Jason P. Hadsell has been assigned as the new state wildlife officer for Ashtabula County, according to the Ohio Division of Wildlife.

Hadsell, who has served as the Cuyahoga County wildlife officer since 2005, will take over the job duties of Wildlife Officer Wade Dunlap, who recently transferred to Tuscarawas County.

At-large wildlife officer Jon Coffman will temporarily oversee wildlife-related issues in Cuyahoga County until a permanent replacement has been assigned.

“Jason is a very friendly and approachable officer who will serve the citizens of Ashtabula County well on all wildlife related programs, while enforcing fish and wildlife regulations to conserve our wildlife resources,” District 3 Manager Jeff Herrick said. “We are getting an experienced officer which will make for a seamless transition in authority.”

Hadsell, 28 and a native of Napoleon, Ohio, received an associates degree in Fish and Wildlife Management from Hocking College in 2002 and is a 2005 graduate of Ohio’s Wildlife Officer Academy.

To contact Hadsell, call (330) 245-3036.



Gone, not forgotten

Dunlap will be missed dearly by all the legitimate sportspersons in Ashtabula County. We’ve had our fair share of Wildlife Officers over the last bunch of years and they were all good guys and fine officers. But in my opinion Wade was outstanding.

He made it a point to show up at darn near every Hunter Education class that happened. He was a main stay at our Ashtabula County League meetings, reporting on anything and everything that was happening in and around our area. He also kept us well informed as to state level incidents that may have influenced Ashtabula County and the sportspersons in it. He was at every conservation banquet and supported whatever outdoor cause they we promoting. If it had to with the outdoors, hunting, fishing or wildlife in general, Wade was there.

Wade was a little green when he arrived here but he grew and developed. He developed into one of the finest Wildlife Officer we’ve had in a long time and as far as I’m concerned, will have for a long time.

I wish him much success and all the luck in the world in his new undertaking, Tuscarawas County.



Fall gobble time

Wild turkey hunting opened in 48 Ohio counties on Saturday, Oct. 10, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. The season continues through Sunday, Nov. 29.



Below-average hatch

“Summer brood observations suggest a below average wild turkey hatch this year,” wildlife biologist Mike Reynolds said. “In addition, acorn crops were highly variable across Ohio this fall. In areas with poor acorn production, hunters may have more success locating turkeys around agricultural fields rather than on hardwood ridges.”



Fall stats

Hunters harvested 2,139 wild turkeys during last year’s fall season. Reynolds added that Ohio’s current wild turkey population is around 200,000. He anticipates as many as 20,000 people, not counting private landowners hunting on their own property, will enjoy Ohio’s fall wild turkey season. Defiance and Williams counties will be open to fall turkey hunting for the first time this season.



Rules & regs

Only one turkey of either sex may be taken during the entire fall season. A Fall Turkey Hunting Permit is required. Hours are half an hour before sunrise to sunset from Oct. 10 through Nov. 29. Shotguns, using shot, crossbows and longbows are permitted. Turkeys must be checked in the county where taken by 8 p.m. on the day the bird is shot.

The ODNR Division of Wildlife advises turkey hunters to wear hunter orange clothing when entering, leaving or moving through hunting areas in order to remain visible to others.

The 2009-10 licenses will not be printed on weatherproof paper. Sportsmen and women should protect their licenses and permits from the elements by carrying them in a protective pouch or wallet.

Additional details regarding fall wild turkey hunting and safety information can be found in Publication 85, Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations or online at wildohio.com.



Youth opportunities

According to the Ohio Division of Wildlife, Ohio’s youth hunters will again have several added opportunities to learn and practice their hunting skills this fall. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife offers several ways for families to hunt together and create lasting traditions in the state’s outdoors.

n WATERFOWL — Youngsters age 15 and younger wanting to pursue waterfowl may do so, statewide, on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 3-4.

n SMALL GAME — Hunters age 17 and younger may hunt statewide for rabbit, pheasant and all other legal game in season during two designated weekends, Oct. 24-25 and Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. Quail also may be taken in 16 designated open counties. Pheasant releases for young hunters will occur prior to these dates on the following state wildlife areas: Resthaven, Oxbow, Berlin, Killdeer Plains, Camp Belden, Grand River, Spencer, Wellington, Delaware, Dillon, Caesar Creek, Rush Run, Fallsville and Darke, as well as Charlemont Metropark in Lorain County.

n WHITE-TAILED DEER — A youth deer-gun season will be open statewide, Nov. 21- 22. Young hunters age 17 and younger who are accompanied by a non-hunting adult may take one deer of either sex during this season, in accordance with existing bag and deer zone limits.

n WILD TURKEY — It is not too early to be planning to participate in the spring youth wild turkey hunting for 2010. A statewide spring youth wild turkey season will be offered on Saturday and Sunday, April 17-18. This hunt is open to youths age 17 and younger.

n CONTROLLED HUNTS — The Division of Wildlife also offers several controlled hunts for young hunters throughout the hunting season. Applications to participate in these hunts are accepted June 1 through July 31. Applications are available at the division’s five district offices and on wildohio.com, and may be completed by mail or online. There are controlled youth hunts for white-tailed deer, wild turkey and waterfowl.



Controlled-hunt rules

To participate in the upcoming youth hunts, all young hunters must be accompanied by a non-hunting adult, and must abide by all regular hunting hours and bag limits. A valid 2009-10 youth hunting license, along with the appropriate permits, are required. For complete details on all of Ohio’s youth hunting seasons, refer to 2009-10 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations booklet, call 1-800-WILDLIFE (1-800-945-3543) or go online to wildohio.com.



Pheasant release

More than 15,000 ring-necked pheasants will be released on 30 public hunting areas across the state this fall, as part of a seasonal effort by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife to enhance hunting opportunities for this popular game bird.



Dates

Ring-necked pheasants will be released on the evenings (after shooting hours) of Oct. 23 and 30 in anticipation of the weekends’ small-game season for youth hunters. Releases will also take place on the evenings of Nov. 5 and 13.The final release of the fall is scheduled for the evening of Wednesday, Nov. 25 to increase pheasant hunting opportunities during the Thanksgiving weekend.

The normal Pheasant hunting season opens Friday, November 6 and remains open through Jan. 10, 2010, with a daily bag limit of two rooster (male) birds. Statewide hunting hours are sunrise to sunset.



Newbies

Two new areas not listed in the hunting regulations have been added to this year’s list of release sites: Tiffin River Wildlife Area in Fulton County and Ringneck Ridge in Sandusky County. Ringneck Ridge is owned and operated by the Sandusky County Park District and will require a free permit to hunt. For more information regarding the issuance of these free hunting permits, contact the Sandusky County Park Office at (419) 334-4495 or the Sandusky County Park District Ranger Office at (419) 637-2900. These areas will provide larger, high quality areas for hunters to use.



Final year

This will be the last year for pheasant releases at Maumee State Forest and North Turkeyfoot State Park. Both Maumee State Forest and North Turkeyfoot State Park have seen dramatic declines in the amount and quality of grassland habitat available for sportsman to use over the past decade.



Misunderstood

The most misunderstood firearm — modern sporting rifles, based on the AR-15 platform — are widely owned by hunters and target shooters and are not “assault weapons.”

The National Shooting Sports Foundation has launched a national media campaign designed to correct widespread misperceptions among gun owners and non-gun owners about AR-15-style rifles, also known as modern sporting rifles.

“The best-selling rifles in America today are those based on the AR-15 platform, they are today’s modern sporting rifles, yet they remain America’s most misunderstood firearm because of confusion caused by their cosmetic features,” said Steve Sanetti, president of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, trade association for the firearms industry.



Lookalikes

Sanetti said the confusion is understandable because a modern sporting rifle looks like a military firearm, like an M-16, for example. “We want people to understand that these civilian sporting rifles function just like many other sporting rifles, as semi-automatics, firing only one round with each pull of the trigger, and are widely used by hunters and target shooters and for home protection. They are not ‘evil’ or ‘bad’ firearms, as some would have you think,” Sanetti emphasized.



Evolution

The media campaign illustrates how for more than 100 years rifles used by the military that possess battlefield requirements of accuracy, ruggedness and reliability became, understandably, popular civilian sporting rifles. This military-to-civilian evolution can be seen in some of the most famous rifle models of all time, including the 1903 Springfield bolt-action rifle of World War I, the Garand semi-automatic rifle of World War II and the M-16 rifle of the Vietnam era. In the case of the M-16, its civilian version, the AR-15, was modified so that it functioned only as a semi-automatic.

Today’s AR-15-style modern sporting rifles are just another step in the evolution of the tools hunters and target shooters use to enjoy their activities. These rifles may not look like current hunting rifles, but remember, your current hunting rifle probably doesn’t look much like your grandfather’s rifle either.



Not assault firearms

Sanetti emphasized that these AR-15-platform sporting rifles are not “assault weapons,” as they are frequently and incorrectly labeled by organizations, media and elected officials who would like to ban them. “An assault weapon is fully automatic — a machine gun — while rifles based on the AR-15 platform are semi-automatic,” said Sanetti. “Civilian ownership of fully automatic firearms has been severely restricted since 1934.”



Educate sportsmen

The multi-pronged campaign will use print, video and Web-based components to reach as wide an audience as possible, with emphasis placed on educating sportsmen whose preference for traditional-looking firearms can lead them to misunderstand AR-15-platform rifles and to even describe them using terms such as “assault weapon,” which inadvertently lends support to those wanting to ban these rifles.

The campaign’s educational ads have been placed in major firearm and sporting magazines such as Field & Stream and Outdoor Life and on outdoor cable television networks. The campaign’s materials can also be seen on a dedicated Web site, which expands the educational messages delivered in the media campaign to promote an even better understanding of how civilian sporting rifles have evolved from military rifles over time.



On the Web

The Web site offers video, a timeline of military-to-civilian rifle evolution plus interactive features that identify the components and functionality of modern sporting rifles. There is also a facts section of the site, where gun owners can arm themselves with facts to correct individuals, media and organizations who are misinformed about these rifles.

The NSSF is asking everyone who values their gun ownership rights to correct misunderstandings about the use and operation of these modern sporting rifles. If we let misinformation go unchecked, we only assist those who would ban ownership of these and other types of semi-automatic firearms, like your duck-hunting shotgun. We can’t let that happen.

Remember, pass it on or it will surely pass on.



Sunderlin is a freelance writer from Geneva. Reach him at djss@roadrunner.com.