REPLACES: New Ohio Wildlife Division data shows youth gun deer hunters didn't do badly after all

UPDATED AND REPLACES with significantly revised figures supplied by the Ohio Division of Wildlife the original story regarding the 2014 two-day, youth-only firearms deer-hunting season. This story is now:

What goes down must stay down, but not down as much as the Ohio Division of Wildlife originally said happened to the just-concluded two-day, youth-only firearms deer-hunting season.

Still, with the significant alterations to what was killed by youths age 17 and younger, attempting to tie the young people’s hunt with the upcoming general firearms deer-hunting season will result in creating a knot that won’t hold.

Overall, properly licensed young people age 17 and under shot 6,453 deer. That figure represents something much less (minus-2.82 percent, in fact) than the 28.4 percent drop the Wildlife Division initially said.

The 6,453 figure also is a whooper of a difference from the agency’s first released report which cited a kill of only 4,765 animals.

For reference purposes the 2013 two-day, youth-only deer hunting-season’s kill was 6,640 animals.

Humm, so one may ask as to why the agency’s admitted statistical goof. Blame the computers or its programs, or something or another, the Wildlife Division retorts.

While that is the official position and the Wildlife Division is sticking to it, some other outdoors writers believe the agency is simply attempting to cover up for a deer herd that is much smaller than state biologists are willing to admit.

We'll save such an arguement for another day, though.

For now we'll jump into the newly revised set of deer kill numbers. Consequently this go-round with the computer-generated correct figures for the youth-only gun hunt saw 47 counties reporting either identical or increased kills over what young people killed in 2013.

Initially, however, the Wildlife Division’s county-by-county statistical report showed that fully 79 of Ohio’s 88 counties saw slippage in the number of deer killed by youth during the two-day season.

Even so, down is down. And there may be some good and logical reasons why Ohio’s youth didn’t gain traction in the 2014 harvest. Chief among the probable difficulties was a mid-November freezing rain and ice storm that eventually gave way to unseasonably warm weather.

Gone too was any snow cover, even in Northeast Ohio’s legendary Snow Belt and the wider secondary Snow Belt that hovers around Cleveland’s suburbs and dips down toward Akron and west toward Medina.

Regardless, let’s (briefly, please) rehash some of the old figures and examine them against the news and improved numbers.

Ashtabula County was first said to have seen 135 deer killed. Instead, the revised ledger showed that 167 deer were actually taken; a 32-deer difference. That statistical revision was enough to boost Ashtabula County’s official percentage increase from the previously cited plus-20.54 percent to a more-than-doubled plus-49.11 percent.

Again, for reference, in 2013 Ashtabula County recorded a youth-only deer hunt kill of just 112 animals.

Among some other examples of notable counties with significantly revised figures were Guernsey County - 191 deer in 2014 and 182 deer in 2013 (originally noted with a 2014 kill of 138 deer); Tuscarawas County – 220 deer in 2014 and also 220 deer in 2013 (originally noted with a 2014 kill of 171 deer); Muskingum County – 187 deer in 2014 with 212 deer in 2014 (originally noted with a 2014 kill of 138 deer); Licking County – 168 deer in 2014 and 189 deer in 2013 (originally noted with a 2014 kill of 118 deer) and Hocking County – 71 deer in 2014 and 127 deer in 2013 (originally noted with a 2014 kill of 51 animals.)

Northeast Ohio counties that experienced readjustment to their 2014 youth-only deer hunt harvest figures were: Lake County – Eight deer in 2014 and also eight deer in 2013 (originally noted with a 2014 kill of four deer); Cuyahoga County – Zero in 2014 and one in 2013 (no change in the re-tweaking of figures); Geauga County – 46 deer in 2014 and 38 deer in 2013 (originally noted with a 2014 kill of 37 deer and thus going from a deficit to a plus); Trumbull County – 81 deer in 2014 and 72 in deer 2013 (originally noted with a kill of 66 deer in 2014 and thus also moving from the 2014’s harvest deficit side to its plus side).

Yet with all things being considered, the Wildlife Division’s statement that a computer glitch burped out wrong numbers for the youth-only season is hardly preparatory for the up-coming statewide, general firearms deer-hunting season. That seven-day season will begin the Monday after Thanksgiving, or December 1^st.

More likely (and as stated before) much of what will come beginning December 1^st  will be – as always - weather dependent.

An updated look ahead via AccuWeather’s extended forecast for Northeast Ohio suggests a high on opening day approaching 40 degrees with a possible morning rain shower. The temperature is forecast to rise almost to 50 degrees by December 3rd (Wednesday) and then possibly climb to 50 degrees by December 7th.

In central Ohio, the weather forecast initially was to be even balmier for opening day. 

Not anymore, AccuWeather is now forecasting. For the opener deer hunters can expect a high only in the low 40s (colder than the just-concluded weekend) along with some rain showers. As the week progresses the temperature forecast includes a rise to near 60 degrees by Wednesday and then a steady drop until December 6^th (Saturday) when the forecast says the temperature will rise toward 50 degrees again.

Southern Ohio is in for a weather-dismal opener, if AccuWeather’s latest forecast is to be believed. Rain at times will be accompanied with temperatures in the low 50s. The sun will come out tomorrow, says AccuWeather, with the forecast for December 2^nd including sunshine.

Though the sun will be hidden by clouds for December 3^rd the temperature forecast is now predicted to rise to at least 60 degrees before beginning a decent into the 50s for December 4^th and the 40s for December 5^th before slightly recovering for the hunt’s final two days.

In short, expect highly variable temperatures, cloud cover, likely rain showers at some point; and if you live in Northeast Ohio then an equal probability of snow showers somewhere along the way.

After-all - and let’s face i -, if AccuWeather’s scientists and their latest high-tech gadgetry used in forecasting the weather can’t always produce spot-on data than we ought not to be too hard on the Ohio Division of Wildlife and its stable of bean-counters and biologists.

- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn

JFrischk@Ameritech.net

Jeff is the retired News-Herald reporter who  covered the earth sciences, the area's three county park systems and the outdoors for the newspaper. During his 30 years with The News-Herald Jeff was the recipient of more than 100 state, regional and national journalism awards. He also is a columnist and features writer for the Ohio Outdoor News, which is published every other week and details the outdoors happenings in the state.

FBI to provide extended firearms back-ground check hours for "Black Friday."

Thinking of asking someone for a new firearm for Christmas? The federal government is here to help. It will offer firearms dealers extended hours on the up-coming "Black Friday" (November 28) in order to make the required background check. Here is the government's announcement, provided by the National Shooting Sports Foundation. BLACK FRIDAY NOTIFICATION FBI NICS has sent the alert below to FFLs regarding Black Friday hours for 2014: With peak season upon us, the FBI Criminal Justice Information Service Division’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Section is announcing extended hours of service on November 28, 2014 (“Black Friday”) for E-check Users and state Point-of-Contact (POC) programs.  Typically, the NICS is available daily from 8 a.m. until 1 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST).  To better accommodate the long standing history of record-breaking volume on this day, the FBI will bring the NICS in-service starting at 4:30 a.m. EST for NICS E-check users and for state POC programs.  The NICS Contracted Call Centers will open, as normal, at 8 a.m. EST. In case you haven’t enrolled to use the NICS E-Check, please consider taking this important step to register. The NICS E-Check allows you to conduct firearm background checks over the internet and provides many benefits you don’t receive from the NICS Contracted Call Centers.  Please understand that we try to handle all incoming transactions as efficiently as possible; however, it is not always possible to avoid hold times on the telephone.  Even during times of unprecedented transaction volume, the NICS E-Check runs efficiently with an average wait time of less than two minutes once the transaction is initiated. The NICS E-Check provides an improved user-friendly experience in navigating firearm checks.  The upgraded NICS E-Check is a valuable tool for the FFL throughout the year but especially during the peak gun purchasing season.  The biggest obstacle many FFLs identified with the old version of the NICS E-Check was that it was difficult to set up on additional computers.  Additionally, the old version of the NICS E-Check was not compatible with many browsers.  The NICS E-Check, deployed in the summer of 2013, allows you to access the system from any computer or any browser.  The FFL and/or manager receive administrative controls, which includes the ability to create and modify employee E-Check accounts.  The NICS E-Check does not require a digital certificate to be downloaded to your computer.  This makes it easier to use the NICS E-Check from any browser using a computer, laptop, tablet, smart phone, etc.  You simply log in to the NICS E-Check using a user name and password, similar to how many of us manage online accounts today. In addition, the NICS E-Check still offers the same traditional benefits of utilizing the on-line method, many of which are listed below:  Ability to retrieve background checks 24/7 regardless of whether initiated on NICS E-Check or at the NICS Contracted Call Center Ability to print completed NICS background check search requests The availability of messages regarding NICS operational status Added customer protection against identity theft Added safeguard against theft of license number and codeword Instructions on how to register to use the NICS E-Check are listed below. Visit the FBI NICS E-Check Web site at www.nicsezcheckfbi.gov Click on the link that states “Register to use the FBI NICS E-Check” Agree to the Terms and Conditions Complete the Account Request form Click on the “Registration” block at the bottom of the page An Account Request Confirmation page appears Click “Show populated enrollment form” block at bottom of page Print and sign the completed enrollment form Fax form to 1-888-550-6427 or e-mail it to fbinicsteamcc@leo.gov A user name will be e-mailed to the e-mail address you provided during registration Additional instructions will be provided in the e-mail on how to obtain your password ***Submit only one registration and enrollment form--This employee will be the administrative user and will create accounts for other employees.  You may designate other employees as primary users (administrative users) and they will also be able to create and modify accounts. Additionally, you may access the complete NICS E-Check User Guide by doing the following: Go to www.nicsezcheckfbi.gov Click on the link that states “Access the FBI NICS E-Check Help Pages” Click on the link that states “User’s Guide (PDF)” If you have questions regarding the NICS E-Check, please contact the NICS E-Check Customer Service at 1-877-FBI-NICS (324-6427), option 2, and then option 5. All other questions may be directed to Kim Brown, Liaison Specialist at 304-625-7387, or via e-mail kimberly.brown@ic.fbi.gov or Jill Montgomery, Supervisory Liaison Specialist at 304-625-8252 or via e-mail jill.montgomery@ic.fbi.gov. - Jeffrey L. Frischkorn JFrischk@Ameritech.net

SUPERSEDED: Ohio youth season deer kill way down but don't say it's a harbinger for the gun season

UPDATE EXPECTED: The Ohio Division of Wildlife says a computer glitch has spewed out incorrect summary numbers and is working to provide corrected figures. Until that data and subsequent press release is issued this blog posting will remain, to be updated when the appropriate numbers are provided. - Jeffrey L. Frischkorn

Trying to tie the results of the just-concluded two-day, youth-only firearms deer-hunting season with the upcoming general firearms deer-hunting season will result in creating a knot that won’t hold.

Overall, properly licensed young people age 16 and under shot 4,765 deer. That figure represents a 28.4 percent drop when compared to the 2013 season’s kill of 6,640 animals.

To put it all differently, fully 79 of Ohio’s 88 counties saw slippage in the number of deer killed by youth during the two-day season.

Yet this year’s statistics come with a pretty large caveat; that being a mid-November freezing rain and ice storm that eventually gave way to unseasonably warm weather.

Gone was any snow cover, too, even in Northeast Ohio’s legendary Snow Belt and the wider secondary Snow Belt that hovers around Cleveland’s suburbs and dips down toward Akron and west toward Medina.

Excluding counties with small harvest numbers to begin with that distorts their percentage figures, any number of their counterparts saw their own “uh-hah” and “hmmm” moments in the preliminary total figures.

n fact, of counties with substantial kills – an obviously subjective criterion - only Ashtabula County saw gains. This gain happened in spite of a cold wind that was accompanied by an early morning freezing drizzle that gave many motorists white knuckles and tow truck operators very busy.

Ashtabula County-based youthful hunters killed 135 deer during this year’s season. In 2013 that figure was 112 deer. Thus this year’s youth-only season harvest was up 20.54 percent.

Among some examples of notable changes following the announced revised figures are are Guernsey County - 138 in 2014 and 182 in 2013 (a 24.8-percent decline); Harrison County – 94 in 2014 and 165 in 2013 (a 43.03-percent decline); Hocking County – 51 in 2014 and 127 in 2013 (a 59.84-percent decline); Tuscarawas County – 171 in 2014 and 220 in 2013 (a 22.27-percent decline); Muskingum County – 187 deer 138 in 2014 and 212 in 2013 (a 34.91-percent decline); and Licking County – 118 in 2014 and 189 in 2013 (a 37.57-percent decline).

Other Northeast Ohio counties were: Lake County – Four in 2014 and eight in 2013 (a 50-percent decline); Cuyahoga County – Zero in 2014 and one in 2013 (a 100-percent decline); Geauga County – 37 in 2014 and 38 in 2013 (a 2.63-percent decline); Trumbull County – 66 in 2014 and 72 in 2013 (an 8.33-percent decline).

All of this for the youth-only season is hardly preparatory for the up-coming statewide, general firearms deer-hunting season. That seven-day season will begin the Monday after Thanksgiving, or December 1^st.

Better (likely) is the to-date deer kill as of tallied by November 19, chiefly driven to this point by archers. Statewide, the to-date deer kill stands at 68,888 animals. That figure represents only a 1.87-percent drop from the same 2013 time frame figure of 70,204 deer.

Much of what will come December 1^st is – as always, weather dependant. A look ahead via AccuWeather’s extended forecast for Northeast Ohio suggests a high on opening day near the freezing mark with partially sunny skies.

The temperature is forecast to rise into the low 50s by December 2^nd (Tuesday) and then reach some equilibrium in the mid-40s for the rest of the session.

In central Ohio, the weather is forecast to be even balmier. Try the low- to mid-40s for December 1^st and into the mid-60s for December 2^nd before ever so slowly falling into the low 40s by the season’s end.

Interestingly for Athens in extreme southeast Ohio the temperatures will possibly reflect those found in Northeast Ohio than further south.

As or precipitation, at this point AccuWeather is forecasting very little in the way of either rain or snow for anywhere in Ohio during the statewide, general firearms deer-hunting season.

More mild weather and a lack of rain/snow very well could mean that many hunters will stick it out longer on their stands than getting up and moving about to stay warm. And in the process, stir the deer population into running into other hunters.

Stay tuned as every deer hunting season provides lots of fodder for hunters to argue over at deer camp and for us pundits to express our opinions. 

- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn

JFrischk@Ameritech.net

Jeff is the retired News-Herald reporter who  covered the earth sciences, the area's three county park systems and the outdoors for the newspaper. During his 30 years with The News-Herald Jeff was the recipient of more than 100 state, regional and national journalism awards. He also is a columnist and features writer for the Ohio Outdoor News, which is published every other week and details the outdoors happenings in the state.

Lake Metroparks out does itself with "The Wild Days of Winter" project

The first thing that punches you in the arm when stepping inside Lake Metroparks’ Penitentiary Glen Reservation’s Nature Center is the ingenuity that is behind the venue’s current  “The Wild Days of Winter” holiday project.

Maybe “project” is not the correct word but neither is “exhibit.”

Annually the park’s Nature Center – located in Kirtland – is transformed in a people-size game board. In all, 48 wooden plates are snaked through the chamber, color-coded in such a way as to best understand the particular nuances the game intends to convey.

This year’s theme “A Taste of Seasons” is a nifty ploy to educate young people in particular where their food comes from, season y season.

As has been the custom the past several years the brand-new “A Taste of Seasons” is the same thing, only different to the previous walk-through “Candy Land” game that also had a natural slant.

Anyway, while all previous holiday assemblies at the Nature Center featured substantial planning and execution, this year’s “A Taste of Seasons” is (by far) even much more impressive.

The game corkscrews throughout the main auditorium, utilizing virtually every inch, every nook and every cranny though one doesn’t really feel cramped.

If you go – and you should, especially in the company of a child – take note of the impressionistic tone of the “trees,” how the parks system’s staff gave each one’s foliage a seasonal look.

The project obviously takes time to put together and even more to design. The Wildlife Center staff actually begins nearly a year in advance, brainstorming what is the intended goal and how best to accomplish the task with limited funds and an even tighter floor plan.

In any event, “A Taste of Seasons” is well worth the price of admission. And that is even better, given that the annual holiday project is free.

“A Taste of Seasons” runs November 22 through January 4, closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Eve.

Hours are noon to 5 p.m.

On Saturdays from 1 to 3 p.m., the parks system will host what it calls a special activity.

The 424-acre Penitentiary Glen Reservation is located at 8668 Kirtland-Chardon Road, Kirtland, Ohio. Its telephone number is 440-256-1404.

- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn

JFrischk@Ameritech.net

Jeff is the retired News-Herald reporter who  covered the earth sciences, the area's three county park systems and the outdoors for the newspaper. During his 30 years with The News-Herald Jeff was the recipient of more than 100 state, regional and national journalism awards. He also is a columnist and features writer for the Ohio Outdoor News, which is published every other week and details the outdoors happenings in the state.

Bitter cold, wind, snow, little sun expected through start of Ohio's deer gun season

y Jeffrey L. Frischkorn

With Ohio’s general firearms deer-hunting season moving into the gun-sights a look at the weather for the remainder of the archery season’s first segment is showing widespread unseasonably cold temperatures.

And for much of northern Ohio the two-week climatic forecast is including bouts of snow showers; in some locations, heavy lake—effect snow bands, too.

Likewise the weather conditions for the up-coming youth-only two-day firearms deer-hunting season along with the resumption of the North Zone waterfowl-hunting season – both on November 22 – will hardly be pleasant enough affairs.

As it now stands a Winter Weather Advisory is in place for much of Ohio as the white-tail deer rut begins to wind down. The National Weather Service is forecasting a general snowfall over the next day or two of three to six inches with some locations in extreme Northeast Ohio potentially seeing a foot or more.

Coupled with winds in excess of 20 miles per hour and temperatures that are expected to drop into the teens and archery hunters will find the going tough and uncomfortable sledding.

Not until just after the youth-only gun season is State College, Pennsylvania-based AccuWeather forecasting a return to moderating near or above average temperatures approaching 50 degrees for northern Ohio. And then the temperatures accompanied by rain instead of snow, too.

Until then northern Ohio will remain in the temperature cellar department. Highs will struggle to reach the upper 30s and on some days fail to clear the mid-20 degree department.

Lows will fall at some points to below the teens.

For the youth-only deer gun season and reboot to the North Zone waterfowl-hunting season on November 22, highs will be around 40 degrees to the mid40s at best with lows right around the freezing mark.

Thanksgiving week will start out at around the previously mentioned 50-degree mark but that somewhat pleasant temperature is forecast to be short-lived. The cold and snow is expected to return to northern Ohio with highs in the mid-30s and possibly upper 30s but no better.

The snow is forecast to resume, says AccuWeather’s frequently spot-on long-range weather forecasters.

Much of the rest of Ohio should not feel comfortable that it will escape the cold and snow, either.

Indeed, the central part of the state is forecast to experience very similar weather conditions for the remainder of the archery season’s first segment, the youth-only, two-day firearms deer-hunting season, and the general firearms deer-hunting season, which starts December 1st.

A mix of penetrating cold, chilling winds, and snow will be shuttled aside only briefly by near-average temperatures and rain with just a rare glimpse of the sun.

Even southern Ohio along the Ohio will fare little better, AccuWeather’s extended forecast says.

Maybe a few more days with rain instead of snow, a couple additional days of sunshine and somewhat less radically cold temperatures here and there is the best southern Ohio deer hunters can anticipate through the early days of the general firearms deer-hunting season.

Only for the youth deer-gun season and portions of Thanksgiving week will white-tail hunters be able to don a little less cold-preventative clothing than will their counterparts further north. But not by much.

- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn

JFrischk@Ameritech.net

Jeff is the retired News-Herald reporter who  covered the earth sciences, the area's three county park systems and the outdoors for the newspaper. During his 30 years with The News-Herald Jeff was the recipient of more than 100 state, regional and national journalism awards. He also is a columnist and features writer for the Ohio Outdoor News, which is published every other week and details the outdoors happenings in the state.