Central Ohio – Wildlife District One
State Wildlife Officers Jade Heizer and John Coffman, assigned to Fairfield and Fayette counties, respectively, conducted a litter enforcement project at Buckeye Lake in response to public complaints. Misdemeanor summonses were written to two individuals for state property litter and another individual was cited for keeping sport fish caught with a cast net. Individuals paid fines totaling $320 for litter offenses and $85 for the cast net violation. Three crappie were seized and forfeited to the state.
State Wildlife Officer Josh Elster, assigned to Pickaway County, received a call regarding two individuals hunting geese on a business retention pond in West Jefferson. Officer Elster found that one hunter did not have the required Ohio Wetlands Habitat Stamp and the other was missing a federal migratory bird stamp. One subject’s shotgun did not have a plug, and both hunters possessed lead shot. Officer Elster also discovered that the hunters did not have permission to hunt the property. The subjects were charged in Madison County Municipal Court for hunting without permission, hunting waterfowl without a federal stamp, hunting waterfowl without a state wetlands stamp, hunting waterfowl with an unplugged firearm, and hunting waterfowl with lead shot. The subjects were also charged by the West Jefferson Police Department for hunting inside village limits and discharging a firearm inside village limits. Each suspect was ordered to pay $500 in fines and court costs for the wildlife violations and $300 for the violations charged by the police department.
Northwest Ohio – Wildlife District Two
In May, State Wildlife Officers Nathan Kaufmann and Payton Phenicie, assigned to Richland and Wyandot counties, respectively, received a call regarding a white-tailed deer fawn that was stuck in a large hole in the ground. When the officers arrived, they found a fawn in a hole along with a mother raccoon and four young raccoons. The officers rescued the fawn and raccoons and released them in a nearby woodlot. The fawn reunited with a doe within 10 minutes.
Northeast Ohio – Wildlife District Three
State Wildlife Officers Nick Turner, Jesse Janosik, Scott Cartwright, and Craig Porter, assigned to Harrison, Columbiana, Carroll, and Jefferson counties, respectively, as well as State Wildlife Officer Kiri Williams, assigned at-large in northeast Ohio, attended Camp Canopy. The officers worked the rifle and shotgun ranges at the wildlife and forestry camp, offering campers a fun, safe, and educational experience in shooting sports.
During the 2023-24 white-tailed deer gun hunting season, State Wildlife Officer Michael Budd, assigned to Tuscarawas County, and State Wildlife Officer Scott Cartwright, assigned to Carroll County, received a complaint of hunting without permission. The officers and State Wildlife Officer Supervisor Eric Bear gathered evidence at the scene. Later that day, the officers contacted the occupants of a vehicle matching the description of the suspect’s vehicle. The officers discovered the four individuals in the vehicle had hunted without permission and issued each a summons for the violation. The individuals were found guilty in Harrison County Court and were ordered to pay $760 in fines.
Southeast Ohio – Wildlife District Four
On the opening day of this year’s dove hunting season, State Wildlife Officer Taylor Combs, assigned to Guernsey County, and Wildlife Officer Supervisor Brad St. Clair patrolled the dove fields in Salt Fork Wildlife Area. The officers contacted approximately 80 hunters. The officers issued two summonses for hunting with an unplugged shotgun, one for driving in a non-designated area, and one for taking a nongame species.
State Wildlife Officer Ryan Donnelly, assigned to Athens County, received a late-night phone call about someone attempting to retrieve a boat from Penrod Lake at Waterloo Wildlife Area. Officer Donnelly responded and found a truck, ATV, and trailer on a lane that is closed to vehicles. An individual got a truck stuck while attempting to pull a jet ski out of the pond. No motorized boats are allowed on the pond, and there is no boat ramp. The suspect returned the next day and removed all the equipment. The individual was issued a summons for driving in a non-designated area and paid $190 in fines and court costs.
Southwest Ohio – Wildlife District Five
In May, State Wildlife Officer Micah Collier, assigned to Brown County, noticed a suspicious vehicle parked in Shawnee State Forest. Officer Collier spotted two individuals hiding in the woods near the vehicle and contacted them. Officer Collier found that both individuals had harvested yellow root on state forest property. Both individuals were issued summonses for removing vegetation from a state forest, which is prohibited in Ohio, and were convicted in the Adams County Court. Each individual was ordered to pay a $25 fine and $100 in court costs. Two bags of yellow root were seized as evidence and forfeited to the Ohio Division of Wildlife.
State Wildlife Officer Jason Keller, assigned to Warren County, along with K-9 Officer Scout, Outdoor Skills Specialist Jon Ankenbauer, and Natural Resources Technician Tom Henning recently assisted at a veteran’s kayak fishing event. The event was hosted by the Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District, Casting Freedom, and The Onion Bag Project. Casting Freedom equips wounded combat veterans, veterans, and Gold Star family members for fishing so they can experience the therapeutic benefits of the outdoors. The Onion Bag Project places used onion bags in designated locations along waterways and encourages paddlers to collect litter in the bags.
