Highlandtown Wildlife Area-Great For Deer Hunting

Highlandtown Wildlife Area- Great For Deer Hunting!

The 2,265 acre Highlandtown Wildlife Area is located 8 miles south of Lisbon and 3 miles northeast of Salineville in southern Columbiana County. It can be reached by State Route 164 from Lisbon and by State Route 39 from Salineville and Wellsville. Purchase of land for this wildlife area began in 1956. Additional land was acquired as funds became available, until the area reached its present size. Highlandtown Lake was completed in 1966.

This scenic wildlife area is steeply rolling with some flat hilltops and valley floors. Elevations vary from 1,060 feet to 1,340 feet above sea level. A 170 acre lake, many small ponds, and wetlands are located within this area where second growth hardwoods, conifers, brushy coverts, crop fields, meadows, and grain crops are also abundant. The whitetail deer hunting forecast for the 2005-2006 season is excellent. The property is managed with the plantings of many wildlife food plots to include corn, sunflower, millet, sorghum buckwheat, and winter wheat. Many whitetail deer have been spotted recently on the area. Does with twins and triplets and a high number of large bucks in the 2 ? year class have been observed. Archery hunters should expect light hunting pressure and also enjoy the beauty of the fall foliage which is spectacular.

Public hunting is also available on 404 acres of Yellow Creek State Forest, situated in two tracts on the west and north sides of the wildlife area.

Brush Creek Wildlife Area

This rugged, 4,131-acre wildlife area lies six miles southeast of Salineville in northern Jefferson County and offers terrific whitetail deer hunting. Access to the area is provided from County Road 55, which is reached from State Route 164 at Monroeville. Several township roads provide direct access to the area from County Road 55. The deeply dissected terrain is composed of broad ridges with steep slopes which descend to the narrow valley floor of Brush Creek. Elevations vary from 760 to 1,360 feet above mean sea level. Second growth hardwoods occupy 80 percent of the area. Oak and hickory dominate the ridgetops and upper slopes. Maple, beech, elm, ash, and tulip poplar are found in the coves and lower slopes. Open fields and shrubby coverts are confined primarily to the flatter ridge tops and the valley floor.

Purchase of land for this wildlife area began in 1944 and additional land was added as funds became available. Management work has included the planting of thousands of conifers, protection and improvement of the woodlands, selection of areas which will be allowed to return to woodland through natural succession, clear-cuts on small blocks of older timber, and management of existing open fields, all to maintain habitat diversity. The recent timber harvest on 17 small tracts has produced excellent bedding and browse areas for deer which may increase harvest success for hunters. Crop rotations and contour strip cropping patterns have been developed to improve food and cover conditions for wildlife as well as plantings of many wildlife food plots including corn, sunflower, millet, sorghum buckwheat, and winter wheat. Most management activities are directed toward forest game species. Hunting is the major recreational use of the area.

The rugged, scenic beauty of the area is very attractive. Visitors find a wide variety of plant communities and in association with them a diversity of songbirds and other wildlife. Hemlock grows along the steep slopes and in deep ravines and coves bordering Brush Creek. In contrast, native pines and huckleberries occupy the dry ridges.

County and township roads provide good access to most of the wildlife area. Several parking lots are situated throughout the area. Further information on this wildlife area is available from the Area Manager, Highlandtown Wildlife Area, 16760 Spring Valley Road, Salineville, Ohio 43945, telephone (330) 679-2201; or Wildlife District Three Office, 912 Portage Lakes Drive, Akron, Ohio 44319, telephone (330) 644-2293.

Free maps are available via the web at www.ohiodnr.com/wildlife or by calling 1-800-WILDLIFE. Further information may be obtained by calling Highlandtown Wildlife Area at (330) 679-2201 or from the Wildlife District Three Office in Akron, at (330) 644-2293.