ohio valley outdoor times 2-2016

OutdoorFREE!

By ODNRHere are a few other pointers to keep in mind. Try to fish around other

ice anglers so if you do fall through, someone might be there to help youget out. Remember to dress appropriately to prevent hypothermia andwear a life jacket or flotation suit when walking around on ice. Manyanglers also bring along an extra change of dry clothes just in case ofan emergency. Keep your cell phone available, but protected from theelements.One of the great things about ice fishing is that tackle can be very

simple and inexpensive. Short rods, light gear, light line, and small baitsare the ticket. Some anglers also like to use small bobbers as strike in-dicators since strikes can be subtle. Tip-ups are a common addition tomany ice anglers’ tackle, too. They come in a variety of designs, butessentially involve a spool of line hanging in the water with bait at-tached. Most store-bought versions feature a signaling device, such asa flag, that pops up when a fish takes the bait. In Ohio, anglers can haveup to six tip-ups going at one time, and each must be labeled with theowner’s name and address.Because fish don’t strike as aggressively in the winter, you’ll want to

use lighter tackle – 10 pound test or less – and smaller baits. You can in-crease your odds by tipping artificial lures with live bait. Sluggish fishare much more likely to hit on a minnow-tipped jig as opposed to onewith a plastic worm.Tip-ups are another common method of ice fishing and come in a

wide variety of designs. Essentially, they involve a spool of line hang-ing in the water with bait attached. Most store bought versions featurea signaling device, such as a flag, that pops up when a fish takes thebait. In Ohio, anglers can have up to six tip-ups going at one time.What’s biting down below?You can catch the same species when ice

fishing as you hooked during the summer months, including crappie,bluegill, bass and catfish, as well as perch, walleye and saugeye.In fact, some of the most sought after ice fish are saugeyes (a cross

Story inside page 5

READER CONTEST WINNER ANNOUNCED - P.4

Ice Fishing FinallyHeats up in Ohio

RabbitHunters

February 2016

Ohio Valley

Times

Ohio Valley Outdoors–Photo by Chris CreedLocal outdoorsman Chris Creed and his family have had much success this winter ice fishing at Mosquito Lake.

Shown are three nice keeper walleye, and a handy Baracuta filet knife, made by Havalon Knives.

between the sauger and a walleye), because they are so active in the winter. Two of the best placesfor saugeye – and ice fishing in general – are Buckeye Lake in Fairfield and Licking counties, andIndian Lake in Logan County, which generally freeze quickly due to their shallowness. At theselakes, consider using a jig or spoon tipped with minnows.Drop your line through an ice hole on a farm pond and you’ll likely be pulling up some tasty

panfish, such as bluegill and crappie. For bait, use a tiny ice jig or fly and tipping it with waxworms.

Turn To Ice Fishing Page 4

OHIO VALLEY OUTDOOR TIMES2 February 2016

Mick Brown has beenaround birds of prey fora long time. As a MasterFalconer he’s seen andexperienced just abouteverything while raising,caring for and huntingwith wild hawks. In over1,000 falconry hunts —spanning over 30 years— Brown has not experi-enced major problemswith larger eagles flying close to his birds ofprey. That was until a recent rabbit hunt inColumbiana County, OH.It was early afternoon in late January,

Brown had flown two of his three Harris’shawks before lunch. His third bird, Purdy, asharp female, was eager to fly after Brownand his crew had taken a lunch break. It wasa clear day, temperatures were unusuallywarm (low 50s) for January. “Purdy wasready to go. She was (getting) high on herperch and seemed real gamey, I’d told Mike(Krock another falconer who’d made thetrip). She always gives us her best,” saidBrown.“We had gone past a house on the tree farm

and headed for a nearby field where we knewrabbits would be.We got halfway up the fieldand she (Purdy) started acting weird. Some-one with us noticed two eagles flying above.One landed about 300 yards away, the othermust have flown off. Purdy had noticed theeagles before we did. She quickly went to theground and went under a pine tree,” addedBrown. “I called her to my glove and gaveher a tidbit (snack), but she headed back tounder the pine tree. She would not hunt! Wewere done for the day. She was afraid of thateagle, so I got her back and we headed to-ward the car.”Brown said eagles are very territorial but

he’d never experienced anything like that.His hawk would not fly.

Windy Hill Tree Farm (where the hunt tookplace) owner Gregg Ludwig said several ea-gles had been courting the area for the lastyear or so, looking for a nesting area. In factLudwig and a crew of locals had placed a six-foot wide platform in a large tree at the edgeof his farm near Calcutta, OH. “We have ayoung pair of eagles that have been scoutingthe area, flying around the platform, and wehope they nest there soon,” said Ludwig.If that does take place Brown said he will

no longer be able to hunt his hawks near thetree farm. “I told Gregg that I hope he getsthe eagles to nest there but I can’t hunt thereif that happens. Eagles are too territorial andthat would be too close for us to be there,”said Brown.After three winter-time hunts in the last

few years at Windy Hill, Brown said Ludwighas a few other properties in the region thatcould offer quality falconry hunts for Brown.“We’ll see what happens. We like coming uphere,” said Brown, who lives in MartinsFerry, OH.The recent hunt did net one rabbit, thanks

to the persistence of Pippa, Brown's first Har-ris's hawk to fly that day. It was the thirdbunny kicked up by Brown's miniaturedaschhounds. The rather large rabbit had cir-cled around Brown's position in a main fieldafter getting chased a second time by thehounds, which led Pippa to spot the speedyrabbit. That led to an interesting chase. Pippahad pounced on the rabbit twice beforeBrown was able to assist after the rabbitdarted under a downed tree.See photos from theWindy Hill Tree Farm

hunt on Page 10 and the Ohio Valley Out-doors Facebook page.For information about the Ohio Falconry

Association, contact them at: Ohio FalconryAssociation, P.O Box 103, Gail Ave.,Bethesda, OH 43719 or email [email protected]. Contact Mick Brownat: [email protected].

Birds of Prey Don’t Play

5 There’s Still Time toJump Some Rabbits

Grey Berrier II

8 Shed Hunting TipsRalph Scherder

9 PA Approves 2016-17 Hunting Seasons

PAGC

10 Falconry Huntingwith Mick Brown

12 Pre-season BoatTrailer Maintenance

Jeff Knapp

13 Be Safe, LetSomeone Know WhereYou Go

Greg Berrier II

14 Offering AdditionalMotivation to PursueCoyotes

Grey Berrier II

19 WV HuntersHarvest 138K Deer

INSIDE THIS MONTH

11 Northeast Ohio Sportsman Show

Old Fashion Style Turkey Shoot - Each Sunday thru March 2016 at Beaver Creek Sportsman Club,14480 Washingtonville Road, Washingtonville, OH. $3 per round, 1 p.m. start time. For info. con-tact Tom Brunner 330-692-6577 or email:[email protected] Show by Mahoning Valley Gun Collectors -April 16-17; (9 a.m.-4 p.m.) at Lowellville Rodand Gun Club. Admission $4. GPS address 6225 Quarry Road, Lowellville, OH. CallBill at 330-506-9194.3D Archery Shoots - Mar. 26-27; Apr. 23-24; May 21-22; 28-29. (Schedule runs through Sept.)Lake Milton Fish & Game Club. Sat. 8 a.m.-3 p.m., Sun. 8 a.m.-1 p.m.. Cost $10, cubs $5. Cross-bows permitted, no rangefinders. Contact Dennis Dabney at 330-414-5795.Trader’s Day Swap Meet & Gun Show -May 14 at Trumbull County Rod & Gun Club. Buy, sell,trade your hunting and fishing equipment, firearms, other outdoor sports gear, and more. 50/50 &Gun Raffles. Tables (indoor or outdoor) – $15. Food and Drink will be available. For information con-tact: Jason Chamberlain at 330-307-0522.

By Larry ClaypoolEditor

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OUTDOOR CALENDAR

Publisher/Editor, Larry [email protected]

Graphics Designer, Linda [email protected]

Sales Consultant, Tracy [email protected]

[email protected] Valley Outdoor Times

is published by Ohio Valley Outdoors Magazine©Offices located at

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To Advertise CALL 330-385-2243

OutdoorOhio Valley

TimesFebruary 2016 VOL. 8, NO. 2

Contributing EditorsRalph Scherder, Hunting EditorJeff Knapp, Fishing EditorBrian Miller, Field Editor

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Reader Contest Winner

Ice Fishing From Page 1Lake Erie ice fishing is definitely a dif-

ferent “kettle of fish.” For a variety of rea-sons – including safety – many anglershire a guide who sets them up in the pro-tective shelter of a shanty and helps themlocate the fish. The area between Greenand Rattlesnake islands, just west ofSouth Bass Island, usually offers some ofthe safest ice on the lake.For those targeting walleye, use min-

nows on jigging spoons, blade baits andjigging Rapalas. Yellow perch can becaught with a spreader or crappie rigtipped with shiners. Some anglers includea bobber as a strike indicator.

Ohio Valley Outdoors– Photo by Larry ClaypoolPaul Swartzentruber (center), of Millersburg, OH, won a Parker Bushwacker X-305 MR Crossbow Package in

Ohio Valley Outdoor Magazine’s Reader Contest recently. Swartzentruber signed up for the contest at Kidron Sports Center in Berlin,OH. He’s shown with Kidron Sports employees Jolita Yoder (left) and Matthew Miller, who presented the crossbow during the NortheastOhio Sportsman Show in Dalton. OH. More than 1,200 entries were received for the contest. It was sponsored by Parker Bows; Brittain

Chevrolet of East Palestine, OH; Mullets Footwear and Country Cedar of Middlefield, OH; John’s Outdoor and Military Store, ofDeerfield, OH and Kidron Sports Center, of Kidron, OH and Berlin, OH. Kidron Sports Center also won the advertiser’s contest for

another Parker Crossbow Package, which was presented recently by OVO Sales Consultant Tracy Bissell.

Ohio Decoy Carversto Host Show

STRONGSVILLE, OH — The OhioDecoy Carving and Collecting Associa-tion Show & Sale will be held March 12-13 in Strongsville (Cuyahoga County),OH. The event will be hosted by ODCCAand Holiday Inn in Strongsville. The hotelcomplex is located at 15471 RoyaltonRd., Strongsville, OH 44136.The event is open to public on Sunday

(13th), 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. For informationvisit: www.ocssa.net.

“If you build it,they will come” isa phrase familiar-ized by the 1989film: Field ofDreams. It is also afundamental con-cept of wildlifemanagement. Bi-ologists, landown-ers, and huntershave learned habitatimprovement proj-ects modifying vegetation and land usecan have long term benefits for an in-tended species, in addition to aidingother big game, small game, non-gamespecies, and song birds. Deliberate ef-forts to enhance food sources, bed-ding/nesting areas, and cover canpotentially increase local populations ofsome species.During my first month of military re-

tirement three years ago, I made a con-certed effort to manage the woods onour property for wildlife. With chain-saw in hand, I downed a major portionof the locust and elms (both early suc-

cessional species) that had colonized ourproperty as it reverted from farm field towoodlands over the past 65 years. Thelocust were sawn into fence posts andthe larger elm boles were cut for fire-wood, however the extensive toppingswere left in a thick labyrinth with theprimary intent of benefitting white-tailed deer. The subsequent opening ofthe forest canopy and corresponding in-crease in sunlight reaching the forestfloor has permitted the remaining oaks,hickories, maples, and black cherries toflourish and in sections the dense under-story is nearly impenetrable. My smallwoodlands now serve as a magnet forwhitetails and wild turkeys, while pro-viding ideal habitat for a flourishing rab-bit population.This past early archery season, our

local deer population seemed to bedown. So I made a decision to not huntbehind our house in Lawrence Countyduring the Pennsylvania A 2105Firearms Season for the first time inover a decade. Instead, I planned onpursuing opening day whitetails up inVenango County where I always seem to

see respectable bucks while bear hunt-ing.Knowing that I wouldn’t be deer hunt-

ing on my own property in firearms sea-son, I followed up on an earlierinvitation with a friend from church,Ryan Lombardo, who has two beagles

and is passionate about pursuing cotton-tails. We arranged to run his dogs on myproperty for the first time the Saturdayafter Thanksgiving. November 28, 2015arrived with a cool, damp drizzle; soRyan and I exchanged text messages to


There’s Still Time to Jump Some Rabbits

Turn To Rabbits Page 6

Ohio Valley Outdoors– Photo by Grey D. Berrier IIFocused rabbit hunters Ryan Lombardo and Matt Miller pose with

Ryan’s beagles after a recent successful hunt with the author.Cottontails are in season in OH, PA, and WV until February 29.

By Col.(Ret.)Grey D. Berrier IIFIN Pro Staff

OV

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confirm that our hunt was still on re-gardless of the weather. Ryan arrivedpromptly at 7:45 a.m. with his friend,Matt Miller, and his two four-leggedhunting machines, Arnie and Phantom.

Both beagles started hunting as soonas they reached the wood line behind thehouse. Ryan, Matt, and I eagerly loadedour shotguns to officially begin huntingourselves. Only 10 minutes into thehunt, I started working my way into aformidable tangle of head-high asters,multi-flora rose, and assorted saplings.While the beagles were working in frontof their “Dad”, 30 yards to my left, Ikicked a bunny out from some toppingsalmost directly under my foot. I calledthe dogs over and almost immediatelythe air was filled with the sound of bay-ing beagles as the pursuit was on. Thatinitial bunny was smart, staying withinreally thick cover and eventually givingthe dogs the slip by heading down anabandoned groundhog hole.

Less than 15 minutes later, I couldhave earned “the Golden ToeAward” byharvesting a rabbit I kicked out of an-other brush pile. But I was more inter-ested in observing Arnie and Phantomwork and listening to their accompany-

ing canine chorus, so I didn’t shoot andcalled the dogs over to put them on thefresh trail. This second rabbit went on along jaunt off through the adjacent PAState Game Lands. Ryan had to callboth dogs back after almost 10 minutessince the rabbit never circled back towhere our chase had commenced. Overthe course of the next two hours, wewalked several miles on the PA StateGame Lands with the dogs only bawlingon one rabbit’s fresh trail for a brief pe-riod.

With the rain and breeze picking uparound 11:15 a.m., we decided to headback to my property and work throughsome prime thickets we bypassed earlier.We had just started on this second effortwhen things suddenly got very interest-ing. First, Matt missed a shot at a rabbitthat seemed to materialize out ofnowhere when the dogs got on its trail.Then the beagles jumped three rabbitshidden together in one brush pile. Ryanreacted as one darted south, anotherbolted southwest , and the third hit theafterburners heading north. Ryan got offone shot at the northbound bunny, shav-ing off a few tufts of white cottontail, butit didn’t seem to slow down his escap-ing quarry.

In the midst of multiple rabbits going

in divergent directions, Arnie and Phan-tom got back on the trail of the initialrabbit Matt had missed and followed itoff to the west on the PA State GameLands. From the bank top, lookingdown across an abandoned rail bed, wewatched the dogs diligently working

through thick red brush. Matt beganplay-by-play calls, accurately describingwhat the rabbit was doing in front of thebeagles. After a few minutes, I heardMatt holler from only 30 yards awaythat the rabbit was coming back up the

Turn To Rabbits Page 7

Rabbit From Page 5

Ohio Valley Outdoors– Photo by Grey D. Berrier IIArnie and Phantom hard at work on the trail of an elusive rabbit in thick cover.

These dedicated hounds epitomize the maximum effort that beagles will putforth for their owners in search of bunnies throughout the season.

bank and heading my way. Before Iknew it the rabbit was behind me. Twoquick shots from my vintage Winches-ter Model 59 semi-automatic revealedthat I was just as proficient at missing anerratically hopping rabbit as Matt andRyan.We decided one last push was in order

through the final acre and a half patchwe hadn’t covered up to that point. Wewere within 20 yards of finishing up forthe day when the dogs bawled “bunny”over in front of Matt. Within seconds Isaw the rabbit sneaking my way throughthe thigh-high raspberry tangle. Whenhe paused only 15 yards away to lookback, I took the shot. While Arnie andPhantom continued to work their waythrough the thicket deciphering the rab-bit’s escape route, I had the rabbit inhand. Their snorting breaths of freshcottontail essence and periodic gutturalhowls persisted until they reached meand saw their dispatched quarry first-hand. Ryan, Matt, and I were pleasedwe were able to able to finish up withone rabbit after an exciting morning’shunt, filled with beagle crooning overeight different rabbit runs of various du-rations.

While many hunters have already putaway their firearms, clothing, and gearfor the season, rabbits remain legalquarry in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and WestVirginia through the end of February.With 2016 being a leap year, cottontailenthusiasts have until February 29th tohead afield. (2016 marks the first yearthe PA late season for rabbits will remainopen throughout the entire month ofFebruary.) February marks a time ofyear when few hunters are willing tohead outdoors, so you’ll often findyou’ll have the fields and woods toyourself. It may also be the only time ofthe year when you’re willing to ventureinto your “limited access” deer covertsfor bunnies, since whitetails and cotton-tails frequent the same impenetrablecover.When it comes to late season rabbits,

there are many potential hunting tactics.Running bunnies with beagles remainsa preferred option, and I hope to get outwith Ryan Lombardo and his “boys”:Arnie and Phantom an additional time ortwo in February. However, it is not theonly successful method since hunterscan also push thickets, brush piles, andheavy cover to kick cottontails out with-out a dog. Another favorite technique isto still-hunt rabbits with a .22 rifle just

after a snow fall in anticipation of catch-ing them sitting motionless in concealedlocations.Regardless of how you plan on hunt-

ing late season rabbits, it can be an excit-ing pursuit for hunters of all ages.Rabbits have been a cornerstone of our

hunting heritage for generations andthey continue to be prized as a hard-earned quarry and excellent table fare byall who chase them. One last excursionfor hopping cottontails can be a greatway to spend a February day in leapyear!


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• Please include your full name, address and phone number. Letters may beedited for clarity and space.

ADVERTISING• E-mail: [email protected]• Phone: 330-385-2243• Fax: 330-385-7114• Write: advertising at Ohio Valley Outdoor Times:210 E. 4th Street, East Liverpool, Ohio 43920

Rabbit From Page 6

PENINSULA, OH — Walleye Mad-ness Tournaments (WMT) have an-nounced its 2016 tournament schedulewith four Ohio events scheduled. Regis-tration for the events are now open.WMT is operated by their officially sanc-tionedWalleye Federation club -WalleyeTeam 6 (WT6).The 2016WMT schedule includes four

Hot Bite events: April 24 at MosquitoLake (South State Ramp); May 8 atBerlin Lake (Bonner Road Ramp); May28 at Lake Erie, Lorain (Black RiverRamp) blow day, May 29 and June 25 atLake Erie, Geneva (Geneva State Ramp),blow day June 26. Inland events willhave a 40-boat maximum limit and LakeErie events will have 50-boat limit. Or-ganizers expect all events to sell out.

Entry fee is $150. Visit their website:www.walleyemadness.net for entry dead-lines and registration forms or contactWT6 at: [email protected] orcall club president Adam Momirov at:330-904-6446.WT6 is the largest Walleye Federation

Club in Ohio. Membership to the club isnow open. Members get a lot of perks,including discounted tackle and gear.The title sponsors ofWalleye Madness

Tournaments are: Lund Boats, MercuryMarine and Buckeye Sports Center.Events will feature $700 in contingencybonuses: $200 No Pay Buckeye SportsCenter Big Fish; $300 Lund Boats bonusand $200 Mercury Marine bonus.All WMT tournaments are National

Team Championship Side Pot events.

Walleye Madness Tournament Slate Set

I remember thefirst shed antler Iever found. I wasfishing a brush-linedtrout stream andcame to an openingwhere a heavy deertrail crossed. There,sticking up out of themud, was the “Y” ofa fork-horned antler.I picked it up, scannedthe area, and thought to myself, “Cool,there’s going to be a big buck aroundhere next year.” Of course, back then, a“big buck” was anything with a rack, re-gardless of spread, but one thing stillholds true – finding shed antlers still in-vokes hope for the future, and the biggerthe shed, the bigger the hope.Late February and early March are

great times to start looking for shedantlers. Although a few bucks may stillbe carrying their headgear, most of themwill have shed by now. In fact, a buckcan potentially shed its antlers any timeafter the conclusion of rutting activity.I’ve had trail cam photos of antler-lessbucks in December, and I’ve also gotten

photos of bucks still carrying in March,so there is no definite answer as to whenit begins or ends.Every year is different, and much of

that, I think, has to do with the intensityof the rut. If it’s really intense and thebulk of it occurs in a short time span,bucks are more likely to shed earlier inthe season than if the rut is sporadic overa longer period of time. It all comesdown to testosterone levels. As soon astestosterone levels drop back to pre-rutlevels, bucks start to lose their antlers.Once the snow is all gone is a great

time to start searching – nothing can bemore frustrating than trying to pick out awhite bone among a white background.I don’t like to wait too long in the yearto start looking for sheds, for three rea-sons. First, if it’s public land, there’s agood chance that other shed hunters mayfind them before me. Second, antlerbone is very high in calcium and miner-als, and squirrels, chipmunks, and otherrodents love to chew on them. And third,shed hunting can be tedious, and it re-quires patience to cover an area thor-oughly and methodically – remember,you’re hunting, not just out there walk-

ing through the woods – and I like tohave at least a month or so of “primetime” to look for sheds.The two main areas to start looking for

shed antlers are food sources and bed-ding areas. Winter bedding cover can betimbered areas or anywhere with enoughcover to provide safe harbor for white-tails this time of year. Those areas alsohave plenty of browse, which deer relyon as a food source in winter.If you plant food plots, make sure

they’re planted with grasses or anythingthat will still attract whitetails all winterlong. Food plots shouldn’t be solelyabout providing hunting opportunities.They should be part of a year-roundmanagement plan that benefits wildlifenutritionally as well. Supplemental feed-ing, where legal, should be viewed thesame way. Don’t stop feeding just be-cause hunting season is over. A benefitof the extra effort will be increased ac-tivity during shedding season.Mostly I walk trails that lead to and

from bedding and feeding areas. I coverthe area slowly, stopping along each trailevery 20 or 30 yards and scanning thearea before moving on. It’s a lot like stillhunting. The techniques are very similar.Many guys don’t find sheds simply be-cause they move too quickly or are too


Shed Hunting Tips

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Ohio Valley Outdoors–Photo by Ralph ScherderOnce the snow is all gone is a great time tostart searching – nothing can be more frus-trating than trying to pick out a white bone

among a white background.

Turn To Shed Hunting Page 9

By Ralph ScherderHunting Editor

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COLUMBUS, OH – Brad Kiger, StateWildlife Officer assigned to FranklinCounty, has been namedWildlife Officer oftheYear by theAssociation of Midwest Fishand Game Law Enforcement (AMFGLEO),according to the Ohio Department of Natu-ral Resources (ODNR) Division ofWildlife.Officer Kiger started his career with

ODNR in 1996 as a State Park Officer. In2000 Kiger entered the wildlife officer train-ing academy and has served as the FranklinCounty Wildlife Officer since 2001.Kiger is a 1995 graduate of The Ohio

State University with a Bachelor of Sciencein Forestry Management.AMFGLEO was chartered in 1944 in

Lincoln, Nebraska, there are currently 23member agencies from Canada and theUnited States. AMFGLEO is the lead groupamong wildlife enforcement organizationsin the development and maintenance of fieldofficer training.More information about becoming a State

Wildlife Officer or the ODNR- Division ofWildlife can be found at wildohio.com. Visitthe ODNR website at ohiodnr.gov.

Kiger Named State Wildlife Officer of the Year

impatient. And to be honest, you’reprobably not going to find a shed antlerevery time out – like actual whitetailhunting, though, you don’t have to havesuccess every time for it to be an enjoy-able experience.Binoculars really come in handy when

hunting for shed antlers, mainly becausethey limit your field of view. Looking atthe woods with a panoramic view canfeel hopeless, like finding a needle in ahaystack. So many places to look! It’simportant to narrow down your search tosmall areas and work methodicallythroughout those areas. That’s whybinoculars help so much. Scanning withthe binoculars can get you accustomed tolooking at things in micro rather thanmacro.One reason hunters don’t find more

sheds is because their perspective is off.Whenever possible, I like to change myperspective by climbing up on a big rockor downed tree, anything that can get bea little higher so that I’m looking downon a larger area. The change in elevationis helpful when using binoculars.Also, change your perspective in terms

of what you’re out there looking for.Many people are looking for racks andexpect them to shine as if some mysticalspotlight is pointing down on them fromthe heavens. That’s just not the case. A

buck sheds its antlers, and those antlerstumble off like some piece of forgottenjewelry. In the process of falling off, andover the course of time, they can getwedged in crevices, along logs, rocks,brush piles and covered by leaves anddebris. In other words, unless they’relying out in a wide open field of shortgrass, they’re not going to be easy to see.We’ve all seen huge bucks, in pictures

or in person, and have been amazed bythe size of their headgear. Now imaginetaking one side of a 200-inch set ofantlers and placing it in a brushy,wooded area. Next imagine that it hasbeen faded by weather and rustledaround in the leaves so that only the tipsof a few points or the curve of the mainbeam is noticeable. Finally, imagine try-ing to spot that antler from a distance of20 yards or more. Would be pretty diffi-cult, wouldn’t it? And truth be told, mostof the sheds you’re looking for aren’teven close in size to that of one side of a200-inch buck.Meticulous is a word that sums up

shed hunting the best. You have to bemeticulous and cover areas thoroughly.But there’s also another word – fun.Like anything, shed hunting is a learningexperience. The more you do it, themore you learn, and the more you’ll find.In the process, you’ll have fun. I guaran-tee it.


Shed Hunting From Page 8

HARRISBURG, PA— The Pennsylva-nia Board of Game Commissioners gavepreliminary approval recently to huntingand trapping seasons and bag limits for the2016-17 license year.Modifications proposed for the 2016-17

seasons include: opening the squirrel andrabbit seasons on the same day; making thelength of the snowshoe-hare season con-sistent statewide; decreasing the length ofthe fall-turkey season inWildlife Manage-ment Units 1A, 1B, 2A and 4C; adding anextended, four-day season for black bearsinWMU 1B; eliminating the extended sea-son for black bears in WMU 3A; and dou-bling to 12 days the length of the fishertrapping season in the 13 WMUs withfisher seasons.The public may offer comments on all

proposed 2016-17 seasons and bag limits,as well as other board actions, betweennow and the board’s next meeting, April 4and 5, at which time the board is scheduledto finalize seasons and bag limits for 2016-17.Also, the board will receive at its April

meeting staff recommendations for antler-less deer license allocations for each of the23 WMUs. Deer harvest estimates for the

2015-16 seasons will be available in mid-March.

Split Firearms Deer SeasonsNeed Final Approval

The Board of Game Commissionersadopted a slate of deer seasons for 2016-17, proposing to retain a split, five-dayantlered deer season (Nov. 28-Dec. 2) andseven-day concurrent season (Dec. 5-10)in 18Wildlife Management Units. The listincludes WMUs 1A, 1B, 2A, 2C, 2D, 2E,2F, 2G, 2H, 3A, 3B, 3D 3C, 4A, 4B, 4C,4D and 4E. The package also retains thetwo-week (Nov. 28-Dec. 10) concurrent,antlered and antlerless deer season inWMUs 2B, 5A, 5B, 5C and 5D.The board retained antler restrictions in

place for adult and senior license holderssince the 2011-12 seasons. It remains the“three-up” on one side, not counting abrow tine, provision for the westernWildlife Management Units of 1A, 1B,2A, 2B and 2D, and the three points on oneside in all other WMUs. Those exemptfrom these antler restrictions are mentoredyouth hunters, junior license holders, dis-abled hunters with a permit to use a vehi-cle as a blind and resident active-dutymilitary on leave.

PA Approves 2016-17 Hunting Seasons


Ohio Valley Outdoors– Photo by Larry ClaypoolMaster falconer Mick Brown (top left photo) readies for his Harris’s hawk Zippy to land onhis gauntlet (glove) while hunting in East Liverpool, OH in late January. At right is Pippa

(another Harris’s hawk) getting a well deserved meal (rabbit) she harvested at the Windy HillTree Farm in East Liverpool, OH.

SOUTH CHARLESTON,WV—WestVirginia hunters harvested 3,195 blackbears during the combined 2015 archeryand firearms seasons, according to ColinCarpenter, Black Bear Project Leader fortheWest Virginia Division of Natural Re-sources. The preliminary harvest data forthe combined 2015 seasons were 17 per-cent higher than the previous record setin 2012 (2,735 bears). The black bear har-vest of 2015 marks the sixth time in sixyears that the harvest has topped 2,000.“In the 2015 Mast Survey and Hunting

Outlook brochure, we predicted an in-creased archery harvest and a decreasedDecember firearms harvest compared tothe levels in 2014. Our prediction heldtrue; however, the archery harvest in-creased a whopping 92 percent, a record,and the December harvest only decreasedby 18 percent,” Carpenter said.“When looking at all mast species

combined, 2015 was slightly above thelong-term average. However, the oakmast index for 2015 decreased 50 percentover 2014,” said Carpenter. “Historically,a scarcity of oak mast makes bears easier

to target for archery hunters. Conversely,decreased oak mast typically means alower December firearms harvest be-cause many bears have entered their densas the season progresses.”Hunters killed 1,140 bears during the

2015 archery season, including 710 withvertical bows and 430 with crossbows.The top five counties were Nicholas (90),Fayette (86), Wyoming (78), Randolph(74) and Webster (65).Firearms hunters harvested 2,055 bears

during 2015. Hunters took 694 bears inSeptember and October, 490 during theconcurrent buck-gun bear season, and871 during the traditional December sea-son. The top five counties were Randolph(193), Nicholas (176), Pocahontas (171),Greenbrier (168) and Pendleton (160).The large increase in archery harvest

was bolstered by a very successful earlyfirearms season in Logan, McDowell,Mingo andWyoming counties, accordingto Carpenter. In addition, the record mildtemperatures in December likely keptmany bruins active throughout the seasonand available for hunters.

WV Hunters SetBlack Bear Harvest Mark in 2015


Ohio Valley Outdoors– Photo by Larry ClaypoolGlenn Hershberger (right), owner of Hershberger Wildlife Taxidermy, Leetonia, OH, is one of the long-time vendors at the North-east Ohio Sportsman Show in Dalton, OH. Hershberger is an award-winning taxidermist with more than 26 years of experience.

Ohio Valley Outdoors– Photo by Larry ClaypoolOne vendor booth that drew much attention at the Northeast Ohio Sportsman

Show in Dalton, OH was Frey’s Hunting Innovations.

Ohio Valley Outdoors– Photo by Larry ClaypoolBrandon Lambes of Massillon, OH holds a

nice 10-point deer that was killed last fall byhis father Lee Nickels.

Ohio Valley Outdoors– Photo by Larry ClaypoolRandy Pepper of the Buckeye Big Buck Club was oneof several deer scorers who were kept very busy dur-ing the Northeast Ohio Sportsman Show. Several

very large antlers from the region were scored.

Ohio Valley Outdoors– Photo by Larry ClaypoolGrumpy Ash offers a great collection, and informa-tion, about vintage fishing lures. Many prominent

lure companies got their start in Ohio.

DALTON, OH—The Northeast Ohio Sportsman Show,in Dalton, OH, kicked off another outdoor show season inthe region.Adding a third day (from January 21-23) to theshow’s schedule proved to be a good move, according toevent promoter Jody Witzky. “By adding Thursday to theshow this year we were able to kick things off a day ear-lier, and everyone benefitted. We had 1,000 people onThursday and that’s good for a first day. Friday was downfrom last year, but Saturday was great and made up for it,”said Witzky.The sportsman’s show has been held for the last five

years at the Buckeye Event Center in Dalton. It’s locatednext to P. Graham Dunn, an art, gift and home decor man-ufacturing facility along state Route 30, in the heart of cen-

tral Ohio’s Amish country. This was the last year for theNEO Sportsman Show to be held at the event center.Witzky said he is looking for another location to host theevent as P. Graham Dunn will move its shipping depart-ment to the huge facility.Witzky added that he hopes to announce another loca-

tion for the sports show in the near future.Ohio Valley Outdoors Magazine announced its Reader

Contest winner during the NEO Sportsman Show on Jan-uary 23. Paul Swartzentruber of Millersburg, OH was thewinner of OVO’s Parker Crossbow Package. See Page 4for more information about the contest.— Larry Claypool

NE Ohio Sportsman Show Kicks Off Season


With fishing sea-sons nearing, now’sthe time to givesome thought to themost common boattrailer related prob-lems: lights andwheel bearings.LIGHTS – The

most commonheadache with boattrailers is the struggleof keeping the lighting system in work-ing order.Corrosion and oxidation attack the

weak links of the system – plugs, bulbterminals, splices – robbing them ofsolid connections. Take preventativemeasures by keeping the four-flat plugand receptacle clean by giving them anoccasional spray with penetrating oil toclean them, and then spray them withbattery terminal spray (available at autoparts stores). Another option is a thincoating of dielectric grease. While thisgrease is non-conductive, a thin coat willnot prevent a good connection between

clean metal. It’s commonly used for ma-rine-related applications. Many tow ve-hicles used today feature a roundblade-terminal receptacle, meaning anadapter is needed, creating more con-tacts. Be sure to service these as well.Any splices are vulnerable to corro-

sion. They are most common where theplug pigtail joins the main wiring, andin hookups between individual lightsand the wires that feed them. Typicallycrimp-on butt connectors are used tomake these connections. These have anasty habit of pulling apart as well ascorroding. When replacing butt connec-tors buy the good ones from an electricalsupply store, as opposed to the cheapones that come in a kit (along with acheap crimping tool) that are availablefrom the big box stores. Butt connectorsthat feature a heat-shrink insulatingsleeve are available, too. I’ve used thesewith success.Light bulb filaments break from vibra-

tion or they simply burn out. Typicallyit’s a simple matter to disassemble alight to get at the bulb(s). Since there

are a lot of similar bulbs take the bad oneto the auto parts store and have the em-ployee help with the replacement. Whenyou’re sure it’s the right one buy somespares. Dab the connectors with dielec-tric grease when you replace them.The lights on many modern trailers

feature sealed modules rather than bulbs.They are a bit pricier to replace, but (inmy experience) hold up better. Simi-larly, side clearance lights often come asa complete unit (bulb and lens).WHEEL BEARINGS – A bad wheel

bearing can cause a major dilemma, es-pecially when it’s not discovered untilits causes damage to the axle spindle, thepart the bearings ride on.Bearings rely on grease to prevent

failure. Boat trailers present a challenge,since the wheels are regularly subjectedto water during the launching process.There are two common means of

maintaining proper grease loads inwheel hubs. Some axles feature a greasefitting on the end of the spindle. To ac-cess the grease fitting you remove theneoprene dust cap. Grease pumped intothis fitting reaches the inside of the hubvia holes drilled in the spindle, ones lo-cated to lubricate both the front and rearbearings. The other system is of the“bearing buddy” design, where the dust

cap is replaced with a spring-loaded car-tridge into which grease is pumped. Thecartridge acts as a reservoir, with thespring providing the force to load greaseinto the hub as needed. Devices of thistype do a good job of greasing the frontbearing, but not so much the back one.I’ve only had three bearing break-

downs, and I’d say all were the result ofwater getting into the hub, which breaksdown the grease. For that reason I nowkeep two extra hubs for each of my twoboat trailers. The hubs already have the

Turn To Boat Page 13

By Jeff KnappFishing Editor

OVOu

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Pre-season Boat TrailerMaintenance

Ohio Valley Outdoors - Photo by Jeff KnappThe tools to safely change a flat tire should

be part of a trailer maintenance kit.

If you mention you seen our ad in the OVO when you purchase your tickets or packages,

we have something special for you!

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Opening day at 4AM, I found myselfsitting down andturning on ourhome computer andprinter. I wasn’tthere to check outthe latest weatherforecast or reviewlegal shooting hourson the PA GameCommission’s web-site. No, I was carrying out a promiseto my wife to let her know where Iwould be hunting. For the first time in17 years, I decided to hunt whitetailssomewhere other than our own propertyon opening day. After seeing severalnice bucks over the past few years whereI bear hunt in Venango County, I decidedto make the early morning drive upthere, instead of taking the normal walkback to my permanent stand in ourwoods that overlooks the adjacent PAState Game Lands.

After going to Google Maps, I simplytyped in basic entries for our home ad-dress and the road I planned on parkingalong in Venango County, and almost in-stantaneously, Google Maps providedme the turn-by-turn directions, alongwith accompanying maps. I printed outthe two page directions, along with anexpanded map of where I would beparking. On that map I annotated bothmy parking spot and where I would behunting about 1 1/2 miles back in thewoods. Before leaving the house, Ispoke to my wife (she was still in bed) tolet her know the directions were downon the kitchen counter to the right of thestove and to expect me home around6:15 PM.

You may be asking, why did you go toall the trouble to print out directions andmaps of where you were going to behunting? Well, Murphy has his way ofraising his ugly head, sometimes whenwe go hunting. You know Murphy’sLaw, which states: “Anything that possi-

bly can go wrong, will go wrong!”When we head afield, we are enteringthe realm where things do happen attimes outside of our control. There arevehicle breakdowns, tree stand falls,slips, trips, & falls, significant cuts andbruises, broken bones, medical emer-gencies, and the possibility of gettingmis-oriented (a kinder way of sayinglost).

Providing my wife with a map and di-rections to where I plan on deer huntingand letting her know when I intend onreturning is a better starting point for herto call for assistance in the event some-thing happens, than if I would have justtold her, “I’ll be hunting up in VenangoCounty.” Where I hunt in VenangoCounty, cell phone reception is fre-quently nonexistent in many of the steephollows and ravines, and having thepeace of mind that someone knowswhere I’m at and where to start lookingin the event something bad happens iswell worth the five minutes I spent onthe computer on opening day beforeleaving the house at 5 a.m.

I tend to have a “First In, Last Out”mentality, when it comes to hunting. So,I normally am the first one to park at aspot when I head into the woods and fre-quently, I’m also the last one to leave at

the end of the day, when I arrive back atmy vehicle. This typically means I haveno idea what other vehicles came andwent where I parked during the courseof the day.

Opening day 2015 was a little differ-ent, since I was blessed to harvest a nice8-point at 11:13 a.m. Over the next 31/2 hours, I made the 1 1/2 mile trek sev-eral times. First, to take out my extraclothing, gear, and rifle. Then to headback in with my deer cart to bring outmy buck; and finally, an unplanned addi-


Ohio Valley Outdoors– Photo by Grey D. Berrier IIIt’s a good idea to offer detailed directions on

where you will be hunting. In this case theauthor offers a photo of the State Game

Lands parking space and gate to where hewill be hunting.

Be Safe,Let Someone Know Where You Go

Send us your trophy photos

Also for ourPhoto Showcase

Connor Mayleturkey

Trumbull County, OH

Eric Mehalkolargemouth bass

using green pumpkin java tubes

email to:[email protected] to: Photo Showcase210 East 4th StreetEast Liverpool, OH 43920

www.ohiovalleyoutdoors.com

bearings (hand-packed with grease) in-stalled. Each spring it’s a simple matterof popping off the tire, removing thehub, and then replacing it with the spare.The “old” hub then becomes the spare,after it’s had new bearings installed.

While the dust cap (or bearing buddy)keeps water from entering the hub fromthe outside, a grease seal is used on theinside of the hub. When you are pur-chasing components to service the hub,make sure you get a double-lippedgrease seal, which is designed to sealfrom both inside and out. Standardgrease seals are only made to keep thegrease in the hub, not to prevent water

from getting in from the outside.Make a habitat of inspecting your

trailer wheels after you’ve launched yourboat. Once you’ve dropped your boatand parked the rig, give the trailer ashove with your foot to check for anyside play. Watch your tires in the mirroras you back down the ramp for any wob-ble. Keep your ears tuned for funkysounds back there. Catch things earlyand it’s a simple matter of replacing thehub on site with a channel lock, punchand hammer. Wait too long and the axlespindle will be toast, resulting in a tilt-bed service tow, a trip to the weld shopto have the spindle replaced, or even anew axle.

Boat From Page 12


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West Virginia Trappers AssociationSpring Rendezvous and Fur Auction -March 4-6, 2016 at Gilmer CountyRecreation Center, Glenville, WV. Sev-eral vendors. For info. call Scott Schim-mel at 304-462-7270, email Janet Hodgeat [email protected] or visitwebsite at: www.wvtrappers.com.Ohio State Trappers Association FurAuction - March 12, 2016 at Wallicks

Auction House, 965 N. Wooster Ave.,Strasburg, OH, 44680. Starts at 9 a.m.Call-ins for lot numbers (for all threeauctions) will be taken on Jan. 2 onlyfrom noon - 9 p.m. Call Steve Hiller at937-206-1934. For info. contact Hiller,OSTA Fur Auction Coordinator viaemail: [email protected]. Visit theOSTA website at:www.ohiostatetrapper.org.

Regional Trapping Events

“The white-taileddeer has two pri-mary predators inPennsylvania: bul-lets and bumpers”. Ivividly recall thatquote from the pro-fessor in one of mywildlife sciencecourses at PennState in 1983. Hewent on to supporthis hypothesis by giving statistics re-flecting the largest causes of whitetailmortality are hunting and roadkill. Theremainder of the lecture we proceededto discuss the science and art of wildlifemanagement through which wildlife of-ficials attempt to prudently set seasonsand bag limits, so hunters can harvestenough deer to keep populations withinacceptable limits when it comes to deer-vehicle collisions, crop damage, andother potential impacts. An analysis ofall the stakeholders in the deer popula-tion equation revealed the complexity ofthe matter in terms of recreational, en-vironmental, economic, societal, andsafety issues. Looking back, I can recallnatural predators, such as coyotes andblack bears, were briefly mentioned ashaving an overall statistically insignifi-cant influence on the overall PA deerpopulation equation.Maybe it was fateful foreshadowing

of things to come or possibly just sheercoincidence, but I saw my first PA coy-ote that same Fall of 1983. I was deerhunting in Mifflin County, where mymaternal grandparents lived, only a 30-minute drive south of State College.Opening day found me hunting thenorth side of Shade Mountain betweenLewistown and McClure. A 1 p.m.forestry class back at Penn State meantI had to leave my stand around 11 a.m.As I still-hunted down the logging trail,I could see through the woods thatsomething was moving out in the hay-field approximately 150 yards below.At first, I thought it was one of thefarmer’s dogs out mousing in the field.After watching the behavior of the dark-colored, mid-sized canine for a few min-utes and seeing it didn’t have any collaron it, I realized I was watching a coyote.My strict requirement to be back forclass and the fact the farmhouse andbarn were in a straight-line only 200

yards beyond the coyote meant I couldonly observe the cagy predator that day.When I got back to campus, I discussedmy coyote observation with many of myfriends and classmates who were fellowhunters and not surprisingly at the time,most had never see a coyote in Penn’sWoods. My 1983 Mifflin County en-counter planted the seed that coyotehunting was a viable option in Pennsyl-vania.Fast-forward almost 20 years, I’m a

Major serving full-time in the PAArmyNational Guard, sitting in my office atHeadquarters, 1st Battalion, 107th FieldArtillery in New Castle, PA. I’ll neverforget that morning on July 2, 2002when CPT Brad Mifsud, a Corporal inthe PA State Police and our BattalionFire Direction Officer, stopped by to seeme. He was there to talk about our cer-emonial artillery shoot the followingevening at Westminster College whenwe would accompany the PittsburghRiver City Brass Band on Tchaikovsky’s1812 Overture. However, he openedour conversation with a very interestingquestion that immediately grabbed myattention, “Hey, sir, you’re the wildlifescience major from Penn State, howmany fawns do you think a pair of coy-otes will take in a year?” While CPTMifsud, I, and numerous other officers,NCOS, and enlisted members frequentlytalked hunting during our downtimewhile in the field or in garrison, hisquestion came without any reference, soI gave it some quick thought andreplied, “Maybe five or six, I would es-timate.”CPTMifsud lived between Harrisville

and Barkeyville in Mercer County andproceeded to pull out an envelope con-taining photos he had just printed off.He explained his neighbor had discov-ered a coyote den on his property andhad positioned a trail camera outside itto track their activities. There in vividcolor, CPT Mifsud laid down the pho-tos, one after another, of the coyotesbringing back fawns to their den to feedtheir pups. Each photograph containeda date/time stamp recording when it wastaken. Starting on May 17th and contin-uing through July 1st, just the day be-fore we were having our conversationthat single pair of coyotes had killed andbrought back to their den: 28 fawns. Iwas almost in disbelief, but I saw the ev-

idence for myself. Looking the trailcamera photos over several times, Iquickly noticed that there was never aperiod when the pair went more thanthree days between kills and there wasone June day when they brought backtwo fawns within 7 hours. I couldn’t getover that one pair of coyotes would take28 fawns and I started doing the calcu-lations in my mind regarding how sig-nificant of an impact coyotes arepotentially having on our overall deerherd in PA. This eye-opening experi-ence, courtesy of CPT Mifsud sharingthose 28 trail cam photos, steeled my re-solve to make coyote hunting a priorityduring my time afield.This past year, the need to harvest

coyotes hit very close to home. Afterdinner on June 1, 2015, my wife and Iwere walking the trails on our propertydiscussing the rapid green-up that hadoccurred over the past few weeks withthe arrival of warm weather. As wecame down one path, we both noticedsomething lying low to the ground about60 yards ahead that looked out of place.It appeared to be an animal, but it wastoo light-colored to be a groundhog andclearly wasn’t a rabbit or squirrel. Aswe approached, we realized we werelooking at a fawn lying with its back to-ward us. Closer inspection revealed it

was dead, recently killed by a coyote,based on the beginning onset of rigormortis, and having a very visible gapingwound in its chest where the predatorhad eaten the heart and lungs.My wildlife CSI determined the

young doe was probably less than aweek old and she had been killed around6:30 p.m. in broad daylight, less than200 yards from our backdoor and only100 yards from the playground of theneighboring elementary school. Imoved the fawn’s carcass a couple hun-dred yards to the back of our property,so my wife wouldn’t have to see it onour walks, and placed a trail camera onthe trail overlooking the spot where wefound the dead fawn. Within a fewdays, I captured a photo of the culpritand received my wife’s encouragementand blessing to take out as many coyotesas I possibly can.Maybe you are new to coyote hunting

and haven’t given much thought to theimpact coyotes are potentially having onour deer herds. As my own experiencehas shown, 30 years ago they reallyweren’t considered part of the equation.Today, the PA Game Commission andother state wildlife agencies are activelystudying fawn mortality rates throughtelemetry tracking devices to determine


Offering Additional Motivationto Pursue Coyotes

Ohio Valley Outdoors - Photo by Grey D. Berrier IIThe author found this dead fawn close to his home. It was killed by a coyote.A gaping wound is shown where a predator had eaten the heart and lungs.


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how significant the issue is when itcomes to coyotes preying on fawns eachspring/summer. My own experience hasalso validated coyotes, frequently work-ing as packs, can take down adult deerwhen given the opportunity and ongoingwildlife research projects are also look-ing into that whitetail mortality factor.Spring and summer are often times

when coyotes are primarily taken as in-cidental harvests by hunters out springturkey hunting (coyotes occasionally re-spond to turkey calling and sneak in onturkey decoys) or groundhog hunting(coyotes are sometimes caught mousingor traveling out in the fields during day-light). Those opportunities do arise, sohunters need to remain vigilant whileturkey or groundhog hunting to take arandom coyote. Based on their aggres-sive search for whitetail fawns, latespring and early summer can be excel-lent times to employ fawn in distresscalls using either mouth calls or elec-tronic callers; while visual appeal can beconcurrently enhanced by a fawn decoy.Some hunters prefer to stake out coyotedens, which can be located in formergroundhog burrows, caves, rockycrevices, hollow logs, and abandoned

buildings. One additional coyote densite I have been finding recently thatmany hunters overlook is discardedround bales. Most farms have a few oldweathered round bales scattered inhedgerows, sitting just inside a woodline, or lying along the edge of a field;and coyotes will unsuspectingly hollowout the interior to make a warm, dry,comfortable, concealed den for them-selves. It’s worth checking out whenyou are trying to locate where your localcoyotes call home.Over the years, I have personally em-

ployed the “bullets and bumpers” logicto help explain to non-hunters why weharvest whitetails to help manage theirpopulations. Now we need to includecoyotes as a significant contributor inthat conversation. Think about that onepair of coyotes that took 28 fawns andyou can understand how the deer popu-lation in a given area and your future po-tential for harvesting a buck or doe canbe impacted in the long term. If youhaven’t tried it already, coyote huntingis challenging, rewarding, and allowsyou to play a significant roles in the big-ger picture when it comes to wildlifemanagement and boosting our treasuredwhite-tailed deer herds.

Coyotes From Page 14

Ohio Valley Outdoors - Photo by Grey D. Berrier IIMost farms have a few old weathered round bales scattered.

Coyotes have been known to make a den from these discarded hay bales.

AKRON, OH – Stark County WildlifeOfficer Mark Basinger has been named“Wildlife Officer of the Year” by the Na-tional Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF)according to the OhioDepartment of NaturalResources (ODNR).A large part of the

nomination is based onBasinger’s close workingrelationship with NWTFand with other, local con-servation clubs. “OfficerBasinger is an activewildlife officer who isvery willing to step up tothe plate for conservationand for sportsmen andwomen,” said Scott An-gelo, wildlife officer su-pervisor in northeastOhio for the ODNR Di-vision of Wildlife. “I amproud to supervise some-one who puts on the uniform every dayand sets the bar high to protect our natu-ral resources.”By earning the award, Basinger and

other state winners are eligible for the

NWTF’s NationalWildlife Officer of theYear award which will be presented dur-ing the NWTF’s awards banquet inNashville, Tennessee.

Basinger attendedHocking College andgraduated in 1989 withan Associate Degree inRecreation and WildlifeManagement. He also at-tended West VirginiaUniversity in Morgan-town for wildlife studies.Serving in a seasonal po-sition at Killbuck MarshWildlife Area not longafter college graduation,Basinger gained signifi-cant knowledge aboutthe Killbuck Marsh andFunk Bottoms wildlifeareas. After 12 years ofworking in the privatesector, Basinger returned

to the ODNR Division of Wildlife andgraduated from the OhioWildlife OfficerAcademy in 2007.Visit the ODNR website at

ohiodnr.gov.

Basinger NamedNWTF Wildlife Officer of the Year

Photo courtesy of ODNRMark Basinger has been

named “Wildlife Officer of theYear” by the National Wild

Turkey Federation.

tional in/out march to retrieve my hunt-ing knife I inadvertently left layingwhere I had gutted my deer. Each timethat I came back to my vehicle, I metseveral other hunters and I quickly real-ized that though I’m in my early 50’s,I’m still well below the median age ofmost PA deer hunters. I talked with onegentleman, who was 85 years young andasked if he could take a picture of mybuck with his cell phone camera.Statistically speaking, negative things

are more apt to happen in the woods ashunters age and achieve senior citizenstatus. This provides even more incen-tive to let someone know where you willbe hunting. As an example, when Icalled my dad in Eastern PA to let himknow about my opening day buck, Ifound out he had fallen while out-in-the-woods and unfortunately wrenched hisback, bruised his ribs, and lacerated hispinky finger to the point it requiredstitches. Dad’s fall could have beenmuch worse, if he had been alone, fur-ther back in the woods, and unable towalk out under his own power.I don’t want to be a purveyor of gloom

and doom that hangs over your headwhenever you head afield, but take a few

minutes to follow the Boy Scouts mottoof “Be Prepared,” and always let some-one know where you will be hunting insufficient detail, so someone can findyou in a timely manner in the eventsomething happens. Your communica-tion can be computer printed maps anddirections, a hand written note with asketch, or a thorough text message.Anyway you do it, you’ll be glad you didin the event something happens, andyour friends and/or loved ones will havethe necessary information to summonhelp should the need ever arise.


ANTIGO,WI— Squirrels are a plenti-ful natural resource. Plus, squirrel is someof the best wild meat and their skins areused for caps, coats, glove linings andmany other items, but the tail is usuallythrown away.Mepps (the fishinglure company) isasking you to helpthem recycle thisvaluable resource,and they’re offeringto reward you foryour efforts.Mepps buys fox,

black, grey and redsquirrel tails andwill pay up to 26cents each for tails,depending on qualityand quantity. Plus, thecash value is doubledif the tails are traded for Mepps lures.Mepps needs squirrel tails to create

hand-tied, dressed hooks for their world-famous, fish-catching lures. They’ve beenrecycling squirrel tails for over half-a-century. In fact, they have recycled nearly8 million tails since the mid-1960s, more

of them than anyone else in the world.“We’ve tried hundreds of other natural

and synthetic materials; bear hair, fox,coyote, badger, skunk, deer, even Anguscow, but nothing works as well as squirrel

tail hair,” explains MeppsCommunications Direc-tor, Kurt Mazurek.The fact is squirrel tails

are all hair-no fur. Practi-cally all other animalshave fur tails with just afew guard hairs. Fur does-n’t have the rippling, pul-sating movement ofsquirrel hair in the water.Mazurek wants to re-

mind everyone, “We donot advocate harvesting ofsquirrels solely for theirtails.”For all the details on the

Squirrel Tail Program, either visit theirwebsite, www.mepps.com, or call 800-713-3474. Mepps, 626 Center St., Antigo,WI 54409-2496.Please note: Squirrel tails cannot be

sold in California, Idaho or Oregon.

Your Squirrel Tails are WantedBe Safe From Page 13

Ohio Valley Outdoors - Photo courtesy of MeppsMepps fishing lures uses squirrel tails

to create many of their hand-tieddressed hooks and lures.

Trumbull County Rod and GunClub to Host “Spring Thaw”

BROOKFIELD, OH—The TrumbullCounty Rod and Gun Club will hold itsannual “Spring Thaw” on March 19 atTiffany’s Banquet Center in Brookfield,Ohio. The fund-raising banquet helpsfund the club’s youth and outdoor edu-cational programs. Doors open at 4 p.m.with dinner served at 6:30 p.m.The event will feature games, raffles,

drawings and prizes; including outdoorequipment and firearms.

Tickets are $30 each and includes thebuffet meal, refreshments and door prizeentry. A block of eight tickets will qual-ify you for special “table captains” draw-ings. The deadline for reservations isMarch 6. For more information contact:Ted Brown at 330-652-4588; Jeff Mur-ray at: 330-442-1314 or email:[email protected].“The event has grown and expanded

so much each year that we now have alimited number of seats available,” saidTCRG president Jeff Murray. “Early ad-vance reservations are recommended.”

Free “SteelheadingBasics” Seminar in

Akron

AKRON, OH — A free seminar fea-turing basic steelhead angling in north-east Ohio’s tributaries will be offered onFebruary 24, 2016 according to the OhioDepartment of Natural Resources(ODNR).Phil Hillman from the ODNRDivision

of Wildlife will cover Ohio’s steelheadprogram and discuss basic steelheadfishing techniques in a February 24 sem-

inar from 7-9 p.m. The location of theseminar is Wildlife District Three head-quarters, 912 Portage Lakes Drive,Akron.While the seminar is free, pre-registra-

tion is required as spaces are limited.Please call Joe Ferrara at the ODNR Di-vision of Wildlife at 330-245-3030 topre-register.Read more about Ohio’s steelhead

program at www.wildohio.gov.ODNR ensures a balance between

wise use and protection of our natural re-sources for the benefit of all. Visit theODNR website at ohiodnr.gov.

Ohio Valley Outdoors-Magazine

@OVOutdoors


Tom McIntyre10-pt.,

Wood County, WV

Wayne Andrews11-pt., bow

Columbiana County, OH

John Petrello11-pt., shotgun

Mahoning County, OH

Dominique Valley8-pt.

Portage County, OH

Abby Hazenstab, age 1414 pt., crossbow

Hancock County, WV

Ryan MinderwalleyeLake Erie

Connor Mayle, age 101st deer

Columbiana County, OH

Send Us Your PhotosWe’ll print your hunting, fishing or trap-

ping photos in the next issue of OV Times orOhio Valley Outdoors magazine. Send pho-tos via mail, email or Facebook.Email to: [email protected] to: Photo Showcase210 East Fourth St., East Liverpool, OH 43920

Ryan GlinnwalleyeLake Erie

PHOTO SHOWCASE SPONSORED BY


Ohio Valley Outdoorswww.ohiovalleyoutdoors.com

You need morecustomers!YOUR CARD HERE

Contact Sales ConsultantTracy Bissell at330-385-2243

SOUTH CHARLESTON, WV —Preliminary counts of deer registeredwith the new electronic game checkingprocess indicate West Virginia huntersharvested 138,493 white-tailed deer dur-ing the recently completed bucks-only,antlerless, muzzleloader, archery, cross-bow and youth/Class Q/Class XS deerseasons, according to Division of Natu-ral Resources Director Bob Fala.This year’s harvest was 32 percent

higher than the 2014 deer harvest of104,707 and 10 percent above the 5-yearaverage of 126,067.A breakdown of the combined 2015

deer seasons reveals 60,814 bucks har-vested during the traditional buckfirearm season, 39,853 antlerless deertaken during all antlerless firearm hunt-ing opportunities, 32,540 deer harvestedby bows and crossbows, 5,179 deertaken by muzzleloader hunters, and 107deer taken but with an unknown seasonassignment.

Antlerless Deer SeasonThe 2015 antlerless deer season har-

vest of 39,853, which includes the

youth/Class Q/Class XS deer season,was 1 percent more than in 2014 and 8percent below the 5-year average of43,188.“It is important to note that the antler-

less harvest is the key component to anydeer management strategy, as it controlsthe future deer population,” said Direc-tor Fala.In 2015, all or portions of 47 of the 55

counties were open to antlerless firearmsseason for hunters to harvest one to threeantlerless deer depending on the county.Next year, antlerless deer hunting oppor-tunity will depend on the need to in-crease, decrease or stabilize deerpopulations in each of the 51 countieswhere firearms deer hunting is permit-ted.The top 10 counties are: Lewis

(1,753), Ritchie (1,622), Mason (1,593),Jackson (1,521), Roane (1,514), Preston(1,437), Wood (1,436), Upshur (1,271),Hampshire (1,240) and Harrison(1,228).

Muzzleloader Deer SeasonThe 2015 muzzleloader harvest of

5,179 was 6.5 percent less than the 2014harvest of 5,543, and 21.5 percent belowthe 5-year average of 6,603. The top 10counties are: Nicholas (265), Randolph(203), Braxton (189), Fayette (183),Jackson (183), Preston (182), Ritchie(167), Lewis (165), Lincoln (159) andUpshur (155).Archery and Crossbow Deer SeasonsThe bow and crossbow hunters’ take

of 32,540 deer was 46 percent more thanthe 2014 archery season harvest of22,281, 28 percent above the 5-year av-erage archery season harvest of 25,481.Archery harvests are correlated to

hard mast crops. The above-averageacorn crop in 2014, followed by abelow-average acorn crop in 2015,likely contributed to the higher 2015harvest and played a factor in the lowharvest in 2014.“Although there were no additions to

a hunter’s bag limit with the addition ofthe crossbow season, undoubtingly therise in harvest reflected the use of cross-bows, which probably increased hunterparticipation and success in some coun-ties,” Fala said.Crossbows accounted for 37 percent

of the total harvest for the archery andcrossbow seasons combined. The top 10

counties are: Preston (1,415), Kanawha(1,069), Wyoming (1,039), Raleigh(1,032), Logan (924), Randolph (921),Wood (909), Upshur (906), Mercer(817) and Fayette (801).


WV Hunters Harvest138K+ Deer in 2015

Ohio Valley Outdoors - Photo courtesy of Abby HazenstabAbby Hazenstab took this impressive

14-point buck with a crossbowin Hancock County, WV.

MINT SPRING, VA— Parker Bows, aleading manufacturer of compound bowsand crossbows, as well as Red Hot cross-bow accessories has introduced the Am-busher Crossbow. The Ambusher sets anew standard for crossbows by being thelightest, most compact, high performancecrossbow in the industry.The Ambusher incorporates a revolu-

tionary front-end that features Parker’sproprietary Advanced Split Limb Tech-nology with integrated Micro-Lite LimbPocket System, making it ultra-compactwhile sending arrows downrange at over315 feet per second (FPS). TheAmbusheralso feature an adjustable draw weight of135 to 160 lbs, allowing it to be cus-tomized to fit the hunter with no specialtools, no bowpress or additional parts re-quired.With the ergonomic contoured pistol

grip and forearm, theAmbusher is easy tomaneuver in a treestand or ground blind.At 6.5 lbs, the Ambusher is extremelylightweight and optimally balanced for asteadier aim on the target. The soft rubberstock spacer on the butt stock of the Am-busher delivers an additional 1” of overalllength and provides non-slip comfort and

optimal eye position for the scope. Forsmaller hunters, the stock spacer is easilyremovable for a more custom fit. The fac-tory installed and tuned anti-vibration andshock (AVS) system comes equipped toreduce noise and vibration for ultimateconcealment.The Ambusher is engineered with

Parker’s Exclusive Synergy Cams that de-liver greater performance and diminishthe cocking effort by over 50% whenpaired with the Red Hot EZ Roller RopeCocker; making Parker crossbows theeasiest to cock in the industry.The Ambusher comes decorated in ei-

ther G1 Vista or Pink Muddy Girl Camo.It includes a four arrow quick detachquiver, four arrows with field points, andis available in two optics packages: (1)multi-reticle scope or (2) 3X32 illumi-nated multi-reticle scope. The Ambusheris made in the U.S.A., is backed by life-time warranty, and has a retail beginningat $499.95.For more information on theAmbusher,

visit the Parker website atwww.parkerbows.com or call 540-337-5426.s

Parker Bows Launches “The Ambusher”

• Fun for beginners and seasoned shooters alike

• One of the top rated facilities in the country

• Safe, family friendly environment

• Heated shooting stations

• Fully stocked pro shop

• Restaurant featuring a full menu and deckoverlooking Pigeon Pond for outdoor dining

• Rental equipment and instruction available

WHAT IS SPORTING CLAYS?PATIENCE. PRECISION. EXHILARATION!

Open year round. Call today for reservations.

7Springs.com 800.452.2223

ohio valley outdoor times 2-2016

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