Former Division of Wildlife Law Enforcement Supervisor Doug Miller has been named the new District Manager for Wildlife District 3 in Northeast Ohio ,according to the ODNR Division of Wildlife.
Miller served as the Medina County Wildlife Officer for eight years prior to his promotion to Law Enforcement Supervisor in 2001. Miller succeeds Jeff Herrick, who retired from the position in February with more than 30 years of service.
“Doug has a thorough understanding of the Division of Wildlife’s mission and how all the branches of the agency interact and operate,” Jim Marshall, Acting Chief for the Division of Wildlife, said. “Due to his experience with overseeing the law enforcement section for nearly 10 years, he has superb leadership skills necessary for supervising a region with a large percentage of the state’s population.”
Miller holds a bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Management from West Virginia University and he received his certification in law enforcement from the Ohio Peace Officers Training Academy.
Prior to joining the Division of Wildlife Miller worked in a supervisory capacity with the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources.
Waterfowl drawing
The ODNR Division of Wildlife and the City of Akron invites waterfowl hunters to participate in a special drawing on Thursday, Sept. 16 for hunting at LaDue Reservoir. Registration at the Geauga County Fairgrounds will begin at 5:30 p.m. and the drawing will follow promptly at 6 p.m. There is no fee for applying. Hunters will place a registration card in a drum, names will be drawn for available dates and blinds, and first drawn will receive first choice.
Each applicant must bring a current or past year’s hunting license or Ohio wetlands stamp. There are ten (10) blind sites available and a calendar will be available showing all available hunting days for the 2010-2011 waterfowl season. A maximum of three persons may hunt each day and while the hunting partners may differ each day, the permit holder must always be present. Permits will be issued for a period of one week and may only be used for the blind location chosen. Hunting will occur only on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday until noon during the dates listed on the permit.
Only temporary blinds and electric boats motors are acceptable and all other outboard motors are prohibited.
Controlled trapping
Beaver and river otter trapping on public land will still require a special permit, but the method of acquiring the permit and permission to trap a particular public land area for beaver and river otters has changed, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Wildlife.
For the 2010-11 trapping season, controlled beaver and/or river otter trapping opportunities on 73 wildlife areas, state parks and other publicly managed lands statewide will be awarded through a new system of computer-generated random drawings, similar to the system used currently for controlled waterfowl and deer hunts in Ohio.
The application period will be September 15 through October 15. Applications will be accepted online only; there is a $3 charge associated with applying for each public land area or group of areas as will be noted on the application form. In most areas, permits will allow beaver and river otter trapping (in counties currently open to otter trapping); however, some permits may be limited to beaver trapping only.
Drawing results will be available in late October at wildohio.com, with permits and instructions being mailed in November to successful applicants. All controlled trapping permits will be transferable; they will be issued to an adult trapper with instructions for use of the permit on a particular public land area.
This revised system for awarding controlled beaver and/or river otter trapping opportunities on select public lands in Ohio will allow area managers to set specific limits and restrictions based on the trapping opportunities and needs for their areas.
“Our mission is to conserve and improve fish and wildlife resources and their habitats, while promoting their use and appreciation by the public,” said Suzie Prange, furbearer biologist for the Division of Wildlife. “We feel providing fewer trapping restrictions, where warranted, will allow us to better manage beaver populations and provide a more fair system for all trappers with an interest in these recreational opportunities.”
For the wildlife refuge portions of Killbuck Marsh and Mosquito Creek wildlife areas, the current system will not change, they are not part of the online lottery system; instead, sealed bids will be accepted in September for all furbearer trapping opportunities at these areas.
For official bid proposal forms and other information, contact the Division of Wildlife District 3 Office in early September at (330) 644-2293. Also, beaver trapping within American Electric Power’s recreation area, known as ReCreation Land, Avondale Wildlife Area, and Conesville Coal Lands will continue to require a special beaver trapping permit which is in addition to the normal user’s permit. This special beaver trapping permit is issued from the AEP Land Management office in McConnelsville, Ohio.
For more specific information, visit wildohio.com or call your nearest Wildlife district office.
Bowhunting blunders
There are many ways to foul up a bowhunting trip. But you can avoid some of the common mistakes if you plan ahead. No matter which bowhunting or gun hunting the goal is to get close enough to a deer to be within effective range of your weapon in hand. The difference is, to shoot a deer with a bow and arrow; you need to be a lot closer to it than you do with a slug gun.
And the closer you get to a deer, the more you’ll magnify all those things that worry you as a gun hunter, increasing the odds that a deer will detect your presence before you can make a clean ethical shot.
Also in bowhunting you’ll soon realize the need for precision shooting. Because a bow is less powerful than a rifle, the margin for error is smaller for estimating range. And because an arrow kills by hemorrhage, while a rifle bullet kills by shock, a bowhunter’s shot placement has to be more precise. You must put that arrow right through the boiler room to ensure a quick, clean harvest.
Following is a list of some common bowhunting errors and tips on how to avoid them:
The nose knows
It’s no secret that the whitetail’s greatest defense mechanism is its nose. To put your tag on a big buck or even a doe for that matter, you have to beat that deer’s sense of smell. And that task begins at home.
Wash your hunting clothes in unscented, bacteria-killing detergent, hang them outside to dry and then seal them in a plastic tub or bag to keep household odors from seeping into them.
In the container with your clothes you may want to put something that will smell like the area you’re going to hunt, dead leaves, acorns or some other earthy scent to impregnate the cloth with a cover scent to mask my own odor.
Another alternative is to purchase hunting clothes lined with carbon or one of the many other scent capturing materials which prevents human odors from escaping into the air. Then, don’t take your clothes out of their protective container until you’re in the field and ready to hunt.
Once you’re dressed and ready to go, spray yourself down with a scent eliminator, which kills human odor on contact. Unless you’re wearing scent eliminating clothing, then you needn’t do this, in fact most of the manufactures of this type of clothing recommend against it. There are dozens of brands of scent-killers on the market. You can also apply a cover scent to your boots, such as raccoon urine, to mask any human scent you may leave on the ground when you walk to your stand.
When you choose an area to hunt, pick multiple trees for your stand(s) so that you can hunt effectively no matter which direction the wind is blowing. Remember, you want to be always downwind of where you expect deer will appear. If a big buck gets one whiff of you, you might never see him. If you’re in a stand and the wind shifts, climb down and relocate.
Be still, you fool
Deer may not have the world’s greatest eyesight when it comes to picking out stationary objects, but twitch a finger at the wrong time, and they’ll nail you.
Most bowhunters hunt from elevated platforms, tree stands. When you set up your stand, try to find a spot that provides cover, such as tree branches, leaves or some other vegetation, behind you so that you can avoid being “skylined” with nothing but clear sky behind your outline. When you have no cover behind you, the movements of your dark body against the backdrop of the much-lighter sky are pronounced and easy to spot from the ground.
It’s also not a bad idea to have cover in front of you. Anything you can do to break up your silhouette is good. Of course, if you do have cover in front of you, you need to make sure you have lanes through which you can shoot an arrow at a deer.
Of course, when a deer approaches to within bow range of your stand, you’re going to have to move at some point. The key to not being spotted, whether you have good cover or not try is to avoid moving when a deer is looking your way. Try to move only when a tree or some other vegetation blocks the animal’s head or when it’s looking away from you.
Silence is golden
Whoever coined the phrase, “silence is golden,” must have been a bowhunter. Bowhunt long enough and you’ll swear deer can hear you change your mind. Have an arrow fall off your bow’s rest and hit the riser, or shift your weight on your tree stand so that it squeaks, and you’re likely to send any deer nearby high-tailing it out of the area.
Regularly check your climbing stand at home to see if any of its moving parts create any sounds. If they do, spray them with a shot of silicone gel. Also, cover your bow’s riser and shelf, the places an arrow might hit, with felt. Most archery shops carry patches of this quieting material, which has one sticky side so you can affix it to your bow.
When it’s cold, fabrics like nylon and cotton can get stiff, making noise when you move. Stick to fleece or wool materials, which are extremely quiet and warm to boot.
Know your distance
When you’re hunting with a rifle, the difference between 30 yards and 40 yards doesn’t matter. Aim dead on and you’ll get your deer at either distance. If you’re bowhunting, however, and you guess it’s 30 yards to a deer when it’s actually 40 or vice versa then you’re going to miss.
Bowhunters must be able to judge distance precisely in order to be effective. And today’s archers are fortunate to have laser range finders available to take away the guesswork. Simply point one of these devices at your target, press a button and you’ll instantly know how far away that target is.
But to avoid having to pull out your range finder, put it up to my face, take a reading on a deer, put it away and then pick up my bow, all while a deer is standing 30 yards away or so, use your range finder to mark trees around your stand long before any deer show up. That way, when a deer walks in front of one of your marked trees, you’ll know exactly how far away it is.
Of course, just when you think you’ve marked every necessary tree, a huge buck will walk through an area you haven’t ranged. So don’t neglect the art of judging distance using your eyes alone. Spend time looking at objects at known distances away, and your brain will become calibrated like a range finder. You’ll get a feel for when something is 20, 25, or 30 yards away.
Practice, practice
And then practice some more. For a deer to walk within bow range of your stand while you’re in it, so many things have to fall perfectly into place. Wouldn’t it be a shame to have the buck of a lifetime saunter up to you one morning, and you blow the deal with an errant arrow because you didn’t take time to practice your shooting?
The best way to avoid missing a deer with a bow and arrow is to practice, practice, practice. Shoot at 3-D targets to train yourself to target the vital lung area and drill it with an arrow. Shoot from your tree stand, so you can learn how to find that vital area from an elevated position. Because the arrow is traveling downward, you’ll have to aim higher on the deer’s body than if you were shooting from the ground. A higher impact point is necessary to get the arrow to travel through the “lung” of the vital area.
Practice shooting at a target that’s quartering away from you so you’ll learn to aim farther back than normal. Always practice shooting at targets in real-life hunting situations. That way, when opportunity presents itself in the woods, you’ll be ready.
Bowhunting deer might seem like a daunting game at first, but don’t be intimidated. Be smart and pay attention to details and this could be the year you find yourself within spitting distance of the trophy buck.
Sunderlin is a freelance writer from Geneva. Reach him at djss@roadrunner.com.
DATEBOOK
Conneaut Fish and Game Club: This is it folks the last one of the season, Sept. 18-19. Come one, come all, and practice for the last time on an excellent 3D course. Shoot starts at 7 a.m., last shooter out at 1 p.m. Donation is $8 per adult / $5 for children 13 and under, trophies awarded to the top 3 youths. Youth must be accompanied by a registered adult. Crossbows welcome, 30 Rinehart targets, “Hunting scenario set up,” food and beverages available. Directions: I-90 to Route 7. Route 7 North to Route 20. 20 West to Keefus Rd (Across from the Conneaut Plaza) Enter drive at sign and follow to the trap range.
Women’s Shooting Clinic, sponsored by The Orwell Gun Club and the NRA will be held on Saturday Sept. 25 from 9:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. Orwell Gun club is located at 8089 Higley Rd. Orwell. Preregistration is required and women from the age of 14 to 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Courses to be given are beginning instruction for handgun, rifle and shotgun. For more information and to register call (440-272-5583) or email orwellgunclub@gmail.com Leave your name, phone number and number of attendees.
