Ohio Outdoor News Cuffs & Collars – Oct. 11, 2019

Division of Wildlife

Central Ohio – Wildlife District 1 

While on patrol in Franklin County, state wildlife officer Matt Teders, assigned to Madison County, and state wildlife officer Brad Kiger, assigned to Franklin County, were stopped by a hunter who stated that someone was camping and had a large fire along Big Darby Creek. The officers responded and found four people camping on Franklin County Metro Park property. One subject was fishing from a canoe. The subject was checked for a fishing license, and during the check the officers discovered that two canoes were not registered. It was also discovered that two of the four subjects were missing personal flotation devices. The subjects were told about the camping and fire restrictions in the metro park. Warnings were given for the registration violations on the canoes, and a summons was issued for the missing personal flotation devices. Officer Kiger took one of the subjects to a local canoe livery to rent some personal flotation devices so they could finish their canoe trip. The subjects were ordered to pay $188 in fines and court costs.

Kiser Lake is a 396-acre lake and state park in Champaign County. It is a very beautiful lake and the fishing is excellent. Motors are not permitted on the lake, which makes it a desirable location for kayaks, rowboats, and sailboats. Unfortunately, members of the Kiser Lake Sailboat Club noticed an increase in litter. DNR officers were notified about the problem and assigned to work the area. One summer evening, state wildlife officer Jeff Tipton, assigned to Champaign County, was patrolling Kiser Lake when he observed a group of people fishing near the sailboat club. He noticed that they failed to take their trash with them as they left. Officer Tipton stopped the group, identified who left trash behind, and issued each a citation for state property litter. They each paid a $175 fine in the Champaign County Municipal Court.

Northwest Ohio – Wildlife District 2

While on patrol, state wildlife officer Mike Ohlrich, assigned to Lucas County, observed a group of people fishing in the Maumee River at a popular catfishing spot. As officer Ohlrich approached the group, he noticed that one person was no longer holding his fishing pole. The fishing pole was nowhere to be found. After speaking with the group, it was discovered that the person had tossed the pole into the river. The suspect was issued summonses for fishing without a license and stream litter.

State wildlife officer Greg Wasilewski, assigned to Richland County, received a complaint of two hunters shooting toward a residence and possibly across a road while deer hunting. Officer Wasilewski located where the suspects had been hunting and contacted them at their residence. One of the hunters claimed to be the landowner’s son and did not have a hunting license. After reviewing the property boundaries, officer Wasilewski determined that the hunters were on a neighbor’s property where they had permission to hunt. The suspect claiming to be exempt from purchasing a hunting license was charged with hunting deer without first obtaining a deer permit. He paid $230 in fines and court costs.

Northeast Ohio – Wildlife District 3

State wildlife officer Aaron Brown, assigned to Wayne County, received a complaint that a Tuscarawas County man had killed two antlered deer. State wildlife officer Nick Turner, assigned to Harrison County, and officer Brown contacted the suspect at his residence. The officers determined that the man had killed two bucks and had his wife game check the smaller deer. The individual stated that he had been watching a large buck and had harvested a smaller buck, thinking it was the larger deer. The man was issued summonses for failing to game check the first deer he had killed, and for taking a second antlered deer. The individual appeared in court, was convicted, and ordered to pay fines, costs, and restitution totaling $5,845.

State wildlife officer Tom Frank, assigned to Mahoning County, and state wildlife officer Jesse Janosik, assigned to Columbiana County, were conducting surveillance on Berlin Lake when they observed several anglers fishing from shore. Officer Frank contacted the men. One of the individuals stated that his fishing license was in his vehicle and began to walk toward the parking lot. Officer Frank directed him to stay there and ran his information through the emergency operations center. The dispatcher indicated that the man had an active warrant for his arrest. Officer Frank secured the individual and asked if he needed to contact anyone. The man stated that when he saw the officers approach the shoreline, he called his employer to let him know that he would not be coming to work. The officers placed a personal flotation device on the man and transported him to the nearest roadway where he was picked up by the law enforcement agency that had previously charged him.

Southeast Ohio – Wildlife District 4

While on patrol in Pike County, state wildlife officer Matt VanCleve was contacted by two men. The men stated that someone was in the process of dumping a truckload of tree limbs along the road. Officer VanCleve went to the location and contacted a man and woman dumping branches from the back of a pickup truck. The man was cited for the violation. He appeared in the Pike County Court and entered a plea of no contest. He was found guilty and ordered to pay a $250 fine and $100 in court costs.

In the spring, state wildlife officer Todd Stewart, assigned to Morgan County, received a call complaining about litter in a stream that feeds into the Muskingum River. Officer Stewart and state wildlife officer supervisor Dan Perko visited the site and identified a suspect. Officer Stewart followed up with one of the individuals. The individual stated that they had not dumped the waste, but their father was the one responsible for disposing of it. He was also at the residence, and he admitted to officer Stewart that he had thrown the waste into the stream. The individual pleaded guilty to stream litter, was ordered to pay $150 in fines, and served 30 days of a 60-day jail sentence.

Southwest Ohio – Wildlife District 5

While on patrol during the 2018 deer gun season, state wildlife officer Jeff Wenning, assigned to Darke County, stopped to contact a hunter. Officer Wenning checked the man’s license and permit. During the contact, officer Wenning noticed deer parts in the bed of the hunter’s vehicle. The hunter told officer Wenning the names of the hunters who had harvested the deer, and where they had been harvested. The hunter’s story did not match the harvest information in the game-check system. Officer Wenning indicated to the hunter that the story did not appear to be true. The hunter suggested officer Wenning speak with a second hunter who lived nearby. Officer Wenning and the hunter traveled to meet with the second person. Further investigation revealed that a third hunter had used a landowner permit to tag deer that were harvested in another county. Officer Wenning relayed this information to state wildlife officer supervisor Matt Hoehn. Officer Hoehn met with the third hunter, who admitted to harvesting deer and checking them in under the second hunter’s identity as a landowner. After harvesting the deer, the third hunter had left several deer in the possession of a fourth hunter, who transported them back to Darke County to be processed. Several citations were issued in multiple counties to two of the hunters. Fines totaling $290 in two different court jurisdictions were issued against the men.