Ohio Considering Changes on Deer Hunting

I recently saw a post on Facebook about a process that ODNR is using to consider some changes in the deer management regime.  Here's their link about it.
ODNR Info on Process for Deer Management

This presentation talks about some of the management issues and some of the potential changes to the system.  It's a little bit hard to read but it explains the issues around establishing deer management units, setting bag limits, potential abuses of landowner tags, etc. It does give you an idea of the thankless task these managers have (hunters want big populations, farmers and auto insurers want small populations, everybody wants a better public land hunting experience but nobody wants any restrictions, etc).
Presentation On Potential Changes

This is a summary of the opinions on this subject from the participants in this workshop.
Summary of Workshop Opinions

I rarely see any mention of the length of gun season.  To me, having only one week to hunt deer with a gun is major disadvantage of this state.  I'm not sure why all gun hunting has to go on the whole state only during one 7 day period.  If you are controlling the population with bag limits, why do you also have to limit the availability of hunting with a gun to just those few days per year?  In vastly reduces the potential participation and makes people crazy for one week.  Hard to be committed to a sport that only lets you do it 7 days a year.  All it takes is a weather event, a work event, a wedding, a childbirth or a funeral, and you miss a year's deer hunting. Keep the bag limits low and increase the time in the field - that's my vote.

In the meantime, I'll archery hunt, rifle hunt in Kentucky or go west - because I enjoy the time in the field.  But if anyone has an objective to improve hunter recruitment, having more than 7 days per year available to do it in would be a great first step.

Weather Change

Saturday at 11:00 am.

 24 hours later.  Supposed to rain later today.

I really like the snow because it reveals traffic patterns.  This spot is obviously a highway.

 It's hard to tell just a day later. I relocated a couple of cameras based on the tracks in the snow.

The radish, turnip and sugar beet field.

And a day later.

Poop of the week discovered in this field - buck bomb.

I went for a walk on Sunday morning,  Six weeks or so ago there were four gut piles right here.  I couldn't find a trace of them.

 I bumped a nice buck on my walk.  He was bedded here just off the ridge trail.  I was about 100 yards away when he stood up and took off.  I think that I recognized him from the trailcams.

 It amazes me how selective they are on what they rub.  These little spruces have gone nowhere in about 12 years - I suspect that this is why.

 Almost every one has been rubbed.

 I found this young buck carcass a year or two ago.  This is all that's left.

 I decided to make a batch of jerky.  I use the ground meat method and I prefer the Backwoods Original spices.

 I use a jerky blaster and about 3 or 4 hours in the dehydrator.  This was about a 5 pound batch.  It took three batches thru the dehydrator.

I have stored my bird seed in these plastic bins for years.  Some rodent chewed thru the plastic this year.  Ugh.

 One of my cameras in the woods had this trail of prints going around the back of it.  Do they know?  I moved the camera - we'll find out.

 On the last visit, we cleaned the fridge out and dumped the old veggies here.

 It got some attention but I think the cracked corn was what they really wanted.

 There was some conflict over the goodies.

 But it was all gone this week.

 Even after taking three bucks off the property this year, there are still nice bucks around.

 I'd be glad to see this guy next season.

 This might be the buck that I bumped on my walk.

 There is a series here with a mutant, the one sider, and a youngster.

 A fair amount of doe activity.

 Not one coyote picture in the last two weeks.

 Flocks of turkeys.  I walked into one of these flocks in the woods.  They just kept taking off and flying.

 No coyotes but the fox still appears.

The pond is frozen except for the aerator.

We are starting to have quite a collection for the birds.

3 months or so until turkey season.  Time to study the seed catalogs.  Also planning a fall elk hunt out west.  Not finalized yet but looking like this is the one Hubbards Yellowstone Outfitters.

It's Cold! (Part 2)

 I did the last post before breakfast - waiting for things to warm up a bit. So I eventually bundled up and went out for a hike.

 This is one of my Xmas gifts - a Zippo hand warmer.

 I gave it a try and it worked great.  Seems a little odd to have burning butane in your pocket but it works.

 On some of the cameras, I found old shots that must have been on camera memory instead of the card for some reason.  Here's one where Charlie shows up.  I think he was missing in all the previous ones.

 Anyway, this was me spreading some cracked corn yesterday.  I walked around and checked most of the cameras.  In some places they found the corn and in others it was virtually untouched over night.

 This was one of the more active spots.

 First this buck.

 Then this one and a number of does.

 Picked up an oak leaf?

 This was the scene of the overnight activity with the camera on the tree trunk.

 This is a different spot that went untouched.  In addition to corn, Joan cleaned out the fridge and there's apples, carrots, celery, potatoes, and even a couple jalapenos.  

 The prairie plot.  Some of these grasses are 5' tall.

 A look over the top.

 Looking in across the main field to the barn.

The visibility in the woods is amazing with white snow on the ground.  I can see thru this valley and up the opposite hillside.

 A comfy deer bed that I came upon.  I pushed four does on my walk.

 Picked up a stick along the way.

 A little bit of corn has to be a welcome treat in this weather.

 Still sparing.

 Adolescents!

Mom and twins.