It’s spring! And that means most Ohio wild creatures are nurturing (or will soon be nurturing) young offspring. Madison County Wildlife Officer Matt Teders sighted nests of cottontail rabbits and dens of red fox in recent days, prompting him to issue a seasonal warning against human intervention with these animal youngsters. Well-meaning outdoor enthusiasts who see a nest of birds…
Forget Punxsutawney Phil and Buckeye Chuck. Ohio’s true harbinger of spring is the skunk.These first warm days, skunks are busy creatures. Their distinctive scent wafts in nightly breezes and evidence of their disregard of pedestrian traffic laws litter the roadsides.The Ohio DNR’s Suzie Prange, a biologist who specializes in furbearers, said skunks are out and about as temperatures rise for…
Checking out a fishing pole and tackle box is as easy as checking out a book at the Hurt-Battelle Memorial Library in West Jefferson, west of Columbus.For the third spring, the library is promoting fishing as a family activity by offering a program that allows both kids and adults to “check out” a fishing pole and small, equipped tackle box…
London, Ohio – Madison County resident Daltonn Knapp trapped a 74-pound male coyote during the last week of December. The size of the animal was remarkable – as was the fact that Knapp took it within the city limits of London. State wildlife biologist Gary Ludwig, of the ODNR’s central district office, said the average eastern coyote weighs about 35…
Jeff, my former co-worker, harvested a dandy 10-point buck in early December in Champaign County during the “second rut.” He estimated the buck to be about 4 years old.Jeff readily admitted to hauling a bushel of apples to the kill site as part of an effort to lure in whitetails. After about four hours, the apples worked on a doe…
