Week of October 14, 2013 |
Hunting & Shooting Products/Issues |
National |
General |
Illinois |
Michigan |
Minnesota |
Ohio |
Pennsylvania |
Other Breaking News Items |
or |
Hunting & Shooting Products/Issues
Ruger asking fans to design a 10/22 rifle by Oct 18 Commemorates 50th anniversary of America's favorite rimfire rifle Ruger is looking to its fans and aficionados to help design a Ruger 10/22 rifle to commemorate the 50th anniversary of America's favorite rimfire rifle.
Legal residents of the 50 United States of America who are 21 years or older may enter the contest by submitting a photo and additional information regarding their customized 10/22 rifle. Ruger will review the submissions and narrow the entries to ten finalists.
Ruger fans will then vote for their favorite design. Subject to the terms and conditions of the Official Contest Rules, the winning designer will receive a production version of their rifle, a trip to the Newport, NH plant to watch
|
the production run, and $5,000 to be used toward the purchase of Ruger products. The remaining nine finalists will each receive a standard catalog Ruger firearm of their choice.
To enter the Contest, visit www.Ruger.com/1022Contest. Entrants must submit up to three photos of their customized 10/22, provide an itemized list of parts used, and give a brief description of their design. Submissions will be accepted beginning October 7 at 12:00 p.m. ET through October 18 at 11:59 a.m. ET. On October 21, Ruger will announce the ten finalists on the contest website and visitors can vote for their favorite design through November 1.
To enter and read the Official Contest Rules, visit www.Ruger.com/1022Contest. |
Champion VisiColor Zombie Targets with Cartoons
With Halloween
right around the corner, Champion� reminds customers of its four new
VisiColor� Cartoon Zombie targets. Champion�s photo-realistic paper zombie
targets have swarmed ranges across the country for the last few years, and
now a new spawn of cartoon zombies are in the lineup. The creatively
illustrated, full-color targets add fun to time spent at the shooting range
for both young and old. |
Shooters can choose what animal they�re going to take down next with a
Cartoon Zombie variety pack that includes two targets each of �Crazy Clown
Takedown,� �Wild Turkey Terror� and �Brain-Starved Buck.� The nightmarish
�Grizzly Bear Scare� is offered in a 50-count bulk pack. All of the targets
are a large, 18-inch-by-12-inch size just like last year�s amazingly-popular
photo-realistic Zombie Animals.
For more info:
|
Champion Reactive Target Options Champion reactive targets are designed for hours of interactive shooting. They�re great for kids, new shooters and seasoned marksmen alike. Built to handle shots from powerful handguns and rifles, these durable targets are made to last. Targets are constructed of DuraSeal material and sturdy metal, and feature high visibility colors for improving a shooter�s skills.
The vivid color schemes of these targets allow for easy target acquisition. The new bowling-pin design offers a bright white, four-sided target with a red base, while the round radiation green target features a black base.
DuraSeal Crazy Bounce Ball and Star Targets allow shooters to practice hitting moving targets because they bounce and dart across the ground after every hit. |
The DuraSeal Swinging Ball Target is a 3" reactive ball that promotes precision shooting skills.
Part Number / Description / MSRP 42800 DuraSeal Bowling Pin Wobble Target $28.49 44884 DuraSeal Wobble Target $25.49 43804 DuraSeal Crazy Bounce Star $19.99 43806 DuraSeal Crazy Bounce Ball $34.99 44890 DuraSeal Swinging Target $20.19 44886 .22 Diamond Pop Up Target $14.49 44880 .22 Green Double Reaction Metal Spinner $32.49
For more info: |
Gov signs California Lead BanLate last week, California Governor Jerry Brown signed a statewide ban on traditional lead ammunition for hunting�Assembly Bill 711, sponsored by |
Assemblyman Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood). The deadline for gubernatorial action was Sunday, October 13th California is the first state in the nation to take such unnecessary action. |
National
Coast Guard unable to process all mariner credentials renewals Due to the Federal Government�s lapse in appropriations for Fiscal Year 2014, the Coast Guard is unable to process all mariner credentials in time to ensure that all mariners receive their renewed credentials before their current documents expire. The mariner�s most likely impacted by this situation are those individuals whose credentials expire between October 1, 2013 and November 30, 2013.
In an effort to resolve this issue, and under the authority of 46 United States Code 7507, the Coast Guard will be granting extensions to national endorsements until December 31, 2013.
The Coast Guard will be posting a letter on National Maritime Center�s website (www.uscg.mil/nmc) granting this extension that mariners may print and retain with their credential to be provided to Coast Guard or other officials who may ask to examine them. For mariners sailing domestically, the Coast Guard does not intend to issue any separate or new MMC to correspond to this extension.
For those mariners who must renew their credential and are likely to sail on international routes, the Coast Guard will issue a new credential. The Coast Guard will examine the mariner�s information and issue a new credential to that mariner whose credential expires during the affected period which will have an expiration date of 31 December 2013. Those |
mariners that know their credential will expire between October 1, 2013 and November 30, 2013, and are likely to sail internationally, should contact the National Maritime Center as indicated below.
Mariners that have applied for and paid for credential application services during the lapse in appropriations will receive all entitled documents and qualifications once the Coast Guard has regained full operational status. All mariners should expeditiously submit their application for credentials coming due in the next few months to avoid further delays in receiving their documents.
Additional questions regarding this matter should be forwarded to the National Maritime Center at 1-888-IASKNMC (1-888-427-5662) or by email at [email protected]. Mariner and industry stakeholders are encouraged to monitor the NMC website for updates. www.uscg.mil/nmc.
Mark D. Bobal Passenger Vessel Safety Specialist CCGD9 (prevention), Room 2047 1240 E. 9th Street Cleveland, Ohio 44199-2060 216-902-6052 216-902-6059 (fax) |
General
Mimic Yellow Perch for Northern Smallmouth Bass By: Drew Porto Down South it�s all about the shad, but if you�re after big smallmouth bass at some of the legendary lakes of the North and Northeast, shifting your focus to yellow perch is the right move.
At Candlewood Lake in Danbury, Conn., (ranked at 27 in Bassmaster�s list of best bass lakes in the country) local guide and tournament angler Paul Mueller knows that his smallies make yellow perch a main forage, and he exploits them the entire open-water season. I recently fished this 5,420-acre impoundment with Mueller, and he made me change the way I thought about smallmouth bass fishing.
Southern anglers often go to tiny lures and finesse tactics for smallmouth, but these big Northeastern fish behave like largemouths. They chase big schools of yellow perch like largemouth torment schools of shad. Logically, the same tactics used for largemouth produce big catches of substantial smallies. �A big deep-diving crankbait in a yellow perch color pattern is perfect,� he said. �And don�t worry about finessing it.�
A Bomber Fat Free Shad in Sparkle Tiger fits that bill. The BD7F dives to 16 feet and the BD8F to 18 and beyond, perfect for Candlewood�s clear water. Fast-cranking and ricocheting it off bottom and any structure allows Mueller to cover water and get those reaction strikes that turn on the schools of bass following the bait.
I also noticed that a more erratic retrieve with split-second pauses or changes in retrieve speed triggered strikes. �Not many people do it, but adding a pause just as the bait leaves the bottom to come back up to the boat is a good way to trigger those smallmouth that are following the bait,� he said.
We spent the first half of the day on a big flat in the middle of the lake, focusing on scattered rockpiles rising out of 25 feet and topping off around 16 feet, as well as some of the most-unique structure I�ve ever fished. The Northeast is the birthplace of the United States, and some of the structure on this flat consists of house foundations and rock walls from the Colonial Era. These rock walls, or fences, rise about 2-feet off bottom and are perfect ambush spots for bass. We caught a bunch of 3-pound fish from the rocky structure on the flat, and picked up the day�s two biggest fish, one that weighed more than 4-pounds and the other a fat 5- |
pounds-plus.
�Use your electronics to locate schools of yellow perch near structure,� Mueller said, �but just as important is seeing how the walls and foundations are laid out so you can make efficient casts that keep your crankbait crashing into the rocks.�
Weedlines and breaklines are consistent smallmouth habitat, and during the afternoon we focused on a spot with sparse milfoil growing to around 13 feet of water. At the edge was a steep drop into 21 feet of water, and to make the spot even more appealing, a rockpile rose up to about 18 feet just off the drop. Mueller landed a 3-pound largemouth, a 3-pound smallie and a 4-pound largemouth on almost consecutive casts, while I backed him up with a couple smallmouth pushing 4-pounds on back-to-back casts.
The last area we fished was a weedline with scattered rocks and stumps, and racked up numbers of 2- to 4-pound smallmouth. Like every other area we fished, the presence of yellow perch and making contact with the rock or wood was essential to getting strikes.
�One key to this bite is wind or some current,� Mueller said. �Get in the wind and focus on those 15- to 23-foot depths where yellow perch hang out.�
On those calm days when cranking isn�t productive, Mueller says that a small swimbait on a jighead is a good option, but if fishing is particularly tough a down-sized castable umbrella rig like the YUM Flash Mob Jr. rigged with translucent swimbaits or natural-looking curly tail grubs can be the only way to catch fish.
As a Southern angler, I always associated smallmouth with rocks and largemouth with grass, but up North it�s different. We found largemouth on rocky humps mixed in with big schools of smallmouth, and plenty of smallies relating to vegetation. The common denominator was the presence of yellow perch.
(About the author: Drew Porto is a Senior at the University of Arkansas majoring in marketing, and is a member of the 2011 B.A.S.S. College Classic Champion U of A Bass Fishing Team.) |
Illinois
Programs and events for October 2013 Fort Massac Encampment Oct 19 The annual Fort Massac Encampment is Sat., Oct. 19 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sun., Oct. 20 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. in Metropolis, IL. The annual encampment festival celebrates the history of Fort Massac from the mid-18th to early 19th centuries.
Re-enactors bring to life the history of the fort with crafts, military drills, music, children�s games, and a mock battle. Admission is free. For more information, call 618-524-4712.
Native American Program Oct 20 Visit the Dickson Mounds Museum on Sunday, Oct. 20 from 1-4 p.m. for a �Native American Game Day� program. Visitors will spend an afternoon enjoying a variety of intellectually stimulating and physically challenging Native American games. The event is free and open to the public. Dickson Mounds Museum is located at 10956 North Dickson Mounds Road, Lewistown. For more information, phone 309-547-3721.
Sangchris Lake Trapping Permits Drawing Oct 19 One trapping permit will be awarded at a public drawing to be held on Sat., Oct. 19 at Sangchris Lake State Park, 9898 Cascade Road, Rochester, IL 62563. Registration for the drawing will begin at 10 a.m. at the site office, and the drawing will be held at 11 a.m. Trapping will be permitted in the designated area from the statewide opening until Jan. 25, 2014, and include the extended spring season for mink and muskrat through Feb. 15, 2014; and, beaver and otter trapping, which are allowed through Mar. 31, 2014. A 2012 or 2013 trapping license or trapper education card will be required to register for the drawing. Two names will be allowed on the permit and registrants must be in attendance for the drawing. For more information about trapping opportunities, contact Sangchris Lake State Park at 217-498-9208.
Trapping at Coffeen Lake permits awarded Oct 25 Trapping permits will be awarded at a public drawing to be held on Fri., Oct. 25 at Coffeen Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area, Coffeen. Registration for the drawing will begin at 10 a.m. at the site office, and the drawing will be held at 11 a.m. Trapping will be permitted in the designated areas from the statewide opening until Jan. 25, 2014, and include the extended spring season for mink and muskrat through Feb. 15, 2014, and beaver and otter trapping which are allowed through Mar. 31, 2014. A 2012 or 2013 trapping license or trapper education card will |
be required to register for the drawing. For more information about trapping opportunities, contact Coffeen Lake SFWA at 217-537-3351.
Weldon Spring Trapping Drawing permits awarded Oct 25 A drawing to determine trapping privileges at Weldon Springs State Park will be conducted on Friday, Oct. 25. Trappers interested must apply to the park office prior to the drawing by calling 217-935-2644. Applicants for the lottery drawing must provide their name, address, phone number, and trapping license number. One trapper will be drawn to trap beaver, muskrat and raccoon, and statewide regulations and season dates apply. For more information, phone the Weldon Springs site office at 217-935-2644 between 8:30 a.m. � 4:30 p.m.
Trapping at Beaver Dam permits awarded Oct 28 Two trapping permits will be awarded at a public drawing to be held on Mon., Oct. 28 at Beaver Dam State Park, Plainview. Registration for the drawing will begin at 10 a.m. at the site office for the drawing at 11 a.m. Trapping will be permitted in the designated areas from the statewide opening until Jan. 25, 2014, and include the extended spring season for mink and muskrat through Feb. 15, 2014 and beaver and otter trapping, which are allowed through Mar. 31, 2014. A 2012 or 2013 trapping license or trapper education card will be required to register for the drawing. For more information about trapping opportunities, contact Beaver Dam State Park at 217-854-8020.
Trapping at Horseshoe Lake (Madison Co.) permits awarded Oct 28 Six trapping permits will be awarded at a public drawing to be held Mon., Oct. 28 at the site headquarters of Horseshoe Lake State Park, Granite City. Registration for the drawing will begin at 10 a.m. at the site office, and the drawing will be held at 11 a.m. Four permits will be allocated for Horseshoe Lake State Park, and trapping will be permitted from the statewide opening, with the exception that during waterfowl season live traps and land sets only will be permitted.
At the close of waterfowl season, all trapping will be permitted following statewide regulations. The remaining two permits will be allocated to the satellite site Gabaret, Mosenthein and Chouteau Island Area. Statewide regulations will be in effect for this area, including the extended spring season for mink and muskrat through Feb. 15, 2014, and beaver and otter trapping will be allowed for all areas through Mar. 31, 2014. A 2012 or 2013 trapping license or trapper education card will be required to register for the drawing. For more information about trapping opportunities, contact Horseshoe Lake State Park at 618-931-0270. |
Illinois Concealed Carry classes For concealed carry applicants Are you planning to take a concealed carry class in or around Chicago or in the northern Illinois area?
We are sponsoring an approved curriculum for the 8- or 16-hour concealed carry class authorized by the new Illinois Concealed Carry law. Classes are $125 a day plus range fees; and if you show your current fishing or hunting license, you will get a $10 discount.
If you have a class of 10 or more, we will travel to your hall or meeting location and give the class in your neighborhood. The criteria for an
|
Illinois law to determine whether you take 16 or just the 8 hour class is determined with the following Illinois schedule.
The credit list of instruction classes authorized by the Act is here: Illinois CCW Prior Training Credit Also, veterans with an honorable discharge and a DD214 or active service military members will only be required to take the one-day class.
The full law can be read here - Illinois Concealed Carry Act
Questions? Contact Mike Slevnik: [email protected] , 708-212-3067, www.privatedetectivechicagoillinois.com |
Michigan
DNR to collect salmon and trout eggs this fall and winter The Department of Natural Resources, Fisheries Division will be hard at work this fall and winter gathering the necessary eggs for the continued production of hatchery fish to support fisheries management objectives for Michigan�s world-class fisheries. Fall egg takes are starting or are under way for wild Chinook and coho salmon and for captive broodstocks of brown, rainbow, brook and lake trout.
Chinook salmon eggs will be collected at the Little Manistee River Weir Oct. 7-11. Coho salmon eggs will be collected at the Platte River State Fish Hatchery Weir Oct. 15-22.
�From these wild egg sources, we plan to collect 4 million Chinook salmon eggs and 4.9 million coho salmon eggs,� said Gary Whelan, DNR fish production manager. �The number of Chinook salmon eggs is the same as it was last year, with stocking in Lake Michigan in spring 2014 to remain at the same levels as spring 2013.�
Of the Chinook salmon eggs collected, 2.75 million will be used in Michigan while 500,000 will go to Indiana and 750,000 to Illinois. Of the coho salmon eggs collected, 3 million will be used in Michigan while 1 million will go to Indiana and 900,000 to Illinois. |
Captive broodstock egg takes for brook and lake trout are in progress until the end of October at the Marquette State Fish Hatchery. Similarly at Oden State Fish Hatchery, egg takes for brown trout have just started and will continue until mid-November. That will be followed by rainbow trout egg takes at Oden starting in December and continuing until mid-January. All captive egg takes occur every one to two weeks.
Captive broodstocks will provide 220,000 brook trout eggs, 310,000 lake trout eggs, 3 million brown trout eggs and 1 million rainbow trout eggs. An additional 440,000 splake eggs (brook trout and lake trout hybrid) will also be collected to support Michigan�s fisheries management objectives.
The public is always welcome to observe egg take efforts. It is best to call ahead to get the final egg take schedule and to ensure the collection efforts will occur. Scheduling information is available for each egg take and can be obtained by contacting each facility directly: � Little Manistee Weir, 231-775-9727, ext. 6072 � Platte River State Fish Hatchery Weir, 231-325-4611 � Marquette State Fish Hatchery, 906-249-1611 � Oden State Fish Hatchery, 231-347-4689 To learn more about efforts through Michigan�s state fish hatcheries, visit www.michigan.gov/fishing. |
DNR prepares for potential Asian carp invasion
If � or
when � Asian carp make their way into Great Lakes waters, will state
fisheries management agencies be ready to deal with them? The Michigan
Department of Natural Resources certainly intends to be - so much so,
that it�s Fisheries Division recently staged a two-day exercise on the
St. Joseph River to run though how it will react in the event silver or
bighead carp show up there. |
the fish.
�Fisheries Division has never done anything like this on any of
The exercise took on the air of a military operation. Ed Pierce, a DNR fisheries technician supervisor out of Plainwell and a detail-oriented type, assumed command. �There�s a lot going on here,� Pierce said. �Lots of logistics � boats, meals, motel rooms, portable toilets, a dumpster. We even contacted the local food bank as a contingency in case we wind up catching salmon or steelhead in the nets.�
The exercise went smoothly. The crews tagged a lot of fish and recovered
many of them over the next two half-days. The first afternoon session
included several thousand feet of gillnet set systematically so the most
effective sets could be evaluated. The following morning, the
electro-fishing crews went back at it without the accompanying
gillnets. As a result, biologists are formulating a strategy for what
they�ll do if the real deal � live silver or bighead carp � shows up in
a Michigan stream. |
Minnesota
Strong walleye population continues in Leech Lake The results of recent fall test netting on Leech Lake conducted by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) show the walleye population remains strong and anglers who visit Leech Lake should continue to expect quality fishing. Lake-wide, walleye counts in DNR test nets averaged 8.9 walleye per net lift, which was similar to results from the past 5 years and was above the long-term average of 7.7 walleye per net lift.
�September gill nets showed above-average numbers of all sizes of walleye,� said Doug Schultz, DNR area fisheries supervisor in Walker. �Fishing reports have been excellent all season, and this survey confirms that good walleye fishing is expected to continue through the winter and into next year.�
Schultz added that the strong 2010 year class reached harvestable sizes this summer, which �had a lot to do with angling success.� Additionally, 36 percent of walleye sampled were within the current slot limit and have provided anglers the opportunity to catch larger fish.
The DNR is considering relaxing the current 18- to 26-inch protected slot limit on Leech Lake to a 20- to 26-inch protected slot limit. If the proposal |
is carried forward, the relaxed slot limit would be effective for the 2014 fishing opener.
�The proposed change in the slot limit would allow anglers the opportunity to add 18 and 19-inch walleye to their bag,� said Schultz. �These fish comprise about one-third of walleye currently protected with the existing 18- to 26-inch slot limit.�
Schultz noted this regulation review and potential relaxation of the slot limit was programmed into the current management plan. The management plan detailed that if walleye population objectives were met or exceeded and all metrics indicated the walleye population could sustain increased harvest opportunity, the DNR would consider relaxing the slot limit. Results of this year�s survey indicate the timing of this review is appropriate.
Other game fish species targeted with test nets include yellow perch and northern pike. Yellow perch abundance declined for the sixth consecutive year, while northern pike abundance continues to remain stable. The primary species of nongame fish assessed with the test nets is cisco. Fall test netting indicated cisco continue to be present at moderate levels of abundance. |
Minnesota hunters fuel local economies with $725M in spending When thousands of pheasant hunters waded into cattails and grasslands for the Minnesota pheasant opener that began last Saturday, Oct. 12, they were contributing to the economic health of the state�s economy.
More than a half-million Minnesotans and nonresidents hunt in Minnesota each year. Collectively they spend an estimated $725 million per year, according to the 2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation.
�Minnesota ranks ninth in the nation for resident hunter numbers,� said C.B. Bylander, outreach chief for the Minnesota DNR Willife Div. �This strong tradition of hunting has long helped fuel local economies throughout the farmland and forested portions of the state.�
According the 2011 national survey direct expenditures by hunters in |
Minnesota include: �$400 million on equipment such as guns, ammunition and special clothes �$235 million on trip related expenses such as food, lodging and transportation �$90 million on other expenses such as land leasing, hunting land ownership, magazines, etc
Bylander said the average amount spent per hunter in 2011 was $1,412, up from $889 in 2006 when the previous survey was taken. Direct retail sales related to upland bird hunting totaled about $121 million. When combined with angling, Minnesota hunters and anglers support nearly 48,000 Minnesota jobs.
About 84,000 people hunted pheasants in Minnesota last year.
|
New critical habitat pheasant license plate unveiled in Madelia Minnesota announced that a new ring-necked pheasant critical habitat license plate will be available later this fall. The announcement was made during the banquet at the third annual Governor�s Pheasant Hunting Opener, hosted by the city of Madelia.
The critical habitat plate was created in 1995 as a way for Minnesota citizens to voluntarily contribute to conservation and show that commitment with a special outdoor-themed vehicle license plate. More than 100,000 Minnesota vehicles have critical habitat license plates, with the 2002 loon plate being the most popular. These plates generate about $3.5 million per year. They have generated more than $44 million for habitat conservation since the program began.
Landwehr thanked those who have already purchased loon, deer, showy lady slipper, chickadee or fishing license plates. He said he looks forward to seeing a fresh hatch of pheasant plates on the road as well.
�Motorists who have purchased habitat plates have helped wildlife in every corner of the state,� Landwehr said. �They have funded wildlife management area acquisitions, trout stream easements and helped support loons, eagles, rare plants and many other species. The new pheasant plate will help us preserve some of our rapidly disappearing |
grasslands � which are critical to the future of pheasants,� he said.
The new pheasant plate is an adaptation of the 2007 Minnesota pheasant stamp by renowned Minnesota artist Joe Hautman. Landwehr said license plate revenue will be used, in part, to support pheasant and other grassland species through Minnesota Prairie Plan habitat acquisition.
The printing of the new plates will begin this fall. The DNR will announce when they are available at local deputy registrar offices, online, and other vehicle license outlets. Limited numbers should be available in about a month.
The critical habitat plate requires a contribution of at least $30 per year more than a standard plate. There is also a one-time fee of $10 the first year for plate transfer costs. Contributions go to the DNR and are matched equally with private donations of land or cash to buy and manage important natural habitats which are preserved as public lands and are open to compatible public use, like hunting, hiking and wildlife watching.
More information can be found at www.dnr.state.mn.us/features/plates/index.html. Critical habitat license plates can be purchased anytime or when renewing a car or truck license through the MN Dept. of Public Safety. |
Ohio
Thousands of Ring-Necked Pheasants Released in Ohio COLUMBUS, OH � More than 15,000 ring-necked pheasants will be released at 27 Ohio public hunting areas this fall to provide additional hunting opportunities across the state, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).
�Ohioans have enjoyed more than 100 years of pheasants in Ohio,� said ODNR Director James Zehringer. �We are dedicated to increasing opportunities for Ohio hunters and continuing the strong tradition of game hunting for many generations to come.� Pheasants will be released Friday, Oct. 18, and Friday, Oct. 25, prior to the small-game weekends for youth hunters. Hunters age 17 and younger can hunt statewide for rabbit, pheasant and all other legal game in season during two designated weekends, Oct. 19-20 and Oct. 26-27.
Ohio�s small game hunting season begins on Friday, Nov. 1, with pheasant releases to take place Thursday, Oct. 31, and on the evening of Friday, Nov. 8. The final release of the year is scheduled to provide improved pheasant hunting opportunities throughout the Thanksgiving
|
holiday weekend and will take place the evening of Wednesday, Nov. 27.
Beach City Wildlife Area in Tuscarawas County will not be an in-season release location this year. The habitat at Beach City Wildlife Area is no longer suitable for grassland dependent species such as the ring-necked pheasant.
Youth and regular pheasant hunting within the Ringneck Ridge Area in Sandusky County requires a free permit from the Sandusky County Park District. For more information regarding the issuance of these free hunting permits, contact the Sandusky County Park District Office at 419-334-4495.
Pheasant hunting season opens Friday, Nov. 1, and remains open through Sunday, Jan. 5, 2014, with a daily bag limit of two rooster (male) birds. No hens (females) can be killed. Females are all brown while the males have a green head, a red and brown body and long tail feathers. Statewide pheasant hunting hours are sunrise to sunset. |
Eight New Counties Added to OH Turkey season COLUMBUS, OH � Ohio hunters can harvest a wild turkey for their Thanksgiving feast during the seven-week hunting season, according to the Ohio DNR.
Ohio�s fall wild turkey hunting season runs Oct. 14 - Sunday, Dec. 1, giving hunters the opportunity to pursue gobblers and hens. New counties open for fall turkey hunting this year include Butler, Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, Hamilton, Huron, Seneca and Warren.
Hunters harvested 1,345 wild turkeys during the 2012 fall season. This year, Ohio�s wild turkey population is estimated to be 180,000 birds. Approximately 10,000 people, not including private landowners hunting on their own property, will enjoy Ohio�s fall wild turkey season.
Fifty-six counties are open for fall turkey hunting. Erie and Pickaway counties are closed to fall turkey hunting, despite a map error in the 2013-2014 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations regarding open counties. Hunters should refer to Open Counties on pages 14 and 15, which correctly lists the 56 counties that are open to fall turkey hunting. The correct map can be found in the Turkey Hunting Resources page at wildohio.com.
New this year, an enhanced website at ohiogamecheck.com offers Ohio |
hunters a quick and easy way to check harvested turkeys with their smartphones. The mobile-friendly site is available for all hunters to check turkeys, including landowners not required to purchase a turkey permit. A valid email address and phone number are required to use the website on a mobile device.
Only one turkey of either sex may be harvested during the entire fall season, and a fall turkey hunting permit is required. Hours are one half hour before sunrise to sunset. Shotguns using shot, as well as crossbows and longbows, are permitted. Hunting turkeys over bait is prohibited, and turkeys must be checked by 11:30 p.m. on the day the bird is harvested.
A tagging procedure administered by the ODNR requires hunters to make their own game tag to attach to a turkey. Game tags can be made of any material (cardboard, plastic, paper, etc.) as long as it contains the hunter�s name, date, time and county of the kill. Go to the Turkey Hunting Resources page at www.wildohio.com for more information on changes to the game check process.
For more info -
ohiogamecheck.com |
Pennsylvania
PA adds safety regs to boating Commissioners adopted a change in its boating regulations intended to provide additional safety to passengers when a motorboat is operating at greater than slow, no-wake speeds. In these instances, the regulation |
prohibits individuals from riding outside the passenger carrying area or from riding on bow decking, gunwales, transoms or motor covers. The amendment becomes effective Jan. 1, 2014. |
The opinions expressed here are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the GLSFC, its officers or staff.
Reproduction of any material by paid-up members of the GLSFC is encouraged but appropriate credit must be given.
Reproduction by others without written permission is prohibited.
USFWS Press Releases Sea Grant News
Home | Great Lakes States | Membership | Exotics Update | Great Links
Pending Issues | Regional News | Great Lakes Basin Report | Weekly News / Archives