Ohio Valley Outdoor Times 9-2014

Art inA TreeStory inside page 7 September 2014

Ohio Valley Outdoors– Photo courtesy of PGC/Jake DingelMature bucks don’t make many mistakes, and after

hunting season has been in awhile, many of thebig bucks on public lands get even more cautious.

FREE!

Archery season is just abouthere. Are you ready? If not,don’t fret. It’s a long season andthere’s still lots of time to get agood game plan together forwhen the rut happens. In fact, Iknow quite a few hunters whodon’t even bother going outuntil Halloween because, afterall, that’s the best time of yearto hunt whitetails. I don’t agreewith this strategy, though. A ma-ture buck can be harvested any day of the season, in-cluding opening day.One of the biggest bucks I’ve ever seen was on

first day in 2008. The location I planned to hunt, a lit-tle ravine between a huge field and a bedding area,always had heavy deer sign previous years, includingscrapes, rubs, and heavy trails. I knew the deer wouldexit the field around daylight and work downthrough the ravine toward the bedding area, so I did-n’t feel much need to scout or disturb it in any wayprior to the season – instead, that year I spent most ofmy time scouting new areas for later in the season. Iplanned to use my experience from previous yearsto walk into the area cold and use a climbing stand tohunt first day and hopefully ambush a buck. Itworked to perfection. Almost.At 7:30, I caught the glimmer of antlers working

through the brush only 50 yards away. Massiveantlers. The buck was moving at a pretty good clipand got within range quicker than expected. When

he stopped in an opening only 20 yards away, I was-n’t ready. As I turned to get into position, my tree-stand creaked and the buck stopped. We had a staredown for about five seconds before he bolted off intothicker brush. I can still see the wide spread and talltines as he bound away.Right behind that buck, though, was another deer,

a nice 8-point. That deer also spooked, but instead offollowing the big buck, it ran the opposite directionand stopped directly under my stand. His mistake.The buck dropped within sight and I had it tagged,out of the woods, and hanging in the shade at myhouse by 9:30. My archery season was over in just acouple of hours.I spent the rest of the season taking friends to that

same area, hunting various stand locations trying tocatch up to that big buck. We had one encounter thefirst week of November, but the buck decided tochase does instead of respond to a grunt call. De-spite many hours and days on stand, nobody in mygroup of friends saw the buck after that. The bestopportunity was the one I had on the first day.Mature bucks don’t make many mistakes, and after

hunting season has been in awhile, many of the bigbucks on public lands get even more cautious. Theycan turn completely nocturnal if hunting pressure isextreme. Sometimes the best opportunity to harvestthem is during the early season, before they becomewise to hunting pressure.Early season hunting can be tough, though. The

biggest factor, I’ve found, is having the confidencethat good things will happen. It’s hard to get excitedwhen the foliage is still thick and green and you’reswatting away mosquitoes while sitting on stand in at-shirt. That’s why I prefer short hunts, the first andlast couple hours of daylight. I leave the all day sitsto later in the season, when the weather is colder and

GOOD OPPORTUNITIES FOR WILD TROUT - P. 5

The Early SeasonChallenge

Turn To Challenge Page 4

OutdoorOhio Valley

Times

By Ralph ScherderHunting Editor

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OHIO VALLEY OUTDOOR TIMES2 September 2014

Hunters and conser-vationist in the state ofMichigan have spokenup.We all need to learnfrom this. They havefought, and apparentlywon. Late last month acollection of sports-men, women and out-door groups andorganizations put gooduse to nearly 300,000 petition signatures tohelp fight change in the Wolverine State.Michigan may be a battle state for us

from the Buckeye State — especially thistime of year — but sportsmen must bandtogether when it comes to fighting theantis.One key component of the new Scien-

tific Fish andWildlife ConversationAct inMichigan was to no longer allow influencefrom out-of-state anti-hunting organiza-tions — namely the Humane Society ofUnited States. We can hope this will helpfight the anti’s efforts across the country.The U.S. Sportsmen’sAlliance, based in

Columbus, Ohio, was one of the leadingorganizations that helped pass Michigan’srecent Conservation Act. The legislation— and help with getting a ton of signatures— was collectively assembled by the Cit-izens for Professional Wildlife Manage-ment — a coalition of conservation,hunting, fishing and trapping groups andindividuals.The information in the new Michigan

law reads like this:On August 27, 2014, the Michigan

House voted to approve the Scientific Fishand Wildlife Conservation Act. The Act,which was brought to legislature by Citi-zens for Professional Wildlife Manage-ment, gives the state’s Natural Resources

Commission the ability to name gamespecies, designates $1 million in rapid re-sponse fund to prevent aquatic invasivespecies, and provides free hunting andfishing licenses for active-duty militarymembers.The Act was presented to the legislature

after sportsmen’s organizations, fed upwith the barrage of anti-hunting ballot ini-tiatives, collected nearly 300,000 signa-tures. Because it was submitted to thelegislature by sportsmen and women, themeasure does not require the approval ofGovernor Rick Snyder before becominglaw.“While Michigan will still face the two

November 4 ballot referendums onwolves, this measure removes their stingas the state’s Natural Resource Commis-sion now has the authority to designategame species using sound science, notanti-hunting politics,” said EvanHeusinkveld, USSA’s vice president ofgovernment affairs.The Citizens for Professional Wildlife

Management was made up of groups andindividuals that included Michigan chap-ters of Safari Club International, theMichigan Bear Hunters Association,Michigan United Conservation Clubs, theMichigan Trappers and Predator CallersAssociation, the Michigan Hunting DogFederation, the Upper Peninsula Sports-men’s Alliance, U.P. Whitetails, Inc., theU.P. Bear Houndsmen, the Rocky Moun-tain Elk Foundation, NationalWild TurkeyFederation, Ducks Unlimited and the U.S.Sportsmen’s Alliance.Michigan, like many other states, have

had some real problems battling HSUS.Stay tuned, and help fight HSUS when

you can. We need to stick together.

3 P&Y Now AcceptsLighted Nocks

5 Wet Summer HelpsProvide Opportunities forFall Wild Trout

Jeff Knapp

7 Art in a TreeCurt Grimm

10 Whitetail DeerProcessing Continuesto Grow

Larry Claypool

12 Plinking Fun withS&W’s (Part II)

Bill Waugaman

14 Ohio’s WildlifeNuisance

16 Migratory BirdSeasons Set in PA

PAGC

19 PAGC IntroducesGoHuntPA.com

PAGC

INSIDE THIS MONTH

15 How to: Before and AfterCurt Grimm

WVTrappers Association 46th Annual Convention - Sept. 19-20 at Gilmer County RecreationCenter, 1365 Sycamore Run, Glenville, WV. All events are free. For info. contact Scott at 304-462-7270 or Janet at 304-477-3181 or log onto www.wvtrappers.com.NRAYouth Sportsfest - September 27, 2014 (10 am. - 2 p.m.) at Fish & Game Club of Vienna onSR 193 across from Youngstown Warren Regional Airport. Hosted by Trumbull County 4-HShooting Sports Pioneers Club. Ages 9-18. Pre-registration before Sept. 20 is required at 330-898-4486 or email at [email protected]. Further info. at 330-898-4486.Gun and Sporting Goods Show - Sept. 27-28 (Sat. 9 a.m.- 4 p.m.; Sun. 9 a.m.- 2p.m.) at HiddenValley Sportsmen’s Club, 268 Gilkey Road, West Middlesex, PA 16159. Admission $4 (kids under12 free with paid adult). Call clubhouse for info. at 724-528-2700.Military Surplus Show - Nov. 15-16 (9 a.m.-5 p.m.) at Lowellville Rod and Gun Club, GPS ad-dress 6225 Quarry Road, Lowellville, OH. Admission $2 donation. Shooting and Hunting Sup-plies, U.S. GI clothes and field equipment. Vendor tables available. Call Bill at 330-755-2077.

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

210 E. 4th Street, East Liverpool, OH 43920Phone 330-385-2243, Fax 330-385-7114ohvod@ohiovalleyoutdoors.comwww.ohiovalleyoutdoors.com

To Advertise CALL 330-385-2243

OutdoorOhio Valley

TimesSeptember 2014 VOL. 6, NO. 09

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

QUESTIONS, COMMENTS

Ohio Valley Outdoor Times is all about its readers.We’d love to hear from you.

Send us something [email protected]

Michigan Residents Battling HSUS

OHIO VALLEY OUTDOOR TIMES 3September 2014

CHATFIELD, MN — Standardlighted nocks and bowmounted cameraswill be exempted from the“no electronics attached tothe bow or arrow” rule, asa result of changes to thePope & Young Club’s by-laws that had passed a voteof the Board of Directorsin July and passed ratifica-tion by the voting mem-bership.Since the late 1980s, the

Club’s has had a bowhunt-ing equipment definitionand Rule of Fair Chase thataddresses electronic items.Among other things, itstated “no electronic de-vices attached to the bowor the arrow.” This is partof the Club’s bylaws con-stitution and governs theacceptability of animalsfor entry into the Club’sRecords Program (“therecord book”).The significant change, the result of

much internal discussion/debate over

many years, creates an exemption thatreads as follow:

RULES OF FAIRCHASE #7: [Not] by theuse of electronic devicesfor attracting, locating orpursuing game, or guidingthe hunter to such game orby the use of a bow orarrow to which any elec-tronic device is attached,with the exception oflighted nocks and recordingdevices that cast no light to-wards the target and do notaid in rangefinding, sight-ing or shooting the bow.

DEFINITION OF AHUNTING BOW, EX-CLUSIONS #2: Electronicor battery-powered devicesshall not be attached to ahunting bow, with the ex-ception of recording de-vices that cast no lighttowards the target and donot aid in rangefinding,

sighting or shooting the bow.DEFINITION OF A HUNTING

ARROW, EXCLUSIONS #1: No elec-tronic or battery-powered devices shallbe attached to the arrow, with the excep-tion of lighted nocks.This change officially went into effect

on August 1, 2014, as new Fair ChaseAffidavits are created and distributed toour corps of volunteer official measur-

ers. The change IS RETROACTIVE—meaning that animals previously taken,as well as those taken from this pointforward, will now be eligible to be en-tered into the Records.For more information about the Pope

and Young Club, visit their website at:www.pope-young.org.

P&Y Now Excepts Lighted Nocksand BowMounted Cameras

SOUTH CHARLESTON, WV —Restaurants atWest Virginia’s state parkshave an increasing presence on socialmedia and that has resulted in an in-crease in customers at those restaurants,according to David Pruitt, assistant su-perintendent at Cacapon State Park. Ca-capon and North Bend state parks andChief Logan Lodge currently post spe-cial theme nights and Sunday buffet in-formation Thursdays or Fridays onFacebook.“It’s a way to reach mobile users,” said

Pruitt. “We think this is a good way toremind folks to visit our area, to enjoystate park facilities and a perhaps a mealwith family and friends.” Cacapon StatePark is located in Morgan County near

Berkeley Springs.The 10 West Virginia state parks with

lodges have year-round, full servicerestaurants. Hours of operation vary bypark and season. Those parks are Black-water Falls, Pipestem, Twin Falls, NorthBend, Cacapon, Canaan Valley,Stonewall, Hawks Nest, Chief LoganLodge and Tygart Lake. Holly RiverState Park’s restaurant and Cass ScenicRailroad’s “Last Run Restaurant” are op-erated seasonally.Learn more about West Virginia state

park and forest facilities and services atwww.wvstateparks.com. Like parks onFacebook at “West Virginia State Parks”and Twitter at “WV State Parks.”

Social Media Creates Dining-out InterestatWV State Parks

deer are more likely to move throughoutthe day. Also, shorter hunts prevents mefrom getting burned out right away. It’smy way of easing into the hunting sea-son.Another reason I keep the hunts short

early on is because temperatures are notconducive to scent control. Warm airholds scent better than cold air. Spendingall day on stand usually means that by thetime evening arrives your scent has fullydispersed throughout the area and yourchances of success during the primeevening hours are reduced.During the early season, my goal is to

ambush a buck along his natural travelpattern. Much has been written abouthunting food sources, but during theearly season, I tend to hunt beddingareas. That’s just my personal prefer-ence. Many of the places I hunt are pub-lic land, which means there’s lots ofhunting pressure. Over the years, trailcamera photos have shown me that manyof the bucks in my area don’t even reachthe food sources, such as acorn stands orfood plots, until after dark, and thereforeafter legal shooting hours. So I try to getas close to their bedding areas as possiblewithout spooking them in an attempt toambush them while it’s still daylight.As was the case with the huge buck I

encountered on opening day in 2008, Ilike to find fields where I know buckslike to hang out during the night. Ratherthan hunt close to the field, I hunt thebrushy draws and ravines that serve asnatural funnels for deer on their way toand from bedding areas. Most of the pre-season scouting I do involves locatingthese natural funnels.The most important aspect of early

season hunting is to maintain a low pro-file. In other words, don’t spook all thedeer right off the bat. If you’re gettingbusted by deer every time on stand,chances are they’ll start avoiding thatarea very quickly. Always pay attentionto wind direction as well as how youwalk to and from your stand. Cause aslittle disturbance as possible. If youspook deer a couple times in a row, letthe area rest for a week or more beforereturning.Looking back over my records, I can

see that well over half of the bucks I’vetaken with a bow have come during thefirst two weeks of the season. On manyoccasions I’ve killed a buck and been outof the woods before any other deer, orhunters, even knew I was there, and that’sjust how I like it. Don’t wait to starthunting until the rut. Amature buck canbe harvested any day of the season, butyou’ll never have an opportunity ifyou’re sitting at home.

SOUTH CHARLESTON, WV —With summer winding down the start ofthe 2014 fall hunting seasons havekicked off. The one-day, youth-onlysquirrel season opened September 6, andthe statewide squirrel season openedSept. 13. It runs through Jan. 31.“Get back to your roots of hunting this

season and pursue one of the state’s mostplentiful small game species,” said Cur-tis l. Taylor, chief of the Wildlife Re-sources Section of the West VirginiaDivision of Natural Resources. ‘Huntersof all skill levels can brush up on theirhunting techniques and enjoy a day in

the outdoors.”Hunters should expect

to see squirrel numberssimilar to last year,based on the average hard mast crop of2013. Hunters are reminded that successcomes with proper scouting and locatingareas with abundant mast conditions.The daily bag limit for squirrels is six,and the possession limit is 24.All other licensing requirements will

remain in effect and hunters shouldcheck the 2014-2015 hunting and trap-ping regulations for additional informa-tion.


WV’s Squirrel SeasonRuns Through January

COLUMBUS, OH — Ohio’s Turn Ina Poacher, or ”TIP,” program is helpingto curtail poaching throughout the state.TIP is designed to involve the public inreporting wildlife violations.If you observe a wildlife violation,

please use the form below to submit yourTIP Report. Click ‘Submit’ to send the

form via email or print the form and mailit to: TIP Headquarters, Division ofWildlife, 2045 Morse Rd., Bldg G,Columbus, Ohio 43229-6693.You may also call the TIP toll-free hot-

line, 1-800-POACHER.All information received by the TIP

program will remain confidential.

Ohio’s Turn In a Poacher (TIP) Program

Challenge From Page 1

It was the firsttime I’d actually laideyes on the stream.For mid-August itsflow was prettygood. I continuedacross the bridge andpulled into a conven-ient turnout. Withina few minutes I’ddonned hip boots,put on my sling packand strung-up my three-weight fiber-glass fly rod.Now I had to make a choice. Up-

stream or downstream from the bridge?While the bridge crossing was my firstphysical glimpse at the creek, I’d viewedit several times via Google Maps as wellas Penn Dot’s Type 10 county map. Thestream flowed another mile and half be-fore joining a river, where there’s a smallcluster of camps. Upstream no roadstouched the stream for at least threemiles. Though privately owned by a

timber company, the owner’s generouslyallow hunting and fishing. I chose up-stream.After a short walk through streamside

vegetation I was on the creek, a shortdistance above the bridge. When ex-ploring unfamiliar waters for wild trout,it sometimes seems prudent to get somedistance from the easy access. But inthis case an inviting pool beckoned; theprospecting started right away.For me at least, one of the attractions

of fishing small, cold streams is the un-known, the most basic of which iswhether or not the creek actually has atrout population. The Pennsylvania Fishand Boat Commission has a listing of allstreams (of the ones they have assessed)that support reproducing trout popula-tions. But some surveys took placedecades ago, and things can change.And just because evidence of trout wasfound during an assessment, it doesn’tnecessarily mean the population is a


Wet Summer Continues to ProvideGood Opportunities for Wild Trout

Turn To Trout Page 6Ohio Valley Outdoors– Photo by Jeff Knapp

Native brook trout like this nice 10-inchercan provide a nice fight on a lightweight rod.

By Jeff KnappFishing Editor

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By Marty Lundquist,Fisheries Management SupervisorHave you ever gone to a lake or reser-

voir in the fall to find that it smells likesulfur, has a unusual color, and decom-posing vegetation in the water?What youare witnessing is a lake or reservoirturnover. Lakes and reservoirs in Ohiousually have two turnover periods, one inthe fall and another in the spring. Depend-ing upon the lake or reservoir, it is alsopossible for some waters to experienceadditional turnovers between these peri-ods if conditions are just right. Turnoveris important because it results in mixingthe water, allowing oxygen to occur at alldepths and releases unwanted gasses thataccumulate on the bottom during sometimes of the year. What causes a lake toturnover?First, we need to know an interesting

fact about water. Water is densest at 39degrees. This is very important foraquatic life in a lake or reservoir and re-sults in a routine annual cycle of watermixing in most of these water bodies. Be-cause of this, as water molecules cool

they contract, become more dense, andsink. Once they are cooler than 39 de-grees, they again expand and then becomeless dense, then float above water that is39 degrees. The further the water temper-ature is from 39 degrees, the less densewater becomes. This is the reason that icefloats and forms on the surface duringwinter. If water were to continue to be-come denser as it got colder, lakes andreservoirs would freeze from the bottomup, aquatic life couldn’t use the bottom,aquatic insects couldn’t bury into the mudas part of their life cycle, and there wouldbe no insulation the lake. That is, it couldfreeze solid.The process of fall turnover actually

begins in late spring and summer duringsunny days with little or no wind. As sur-face water is warmed by the sun it be-comes less dense to the point that it willnot mix with the colder, denser waterbelow it. As summer moves into fall andwater temperatures cool, changes start totake place that allow a lake or reservoir toturnover. Sometimes, during this brieftransition period, fish can be very diffi-cult to catch until the water is fully mixed.

Lake and Reservoir Turnover— The Big Flip strong one. So the first objective is to

simply catch a trout, any trout.So it was with this underlying trepida-

tion that I made my first cast into a swiftflow of water that pushed into an under-cut bank. A few casts later a fish ate theinch worm tied to the leader point. Iquickly stripped it in, anxious to makean identification. The heavy shadows ofthe canopy of hemlocks couldn’t dis-guise the fact that I’d caught a nice creekchub. On to the next pool.This spot was typical of those found in

brook trout streams. The trunk of afallen tree lay perpendicular to the bank,fully crossing the stream. A deep poolwas gouged into the stream bed beneaththe tree, likely from periods of high flowand receding ice. These places are idealfor trout in that they provide both depthand overhead cover. Since the tree trunktends to collect floating debris like sticksand leaves these places aren’t usuallyeasy to fish. This one, however, wasn’tbad. Standing on the high bank up-stream of the log I was able to drop thefly into the flow and allow the current tosweep it toward the log. Before thehighly visible fly was under the wood, intypical brookie fashion a fish darted out,

grabbed the fly, and did a 180 back to theprotection of the cover. Seconds later aseven-inch native brook trout was inhand. The cast wasn’t pretty but the fishsure was.Because of their spooky nature it’s un-

common to catch more than one smallstream trout from a pool or run, the dis-ruption of doing so alerting any nearbyfish. So I kept moving upstream, catch-ing or losing a trout at every likely look-ing place, covering perhaps a quartermile from the starting point.This brought me to another interesting

discovery: A very impressive beaverdam, one that backed water up for abouta hundred yards. Much of the pool wassilted in, so after making a few compul-sory casts in the still water I jumpedahead to get back in the flow. U p -stream of the beaver dam the action wasmuch slower, though the fish were big-ger. I caught or lost several brook troutin the nine to 10 inch range. But manyof the good looking spots didn’t producea fish or hit. With the noon hour ap-proaching, and the heat beginning tobuild, I hiked back to the truck, ponder-ing the question, “I wonder what it’s likedownstream of the bridge?” Plenty ofreason for a return trip.

Trout From Page 5


Hornet and yellowjacket nests are awork of art. They dis-play a variety of col-ors and they are alldifferent. After I lo-cate one, I record thespot and plan to makea return visit when noone is at home. Theywill look great besideone of my favorite mounted animals, andadd character to my game room or hunt-ing cabin. Safety is of upmost impor-tance!Anest may look unoccupied and Istill take a lot of precautions. I go backfor my last inspection on a warm fallday, and also take some long distancehornet or wasp spray to clear the site andassure it is not occupied. Sometimes Ieven wait until early winter to obtain thenest. It may end up being a two man jobto lower the nest into a heavy dutygarbage bag. When I lower the branchwith a gentle sawing motion I like hav-ing an extra set of eyes and hands aroundbecause it makes the job easier. I some-times pre-spray the bag with insecticide

before storage. It will remain all winterhanging in the cold located in an out-building or garage.After cold storage I cautiously open

the bag to investigate the contents. Iopen the bag while it is on the groundand gradually pull the bag away from thenest. If the coast is clear, I use a longhandled broom and gently move the nestback and forth. I then place it back in thebag to guarantee no further activity. I’drather be extra safe than sorry.They look great hanging on a birch

tree branch or above a fireplace. A bearclimbing up a tree and reaching for thenest makes a great mount. Placing themin any room where the sun is able tostrike them reveals the workmanship andbeauty of this natural phenomenon.Time spent in search of hornet nests

provides a lot of exercise that will pre-pare me for the upcoming hunting sea-son. The search also has other rewardsbecause it provides time for scoutinggame and food plots. The beauty of na-ture is always unique and different, butyou have to be willing to go outdoorsand spend time to appreciate its beauty.

Art in a Tree

How to Contact US

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR• E-mail: [email protected]• Write: “Dear OVTimes” at Ohio Valley Outdoor Times: 210 E. 4th Street,East Liverpool, Ohio 43920

• 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

Ohio Valley Outdoors–Photo by Gary GrimmThe author with several bees hives he’s collected that are displayed in his ‘man cave’.

By Curt GrimmThe Marathon Hunter

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COLUMBUS, OH — Ohio’s water-fowl hunting zones were simplified forwaterfowl hunters after the 2014-2015season dates and bag limits were ap-proved by the Ohio Wildlife Council inAugust.The South Zone, North Zone and Lake

Erie Marsh Zone remain the same forwaterfowl hunting, but the Lake ErieGoose Zone that previously coveredmuch of northeast Ohio was removed.Also new this year, the canvasback dailybag limit was reduced to one.Opening day for duck and goose hunt-

ing is October 18, in the Lake Erie MarshZone and Oct. 25, in the North and Southzones. See the 2014-2015 WaterfowlHunting Seasons for more waterfowlhunting information, including zonemaps.Hunters 15 years of age and younger

will have the opportunity to enjoy astatewide special youth waterfowl seasonOct. 4-5. Bag limits established duringthe regular season apply. Ohio is dividedinto three zones for duck, coot and mer-ganser hunting. The seasons are split ineach zone during the following dates:

• Duck hunting season in the Lake ErieMarsh Zone is Oct. 18-Nov. 2 and Nov.15-Dec. 28.• Duck hunting season in the North

Zone is Oct. 25-Nov. 9 and Nov. 22-Jan.4, 2015.• Duck hunting season in the South

Zone is Oct. 25-Nov. 9 and Dec. 13-Jan.25, 2015.The daily bag limit for ducks is six,

which may not include more than fourmallards (no more than one may be fe-male), three wood ducks, one black duck,two redheads, three scaup, one canvas-back, two pintails and one mottled duck.The daily bag limit for mergansers isfive, of which no more than two may behooded mergansers. The daily bag limitfor coots is 15. Possession limits after thesecond day are three times the daily baglimit.Ohio is also divided into three zones

for goose and brant hunting. The seasonsare split in each zone during the follow-ing dates:• Goose hunting in the Lake Erie

Marsh Zone is Oct. 18-Nov. 2, Nov. 15-


Waterfowl Hunting Seasonsand Bag Limits Set

Ohio Valley Outdoors–Opening day for goose season in Ohio was September 1. OVO Pro Staffer Denny Fetty(left) and Joe Blazer were succesful on their Labor Day hunt in Columbiana County.Turn To Waterfowl Page 9


Wine JellyGlazed Duck

www.SportsMansTable.comhttp://recipes.sportsmanstable.com/

• Prep Time: 20 min. • Cook Time: 35 min. • Ready In: 1 hr 50 min. • Yields: 3

3 breasts wood duck deboned3 strips bacon1 small zucchini2 carrots1 large sweet potato1 tbs. fresh basil1 tsp. fresh marjoram1 tbs. Cabernet Sauvignon Fine Wine Jelly

Sportsman's Table Item #SCJ02salt amount to tastepepper amount to taste

Directions:1. Clean and debone duck breasts separating eachbreast in half. Grease baking dish using one ofbacon strips. Place each1/2 breast in pan and cover each with a 1/2 strip ofbacon. Slice vegetables into thin discs and add topan surrounding duck.Sprinkle basil, marjoram, salt and pepper over en-tire dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 min. Removefrom oven and spreadwine jelly on top of duck. Place under the broiler inoven for 5-7 min.

Dec. 28 and Jan. 14- Jan. 31, 2015.• Goose hunting in the North Zone is

Oct. 25-Nov. 9, Nov. 22-Jan. 4, 2015 andJan. 14-Jan. 31, 2015.• Goose hunting in the South Zone is

Oct. 25-Nov. 9 and Dec. 11-Jan. 31,2015.The daily bag limit for Canada geese

is three. Light geese (snows, Ross’s andblues) have a daily bag limit of 10,

white-fronted geese have a daily baglimit of one and brant have a daily baglimit of one. The possession limit forbrant and geese is three times the dailybag limit after the second day.Harvest Information Program (HIP)

certification is required of all waterfowlhunters prior to hunting. Migratory gamebird hunters must call 877-HIPOHIO(447-6446) and answer a few surveyquestions to complete the HIP certifica-

tion requirement. Once the survey hasbeen completed, hunters will be pro-vided a certification number to write ontheir Ohio hunting license.Waterfowl hunters age 18 and older

must also purchase an Ohio WetlandsHabitat Stamp, available at any huntinglicense agent or wildohio.gov. In addi-tion, all waterfowl hunters age 16 andolder must possess a signed federal duckstamp, which can be purchased at duck-

stamp.com, usps.com and most post of-fices.Copies of this season’s waterfowl

hunting regulations, which include mapsof the zones, are available at wildo-hio.gov or available at all license agentoutlets by late September.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.

Waterfowl From Page 8

COLUMBUS, OH — ODNR Divi-sion of Wildlife biologists verified 200bobcat sightings in Ohio in 2013. This isthe fourth consecutive year more than100 verified sightings were recognizedin Ohio, and the first time sightings in-creased to 200.Notes:• Of the 200 verified sightings, 113

were recognized from photographs orvideos. Additional sightings were veri-fied through 54 road kills, 21 inciden-tally trapped animals, seven sightings byqualified personnel, two struck by trains,

one verified sighting of tracks, onekilled by a dog, and one shot.• Noble County continues to have the

most verified sightings, with 32. An ad-ditional 106 sightings were confirmed inthe counties immediately surroundingNoble (Guernsey, Belmont, Monore,Washington, Morgan, and Muskingum).• Bobcats were confirmed in 36 coun-

ties during 2013, and have been verifiedin 49 counties since 1970.• The division collected an additional

226 unverified bobcat sightings in 2013.Most unverified sightings were reported

through species observation cards. Un-verified sightings have occurred in 86 ofOhio’s 88 counties since 1970.• Bobcats once roamed across Ohio,

but they were extirpated around 1850 asmore people settled within the state.• The bobcat was recently removed

from the Ohio Endangered and Threat-ened Species List, but it remains pro-tected in the state.

FACTS ABOUT BOBCATS:• The most common wildcat in North

America• Named for its short, bobbed tail• Their coats vary in color from shades

of beige to brown fur with spotted orlined markings in dark brown or black.

Ohio’s Verified Bobcat SightingsIncrease to 200

Ohio Valley Outdoors– Photo courtesy of ODNR

Again this deerseason Leonard Van-Pelt, owner ofWhite-tail Deer Processing,of North Lima, Ohio,expects to be verybusy. For a deer pro-cessing businessthat’s a great thing.And it helps that it’slocated in a heavily-populated deer huntingarea — in Mahoning County, OH.VanPelt said the family-owned busi-

ness has grown each of the eight yearshe’s been providing the butcher service.He says there’s a good reason for thegrowth in business. “I feel it’s built onhonesty, cleanliness and professional-ism,” said VanPelt. “I treat people like Iwant to be treated. And if you bring in adeer, that’s the deer you’ll pick up. Thatmeans a lot. You get your own deerback.”VanPelt said there are other things

Whitetail Deer Processing does that sets

them apart from other deer butchers.“I’m a firm believer that you have to getthe meat cooled down and chilled. Andwe cut each deer by itself. We cut, grindand put it in bags and it’s back into thefreezer. And I’m a firm believer of vac-uum packing. We vacuum seal every-thing. A lot of packing houses don’t dothat,” said VanPelt.One advantage for hunters who use

his service is there’s an 8x20 foot out-side cooler available for dropoff 24hours a day/7 days a week. There’s alsoa 16x22 foot walk-in cooler inside the60x40 foot main building that features arail system to assist with the process.Each deer is hung by itself until it’sbutchered.Whitetail Deer Processing offers the

usual deer cuts; steaks, roasts, ground-up, bologna, deer sticks, jerky, Italiansausage and bulk or link sausage. Sea-soning is available for hamburg andcheese can be added to many products.Besides deer WDP have processed elk,bear and mule deer, from out west. They

also get a lot of customers from Penn-sylvania.With the success of the business over

the past several years, VanPelt said theypick up 65-100 more customers eachdeer season. In the near future VanPelthopes to add more equipment to betterserve more customers. During the busyseason he has about 18 workers at the

shop. Some of those are family mem-bers. “We’re small, but mighty,” he said.The turn-around time for deer pro-

cessing at WDP is 3-4 days. The cost is$75.VanPelt said he’s been a butcher for

30 years. “I love to butcher,” he said. Helearned the trade from the owners of


Whitetail Deer ProcessingContinues to Grow

Ohio Valley Outdoors– Photo courtesy of Whitetail Deer Processing

Workers at Whitetail Deer Processing are shownbutchering a deer at the North Lima, OH shop.

By Larry ClaypoolEditor

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Turn To Whitetail Page 11

HARRISBURG, PA—The thousandsof Pennsylvania hunters who soon willbe heading off to hunt big game in otherstates can do their share to slow thespread of chronic wasting disease in theCommonwealth.Those who hunt out-of-state are re-

minded that Pennsylvania prohibits im-porting specific carcass parts frommembers of the deer family – includingmule deer, elk and moose — from 21states and two Canadian provinces.The parts ban affects hunters who har-

vest deer, elk or moose in: Colorado, Illi-nois, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland (onlyfrom CWD Management Area), Michi-gan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Ne-braska, New Mexico, New York (onlyfrom Madison and Oneida counties),North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota,Texas, Utah, Virginia (only from CWDContainment Area), West Virginia (onlyfrom CWDContainmentArea, which in-cludes parts of three counties), Wiscon-sin and Wyoming; as well as theCanadian provinces of Alberta andSaskatchewan.

Pennsylvania hunters harvesting anydeer, elk or moose in those areas,whether the animal was taken from thewild or from a captive, high-fence oper-ation, must comply with rules aimed atslowing the spread of chronic wastingdisease (CWD) in Pennsylvania.Those harvesting deer, elk or other

cervids in the identified areas out-of-state must leave behind the carcass partsthat have the highest risk for transmittingthe disease. Those parts are: the head (in-cluding brain, tonsils, eyes and anylymph nodes); spinal cord/backbone;spleen; skull plate with attached antlers,if visible brain or spinal cord tissue ispresent; cape, if visible brain or spinalcord tissue is present; upper canine teeth,if root structure or other soft tissue ispresent; any object or article containingvisible brain or spinal cord tissue; unfin-ished taxidermy mounts; and brain-tanned hides.Hunters who are successful in those

areas from which the importation ofhigh-risk parts into Pennsylvania isbanned.

CWD Impacts PennsylvaniansWho Hunt Out-of-State


Chamberlain Farms, in nearbyColumbiana, OH. VanPelt also worksfull-time for the Beaver Township (OH)Road Department. He’s also a firemanand EMT for the township.Whitetail Deer Processing also do-

nates meat to a local food bank — theBig Reach Center of Hope through theGreenford Christian Church of Green-ford, OH. Through the generosity of areahunters many needy families are fedfrom the donated meat. The ministryfood bank pays for the processing of themeat. VanPelt said 60-70 deer are do-nated to the food bank each year.For information about the Big Reach

Center of Hope visit their website at:www.bigreachministries.org. Founded in2004, the Center reaches out to individ-uals and families in the Mahoning Val-ley of northeast Ohio.Whitetail Deer Processing is located

within minutes of state Route 7 at 12889South Avenue, North Lima 44452. Thephone number is: 330-549-2291. Thehours are Mon-Fri 3-7 p.m. and Saturday8 a.m. to 7 p.m. During gun season thehours are Monday-Saturday 8 a.m. to 7p.m. (call after hours).

Ohio Valley Outdoors–Photo courtesy of Whitetail Deer Processing

A worker at the Whitetail DeerProcessing shop uses a rail systemto begin the process of skinning

a deer before butchering it.

Whitetail From Page 10

SOUTH CHARLESTON,WV—The2014-2015 West Virginia Hunting andTrapping Regulations Summarybrochure is available at West Virginiahunting and fishing license agents, Divi-sion of Natural Resources district of-fices, and the DNR Elkinsand South Charleston of-fices. This regulations sum-mary is also available onlineat the Division of NaturalResources’ website:www.wvdnr.gov.DNR officials urge

sportsmen and women tocarefully review these regu-lations, as there are severalchanges in place this fall and next spring.• The archery boar season will open

two weeks earlier on September 27,2014, and run through December 31,2014.• The statewide archery deer season

will open on September 27, 2014, andrun through December 31, 2014.• Black bear firearms hunting seasons

have been modified, mainly requiringpermits for hunting on public lands inaddition to private lands in 17 counties.

• The fall wild turkey hunting seasonwill be more restrictive this year withfewer counties open for a two-week sea-son.• Trappers checking in beavers begin-

ningApril 1, 2015, and hunters checkingin turkeys during the 2015spring gobbler seasonsmust follow the new rulesfor electronic checking ofgame. This will be accom-plished by either going on-line to www.wvhunt.com,stopping at any licenseagent, or by calling 1-844-824-3251 (1-844-UCheck1).

• Voters in five counties (Braxton, Cal-houn, Nicholas, Webster and Wirt) ap-proved Sunday hunting on private land.Visit the DNR website for a current listof all counties open to Sunday huntingon private land.

WV Hunting and Trapping Regs Available


In August 2009,Smith & Wesson in-troduced theM&P15-22 semi-auto rifle in .22LR.This rifle was de-signed as a dedicated.22LR firearm, not aretrofit of their cen-terfire rifle. About ayear and a half later,they came out with theM&P15-22 Performance Center modelthat took their standard M&P15-22 rifleto an entirely new level.The standard M&P15-22 and the PCmodel have a lot of the same features:blow back semi-auto action with the boltriding on steel rails, high-strength poly-mer upper and lower receiver with inte-gral steel inserts, removablerail-mounted front and rear sights, ad-justable A2 front post, adjustable dual-aperture rear sight, 6-position adjustablestock, carbon steel barrel with a 1-in-15”

twist, high strength polymer quad-railhand guard, case deflector, two-positionreceiver mounted safety selector, func-tional charging handle and bolt catch.S&W madethree accessoryand three func-tionality en-hancements forthe PerformanceCenter rifle(SKU 170335).• The factory 6-position adjustablestock is replaced with a mil-spec 6-Position Vltor® IMOD (Improved Mod-ular) stock. This matte finish stock ismade with impact and temperature re-sistant polymer that is specificallyblended for these stocks. The rubber buttpad is angled, has a wide traction areawith rolled edges and is replaceable.There are standard military and quickdisconnect swivel sockets. The designincorporates two waterproof battery

compartments, each holding threeCR123 or two AA batteries.• A Hogue Overmolded handgrip re-places the factory grip. This handgrip isa comfortable rubber grip with fingergrooves, palm swells and a storage com-partment in the bottom. Storage compo-nents are available from Hogue.• The M&P15-22PC comes with three

7” rubber ‘ladders’ that fit onthe quad rail

making the fore-arm more com-fortable to hold

while leaving four rail slots on thebottom and six rail slots on the

sides for attaching accessories.• The match grade two-stage triggerfeels good. Measuring at the middle ofthe trigger, stage 1 (take up) is 1/10”.The trigger pull on stage 2 (sear release)is just a fraction over 5 lbs. with negligi-ble creep. Unlike many rifles that havebasic triggers, the Performance Centerrifle is build with an AR-platform trig-

ger. If you don’t like the factory trigger,you can replace it with your favoriteone.• The 18” barrel is match grade. It istwo inches longer and has a diameter.100” greater than a standard M&P15-22 barrel. The bore is machined to verytight tolerances and the crown is re-cessed to protect the bore. The muzzle is

threaded for easy replacementwith any standard threadedflash suppressor. The barrel

has beenfluted sixtimes infront ofthe hand

guard forweight reduction and for aesthetics.• The Performance Center rifle has a.22LR Laney semi-auto match chamber.The Laney chamber is precisely ma-chined to specific dimensions to en-hance accuracy. While it does make theM&P15-22PC more accurate, the closertolerances affect which ammunition per-forms best in this rifle. S&W recom-mends: CCI Standard Velocity orMini-Mag;Aguila Super Extra Standardor High Velocity; Federal

By Bill Waugaman

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Photo courtesy of Smith &Wesson

Turn To Part 2 Page 13

Plinking Fun with S&W’s(Part 2 - M&P15-22 Performance Center Rifle)

SOUTH CHARLESTON,WV—TheWest Virginia Department of Natural Re-sources has provided the following Sum-mary of Changes for hunting andtrapping for the 2014-15 season. Getmore information online at the Divisionof Natural Resources’ website:www.wvdnr.gov.1.All private land in counties having afirearms antlerless deer season (Class Nor NN) will be open October 23-25, No-vember 24 – December 6, December 18-20 and December 29-31.All public landshaving an antlerless deer season will beopen November 24 – December 6, De-cember 18-20 and December 29-31. Baglimits vary among counties but will beeither one or three antlerless deer. Seepages 13-18 of the summary.2. Fall wild turkey hunting season hasbeen decreased in 2014 with 13 countiesopen October 11-18; seven countiesopen October 11-18 and October 27 –November 1; and 14 counties open Octo-ber 11-18 and October 27 – November15. See page 34.3. Black bear gun hunting seasons in2014 include 16 counties or parts thereof

open September 18-20; eight countiesopen October 4-10; 17 counties openNovember 24.– December 6 by permit only on privateand public lands during the BuckFirearms Season and 11 counties openNovember 24 – December 6 withoutpermit during the Buck Firearms Season,and all 55 counties open December 8-31.The daily bag limit is one bear per daywith a season bag limit of two bears, pro-vided at least one bear comes fromBoone, Fayette, Kanawha, Logan, Mc-Dowell, Mingo, Nicholas, Raleigh orWyoming counties. See pages 38-39.4. Trappers checking in beavers begin-ningApril 1, 2015 and hunters checkingin turkeys during the 2015 spring gob-bler seasons must follow the new rulesfor electronic checking of game (seepages 5 and 35 respectively).5. Voters in several counties approvedSunday hunting recently. Please see the“Sunday Hunting” subheading under“Hunting” on the DNRwebsite for a cur-rent list of counties open to Sunday hunt-ing on private land.

Summary of Changes in WV for 2014-2015


Send us your trophy photos

For our contests& Nikon Photo

Showcase

Tina RowlandAnnapolis

email to:[email protected] to: Photo Showcase210 East Fourth St.East Liverpool, OH 43920

www.ohiovalleyoutdoors.com

Tim Bakerspring gobblerMathews bow

American Eagleor Game Shock;W i n c h e s t e rSuper-X HighVelocity. Notrecommendedare: RemingtonGolden Bullet,Target 22 orThunde rbo l t ;W i n c h e s t e rWildcat; any andall sub-sonic

brands and types. S&W specificallystates not to use CCI Stingers.There are several other features thatshould be mentioned.• The receiver extension is actuallypart of polymer lower (unlike centerfireAR-platform rifles where the extensionis a separate piece that attaches to thelower). It is mil-spec and will work withother compatible adjustable stocks. Thereceiver extension allows 3.75” of ad-justment for an overall length from 32”collapsed to 35.75” extended.• The polymer upper and lower re-ceivers are reinforced with integral steelinserts in addition to the steel bolt rails.• The polymer quad rail is proprietary

to M&P15-22 rifles.• The M&P15-22PC only comes witha 10-round detachable magazine. It ismade from high-strength polymer andhas an ambidextrous load-assist button.I like the 10-round magazine; it keepsthe aesthetically sleek lines of the rifleand it can be used for hunting in stateshaving magazine capacity restrictionsfor semi-auto rifles. Since rifles specifi-cally designed for accuracy are normallyfired at a slow, deliberate pace, the 10-round magazine is appropriate. If youneed more capacity, the 25-round maga-zines will fit.• With the 10-round magazine, theM&P15-22PC weighs 5.4 pounds (ex-actly as S&W specs state). The lighterweight makes this rifle ideal for youths,small stature individuals or anyone whohas to carry the rifle for long periods oftime.

At the Range: AccuracyRedfield’s Battlezone TAC.22 scopewas mounted on the rifle using Le-upold’s Mark 2 IMS mount. For zeroingin, the first groups were fired at 25 yardsbefore moving to 50 yards. After nineshots (3 groups of 3), this rifle’s accu-racy was obvious; those first threegroups measured 5/16”, 3/8” and 3/8”.The M&P15-22PC was then tested at

50 yards shooting 16 different cartridges(recommended, not recommended andnot listed). These were Aguila SuperExtra High Velocity, CCI AR-Tactical,CCI Mini-Mag, Federal 550 Value Pack,Federal American Eagle, Federal AutoMatch, Federal Fresh Fire Pack, FederalLightning, Remington Golden Bullet,Remington Thunderbolt, RWS Match*,RWS Target*, Winchester 222, Win-chester Lead Free*, Winchester M•22and Winchester Wildcat. The results for10 three-shot groups (five where indi-cated by an *) were as follows:Smallest Groups (9 under .5”): .2” –Aguila; .3” – CCI AR-Tactical, FederalAuto Match, Winchester222/M•22/Wildcat; .4” – CCI MiniMag,RWS Target/Match. It should be notedthat every cartridge shot one or more

three-shot groups under 1”.GroupAverages by Cartridge (10 at 1”or less): .6” – RWS Target; .7” – CCIMiniMag/AR-Tactical, Winchester 222,RWS Match; .8” – Remington GoldenBullet; .9” – Winchester M•22; 1.0” –Federal American Eagle, RemingtonThunderbolt, Aguila.Standard Deviation by Cartridge (9had less than .5” variance): .1” – RWSTarget; .2” – RWS Match, CCI Min-iMag, Remington Golden Bullet; .3” –Federal Value Pack/American Eagle,CCI AR-Tactical; .4” – Winchester222/M•22. Standard deviation is a goodindicator of the consistency of the three-shot groups (the lower the number, themore consistent the group sizes).Final Thoughts:

Photo courtesy ofSmith &Wesson

Photo courtesy of Smith &Wesson3” Groups at 50 Yards (l to r): CCI AR-Tactical, Federal Auto Match,

Winchester 222, Winchester M•22, Winchester Wildcat

Part 2 From Page 12

Turn To Part 2 Page 14

COLUMBUS, OH — More than 75percent of the U.S. population lives inurban areas. While the growth of citiesand subdivisions displaces somewildlife, many species continue to livein the habitat available in parks, unde-veloped parcels of land and vacant lots,along stream and river corridors and inour backyards. Their presence can pro-vide recreational and educational view-ing opportunities. For manypeople, especially children, viewingwildlife in the backyard is exciting. Peo-ple and wildlife can peacefully coexistin most situations. However, there maybe times when conflicts arise.

Canada geese are probably the mostadaptable and tolerant of all native wa-terfowl. If left undisturbed, they willreadily establish nesting territories onany suitable pond, be it located on afarm, backyard, golf course, apartmentor condominium complex, or city park.

Most people will welcome and startfeeding the first pair of geese on theirpond, but these geese will soon wear outtheir welcome. In just a few years, a pairof geese can easily become 50 to 100birds. The feces will foul the areas

around the pond and surrounding yardsand also damage the lawn, pond, andother vegetation. Geese that are fed willlose their fear of humans and attackadults, children, and pets during thenesting season (March through June).DO NOT FEED GEESE. Feeding bread,corn, potato chips, popcorn, and otherhuman food items harms the geese andsets the scene for goose attacks on peo-ple.

Canada geese are protected under boththe Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Actand Ohio state law. This protection ex-tends to the geese, goslings, nests, andeggs. Non-lethal scare and hazing tac-tics, which do not harm the geese, are al-lowed. These tactics include:pyrotechnics, dogs, barriers, a grid onthe pond, laser pointers (at night), dis-tress calls, or grape-flavored repellentssuch as Flight Control.

If non-lethal tactics have been used inthe past, without success, the Division ofWildlife may issue a lethal permit toallow the landowner to destroy nests,conduct a goose roundup, or shootgeese. These permits can only be usedMarch 11 throughAugust 31. Hunting in

the fall, outside city limits, is also a goodmethod to reduce the goose population,feed people, and further scare the geeseaway.

Landowners should consult with theircounty wildlife officer or contact thenearest district office for assistance.


Ohio’s Nuisance Wildlife: Canada Geese

I really like the M&P15-22 Perform-ance Center rifle. It has the look and feelof a centerfire M&P rifle with many ofthe same operating features, but at a re-duced weight and it’s more affordable toshoot. The quad rail gives you the abilityto accessorize with all of your favoritegoodies just like the centerfire versions.

Since this rifle was enhanced for accu-racy, S&W conducted extensive testingto develop a list of recommended and notrecommended ammunition. Using thestandard deviation calculations with theammunition available at the time of thisreview, I found their recommendations tobe true. In the aggregate, the recom-mended ammunition was 40% more con-sistent than the non-recommended, and25% more consistent than the otherbrands. The overall accuracy met or ex-ceeded my expectations.

There are 18 models of S&WM&P15-22 rifle starting at an MSRP of $499. ThePerformance Center model tested has anMSRP of $789.

For more information, check out all ofthe S&W M&P15-22 rifles atwww.smith-wesson.com.

Part 2 From Page 13

ANTIGO, WI — Attention squirrelhunters: Mepps — the fishing lure man-ufacturer — needs squirrel tails to createhand-tied, dressed hooks for their world-famous, fish-catching lures. They’vebeen recycling squirrel tails for overhalf-a-century. In fact, they recycle moreof them than anyone else in the world.

“We’ve tried hundreds of other natu-ral and synthetic materials; bear hair,fox, coyote, badger, skunk, deer, evenAngus cow, but nothing works as well assquirrel tail hair,” explains Mepps Com-munications Director, Kurt Mazurek.

The fact is squirrel tails are all hair-nofur. Practically all other animals have furtails with just a few guard hairs. Furdoesn’t have the rippling, pulsatingmovement of squirrel hair in the water.

Squirrels are a plentiful natural re-source. Plus, squirrel is some of the bestwild meat andtheir skins are used for caps, coats, glovelinings and many other items, but the tailis usually thrown away. Mepps is askingyou to help them recycle this valuableresource, and, they offer a reward foryour efforts.

Mepps buys fox, black, grey and redsquirrel tails and will pay up to .26 centseach for tails, depending on quality andquantity. Plus, the cash value is doubledif the tails are traded for Mepps lures.Note: squirrel tails cannot be sold in Cal-ifornia, Idaho or Oregon.

Mazurek wants to remind everyone,“We do not advocate harvesting of squir-rels solely for their tails.”

For details on the Squirrel Tail Pro-gram, either visit their website:www.mepps.com or call 800-713-3474.The mailing address is: Mepps, 626 Cen-ter St., Antigo, WI 54409-2496.

Note: Squirrel tails cannot be sold inCA, ID & OR.

ASHLEY, OH —Year after year, par-ticipants of the Becoming an Outdoors-Woman workshop gear up to face newoutdoor challenges, from casting a flyrod for the first time to tackling thewhitewaters. “Becoming an Outdoors-Woman” is a workshop with a focus onlearning a variety of basic outdoorskills. It is a special opportunity forwomen 18 years or older and is for youif: you have never tried these activities,but have hoped for the opportunity to

learn from an expert; you are a begin-ner who hopes to improve your skills oryou know how to do some of the activ-ities, but would like to try your hand atsome new ones.

Registration is now open for the 2014Becoming an Outdoors-Woman Work-shop. The workshop will be held on Oc-tober 3-5, 2014 at Recreation Unlimitedin Ashley, OH. For info. contact theOhio BOW coordinator [email protected].

Mepps Wants Your Squirrel TailsBecoming an Outdoors-Woman Program

Set for Oct. 3-5

Walking sticks arespecial to mosthunters and hikers.Each has a story be-hind it that makesthem very unique. Ifyou find one that youprefer, it is disap-pointing to see it hasa sharp bend in it, orin general it isn’tstraight. A friend andfellow hunter, Don Bodinor, gave mesome very special information on howto fix that concern. He has devised a wayto straighten bent pieces of wood. Thismethod even works with wood that haveunique grape vine strands around them.These make great looking walkingsticks.With a wooden box, an outside grill,

clamps, and a bucket of water, he is ableto permanently fix that situation.

Inside the box surrounded by steamand the pull of clamps with a protectivecover the stick takes on a shape that isvery desirable. Step by step he explainedthe procedure and I was fortunate tohave my brother, Gary Grimm, with meto capture it on film. A picture is wortha thousand words and sometimes a spe-cial walking stick is worth the time andeffort. It is a personal thing and they allare different, but to find a special onethat has a bad bend is disappointing.Thanks to Don things are able to getstraightened out.In a general overview, the steps are:1. Build a box that will house the

length of the walking stick.2. Place the stick in the box after you

clamp it to a board.3. Gradually, move the clamps that are

covered with protected cloth to relievethe bend.4. Place the open end of the box over

a pot of water that is brought to a boil.5. Elevate the box so the steam will be

channel upward toward the end of thestick.

6. Reposition the clamps to graduallyrelieve the bend.7. Let cool and serve with one of your

favorites locations to go hiking. Some-times the stick can be steamed prior toadding the clamps, if the situation war-rants it.Ask someone what the story is behind

their walking stick and it is always an in-

teresting conversation. It may be a hikein the woods with their grandchild tofind one similar to their grandfather’s. Itmay be a stick with a roofing nailimbedded in its lower end that is used toflip rocks to reveal an Indian artifact.Whatever the story is, it is always of in-terest to hear and it provides another rea-son to enjoy the great outdoors.

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Ohio Valley Outdoors - Photo by Gary GrimmDon Bodinor with a walking stick he was able to straighten

by a method he constructed using a wood box, some clamps and outside grill.

By Curt GrimmThe Marathon Hunter

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HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylva-nia’s early migratory bird seasonsopened September 1 and runs throughNovember 15. There are some changesto dove season that extends that seasonwith nearly three additional weeks tospend afield. The later season segmentswill run from Nov. 22 to Nov. 29 andfrom Dec. 27 to Jan. 1, with huntinghours during those segments set at one-half hour before sunrise to sunset.Federal frameworks have increased

the total season length for mourningdoves from 70 to 90 days.In Pennsylvania, that means the first

segment of dove season will expandsubstantially, opening on September 1and running through November 15.Traditionally, the first segment started

and ended in September, and much ofOctober was closed to dove hunting.Ian Gregg, who heads up the Game

Commission’s game birds section, saidchanneling the additional dove-huntingdays to the early season segment wasdone with hunters in mind.“Pennsylvania dove hunters who re-

sponded to a recently completed surveyindicated they generally prefer as manydove hunting days in early autumn as

possible,” Gregg said. “As a result, theadditional days have been routed to theearly season segment to create 2 1/2months of continuous dove hunting.”Hunting hours during the longer first

segment are from noon until sunset fromSept. 1 through Sept. 25. Then begin-ning on Sept. 26, and through Nov. 15,hunting hours begin at one-half hour be-fore sunrise and end at sunset.Two short-season segments around

the Thanksgiving and Christmas holi-days also have been retained. Gregg saidthis also is in response to the survey re-sults, which showed these later seasonsare popular and productive times for themost avid dove hunters to be afield.The daily bag limit in each dove-hunt-

ing segment has been set at 15, with apossession limit of 45.The September statewide season for

resident Canada geese also will openSept. 1, and continue through Sept. 25.The September season retains a dailybag limit of eight Canada geese, with apossession limit of 24.Shooting hours during the September

goose season are one-half hour beforesunrise to one-half hour after sunset, ex-cept when the season overlaps with

youth waterfowl hunting days. On thosedays, shooting hours end at sunset.There are special regulations — in-

cluding smaller bag limits and posses-sion limits — in a couple of areas of thestate.In most of the Southern James Bay

Population Goose Zone, and on the Py-matuning Reservoir and the area extend-ing 100 yards inland from the shorelineof the reservoir, excluding the area eastof state Route 3011 (Hartstown Road),hunters will have a daily limit of threeand a possession limit of nine.Also, in a portion of western Crawford

County, the daily bag limit is one gooseand possession limit is three geese.Kevin Jacobs, a waterfowl biologist

with the Pennsylvania Game Commis-sion, noted that recent liberalizations inCanada goose hunting opportunities,along with control programs being im-plemented by many municipalities andpublic and private landowners, appear tobe stabilizing the growth of the state’sresident Canada goose population. The2014 Pennsylvania spring residentCanada goose population was estimatedat 241,732, which is statistically similarto the recent 10-year average of 266,306geese.However, populations remain signifi-

cantly above the management goal of150,000.“Hunting remains the most effective

and efficient way to manage residentCanada geese, provided hunters can gainaccess to geese in problem areas,” Ja-cobs said.The first youth waterfowl hunting day

will be held statewide on Sept. 20, andthe second day will vary by duck-hunt-ing zone and will be announced when

Migratory Bird Seasons Set in PA

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Ohio Valley Outdoors - Photo by Larry ClaypoolThe daily bag limit in each dove-hunting

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Turn To Bird Page 18


Evyn Papic23-lbs.

Columbiana County, OH

Tori Crubaugh11-lbs.

Mahoning County, OH

Calvin Joy21-lbs.


Luke Courtney1st turkey


Earl Clutter25lbs., 11"beard


Robert Vilk19-lbs.


Allen Deibel21-lbs.

Mahoning 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

Joe LudoviciHancock County, WV

PHOTO SHOWCASE SPONSORED BY


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late migratory game bird seasons are se-lected in mid-August.Youth waterfowl days are open to li-

censed junior hunters who are 12 to 15years old. To participate, a youngstermust be accompanied by an adult, whomay assist the youth in calling, duckidentification and other aspects of thehunt. During those hunts, youth can har-vest ducks, mergansers, coots and

moorhens, and both youth and licensedadults can harvest Canada geese.During youth waterfowl days, youth

and adults have the same daily limit forCanada geese in the area being hunted.Bag limits for ducks, mergansers, cootsand moorhens will be consistent with thelimit for the regular season. Pennsylvania’s woodcock season re-

tains its longer format this year, openingon Oct. 18 and closing on Nov. 29. Thedaily limit remains three, with a posses-

sion limit of nine. Migratory game bird hunters, includ-

ing those afield for doves and wood-cock, are required to obtain and carry aPennsylvania migratory game bird li-cense ($3.70 for residents, $6.70 fornonresidents), as well as a general hunt-ing, combination or lifetime license. Allwaterfowl hunters age 16 and older alsomust possess a federal migratory gamebird and conservation (duck) stamp.Hunting hours for all migratory birds

close at sunset, except for SeptemberCanada geese, as noted above, and thesnow goose conservation season.The ‘Pennsylvania 2014-15 Guide to

Migratory Bird Hunting’ brochure isposted on the Game Commission’s web-site (www.pgc.state.pa.us).Hunters are encouraged to report leg-

banded migratory game bird recoveriesonline at www.reportband.gov, or usethe toll-free number (1-800-327-BAND).

Bird From Page 16

HARRISBURG, PA—More than 900,000

hunters take to Penn’sWoods each fall to pur-sue their favorite gamespecies. The Game Com-mission recognizes thisimportant Pennsylvaniatradition and is launchinga campaign to continue topromote hunting in our state. The cam-paign revolves around a website titledGoHuntPA.org and is designed to con-nect hunters like you with the informa-tion you need to go hunting in PA.GoHuntPA.org is a website for

hunters, by hunters. Whether you huntto provide food for your table, to spendtime with friends or family, or to con-nect with nature; GoHuntPA.org hassomething for you.At www.GoHuntPA.org, hunters can

learn more about hunting opportunitiesnear them, what’s in season, how to be-come a better hunter, where to conve-niently buy a hunting license, subscribefor emails, and more.There is information for every stage

of your hunt. For in-stance, are you lookingfor properties where youcan hunt? Visit the“Where to Hunt” sectionand find the locations ofmore than 12,000 pri-vately owned Hunter-Ac-cess properties. You canalso find information to

hunt on state parks, state forests andmore.Are you interested in information on

upcoming seasons? Tune in for a SeasonVideo Forecast or use the weatherwidget and hunting hours tab to planyour day afield in the “What’s in Sea-son” section.Are you teaching a person new to

hunting? Visit the “Learn to Hunt” sec-tion for safe hunting video tips, informa-tion on Hunter-Trapper Educationcourses, the newAdult Mentor Programand more.GoHuntPA.org is your one-stop-shop

for information on hunting in Pennsyl-vania. As you prepare for the season,check back into the website often.


PAGC Introduces GoHuntPA.orgCAIRO, WV — Forty-seven years

and still wildly popular is the NatureWonder Weekend at North Bend StatePark. This year’s event is set for Sept.19-21. The late nature author Euell Gib-bons initiated an interest in wild food,turning dandelions and paw paws intogourmet delicacies. The event, NorthAmerica’s premier and longest-runningwild foods event, begins Friday eveningand concludes Sunday afternoon. It in-cludes speakers, presentations, naturewalks, and collection and preparation ofwild foods.“This year’s event has a focus on

mushrooms,” said organizer EmilyFleming. “Gary Lincoff of New YorkCity is the featured speaker with the as-sistance of members of the West Vir-ginia Mushroom Club.”Lincoff has led mushroom study trips

and forays worldwide and is a featured“Myco-visionary” in the award-winningdocumentary “Know Your Mush-rooms.” Lincoff is also the author of theAudubon Society Field Guide to NorthAmerican Mushrooms.

The weekendactivities in-clude a parktour, dinner,presentations,the Hazel WoodNational WildFood CookingContest and theBill Faust WildCake Contest.The Wild DrinkContest winner isawarded the hon-orary Maxine Scarbro Friendship Cup.The weekend offers overnight pack-

ages as well as day-only attendance op-tions. The individual cost is $169 whentwo people share a room. To register,contact Wendy Greene at 304-558-2754or email [email protected] forms and additional infor-mation also are available online at theEvent Calendar listings atwww.northbendsp.com. Overnight op-tions include lodge rooms, cabins orcamping sites.

Nature Wonder WeekendSet at North Bend

Ohio Valley Outdoors -Photo by Denny Fetty

ph 330.359.5708 toll free 800.359.7522 1.5 miles West of Winesburg on US 62

Monday-Friday 7-5 Saturday 9-2

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Relax.rest. unwind.go fishing

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Ohio Valley Outdoor Times 9-2014

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