Central Ohio – Wildlife District One
While contacting ice anglers on Buckeye Lake, State Wildlife Officer Brady Stevens, assigned at-large in central Ohio, was approached by an angler who had questions about the removal of the minimum length requirement on saugeye. Officer Stevens explained that the change was made after research by Ohio Division of Wildlife fisheries biologists showed that removing the requirement would not harm the fish population. Officer Stevens also directed the angler to a handout which summarized this research. The angler thanked Officer Stevens for his time and willingness to have a conversation.
During the youth white-tailed deer gun hunting weekend, State Wildlife Officer Jade Heizer, assigned to Fairfield County, responded to a complaint of an adult hunter who appeared to be hunting with a firearm and not wearing hunter orange. Officer Heizer responded and contacted the hunter, who had a crossbow. The hunter was wearing camouflage clothing and an orange cap. The hunter did not possess an illegal hunting implement and had permission to hunt on the property but had forgotten an orange vest. The hunter was issued a summons for hunting during a gun season without visibly wearing a vest, coat, jacket, or coveralls that are either solid hunter orange or camouflage hunter orange. The hunter paid $100 in court costs and a $50 fine in Circleville Municipal court.
Northwest Ohio – Wildlife District Two
State Wildlife Officer Adam Stachler, assigned to Fulton County, received a Turn-In-a-Poacher report about an individual hunting white-tailed deer with a gun after the gun season had ended. Officer Stachler contacted the hunter, who was found to be deer hunting with a firearm in the closed season. The hunter was issued a summons and paid $300 in fines and court costs. If you suspect a wildlife violation has taken place, you can report it anonymously by calling 1-800-POACHER (1-800-762-2437).
State Wildlife Officer Nolan Johnson, assigned to Van Wert County, donated 147 pounds of venison that had been seized as evidence to the Van Wert Cooperative Ministries. This was the first time the organization received a donation from the Ohio Division of Wildlife and they were very grateful. When possible, venison seized as evidence in white-tailed deer violation cases is donated to food pantries.
Northeast Ohio – Wildlife District Three
While patrolling the Pymatuning State Park causeway, State Wildlife Officer Joshua Quail, assigned to Ashtabula County, and State Wildlife Officer Jason Warren, assigned to Lake Erie, contacted an angler. They discovered that the individual did not have a valid fishing license and had taken four smallmouth bass that were shorter than the minimum length requirement. Officer Quail issued the angler citations for fishing without a license and for keeping undersized fish. Officer Quail provided the individual with a copy of the fishing regulations and advised the angler to buy a license before returning to fish. The individual was found guilty in Ashtabula Eastern County Court and paid $245 in fines and court costs.
In September, State Wildlife Officer Aaron Brown, assigned to Wayne County, and State Wildlife Officer Mike Greer, assigned to Cuyahoga County, served as instructors at a Women in the Outdoors event in Holmes County. The annual event is organized by the National Wild Turkey Federation. Officers Brown and Greer taught 15 women how to field dress a white-tailed deer and further process the deer into usable cuts of meat. More than 150 women participated in the three-day event.
Southeast Ohio – Wildlife District Four
During the 2024 white-tailed deer gun hunting season, State Wildlife Officer Jacob Parker, assigned to Monroe County, and Law Operations Manager Jay Abele contacted two hunters, an adult and a youth. The adult was issued a summons for having more than three cartridges in the chamber and magazine combined. The individual paid $100 in fines and $85 in court costs.
Southwest Ohio – Wildlife District Five
In November 2024, State Wildlife Officer Gus Kiebel, assigned to Adams County, received a call from a North Carolina wildlife officer about a white-tailed deer that was transported into North Carolina in violation of their Chronic Wasting Disease regulations. Upon reviewing the game check information, both officers suspected illegal activity. State Wildlife Investigator Joel Buddelmeyer and Officer Kiebel contacted an Ohio landowner, who they discovered had game-checked two deer for the nonresident hunter. North Carolina wildlife resources officers interviewed the nonresident suspect. The hunter had harvested an antlered and antlerless deer that the Ohio landowner had checked, as well as another buck. The suspect was charged for taking more than one antlered deer in a season and for several tagging violations. In February, the suspect was sentenced in Adams County Court to pay $6,479.06 in restitution and $600 in court costs, lost hunting privileges for one year, and forfeited the unlawfully possessed deer.
State Wildlife Officer Alex Almeter, assigned to Greene County, recently received a Turn-In-a-Poacher call regarding an injured bald eagle that required immediate care. Officer Almeter transported the eagle to the Glen Helen Raptor Center for further diagnosis. The raptor center emphasizes education about raptors and their role in Ohio ecosystems and rehabilitates injured raptors with the goal of release back into the wild.
