Possible Move to Ohio
Ohio
Hello, I may be taking a position in Canton, OH. Being from KS originally and also in CO, I’m not totally enthusiastic about Ohio. I have a family farm in KS that has excellent whitetail and property that borders National Forest in CO that is all within a day’s drive.
What are your thoughts on the area as an outdoorsman? I’m also 36 and single (have a gf but haven’t even discussed this possible move yet) and have no idea what to expect in this part of the state in that department. I’d be moving somewhere with no contacts.
The position is a great opportunity and the idea is for me to be part of a succession plan. The company is employee owned and financially strong.
Just curious on your thoughts. There is some trout fishing nearby that I’ve identified. That gets me a little excited. The idea of drinking beer and floating around in a boat “fishing” is not too exciting to me.
Appreciate your input, as I’d basically be setting the reset button in life but the work opportunity is very good.
No way I’d consider it. I assume you like wide open spaces with little around you except fish and wildlife. Ohio has a population of around 11 million people. Unless you are looking at a relatively short term work effort that results in a lifetime of financial independence there is no chance I’d move to Ohio. The only exceptional thing Ohio has for an outdoors lover is Lake Erie. You’ve already stated that isn’t for you.
I've lived and been around Ohio my whole life and if you are basing the move on the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors, I think you will be disappointed. One thing I want to be clear about it that there are TONS of outdoor opportunities in Ohio for a larger variety of things, but it is quite different than CO and KS I imagine. Alot of it is attributed to the smallish state with a high population......most of our land is compartmentalize into small private property chunks, and with the exception of some large tracts of land in S and SE Ohio, there are just not big chunks of ground to roam. Again, this does not mean there are opportunities for outdoor fun.....just don't expect to find a wildness area that is hundreds of sq miles without a single road.
Regarding fishing......lake Erie is awesome. One of the best fresh water fisheries in the US. There are also some good lakes around too. You mentioned river fishing and we have that, but you may have to switch your species choice to small mouth bass and not trout. Our waters do have some stocked trout but get pretty warm for them to thrive in.
One thing Ohio does have is a bunch of stuff that you can do to enjoy your non outdoor time, and also a great ecomonic outlook due to our location and the general trend recently. We have tons of sports teams, culture and social events, amusement parks, awesome museums and historical places, and most of it all very diverse and also within a half days drive.
I don't know that any of these points will help your decision, but I will say that Ohio is a great place to live overall. Is it an outdoors mecca.....nope, but it sure offers a great deal of opportunity in a variety of outdoor activities across the state, especially considering it's size and population.
Feel free to PM and we can chat. I grew up in Wooster....20 miles from Canton, now Live outside of Columbus.
Grew up in Akron, one Ohio’s big cities. Moved to WV in 1990 but still have family up there. It is a diverse state as far as weather and landscape. Deer down this way isn’t too bad. All the city guys love south Ohio Only rifle use is straight wall. Canton isn’t bad depending on the area. They do get cold and snow!
I move to Ohio in July, 1985 and I am happy with the move. I live 12 miles south of Lake Eire and about 15 miles east of Cleveland. Being new to the area I found that I had to buy land if I wanted to be assured of a place to hunt. Another guy and I now own 500 acres about 1 hours and 45 minutes south of where I live. Between deer hunting, turkey hunting, mushroom hunting, shed hunting, timber management, food plots ect., ect. I have all of the out door time I would ever want but you have to want that type of thing. Owning land has turned out to be a great investment as well, Lake Erie is also a great place to fish but if you have a need to drink a lot when you fish or if you do not like rough water it may not be the best choice as a fishing destination. A lot of the rivers flowing into Lake Erie can have great Steel Head fishing but I do not fish them. I have a boat so I stick to the lake. In the Canton area you would be closer to the better deer hunting but further from the lake. There are a lot of archery clubs in Ohio but they do seem to be hurting for membership but there are shoots most weekends. Of course the biggest factor will be how much time you will be able to get off work to go out west hunting and how many quality tags you will be able to draw. My job allowed me to hunt out of state 2 to 3 weeks most years and in state 1 to 2 weeks plus some weekends and I could even fish after work. Plus the area has a lot to offer in other areas.
Some of it boils down to personal preference. I fell in love with hunting mature whitetails and enjoyed having the ability to scout during the winter and spring and devise plans to kill one fall. That made Ohio a great place to live for me. Good luck with your decision.
Appreciate everyone’s input. It’s a real shame Kelly isn’t with us anymore. I would’ve immediately reached out to him. We used his mineral recipe on a couple of our Kansas properties and communicated back and forth. Great man.
Keep it coming, please. Another gentleman on here was kind enough to offer a phone conversation. I’ll follow-up with him this week. Thanks!
You can contact the ODNR and ask them to send you the public hunting lands that are available. I will tell you most of the best are in south eastern quadrant of Ohio and contrary to popular belief they aren't over run during bow season, I am lucky to see anyone on the areas I have hunted during bow season . As for floating on a boat and drinking beer that is up to you. When we go to Lake Erie and fishing the group I go with we ain't drinking beer. Also there are Steelhead runs on some of the rivers that feed Lake Erie in the spring. Division of Wildlife Officer at our club meeting a week ago stated that the next few years will be some of the best for Walleye on Erie there has been, it is also known for it Small Mouth Bass also. DANNY
