Liberty Wildlife Area

This unique, 140-acre wildlife area lies eight miles west of Jackson. It can be reached by township and county roads from State Routes 35 and 335. Hunting is the major recreational use, along with nature study, hiking, bird watching, mushroom hunting, and berry and nut picking. The area is most popular for gray and fox squirrel hunting. Ruffed grouse and deer hunting are also popular.  Although trapping is limited, furbearers can be found at Dry Run, which parallels the road going through the area. Woodcock can be found in the bottomlands along Dry Run. Liberty Wildlife Area is situated in one of the most geologically noteworthy and botanically rich townships in the state. The southernmost outcrops of the Black Hand Sandstone terminate here. The name Black Hand is used to identify a sandstone formation which outcrops in a north-south band from Richland and Medina counties through the Hocking Hills to Jackson County. Liberty Township also is the north limit of big-leaf and umbrella magnolia, which are found on the hillsides of the wildlife area.