Central Ohio – Wildlife District One
State Wildlife Officer Matt Teders, assigned to Madison County, received a call about several barn owlets that fell from a nest. With help from the Ohio Wildlife Center, the owlets were rehabilitated and relocated to a foster nest. The following week, Officer Teders received a call about another barn owlet falling from the same nest, which was located on the side of a commercial building. The staff at the Ohio Wildlife Center determined this owlet could be returned to the original nest. The London Fire Department and the building’s maintenance staff helped Officer Teders install a ledge below the nest to prevent additional owlets from falling. Officer Teders attached a trail camera to the ledge to monitor the nest’s activity. Volunteers with the Ohio Wildlife Center returned the owlet to the nest.
State Wildlife Officer Austin Levering, assigned to Knox County, noticed two white-tailed deer carcasses hanging in a barn during the 2023-24 deer hunting season. He learned that neither deer was appropriately game checked, and the hunter who harvested those deer had not checked another deer. The individual was issued three summonses for failing to game check and attach a valid confirmation code to a harvested deer, and one summons for skinning or removing a deer’s head or cape before completing the game check process. The person paid $510 in fines and court costs in Licking County Municipal Court.
Northwest Ohio – Wildlife District Two
While on patrol, State Wildlife Officer Matt D. Smith, assigned to Huron County, was flagged down to assist a young angler. Officer Smith noticed the angler had caught a carp on a crankbait, but the lure’s other end was embedded in the angler. Officer Smith carefully removed the hooks using pliers and advised the person on proper care for the wound. The angler was appreciative of the impromptu treatment and returned to fishing.
During the 2023-24 white-tailed deer archery hunting season, State Wildlife Officer Nathan Cass, assigned to Crawford County, was contacted by a landowner regarding trail camera theft. Officer Cass responded to the property and located evidence of a recently harvested deer. The property owner advised that no hunters had permission to hunt or retrieve deer on the property. Officer Cass found a field dressing site and a trail camera nearby that held pictures of trespassers. Officer Cass investigated further and discovered the identity of the trespassers. Two hunters were issued a summons for hunting without permission and found guilty in Crawford County Municipal Court. They paid $285 in fines and court costs and were sentenced to one year of probation.
Northeast Ohio – Wildlife District Three
State Wildlife Officers Tom Frank, assigned to Mahoning County, Zach Hillman, assigned to Summit County, and Dan Shroyer, assigned at-large in northeast Ohio, attended a youth fishing derby at Lake Milton hosted by the Cleveland Chapter of Muskies Inc. The officers cooked walleye and venison tacos for participants using the Wild Ohio Harvest Community mobile kitchen. Several young anglers had their catches filleted and cooked to order.
State Wildlife Officer Randy White, assigned to Lorain County, observed an individual rabbit hunting on local railroad tracks posted with no trespassing signs. Officer White had received complaints about hunters in the past from the railroad company. Officer White contacted the hunter and issued a summons for hunting without permission. The suspect was convicted in Oberlin Municipal Court, the individual’s second hunting without permission offense, and paid more than $350 in fines.
Southeast Ohio – Wildlife District Four
In June, State Wildlife Officer Jeff Berry, assigned to Muskingum County, noticed off-road activity at Tri-Valley Wildlife Area and conducted surveillance. Officer Berry contacted two individuals who drove into an area restricted to vehicles. Each was issued a summons for operating a motor vehicle in a non-designated area. Both pleaded guilty in Muskingum County Court and were given the option to serve 10 days in jail or complete 200 hours of community service. Both chose to complete community service.
Southwest Ohio – Wildlife District Five
State Wildlife Officer Mathew Bourne, assigned to Clark County, and State Wildlife Officer Jasmine Grossnickle, assigned to Miami County, followed up on an unresolved white-tailed deer case from the 2022-23 deer hunting season. An individual was found to have harvested two antlered deer in one season. The suspect had used another person’s information to purchase a hunting license and deer permit before game checking one of the deer. One deer was seized as evidence and forfeited to the Ohio Division of Wildlife. The suspect pleaded guilty to two charges in Miami County Municipal Court, paid $323 in fines and court costs, and was ordered to pay $3,934.71 in restitution to the Ohio Division of Wildlife.
State Wildlife Officers Alex Almeter, assigned to Greene County, Isaiah Gifford, assigned to Clinton County, and Jacob Losekamp, assigned to Hamilton County, along with Supervisor David Warner, assisted with Free Range Day on Saturday, Aug. 17 at Spring Valley Wildlife Area Shooting Range. The range welcomed 330 visitors during Free Range Day, which is offered in conjunction with the National Shooting Sports Foundation Inc.’s National Shooting Sports Month. Ohio Division of Wildlife public shooting ranges provide comfortable, safe places to hone skills with rifles, shotguns, handguns, and archery equipment.
