I’m going to hunt a farm in Ohio this October for 3 days. First time hunting out of state. How do you arrange for meat processing/transport? I mean, what if I kill a deer the night before we drive back? Quarter it myself and bring it back in cooler, then take to processor? Skin on? Rules with importing deer?
What have you done? We are taking a trailer with several 100+ qt coolers.
KeyWest 1720cc 90 Ymha
I would check with the Ohio DNR with regards to transport. The tags may have to be present , or may have to be attached to the animal. Make sure you have the proper license for the game that was harvested. I would not leave the hide on the deer (to much hair involved). If you have to wrap the meat or place in a dity bag with plenty of ice and not water.
Tag deer with tag from license, check it in and a transport tag is issued.
You will have to take it to a big game check station after tagging it with your temporary tag youre issued. At the station they will put the metal tag on it and fill out a form for your kill. The back pages of your rules and regs should include a list of big game check stations in the county youre hunting. Doesn’t matter if it’s a buck or a doe they all get tagged at the check station. Good luck up there. Lots of monster bucks running around in Ohio.
Thanks. We sent the land owner a trail camera and $40 for batteries and a mineral lick. We should be getting some pics here in the next few weeks to see if he has any big boys on the farm. Only 150 acres, but with corn and soy beans, we are hopeful there’s at least 1 shooter buck. He also encouraged us to take 2-3 does.
KeyWest 1720cc 90 Ymha
you USED to have to take all deer to a check station in ohio and get a metal tag, however they changed it to where you can now call them in from the field and fill out something on the tag instead of going to the check station although the check station can be a fun place to BS after a successful hunt. they changed the checking system the year after i left for the military so i dont know it inside and out, but i will say your deer tag will be nothing more than print on regular printer paper. since ohio tags/licenses are trash anymore i HIGHLY recommend gettin 1 of the waterproof pouches sold right where the license desk is. as for transporting you will need the permanant tag with the meat and you will be fine. if you get one day last i have a 120 quart cooler that fit a 300lb+ wild hog quartered up with ice let alone a deer so yes a big cooler is fine. as for processing i cant recommend any commercial processors since ive always butchered my big game myself. ohio is WAY different terrain than SC being mostly farmland and smaller wood plots (at least where im at) if youve never been there but we have some big deer to offer if you can find them. an average field dressed doe is easily 100-120lbs and bucks dressed out at 175lbs+ are quite common. the biggest doe ive personally seen filled the bed of a chevy S10 and was easily 180+ gutted out and big bucks can dress way over 200. just remember that you only get 1 buck per season in ohio but can pop multiple does that are just as big as SC bucks and eat great. any questions on hunting ohio feel free to ask/pm me. good luck!
for a bit of motivation heres some of what ohio has to offer. dunno where youre goin but all these pics/deer shot were from seneca county, which isnt the top deer county in ohio by any means but theres still plenty to be had. not all deer up north are as huge, but corn/soy/wheat fed deer are definitely bigger bodied overall than those in the south.
big bodied 5 point
average sized 6 point. nice thing the neighbors have a few apple trees that drop way more than they want…i even clean em up for free 
9 point
10 point. seeing this in someone elses truck was VERY heartbreaking!
12 point…biggest one ive ever caught on camera. i never saw him in the field, but found out he was there since i found a shed with the triple split brow tine during turkey season, however the shed had a sticker point on it to make it 8 on 1 side. i edited myself in that picture standing exactly where the deer is and to give you an idea just how big he is…im 6 foot 3.
normal sized does
my 1st deer…8 point that was 180lbs dressed
average sized doe
friends 1st 8 point (165lbs dressed)
[img]http://old.charlestonfishing.com/forum/uploaded/ohionavynuke/2013720051
Awesome. The farm is a soy/corn farm in lower Lorain county, just south of Findlay state park. Of course we are anticipating monster deer, but just the opportunity to hunt up there, out of state, is exciting enough. We’re gig night for archery, but ended up being muzzleloader weekend. So we have to wear orange sat and sun. Hopefully that won’t be a problem.
KeyWest 1720cc 90 Ymha
lorain county isnt too far from me and although the deer count for the season wont be anywhere near as high as say tuscarawras, muskingum, or coshocton counties, you should be able to find plenty of deer especially on a private farm. definitely talk to the farmer as to where he usually sees them and MAKE SURE to scout the edge of the woods/corn field border if corn is by the woods. deer tracks show up very well in plowed up, loose dirt compared to sandy pine forest and they travel the edge of the corn quite a bit when corn is still standing. tracking can get interesting, but ive taken a majority of my buckeye deer near the edge of corn fields before its harvested. if you can find a spot to hang a stand by a well worn path to a corn field and have a clean shot at the field itself, you shouldnt have too much trouble at least getting a shot at something. they seem to like corn a lot more than soy where ive hunted but dont ignore the bean fields either ive killed plenty from the beans. fencerows, ditches, and creek beds are also common travel routes between small plots and if theres a patch of apple trees (candy stand for deer) to be had in that woods…hunt that for sure! since antlerless muzzleloader will also be open when you are there, id be willing to bet idiots will be driving and blasting away in other areas so travel routes from 1 woods to yours would be a strong bet too since drivers will miss plenty of deer and may inadvertently chase them to you. ohio has some big deer for sure but in all honesty antler size of ones i typically see is about the same as those in sc…the biggest difference is body size. i NEVER hesitate to stick a nice doe (lots of em around) and remember you can only take 1 antlered deer anyway so if theres a monster in the area go for it, but since youll only be there a short time taking another satisfactory buck given the opportunity wouldnt be a bad idea at all…but its your hunt the shot is up to you…just figured id share the experience of knowing theres a big one out there