Ohio Mixed Bag: Team Mathews Wins Buckeye Classic

Dublin, Ohio — Team Mathews delivered a commanding performance recently at the 2025 Buckeye Classic, hosted by USA Archery in Dublin, Ohio.

In a thrilling final showdown, team shooter Stephan Hansen shot perfect elimination rounds, securing the gold medal in the Men’s Compound Division, edging out fellow Mathews teammate Jimmy Lutz, who earned silver.

The Buckeye Classic is a key event on the USA Archery circuit, drawing top compound and recurve shooters from around the country and beyond. It’s part of the USA Archery Team (USAT) Qualifier Series, serving as the final of four national qualifying events to help determine the U.S. archery team.

With another win in the books for the 2025 season, Mathews continues to prove why it remains a leader in precision, innovation, and competition at the highest level.

MORE COVERAGE FROM OHIO OUTDOOR NEWS:

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Ohio’s young shooters fare well at SCTP Nationals

Ohio’s duck zones could change in 2026 hunt

Public Comments Welcome On IJC Report

Windsor, Ontario — The International Joint Commission (IJC) is seeking public comment on the recently released Draft 2025 Review of the International Joint Commission’s Report on the “Protection of the Waters of the Great Lakes.”

This is the second 10-year review on the consumptive use, diversion, and removal of water from the Great Lakes.

This draft report provides a preliminary evaluation of the relevance and implementation status of recommendations issued by the IJC in a 2015 report. It also proposes new recommendations for the IJC to submit to governments.

A public webinar will be held on Aug. 14 to provide an overview of the preliminary findings of the draft report and obtain public comments. Comments can also be provided in writing to the IJC.

To access the report, register for the webinar, or submit comments, visit: www.ijc.org/pwgl.

Fishing Report: Record Number Of Anglers

Alexandria, Va. — The post-pandemic surge of participation in fishing continues to get record numbers of participants on the water, but data from the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation’s (RBFF) 2025 Special Report on Fishing finds churn continues to pose a significant challenge for the industry.

In 2024, 57.9 million Americans ages 6 and up took to the nation’s waterways to enjoy recreational fishing, an all-time high 19% of the U.S. population. Data also continues to underscore the critical importance of introducing fishing at a young age.

Eighty-five percent of current fishing participants fished before the age of 12, but participation rates fell sharply after a child turned 18, and specifically female youth quit fishing at an 11% higher rate than male youth.

According to the new report, spending time with family and friends was a key driver for new anglers in 2024. Many new anglers also reported that being in the great outdoors and relaxation inspired their first fishing trip.

In 2024, fishing lost 16.6 million anglers (a -23% churn) versus -18% five years ago and -12% 10 years ago. In addition, participation among more frequent anglers has gradually declined since participation tracking began in 2007. Just 32% fished once a month or more in 2024, down from 37% a decade ago. RBFF conducted research in 2023 on the psychology of churn to help its state and industry stakeholders tackle these challenges.

The Special Report on Fishing, an annual report in its 15th year, provides an overview of fishing participation in the U.S., including participation numbers among key groups, barriers to entry, reasons for participation, and more. RBFF created the report in partnership with the Outdoor Foundation.

The full report is available at TakeMeFishing.Org/SpecialReport.