Whitetails are thriving in and around the last remaining public hunting grounds in Franklin County, as a result of a management strategy that encourages both archers and gun hunters, according to John Watts, resource manager for the county’s metro park system. There’s no need for sharpshooters or culling on 2,000 acres of public hunting area at Battelle Darby Creek Metro…
London, Ohio – A Columbus man forfeited $1,300 in archery gear and lost hunting privileges for a year after pleading guilty on Monday, Dec. 5, to multiple state wildlife violations, stemming from a Nov. 12 incident on land owned by Battelle Memorial Institute in eastern Madison County. Derek M. Ranney, 23, 1277 Burnham Dr., was convicted in the county's municipal…
Two events last week on central Ohio’s Darby creek system will increase public access to these state and national scenic rivers. On Tuesday, Nov. 1, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and a battery of local officials broke ground for a new, 14,000-square-foot nature center at Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park on Big Darby Creek in western Franklin County. The center…
A struggle is shaping up in Washington over a little-known federal program that significantly improves outdoor recreational opportunities in Ohio and elsewhere in the country.A handful of Congressional Republicans, mostly from western states, are proposing drastic cuts to the 46-year-old Land & Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). The Obama Administration is opposing the cuts, saying they would bring conservation funding in…
Fall is not all football and foliage. It’s also a busy time for Ohio’s striped skunks. That distinct whiff in the early morning air is evidence that skunks have been out and about while everyone else was sleeping. Suzie Prange, a fur-bearer expert with the Ohio DNR, said the recent hot summer kept skunk activity at a minimum. They don’t…
More than 1,500 trappers, fur dealers and outfitters attended the annual Ohio State Trappers Association (OSTA) convention on Sept. 9-11 at the Madison County Fairgrounds in London. Saturday night’s benefit auction featured 175 donated items, including a handmade log bench from Chainsaw Carvings of Buchtel. Melissa Fraizer of Albuquerque, New Mexico, purchased the bench for $350. Melissa’s brother, Mark Fraizer…
There were more than a few distortions about the state budget and water quality testing in Ohio’s inland lakes in a story published on Sunday, Aug. 14 in The (Columbus) Dispatch. The story implies the state is short changing testing for water quality in its inland lakes and streams, while spending millions to build recreational facilities on those waterways and…
Eighty-eight children, as well as their friends and family, attended the first-ever Family Fun Day at Madison Lake State Park near London on Saturday, Aug. 6. The event, held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the park beach, was sponsored by the Madison County Sheriff’s D.A.R.E. Program and the Ohio DNR’s wildlife and state parks divisions.County wildlife officer Matt…
Eight members of the Cincinnati Youth Bass Club will advance to the 2011 Bass Federation State Tournament for Ohio Youth, based on total points they accrued during this year's fishing season. Central Ohio's O'Shaughnessy Reservoir will host the statewide tournament on Sunday, Aug. 21. The eight finalist anglers are Jack Tamborski, Gabe Dubois, Harbor Lovin, Max Kaufman, Noah Meiers, Garrett…
The marina at Deer Creek State Park is finally open, after a soggy spring that kept the business under water well beyond the start of Ohio’s boating season. The marina is located at 21001 State Route 207 on the park’s west side.An employee said managers power washed and painted the building in April. But heavy rains for the next six…
You've heard of shooting fish in a barrel? I met a man last week in the Pacific Northwest who counts fish on a ladder. No joke. Ron Mcpeak of the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife spends his workday in a cramped cubicle inside the Bonneville Dam, counting fish – one by one – as they migrate up the Columbia…
The 18 members of the Cincinnati Youth Bass Club, along with their parents, will hit the road June 18-19 for tournaments at Hoover and O’Shaughnessy reservoirs in central Ohio. Now in its third year, the club is open to boys and girls age 11 to 18. The nonprofit encourages not only angling skills, but also conservation education and community service,…
For the thirty-second summer, members of the Miami Valley Astronomical Society (MVAS) plan a series of Stargaze events for campers at John Bryan State Park.The park is located in Greene County on state Route 370 between Yellow Springs and Clifton.The season’s first Stargaze is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 28, weather permitting. Similar events are set for dusk…
Ohio’s unusually rainy April is keeping many anglers – but not all – away from their favorite haunts. The state’s reservoirs are running high and muddy and the Ohio River is “roiling” as a result of daily downpours, said Scott Hale, inland fisheries administrator for the ODNR Division of Wildlife. That’s impacting not only anglers’ abilities to get to their…
Mt. Sterling, Ohio – Deer Creek State Park in Pickaway County recently became the sixth state park to add an exercise area and associated swim beach exclusively for canines.Dog owners may allow their pets to run free (off leash) in the enclosed dog park and beach. Otherwise, dogs are required to be on a leash when visiting a state park,…
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…
