First Posted: 1/24/2015
The newest Ohio chapter of Pheasants Forever (PF) is gearing up for its first fundraising banquet.
The Black Swap Chapter, which encompasses Putnam County was chartered Dec. 29, 2014, and will hold its first banquet March 14 at the American Legion in Fort Jennings. The chapter’s next meeting is slated for 7:30 p.m. Feb. 12 at the Fort Jennings Park Rec Club.
“We’re in full swing and getting ready for our banquet,” Adam Anspach, chapter president, said. “We’re excited and ordering things for the banquet.”
Banquets are membership and fundraising events. PF chapters have long worked on getting youth involved in the outdoors and the new chapter is no exception.
“Our primary goal is to focus on Pheasants Forever’s No Child Left Indoors initiative to instill outdoor ethics in future generations,” Anspach, of Fort Jennings, explained. “Events such as youth pheasant hunts, target shooting, fishing, and other outdoor activities will be a priority for us. The chapter is looking forward to partnering with other conservation groups to make these events a major success. We will also seek out opportunities to partner with landowners to preserve and improve wildlife habitat in Putnam County and surrounding areas.”
Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, PF’s quail division, chapters held 1,115 youth events in 2014, which attracted 65,000 youth participants, a new organizational record. Chapters hosted youth hunts, sponsored shooting teams, helped with youth pollinator projects and held family field days in their communities.
Anspach said the chapter is hoping to get people from Allen and Van Wert counties involved.
There used to be an Allen/Putnam county chapter of PF, but it became inactive and the new group took over its charter.
“We’re starting to figure out what youth events we could do this summer and are researching and talking to fish and game clubs in the area are how they do events,” Anspach said.
Charlie Payne, regional field representative for PF in Ohio, said, “Teaching youth about the importance of conservation and creating partnerships with local landowners will make the Black Swamp Chapter a standout group in Putnam County. This is a group of young professionals with aspirations to do great things for our mission, and I am excited to witness the growth of their chapter in the coming years.”
In addition to Anspach, other officers are Justin Tumlinson of Fort Jennings, who is habitat chair; Nick Langhals of Cloverdale, who is treasurer; and Cliff Wieging of Fort Jennings, who is youth/education chair.
For more information about the chapter or to become involved, contact chapter Anspach at (419) 771-1747.
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A free passport to fishing workshop will be held from 9 a.m. -4 p.m. Feb. 7, at the Wildlife District Two office, 952 Lima Ave., in Findlay.
Passport to fishing is a one-day instructor training program that qualifies individuals to become Division of Wildlife certified fishing instructors. All participants will need to pass a background check before being certified.
By becoming a certified instructor, attendees will not only be able to help in reconnecting students with the outdoors, but will also have the skills and resources to do it in a more successful way. Resources available include grants, equipment, brochures and training.
To register for the workshop, call Linda at 419-429-8347 by Monday. For additional class information, visit wildohio.gov.
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The annual Ohio Division of Wildlife (DOW) open houses will be held March 7 at the wildlife district offices in District One, Two Three and Four as well as the Greene County Fish and Game Association clubhouse in Xenia.
Open houses give the public an opportunity to view and discuss proposed fishing, hunting and trapping regulations with the ODNR Division of Wildlife officials. For Ohioans who are unable to attend an open house, comments will be accepted online at wildohio.gov. The online form will be available until March. Directions to the open houses can be found at wildohio.gov or by calling 800-WILDLIFE (945-3543).
A statewide hearing on all of the proposed rules will be held at the DOW District One office, 1500 Dublin Road, Columbus at 9 a.m. March 19.
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The 2015-16 small game hunting seasons were proposed to the Ohio Wildlife Council earlier this month.
The proposed 2015 dates are:
• Sept. 1 – Squirrel and dove hunting
• Oct. 24-25 and Oct. 31-Nov.1 -Youth small game hunting seasons statewide
• Nov. 6 – Cottontail rabbit, ring-necked pheasant and bobwhite quail
• Proposed open counties for quail hunting remain the same as last season: Adams, Athens, Brown, Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Highland, Jackson, Meigs, Montgomery, Pike, Preble, Ross, Scioto, Vinton and Warren.
• Nov. 10 – Fox, raccoon, skunk, opossum and weasel hunting and trapping
• Oct. 12-Nov. 29 – Fall wild turkey
2016
• April 18-May 15 – Spring wild turkey
• April 16-17 – Youth wild turkey
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If you like to fish in Michigan, you really took a hit on a fishing license last year when the price rocketed to $76 for a non-resident annual license. A non-resident annual license cost $42 in 2013. The state realized that may have been a bit much and has dropped the annual fee to $68 beginning March 1. For some that still remains a steep price.
Elyse Walter, a communications specialist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) said non-resident license sales “did a downtick.” She said the MDNR likes to listen to feedback and will make adjustments when it can. In this case, the wildlife agency did.
“Discounting the non-resident annual fishing license will encourage more out-of-state visitors to come and experience Michigan’s world-class fisheries — and the many other outstanding recreational opportunities available in this state,” said MDNR director Keith Creagh.
Non-residents have other options when fishing Michigan. The state sells a 24-hour license that is priced at $10 and a 72-hour license that is priced at $30. If you are limited to days you can fish while on vacation, this is a good option. If you plan to fish in Michigan six times or less, the 24-hour option would save you money. Remember, Michigan has two fishing free weekends annually for residents and non-residents. Not all states include non-residents on the free weekends. Ohio does not. The free fishing weekends in Michigan this year are Feb. 14-15 and June 13-14.
Non-residents also can purchase the hunt/fish combo license for $266 and residents can purchase it for $76. The hunt/fish combo consists of a base license, annual fishing license and two deer tags. A base license is not required when just purchasing a fishing license.
For more information on fishing in Michigan, visit michigan.gov/fishing.
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Our canine friends can be quite amazing.
Ever wonder why your dog might eat about anything? I don’t have an answer, but it could be the fact dogs have far fewer taste buds than humans. Dogs have only 1,700 tastes buds while humans have 9,000.
When it comes to smell, dogs have us beat hands down. They have 220 million olfactory receptors while we have only 5 million. If you were cooking chili, a dog can differentiate between the ingredients by smell. We are limited in what we smell. Notice sometime how a dog will put its nose to the wind and how its nostrils will flare as it differentiates between various smells.
Another comparison between dogs and humans also is interesting. When it comes to intelligence humans have them beat. Yet, dogs are intelligent and can be trained as helpers in a variety of situations.
While the average human has a vocabulary of 60,000 words, the average dog understands about 160 words. Researchers say the more intelligent breeds can learn between 200 and 300 words.
