Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area

The Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area encompasses 5,671-acres and is situated in portions of Wayne and Holmes counties. About 56 percent of the acquisition unit consists of marsh and swamp that is flooded during some portion of the year. This complex is Ohio’s largest remaining marshland outside of the Lake Erie region.

This 5,671-acre wildlife area is situated in northeastern Ohio in portions of Wayne and Holmes counties. The area extends north from Holmesville to three miles south of Wooster, and lies between State Route 83 on the east and State Route 226 on the west.

The area is in a shallow, U-shaped glacial outwash valley. The elevation varies from 840 feet at the floor of Killbuck Creek near Holmesville to nearly 1,000 feet on hillsides parallel to the valley floor. About 56 percent of the acquisition unit consists of marsh and swamp that is flooded during some portion of the year. This complex is Ohio’s largest remaining marshland outside of the Lake Erie region.

Waterfowl hunting is very popular at this site. The most common species on the area are the wood duck and Canada goose, followed by the blue-winged teal and mallard. Upland game species are well distributed throughout the wildlife area because of the uniform distribution of cropfields, shrubby coverts, grasslands, and woods. Raccoon hunting is productive throughout the area, especially along swamp edges. Furbearers, especially muskrats, provide many hours of recreational opportunity for trappers.

Killbuck Creek offers good fishing for northern pike, carp, suckers, and bullheads. Several ponds offer fair to good fishing for most panfish species. Frog and turtle hunting are popular activities in the marshy portions of the area.

A walking-only trail for wildlife observation follows the abandoned B&O Railroad, through the center of the area. The trail is four miles long, and passes through a large variety of habitats. Funding for the trail comes from Ohio’s Endangered Species and Wildlife Diversity income tax checkoff.