Northwest Ohio – Wildlife District Two
Newcomers to Lake Erie walleye fishing from southern Ohio were contacted by State Wildlife Officer Brian Baker, assigned to Lake Erie, at the Huron boat ramp. The group was checked for license and bag limit compliance and found to have caught three walleye on a day when most anglers returned with their limit of six. Officer Baker shared locations and depths where fish were being caught with the anglers and provided data from the Precision Trolling App so the crankbaits the anglers were using would reach the depths where most walleye were being caught. The anglers were grateful for the officer’s help and were excited to get back on the water to put the information to use.
During the 2022 white-tailed deer gun hunting season, State Wildlife Officer Nathan Cass, assigned to Crawford County, and Wildlife Officer Supervisor Kevin Russell observed a group of hunters conducting a deer drive. The officers noticed three harvested deer in the back of one of the hunters’ trucks. There were no hunters accompanying the deer and no tags attached.
When the hunters returned to the truck, the officers checked hunting licenses and deer permits to determine which hunters had harvested the deer. All three hunters were issued a summons for leaving a dead deer unattended without a valid deer permit, management permit, landowner deer tag, or game check confirmation number attached. Each hunter pleaded guilty in the Crawford County Municipal Court and paid $185 in fines and court costs.
Central Ohio – Wildlife District One
State Wildlife Officer Maurice Irish, assigned to Delaware County, State Wildlife Officer Chad Grote, assigned to Marion County, Law Operations Manager Josh Shields, and Wildlife Officer Supervisor Tony Zerkle attended Alum Creekend at Alum Creek State Park with R3 coordinator Jordan Phillips, District One manager Kassie Mitchell, and intern Joey Lepard. Staff provided hands-on instruction for archery and provided samples of venison sliders and walleye tacos through the Ohio Division of Wildlife’s mobile kitchen.
State Wildlife Officer Jade Heizer, assigned to Fairfield County, discovered a white-tailed deer hunting violation during the 2022-23 season. The violations included providing false information while checking in a deer and hunting without a valid deer permit and hunting license. The suspect was issued a summons for hunting without a license and paid a total of $478.50 in fines and court costs, of which $200 came back to the Ohio Division of Wildlife.
Northeast Ohio – Wildlife District Three
State Wildlife Officer Supervisor Scott Denamen, State Wildlife Officer Michael Greer, assigned at-large in northeast Ohio, and State Wildlife Officer Randy White, assigned to Lorain County, participated in a fish and game dinner at the Julia De Burgos Cultural Arts Center in Cuyahoga County. Forty attendees learned about different culinary dishes that incorporate wild game. To view recipe ideas used at the event as well as others, check out the Wild Ohio Harvest Community page at www.wildohio.gov/
State Wildlife Officers Mark Williams and Jason Warren, assigned to Ashtabula County and Lake Erie, respectively, contacted anglers at the Vermilion boat ramp who were returning from a successful fishing trip on Lake Erie. When asked to show their valid Ohio fishing license, each angler in the group produced a Pennsylvania fishing license instead. Each angler was issued a summons for fishing without a license. Eighteen walleye were seized as evidence.
Southeast Ohio – Wildlife District Four
In June 2021, State Wildlife Officer Ted Witham, assigned to Jackson County, was notified that an individual was harvesting ginseng in Gallia County during the closed season. Officer Witham was joined at the scene by State Wildlife Officer Cole Tilton, assigned to Vinton County. The officers discovered a vehicle parked on an old logging road and encountered an individual in the woods nearby. The officers learned there was ginseng in the vehicle and retrieved 66 green ginseng roots. The roots were held as evidence and the suspect was issued a citation for digging during the closed season. The case is pending in Gallipolis Municipal Court.
Southwest Ohio – Wildlife District Five
Wildlife Officer Supervisor Matt Hunt recently presented to the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base game warden program. He talked to Security Forces Officers who will serve as base game wardens during the 2023-24 hunting seasons. The officers were given a brief overview of Ohio game laws and tips for contacting hunters.
State Wildlife Officer Matt Roberts, assigned to Highland County, and Investigator Joel Buddelmeyer recently finished a case involving a wild turkey shot from a roadway. Evidence collected by the officers resulted in a guilty verdict. The defendant pleaded guilty to hunting without permission and deterring an officer. The shooter was ordered to pay $450 in fines, $750 in restitution, and $120 in court costs, and received a one-year hunting license revocation and two years of probation.
