Rules and Policies

Welcome to your national wildlife refuge! Discover new places to hunt, fish, take pictures, watch wildlife, walk, kayak and canoe. Enjoy spending time outdoors alone or with friends and family. Please consult the refuge manager at 419-898-0014 if you have questions. We may post additional site-specific regulations below or at kiosks on site.

To ensure your safety and protect wildlife and habitat, please be aware of these regulations.

General Restrictions

Access to the refuge is open from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset during designated months unless otherwise posted or stated in hunting regulations for controlled hunts

• All pets mush be on a leash.
• Watercraft are allowed in designated areas only.
• Obey posted “Closed Area” and “Refuge Boundary” signs.
• Collecting, removing, or damaging artifacts, natural objects, plants or animals, including insects, is prohibited.
• Stay on established roads and trails.
• Abandoning, discarding, or otherwise leaving any personal property is prohibited.
• Use of electronic or photographic trail monitoring devices (“Game Cameras”) is prohibited.
• Snowmobiles, ATVs and other off-road motorized vehicles are prohibited within the refuge boundaries.
• Camping and overnight parking is not permitted.
• Commercial enterprise requires a special use permit.
• Open fires are not permitted.
• Possession or use of fireworks or explosives is not permitted.
• Target shooting is not permitted.
• Spotlighting wildlife is not permitted at any time.
• Launching, landing, or disturbing of wildlife by aircraft, including drones (UAS), on the refuge is not permitted.
• Possession or use of alcohol is not permitted.
• Please take all litter with you.

Hunting Regulations

• By law, recreational activities on national wildlife refuges are prohibited unless expressly permitted.
• The use or possession of alcoholic beverages and controlled substances, including marijuana, is prohibited.
• Camping and fires are prohibited.
• Searching for or removal of any natural items such as antlers, plants, historic, and archaeological features, is prohibited.
• Use of electronic or photographic trail monitoring devices (“Game Cameras”) is prohibited.
• Hunting with dogs is allowed for all state legal seasons.
• Cutting of vegetation for blinds, shooting lanes, or any other purpose is prohibited.
• The use of paint, flagging, reflectors, tacks, or other human-made materials to mark trails, trees, refuge features or hunting locations is prohibited.
• Hunting over bait and the distribution of bait, including salt licks, mineral blocks, or any chemical substance applied to the ground or vegetation is prohibited on refuge lands. Construction of food plots is also prohibited.
• Hunting is prohibited within 150 yards of any structure.
• Permanent stands or blinds are prohibited. 
• Portable deer stands and ground blinds may be left in the field during hunting season per state regulations. They are required to be labeled with your Ohio customer ID number.

Additional Information

• The information above is a partial list of rules and regulations. Consult the Ottawa / Cedar Point hunting and fishing brochures for details.
• Contact the refuge office for additional information at 419-898-0014