Hiking Hocking Hills During Hunting Season: Lands, Dates and Blaze Orange
Most of the famous gorges are calm in late fall. The land around them is a different story. Here is who can hunt where, when gun week falls in 2026, and how to hike smart through it.
Late November in Hocking Hills is quiet, cold and beautiful. It is also deer season. That surprises some visitors, because they picture the region as one big state park. In reality, the famous gorges sit inside a patchwork of public land, and the rules on hunting change as you cross from one piece to the next.
None of this means you should stay home. It means you should know whose land you are on, know which week matters most, and wear something bright.
Who can hunt where
Four kinds of public land surround a typical Hocking Hills trip. Each one handles hunting differently.
| Land type | Hunting? | What it means for hikers |
|---|---|---|
| Hocking State Forest (about 9,800 acres around the park units) | Yes, under Division of Wildlife rules | Hunters are a normal sight. The Buckeye Trail and bridle trails cross forest land. |
| Hocking Hills State Park | Only in designated areas, with a license | The developed gorge trails are not hunting areas. ODNR publishes a hunting map showing boundaries. |
| State nature preserves (Conkle's Hollow, Rockbridge and others) | Restricted by rule to designated areas or special managed hunts | Generally the calmest choice, but check each preserve's notices. |
| Wayne National Forest (southeast Ohio) | Generally yes, with buffers around developed sites | Treat any trail away from a trailhead as active hunting ground in season. |
| Lake Logan State Park | Yes, in season, per park hunting map | Deer, waterfowl and turkey are among the listed species. Shooting is barred within 400 feet of trails and facilities. |
Hocking State Forest
ODNR lists the forest at 9,815 acres and says hunting and fishing are permitted in most state forests as regulated by the Division of Wildlife. Shooting on, from or across any road or driveway is prohibited. A long-standing local description of the forest adds that shooting is barred within 400 feet of buildings, facilities, recreation areas and designated nature preserves. The forest is open from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset.
Hocking Hills State Park
ODNR's park page says hunting is allowed in designated areas of the park and in the adjacent state forest, with a valid Ohio license. The busy gorge trails at Old Man's Cave, Cedar Falls and Ash Cave are heavily developed visitor areas. If you want to see exactly where the park's hunting areas lie, download the hunting map linked from the ODNR park page.
State nature preserves
Ohio's rule for nature preserves restricts hunting to designated areas, areas whose dedication provides for it, or division-run management hunts with written permission. In practice that makes preserves like Conkle's Hollow among the most predictable places to hike in late fall. Note that Conkle's Hollow does not allow pets.
Wayne National Forest
The Forest Service says hunting is generally allowed across Wayne National Forest under Ohio licenses and regulations, but not within 150 yards of residences, campsites or developed recreation sites, including trailheads and picnic areas. Once you are a quarter mile down a trail, assume hunters may be nearby.
2026 deer season dates that matter for hikers
Archery season runs for months and rarely changes much for hikers, since bowhunters are quiet and work at close range. The weeks to plan around are the gun seasons. These are ODNR's approved 2026-27 dates:
| Season | 2026-27 dates |
|---|---|
| Archery (statewide) | Sept. 26, 2026 to Feb. 7, 2027 |
| Youth gun | Nov. 21 to 22, 2026 |
| Deer gun (statewide) | Nov. 30 to Dec. 6, 2026 |
| Deer gun, additional weekend | Dec. 19 to 20, 2026 |
| Muzzleloader | Jan. 2 to 5, 2027 |
The week after Thanksgiving is the big one. If you are planning a Thanksgiving week trip, note that gun season opens the Monday after. The muzzleloader season lands right after New Year's, which matters if you are hiking that first weekend of January.
Ohio sets seasons annually. ODNR's Division of Wildlife posts the approved dates each spring at wildohio.gov and in the hunting regulations booklet. The dates above are for the 2026-27 season only.
Blaze orange for hikers
Ohio requires hunters to wear hunter orange during deer gun season so they can see each other. The requirement does not apply to hikers, but the logic does. Orange is the color every hunter in the woods is trained to look for.
- Wear it high and wide. A hat plus a vest or jacket is visible from more angles than a hat alone.
- Avoid brown, tan and white outer layers in the woods during gun week. A white glove or hat flashing in brush can resemble a deer's tail.
- Cover your pack. An orange pack cover adds visibility from behind.
- Talk and move normally. There is no need to be loud, but quiet stalking through the brush is the wrong instinct this week.
Dogs need orange too
The U.S. Forest Service advises that dogs in the field during hunting season wear orange or another very visible color. That goes double for brown, tan or gray dogs. An orange vest or collar costs little and makes your dog obvious at a glance. Keep dogs leashed, which also keeps them out of brush where they could be mistaken for game. Our guide to hiking with dogs covers where dogs are and are not allowed.
Staying on marked trails is already required in Hocking Hills State Park. In the state forest it is still the best protection you have. Hunters expect people on the trail. They do not expect someone pushing through a thicket.
Which trails to pick during gun week
Good choices
- Ash Cave gorge. A short, easy, accessible walk from a busy lot to the recess cave.
- Old Man's Cave and Cedar Falls. Developed, well-traveled gorge trails in the heart of the park.
- Conkle's Hollow gorge trail. A state nature preserve with a flat lower trail. No dogs.
- Rock House. A short loop in a park unit, though steep in places.
Save for later
- Long Buckeye Trail stretches through the state forest, especially early and late in the day.
- State forest bridle trails and unmarked old roads.
- Remote Wayne National Forest trails during the opening days of gun season.
Timing helps too. Hunters tend to be most active in the first and last hours of daylight. A late-morning start on a developed trail keeps you well clear of the busiest window, and it still leaves time to finish before the park closes half an hour after sunset. For more on reading conditions before you go, see our Hocking Hills safety guide.
Quick checklist
- Know which land you will be on: park, forest, preserve or national forest
- Mark Nov. 30 to Dec. 6 and Dec. 19 to 20, 2026 on your calendar
- Orange hat plus orange vest or jacket for every hiker
- Orange vest or collar for the dog, and a leash
- No white or tan outer layers in the woods
- Stay on marked trails and hike mid-day
- Pick developed gorge trails or a nature preserve during gun week
Frequently asked questions
When is Ohio's deer gun season in 2026?
ODNR's approved 2026-27 schedule lists the statewide deer gun season as November 30 to December 6, 2026, plus December 19 to 20, 2026. Youth gun season is November 21 to 22, and muzzleloader season is January 2 to 5, 2027.
Is hunting allowed in Hocking Hills State Park?
ODNR says hunting is allowed in designated areas of the park with a valid Ohio license, and in the adjacent Hocking State Forest. The busy gorge trails are not where hunting areas are, but ODNR publishes a hunting map if you want to see the boundaries.
Do hikers have to wear blaze orange in Ohio?
Ohio's hunter orange requirement applies to hunters, not hikers. It is still the simplest safety step for anyone in the woods during deer gun season, especially on state forest and national forest land.
Should my dog wear orange during hunting season?
Yes. The U.S. Forest Service advises that dogs in the field during hunting season wear orange or another highly visible color. A brown or tan dog moving through brush is easy to misread.
Which Hocking Hills trails are best during gun week?
Stick to the developed state park gorge trails such as Ash Cave, Old Man's Cave and Cedar Falls, or a state nature preserve like Conkle's Hollow, and hike in the middle of the day. Save long backcountry stretches of the Buckeye Trail through the state forest for after the season.
Sources and verification
- ODNR Division of Wildlife: 2026-27 Hunting Seasons (PDF)
- ODNR: Hocking State Forest (acreage, hours, hunting)
- ODNR: Hocking Hills State Park (designated hunting areas)
- Ohio Administrative Code 1501:17-3-04 (hunting in nature preserves)
- U.S. Forest Service: Wayne National Forest hunting and shooting
Season dates and land rules can change. Check wildohio.gov and the managing agency before you go.