State wildlife area · Morgan County
Appalachian Hills Wildlife Area
54,525 acres · 39.660, -81.830 ↗
Live · updatedWhitetail Deer
Legal light: 5:53 AM – 9:13 PM ET · 30 min before sunrise to 30 min after sunset
2026-27 season · verified 2026-07-27 · source
Whitetail Deer season is closed at this spot today.
GOOD conditions
- 55°F Right in the comfortable activity band
- 7 mph wind A steady breeze covers your movement and noise; deer stay on their feet
- Wind out of the N Pick a stand that keeps your scent off the bedding and approach
- Bright moon Heavy nighttime feeding under a full moon can slow midday movement
- Ground Grassland/Herbaceous · 945 ft (NLCD land cover / USGS elevation)
Wild Turkey
Legal light: 5:53 AM – 8:43 PM ET · ½ hour before sunrise to sunset (to noon for the season’s first 9 days)
2026-27 season · verified 2026-07-27 · source
Wild Turkey season is closed at this spot today.
GOOD conditions
- 55°F Right in the comfortable activity band
- 7 mph (light) Calm, quiet air; gobbles carry and birds relax
- Wind out of the N Set up so a called bird approaches without the wind in your face
- Clear morning Bluebird calm mornings are classic gobbling weather
- Full moon Birds feed at night and fly down late; mornings can start slow
- Ground Grassland/Herbaceous · 945 ft (NLCD land cover / USGS elevation)
Mourning Dove
Legal light: 6:23 AM – 8:43 PM ET · sunrise to sunset
2026-27 season · verified 2026-07-27 · source
Mourning Dove season is closed at this spot today.
GOOD conditions
- 55°F (cold) A cold snap and the doves are gone south
- 7 mph wind A light breeze keeps doves trading between fields
- Wind out of the N Doves decoy into the wind; set up with it at your back
- Fair weather Warm, settled days keep doves working the fields
- Ground Grassland/Herbaceous · 945 ft (NLCD land cover / USGS elevation)
Squirrel
Legal light: 5:53 AM – 8:43 PM ET · ½ hour before sunrise to sunset
2026-27 season · verified 2026-07-27 · source
Squirrel season is closed at this spot today.
GOOD conditions
- 55°F Right in the comfortable activity band
- 7 mph (light) Calm and quiet; you can hear them cutting and spot the shaking limbs
- Clear & calm Bright, still mornings; squirrels move and you can spot them
- Ground Grassland/Herbaceous · 945 ft (NLCD land cover / USGS elevation)
Cottontail Rabbit
Legal light: 6:23 AM – 8:43 PM ET · sunrise to sunset
2026-27 season · verified 2026-07-27 · source
Cottontail Rabbit season is closed at this spot today.
FAIR conditions
- 55°F (warm) Above the comfortable band; activity tails off midday
- 7 mph wind A light breeze is fine
- Bright day A clear day after a cold night gets rabbits out sunning
- Ground Grassland/Herbaceous · 945 ft (NLCD land cover / USGS elevation)
Conditions at the pin
Dawn/dusk low
55°F
the cool hunt window the score uses
Daytime high
80°F
today
Wind
7 mph N
plan your scent
Barometer
1012.9 mb
steady
Moon
100%
full
Sunny
The ground
County herd density
3.68 deer/sq mi
Morgan County took 1,529 deer last season
Habitat
Deciduous Forest
food + cover edge across the tract
Elevation
945 ft
USGS surface elevation
Access: Ohio's largest wildlife area — 54,525 acres of reclaimed AEP mine land (former AEP ReCreation Land, now ODNR; no permit required) across Guernsey/Morgan/Muskingum/Noble; plurality in Morgan near McConnelsville.
Where it is
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Public-land data: ODNR Find-a-Property (verified 2026-07-27). Conditions from the NWS, USGS and NLCD, recomputed each rebuild.