Central Ohio – Wildlife District One
While on patrol at Deer Creek Wildlife Area, State Wildlife Officer John Coffman, assigned to Fayette County, contacted an angler. When Officer Coffman conducted a license check, the individual presented a fishing license that expired in 2023. Officer Coffman could not find a valid fishing license on the angler’s file in the licensing system. The individual was issued a summons for fishing without a license and paid $130 in fines and court costs.
During the opening day of the early waterfowl hunting season, State Wildlife Officer Nicholas Oliver, assigned to Champaign County, conducted hunter compliance checks at Indian Lake. He contacted a hunter with a shotgun capable of holding more than three rounds who did not have a valid Ohio Wetlands Habitat Stamp. The stamp is required of hunters aged 18 and older who hunt waterfowl in Ohio, and migratory bird hunters are required to have their shotgun plugged if it can hold more than three shells. The individual was issued summonses for the violations.
Northwest Ohio – Wildlife District Two
In 2023, State Wildlife Officer Matt. D. Smith, assigned to Huron County, learned that an individual who was prohibited from possessing a firearm had harvested a white-tailed deer with a firearm and falsely game-checked the harvest. Officer Smith also discovered a felony warrant for the suspect’s arrest. When Officer Smith apprehended the suspect, he discovered a concealed firearm and two antlered deer mounts that were untagged. He later learned of additional wildlife violations. This spring, the individual was charged for several misdemeanor wildlife violations and a felony charge of possessing a firearm unlawfully. The defendant was found guilty of the felony and sentenced to one year in prison and two years of supervised parole. A handgun and antlered deer mounts were forfeited to the state, and the individual paid more than $1,000 in fines, court costs, and attorney fees.
State Wildlife Investigator Travis Abele was conducting a license compliance check near South Bass Island when he contacted an angler with a crankbait stuck in an ear. Investigator Abele boarded the vessel and removed the treble hook from the crankbait. He then followed the boat back to South Bass Island State Park and safely removed the hook once on shore. The angler was grateful for Investigator Abele’s assistance.
Northeast Ohio – Wildlife District Three
State Wildlife Officer Aaron Brown, assigned to Wayne County, received information regarding individuals harvesting greater and lesser yellowlegs. Yellowlegs have no open season for harvest in Ohio. Officer Brown witnessed one individual harvest a bird. State Wildlife Officer Michael Greer, assigned to Cuyahoga County, arrived to assist. The officers approached the individuals, who showed their birds and explained they were hunting for snipe. All but one bird in each hunter’s possession was a snipe. Officer Brown explained the difference between yellowlegs and snipe and the habitats where snipe are found. The individuals were each issued one summons for taking a game bird for which there is no open season. The individuals paid fines and court costs of $180.
State Wildlife Officer Michael Budd, assigned to Tuscarawas County, and State Wildlife Officer Supervisor Eric Bear hosted a white-tailed deer antler measuring training at the Ohio Division of Wildlife District Three headquarters. State wildlife officers and wildlife management staff participated in this valuable antler-scoring training. This skill is useful for determining restitution values in deer poaching cases.
Southeast Ohio – Wildlife District Four
While patrolling at Appalachian Hills Wildlife Area over Labor Day weekend, State Wildlife Officer Anthony Lemle, assigned to Noble County, observed two vehicles driving in a non-designated area. The vehicles drove across a dam to a pond and down a steep embankment. Both drivers were contacted and issued summonses in Noble County Court for operating a vehicle in a restricted area. Both drivers pleaded guilty and each paid $140 in fines and court costs.
State Wildlife Officer Cole Tilton, assigned to Vinton County, received information from Wayne National Forest Officer Lamar Wilson about individuals digging ginseng prior to the start of the season. Ohio’s ginseng harvest season is Sept. 1 to Dec. 31 annually. Wildlife Investigator Kirk Kiefer and Officer Tilton contacted a suspect and located unlawfully possessed ginseng roots. Officer Tilton, Officer Wilson, and State Wildlife Officer Levi Boggs, assigned to Gallia County, conducted a follow-up interview with another suspect, who was in possession of unlawfully dug ginseng roots. Each individual pleaded guilty in Vinton County Court for illegally possessing ginseng and paid $250 in fines and court costs. The ginseng was seized as evidence and forfeited to the Ohio Division of Wildlife.
Southwest Ohio – Wildlife District Five
State Wildlife Officers Isaiah Gifford, assigned to Clinton County, and Alex Almeter, assigned to Greene County, operated a display at the Ohio Gun Collectors Association annual fall event. The officers also instructed at the hunter education course hosted at the event. Thirty-five students attended and successfully completed the course.
Wildlife Officer Mathew Bourne, assigned to Clark County, responded to a call from a local park regarding a fish kill in a pond. Officer Bourne located two invasive bighead carp. Wildlife District Five fish management staff surveyed the pond and found no additional bighead carp. Native to eastern Asia, bighead carp are an invasive species that threatens local aquatic habitats and fish species. Anglers can help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species by properly disposing of unused bait and cleaning all fishing and boating equipment after use.
