nearest towns: Plainfield (next to it), Conesville (3 miles), Kimbolton (4 miles) and West Lafayette (4 miles). Highways within 5 miles: OH 541, OH 93, OH 83, OH 16 and OH 658.
What other public land is near Wills Creek Lake Hunt Area?
ODNR areas open to hunting within 10 miles:
- Conesville Public Recreation Area: 2,473 acres, next to it
- Conesville Wildlife Area: 2,930 acres, next to it
- Tri-Valley Wildlife Area: 16,885 acres, 0.8 miles away
- Woodbury Wildlife Area: 19,248 acres, 4.3 miles away
- Salt Fork State Park: 20,717 acres, 5.1 miles away
- Salt Fork Wildlife Area: 364 acres, 5.3 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Wills Creek Lake Hunt Area
Counting Wills Creek Lake Hunt Area itself, 24,340 of the 90,534 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (26.9%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and ODNR's land boundaries.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| Land on ODNR's hunting map | 13,864 |
| Land trusts and other open land | 10,472 |
| Other state land | 4 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Wills Creek Lake Hunt Area?
In Coshocton, Guernsey and Muskingum counties, next to Plainfield.
Can you hunt on Wills Creek Lake Hunt Area?
Yes, with restrictions: ODNR's layer lists hunting here as restricted. The area's hunting map shows where.
How much public land is around Wills Creek Lake Hunt Area?
24,340 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Wills Creek Lake Hunt Area included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and ODNR's land boundaries. The closest other ODNR area open to hunting is Conesville Public Recreation Area (next to it).
Get a Ohio hunt plan when they open
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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, Wills Creek Lake Hunt 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.
Ohio hunting Coshocton County Guernsey County Muskingum County