COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio’s new program connecting hunters with participating landowners looks like a win-win situation for all parties. Enrollment for the Ohio Landowner and Hunter Access Partnership (OLHAP) program is already underway. The Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife (DOW) recently launched the federal incentive program. 

“It’s a new way for hunters to get access to private properties,” said Dave Kohler DOW Wildlife Program Administrator. “It is funded by the farm bill through the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program.”

The rental rate will vary according to the characteristics of the property. OLHAP pays $30 an acre annually if the property is permanent wildlife habitat, which would be wetlands, forests, grasslands, and so on, Kohler said. It would pay $2 an acre annually for agricultural cover such as hayfields, row crops, orchards, nurseries. 

“We would enter into 2-year agreements; we would pay them through a contract,” Kohler said. “The DOW would handle the written permission aspect of it through our website. The landowners’ responsibility would be to make their properties available to hunters as the hunters reserve spots from Sept. 1 until June 1.”

The hunter must have all applicable licenses and stamps for the hunting activity they are engaged in and exhibit them on request, Kohler said. They must abide by any signage posted by the landowner, be responsible for any property damage they cause including damage to fences, buildings, and other structures.

A public, interactive web map will show all enrolled OLHAP properties. Interested hunters can visit the map, view available properties, and click on the property of their choice to register. Daily permits are available on a first-come, first-served basis each day. The landowner would then receive an email telling them when someone would be hunting. The hunter will have access to the property from 5:30 a.m. until 10 p.m. on the day of the permit. 

The landowner will still be able to do their normal farming practices. They and their family can still hunt on the property and they can give written permission for others to hunt. 

“The hunter is responsible if they damage anything,” Kohler said. “They cannot leave any litter or trash on the property. They can only park in the designated parking areas that are noted on the access area maps, and they have to stay within the access boundaries. The farmer could have 400 acres and only want to put 200 acres of their property in this program. There will be boundary signs of the program acres so the hunter has to stay within those boundaries.”

One hunter will be permitted on the property for every 50-acres of habitat, Kohler said. Hunters must register to hunt the property and attest that they will not hold the landowner responsible if they are injured on the property. The two hunting liability protections in the Ohio Revised Code still apply.

OLHAP will allow every type of hunting except for deer gun hunting, Kohler said. Hunters can hunt during the deer gun seasons but they’d have to use archery equipment. It also does not allow for trapping.

Down the road, there also may be some funding for landowners for habitat improvement on their property.

“Ohio is 95 percent privately owned,” said DOW Chief Kendra Wecker. “This new program helps connect landowners and hunters through incentives and opens many more acres of land to Ohio’s hunting enthusiasts.”

To learn more about the program visit wildohio.gov and scroll down to “New Program Connects Ohio Hunters with Participating Landowners.”