I went to SE Ohio during gun season this year for 4 days. I hunted there in from 1990-2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, mostly family farm, private land anyone could get permission to hunt, and public. The pressure has increased greatly over the last 10 years.
The private land anyone could hunt is so overhunted. Every spot I picked out on a topo and aerial map had more than one stand hanging in it. A few stands were on our land. Salt blocks and game cameras out everywhere. There was deer sign, but not anything like in years past. I think most stands were from rut hunting since their was almost no one out that week.
The public land parking lots would only have one truck in them. I would see boot tracks on the easy access areas and areas right off the trails. I didn't see any trail cameras, stands, or prepped trees. However, I saw good deer sign. Multiple people said that late Oct-mid Nov the parking lots had a lot of vehicles in them. My dad and brother both agree with this and both said 20th-27th of OCT would be the time to avoid all the pressure.
I left Ohio with an unfilled tag and a sour taste in my mouth. I want to go back to hunt it, mostly because its my hallowed ground. However, the reality is the good old days are long gone. I might go bowhunt next year, just to see if I need to close that book on Ohio or keep it open. I'm more excited about hunting public land in Arkansas than Ohio after my 5 day hunt in the Ozarks this year. I'm considering Tennessee and South Dakota as well.