Yellow Creek State Forest: hunting and access
Yellow Creek State Forest is 750 acres on ODNR's hunting map in Columbiana County, next to Salineville, listed by ODNR as open to hunting. Hunters checked 5,245 deer in Columbiana 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 landYellow Creek State ForestCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 750 acres in 3 pieces |
|---|---|
| County | Columbiana County |
| Deer harvest unit | Columbiana County |
| Hunting (ODNR) | Open |
| Kind (ODNR) | forest |
| Managed by | the Division of Forestry |
| Held by ODNR as | owned land |
| Nearest towns | Salineville (next to it), Summitville (5 mi) and Irondale (5 mi) |
What are the rules on Yellow Creek 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 Yellow Creek State Forest?
Yellow Creek State Forest lies in Columbiana County. Hunters checked 5,245 deer in Columbiana County in 2025-26, against 4,639 in 2024-25.
| County | Yellow Creek State Forest acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbiana County | 750 | 5,245 | 4,639 | 4,229 |
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 Yellow Creek State Forest?
Nearest towns: Salineville (next to it), Summitville (5 miles), Irondale (5 miles) and Bergholz (6 miles). Highways within 5 miles: OH 164, OH 39, OH 518, OH 45 and OH 644.
What other public land is near Yellow Creek State Forest?
ODNR areas open to hunting within 10 miles:
- Highlandtown Wildlife Area: 2,268 acres, next to it
- Brush Creek Wildlife Area: 4,187 acres, 0.6 miles away
- Scenic Vista Hunting Area: 233 acres, 4.4 miles away
- Hellbender Bluff Hunting Area: 750 acres, 5.5 miles away
- Beaver Creek State Park: 2,848 acres, 6.2 miles away
- Jefferson Lake State Park: 960 acres, 8.6 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Yellow Creek State Forest
Counting Yellow Creek State Forest itself, 4,538 of the 47,165 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (9.6%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and ODNR's land boundaries.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| Land on ODNR's hunting map | 4,528 |
| Other state land | 10 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Yellow Creek State Forest?
In Columbiana County, next to Salineville.
Can you hunt on Yellow Creek State Forest?
Yes. ODNR's layer lists it as open to hunting under Ohio's statewide seasons.
How much public land is around Yellow Creek State Forest?
4,538 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Yellow Creek State Forest included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and ODNR's land boundaries. The closest other ODNR area open to hunting is Highlandtown 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, Yellow Creek 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.