For deer season opener, Ohio hunters better hold on tight to their rain hats and maybe dig out the snow shovels, too

 

Ohio’s firearms deer hunters have only seven days to do their thing about filling a freezer with venison, unlike their archery counterparts who have more than four months.

Thus the latter can pick and choose the kinds of days to be afield. Not so gun hunters who have to take whatever Mother Nature tosses their way. And for the upcoming Ohio firearms deer-hunting season November 30 through December 6, that means a lot of curve balls and even a good old-fashioned spit-ball or two.

In short for at least the first two days of the state’s firearms deer-hunting season, it ain’t going to be pretty. In fact, ugly is a good word. And it is forecast to become worse the further into Ohio’s northeast corner one goes, too.

A so-called “Louisiana Low” is marching northeast and is expected to bring large amounts of moisture while cold air is charging eastward. Combine the two and they will set up a perfect pitch for the siren call of the state’s first blast of wintry weather.

Let’s start in the southwest part of the state. In Cincinnati for Monday’s gun deer season opener, the National Weather Service office is calling for a blustery day with a rain-snow mix and stiff winds with forecast gusts of up to 28 mph. Tuesday is expected to see all snow before clearing out on Wednesday.

A bit east and a tad north, in the Athens area, folks can expect a Sunday evening featuring up to one-quarter inch of rain while Monday will see – based on the Weather Service projections – rain changing over to wet snow with this mess continuing into Tuesday before clearing out on Wednesday.

North and west into the Columbus region, expect rain and snow on Monday and the same for Tuesday. But the winds will blow – and hard, too; up to 31 mph. Only by Wednesday will the weather tame and begin to clear out, the Weather Service says.

Moving on up to Toledo, the weather will fairly closely parallel that of Columbus with rain changing to snow on Monday and with wind gusts of 30 mph with much the same for Tuesday. Wednesday the “all clear” signal should come about.

The worst is saved for last: Northeast Ohio. For opening day, hunters (and everyone else here) can expect to see between one-half and three-quarter inches of rain, changing over to snow with winds of eight to 16 mph. Closer to Lake Erie it will be even more breezy: 11 to 16 mph and gusts to 31 mph.

The rain will change over to snow later in the day, converting to all snow by sometime on Tuesday with possible Lake Effect snow squalls and potentially significant accumulations beginning Wednesday. The brew may switch over to a rain-snow mix on Wednesday with possible clearing on Thursday. The stiff winds will remain through at least Wednesday.

So once again Ohio’s gun hunters will have to trudge through rain-soaked woods and fields, cross rain-swollen creeks, and put up with cantankerous winds.

No wonder, perhaps, that an increasing number of deer hunters in Ohio are taking up the stick and string. There’s much better things to do afield than putting up with “six inches of partly cloudy.”

- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn

JFrischk@Ameritech.net

JFrischk4@gmail.com

On the cusp of Ohio's deer gun season, archery hunters are taking their share of animals

 

My wife, Bev, has gotten hers, along with 74,891 other Ohio deer, though I am still looking for mine.

Still, I have a lot of time left in Ohio’s archery deer-hunting season; one of the nation’s longest. I’ll be able to stick with it clear through to February 7^th. In fact, I’ll even try and do it the hard way during the state’s seven-day statewide firearms deer hunting season. I’ll be using my Wicked Ridge crossbow instead of my shotgun. Don’t ask Long story. Just wish me luck.

In any event, Ohio’s 2020 white-tailed deer archery hunting season has proven to be bountiful for many Buckeye State hunters, with 74,892 deer taken through Tuesday, Nov. 25, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. This represents an 11% increase from the average harvest total from the same date during the past three seasons, which is 67,318.

Ohio’s top 10 counties for deer taken by archery hunters so far during the state’s 2020 archery hunting season include: Coshocton (2,689), Licking (2,232), Tuscarawas (2,146), Ashtabula (2,021), Knox (1,910), Holmes (1,856), Muskingum (1,806), Trumbull (1,748), Guernsey (1,599), and Richland (1,505).

The top five days for bowhunter success so far in 2020 were Saturday, Oct. 31st (4,374 deer checked); Saturday, Nov. 14th (3,995); Saturday, Nov. 7th (3,475); Saturday, Sept. 26th (2,687); and Friday, Nov. 13th (2,552)

Participation remains high for all hunters, with 299,573 permits sold or issued through Wednesday, Nov. 24. Ohio’s deer-archery season began in September and is open until Feb. 7, 2021.

Ohio remains a go-to deer-hunting hunting destination for many out-of-state hunters. The top five states for purchasing a nonresident hunting license in Ohio include: Pennsylvania (6,954 permits sold), Michigan (4,515), West Virginia (3,321), North Carolina (2,955), and New York (2,335).

- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn

JFrischk@Ameritech.net

JFrischk4@gmail.com

Threat of COVID-19 forces temporary closure of Grand River Wildlife Area shooting range

 

Just when you’d think the novel coronavirus - or more familiarly called COVID-19 – couldn’t reach into every nook and cranny of life, comes word from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources that the threat of the disease is closing Northeast Ohio’s most popular public metallic shooting range.

Here is a text from the Department’s Ohio Division of Wildlife that the Grand River Wildlife Area’s Class A public shooting range in Trumbull County is being shuttered temporarily due to the threat of COVID-19.

While Trumbull County is not yet at the Ohio Department of Health’s Level Four (Purple) it its on Level Three Watch List. It may very well rise to the most severe health level at the next ranking.

All coming on the cusp of Ohio’s two firearms deer-hunting seasons – November 30- December 6, and December 19-20 – as well as the statewide muzzle-loading season, January 2-5.

Thus hunters looking to sight-in the firearms are, well, out of luck.

Here, then, is the release on the matter from the Wildlife Division.

“AKRON, Ohio – In response to the developing public health situation with COVID-19 and guidance from the Trumbull County Board of Health, the Grand River Wildlife Area Shooting Range, operated by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife, has closed temporarily.

“The shooting range will be closed for at least 28 days starting Wed, Nov. 25, the duration of the advisory, as stated in guidance released by the Trumbull County Board of Health. Updates will be provided once they are available.”

“For questions or concerns, call the Division of Wildlife’s District Three office in Akron at (330) 644-2293.”

- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn

JFrischk@Ameritech.net

JFrischk4@gmail.com

Ohio's 2020 youth deer season stays the course

 

Ohio’s youth killed 5,795 deer during their two-day season and state wildlife officials note that figure is some two-percent behind the three-average and roughly seven percent less than the 2019 youth-only season.

Thus, there wasn’t “anything terribly exciting to say about the youth season,” says Mike Tonkovich, the Ohio Division of Wildlife’s deer management administrator.

“It, like the archery harvest, is just off a bit from where we expected it to be at this point,” Tonkovich said.

While temperatures were moderate during the November 21st and 22nd season and thus were “certainly within the tolerable range, the rain probably dampened the spirits of some,” Tonkovich said also.

“With ideal conditions, I would have expected the youth season harvest to shine,” he said.

‘Of course, it’s not about the numbers as much as it is the memories made and I’m sure there was plenty of time for that over the weekend.”

Likewise, says Tonkovich, Ohio’s archers lost a few great days of bow-hunting to wind and rain during the rut and those factors have been was reflected in the harvest.

“Let’s keep our fingers crossed for a safe, healthy, happy, gun season with great weather. The deer are there, if the weather cooperates I’m certain we’ll have a great gun season,” Tonkovich said.

Based upon data supplied by the Wildlife Division, the top 10 counties for deer taken during the youth season were: Coshocton (239); Holmes (223); Tuscarawas (206); Muskingum (172); Knox (168); Guernsey (148); Harrison (133); Washington (121); Morgan (118); and Ross (118).

Also, the most deer taken during a two-day youth season was in 2007, when 10,059 deer were checked by young hunters.

This year, 40,030 youth deer permits have been issued and can be used during any 2020-2021 deer season. This number does not include young hunters hunting on their family’s land that are not required to have a permit.

Here is a county-by-county list of deer taken b=by youth hunters using a shotgun, muzzleloader, handgun, or straight-walled cartridge rifle during the 2020 youth deer-gun hunting season.

The first number following the county’s name shows the kill numbers for 2020. The number following in parentheses is the three-year average by youth hunters in 2016, 2017, and 2018 during the same time period.

The Wildlife Division has adjusted this list, and instead of using the previous years total instead employs a three-year average. A three-year average provides a better overall comparison to this year’s harvest numbers, eliminating year-to-year variation because of weather, misaligned season dates, crop harvest, and other unavoidable factors, the Wildlife Division says.
The counties are: Adams: 75 (110); Allen: 45 (32); Ashland: 88 (124); Ashtabula: 115 (129); Athens: 85 (113); Auglaize: 47 (32); Belmont: 102 (130); Brown: 62 (70); Butler: 38 (28); Carroll: 117 (121); Champaign: 29 (39); Clark: 12 (20); Clermont: 42 (55); Clinton: 32 (30); Columbiana: 116 (97); Coshocton: 239 (258); Crawford: 43 (41); Cuyahoga: 0 (1); Darke: 27 (31); Defiance: 99 (65); Delaware: 18 (25); Erie: 16 (58); Fairfield: 52 (55); Fayette: 15 (13); Franklin: 11 (10); Fulton: 39 (20); Gallia: 99 (89); Geauga: 32 (40); Greene: 23 (22); Guernsey: 148 (156); Hamilton: 7 (10); Hancock: 68 (39); Hardin: 50 (43); Harrison: 133 (123); Henry: 46 (22); Highland: 111 (101); Hocking: 48 (82); Holmes: 223 (191); Huron: 85 (81); Jackson: 84 (99); Jefferson: 73 (74); Knox: 168 (170); Lake: 13 (8); Lawrence: 53 (60); Licking: 102 (141); Logan: 65 (70); Lorain: 54  (53); Lucas: 10 (8); Madison: 19 (20); Mahoning: 29 (41); Marion: 37 (26); Medina: 70 (40); Meigs: 99 (123); Mercer: 37 (28); Miami: 18 (24); Monroe: 98 (87); Montgomery: 13 (11); Morgan: 118 (105); Morrow: 55 (45); Muskingum: 172 (167); Noble: 107 (96); Ottawa: 12 (18); Paulding: 70 (44); Perry: 66 (85); Pickaway: 28 (30); Pike: 49 (70); Portage: 41 (59); Preble: 24 (38); Putnam: 53 (39); Richland: 98 (96); Ross: 118 (135); Sandusky: 28 (21); Scioto: 78 (81); Seneca: 100 (78); Shelby: 37 (39); Stark: 51 (71); Summit: 8 (9); Trumbull: 74 (76); Tuscarawas: 206 (217); Union: 32 (31); Van Wert: 30 (26); Vinton: 57 (81); Warren: 19 (25); Washington: 121 (117); Wayne: 82 (79); Williams: 51 (37); Wood: 50 (34); Wyandot: 81 (68). 2020 Total: 5,795. Previous Three-Year Average Total: 5,909.

- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn

JFrischk@Ameritech.net

JFrischk4@gmail.com

U.S. firearms production and imports ramp up in effort to meet heightened demand

 

Even nearly two years before the coronovirus (COVID-19) swept around the world and touching off panic buying, United States firearms companies were experiencing a ramping up of production.

The Newtown, Connecticut-based National Shooting Sports Foundation – the firearms industry’s actual lobbying and chief spokesman group – reports that for 2018, 11.4 million firearms were produced or else imported in the United States, less those “guns” that were exported.

All of the Shooting Sports Foundation’s figures came from data complied by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ “Annual Firearms Manufacturing and Export Report,” as well as the U.S. International Trade Commission. There is always a one-year lag in compiling and releasing the numbers.

The data also notes that 48 percent of all rifles produced and imported (again, less exports) in 2018 were Modern Sporting Rifles. In other words, AR- and AK-platform rifles, which the ill-informed often erroneously refer to as being assault weapons.

To illustrate even further the remarkable sales figures for AR- and AK-platform rifles, the Shooting Sports organization says that since 1990, there are an estimated 19.8 million of these firearms in circulation today.

Likewise, notes the Shooting Sports Foundation organization, an interim 2019 estimate showed a total of six million total firearms were produced in the United States for that year. Of that figure, 3.6 million were pistols and revolvers, two million were rifles and 480,000 were shotguns.

These interim figures will be updated when complete and final data becomes available from the ATF, the Shooting Sports Foundation says as well.

As for the number of firearms imported, the ATF says there were approximately 3.3 million such firearms. This combined figure included 2.3 million pistols and revolvers,  301,000 rifles and more than twice that number of imported shotguns: 678,000 to be exact, the Shooting Sports Foundation said, and based upon the ATF figures.

And for the 28-year period between 1991 and 2019, nearly 214 million firearms have been made available to the U.S. market, the Shooting Sports Foundation said also

Related to firearms production, the Shooting Sports Foundation says there are approximately 71.2 million pistol magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds, and 79.2 million rifle magazines capable of holding 30 or more rounds in circulation.

Both numbers are significant given that gun-control advocates have their eye on enacting magazine capacity limitations as much as they are on firearms buying and ownership restrictions, particularly when associated with AR- and AK-platform rifles.

The Shooting Sports Foundation organization hastens to add as well how economically important the combined firearms and ammunition industry is on the country.

To illustrate, the Shooting Sports Foundation says that the industry “accounted for nearly 12,000 employees producing over $3.9 billion  n goods shipped in 2018. “

“An estimated 8.7 billion rounds of all calibers and gauges were produced in 2018 for the U.S. market,” the Shooting Sports Foundation says.

“These figures - combined with the record-breaking 17.2 million NSSF-adjusted background checks for the sale or transfer of a firearm in the first ten months of 2020, demonstrates that Americans have a strong desire to continue purchasing firearms for lawful purposes,” said Joe Bartozzi, NSSF’s President and CEO.

Bartozzi said also in a prepared statement that the AR- and AK-platform rifles continue “...to be the most popular rifle sold in America today, and with nearly 20 million in circulation, is clearly a commonly-owned firearm that is being used for lawful purposes every day in America.”

“The continued popularity of handguns demonstrates a strong interest by Americans to protect themselves, their family and homes, as well as to participate in the recreational shooting sports,” Bartozzi said in his remarks.

On the flip side of the gun ownership coin, Bartozzi says that while the lawful firearm ownership in America “continues to grow, criminal and unintentional misuse of firearms is falling.”

“During the 28-year period covered by this report, the violent crime rate has decreased by 51.3 percent and unintentional firearm-related fatalities have declined by 68.2 percent,” Bartozzi said.

- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn

JFrischk@Ameritech.net

JFrischk4@gmail.com

Making sense of Ohio's to-date deer kill

 

Deer hunters in Ohio continue to bring home more animals than they did one year ago but not at the blistering pace seen during the first couple of weeks of the state’s long archery-hunting season.

Based on data supplied by the Ohio Division of Wildlife, the number of deer killed through November 3rd was 42,559 animals. For the compatible period in 2019 that figure was 41,712 animals. Thus, only 847 more deer have been killed so far in 2020 when compared to 2019 for the same period.

But during the first four days of the season the deer kill was up 58 percent.

Of Ohio’s 88 counties, some 34 showed declines when their to-date 2020 numbers were laid next to their comparable 2019 figures, two counties had identical numbers, and the rest showed increases.

It is in the details that the whole cloth of the story gets told, however.

In the three counties that saw their seasonal deer bag limit reduced from two animals to one, the Wildlife Division saw an average drop of 26 percent, with Clinton and Pickaway each falling around 36 percent, while Fayette tumbled only six percent, says Mike Tonkovich, the Ohio Division of Wildlife’s deer management administrator.

Tonkovich was quick to note, though, that the difference is based on a comparison of this year’s deer kill with the average of the last three years, “not last years harvest alone.”

“This tends to dampen the sometimes dramatic year-to-year variations that see due to weather and other events unrelated to actual changes in the deer population,” Tonkovich said.

Thus the comparisons “are more meaningful,” Tonkovich says.

“Yet in the 15, three-deer counties where we added a deer management permit are up an average of six percent,” Tonkovich also said. “And in the 12, two-deer counties where we added a deer to the bag, harvests are up 14 percent.”

Tonkovich says likewise the 11, three-deer counties where the agency removed a deer from the season bag limit the deer kills are down only an average of eight percent.

“And in those 46 counties where no changes occurred, we see that the total harvest is down just three deer,” Tonkovich says.

Delaware County was “something of an anomaly” because the Wildlife Division reduced the bag limit by one deer and took away the management permit there, Tonkovich said.

“But the deer harvest there is presently up two percent,” he said.

Among the to-date big gainers (with their respective 2019 to-date figures in parentheses) were: Ashtabula – 1,261 (1,193); Licking – 1,278 (1,207); Lorain – 656 (592); Muskingum – 970 (926); Perry – 492 (445); Stark – 823 (703); and Tuscarawas – 1,312 (1,252).

Among the counties indicating declines (again, with their respective 2019 to-date figures in parentheses) were: Hamilton – 559 (612); Hocking 468 (622); Mahoning – 54 (566); Pickaway – 94 (148); Seneca – 415 (443); Vinton– 388 (460); and Washington – 424 (478).

- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn

JFrischk@Ameritech.net

JFrischk4@gmail.com

NE Ohio deer hunters are left scrambling to find processor with temporary loss of a major butcher

 

With a temporary hold on deer processing by Trumbull Locker Plant in Ashtabula County’s Hartsgrove Township, hunters in Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula counties are scrambling to find alternatives.

This is particularly acute given the unseasonably warm weather that has occurred over the past four days, and its expected to last for at least five more days. Getting a deer to a processor as rapidly as possible is vital in order to protect the investment of taking an animal in the first place.

Arguably, Trumbull Locker has been the big dog on the block, processing numbers of deer that easily surpasses four digits.

However, since Ohio’s archery season began September 2th, Trumbull Locker has been swamped with deer that hunters have brought in for turning into roasts, steaks, chops, jerky, ground meat and other choice venison selections.

Combined with the added burden of ensuring that both staff and customers are protected against COVID-19, Trumbull Locker has had to devote considerable energies to cleaning equipment and the building and all associated butchering tools.

This work has created a serious logja, and Trumbull Locker says it must put on hold for a “couple of weeks” the acceptance of any additional deer until this backup issue is resolved.

Consequently, hunters need to find an alternative deer processor or else learn to do so themselves, and on the fly. And quickly.

A search for alternative processors that handle deer in Lake, Geauga, and Ashtabula counties came up with only a handful of such businesses.

It is imperative to remember that these businesses themselves have to deal with COVID-19 health-safety guidelines and may also see a crush of additional deer for processing as a result of the temporary stay by Trumbull Locker.

The businesses that I found who said they process deer include:

In Ashtabula County - Smokin’ Ts Meats, 1550 Stanhope-Kelloggsville Road, Pierpont Township. (440-577-1117). Base price is $85.

In Lake County - Evans Quality Meats, 6732 North Ridge Road (Route 20) Madison Township. (440-428-6683). NOTE: This business has no ability to hold deer in a cooler and thus processes them daily as they arrive maximum of 10 deer per day, first-come/first served. Base price is $85.

In Lake County - Joe Donaldson (private farm), 7091 Leroy-Township Road, Leroy Township. (216-276-4953). Base price is $90, but quick turn-around.

In Geauga County – Daniels Deer Processing, 15658 Burton-Windsor Road, Middlefield Township. (440-632-1809). Base cost is $45 for a deer weighing less than 100 pounds, $50 for a deer weighing 100 to 150 pounds, $55 for deer weighing over 150 pounds. An additional $10 charge is assessed for freezer wrapping.

In Geauga County – Custom Deer Processing, Middlefield Township (call for directions). (440-693-4144). Base price is $50 plus 40 cents per pound for vacuum packing.

- By Jeffrey L. Frischkorn

JFrischk@Ameritech.net

JFrischk4@gmail.com

Ohio's 2020 fall turkey tag sales/bird kill numbers lagging behind their respective 2019 figures

 

Here’s a shorty about Ohio’s fall wild turkey-hunting season that comes via Mark Wiley, the Ohio Division of Wildlife’s wild turkey management biologist.

Wiley says the to-date total for turkey tag sales stands at 7,843 permits. That figure is down 1,598 permits that were issued in 2019: or 9,441 tags.

Likewise, said Wiley, Ohio hunters had checked 568 turkeys during the fall season’s first 24 days. A total of 600 birds were recorded for the 2019 season’s first 24 days, said Wiley.

“We remain on track to harvest approximately 1,000 turkeys this fall,” says Wiley. “This total would be on the low end of the state’s average, which is typical in a year with a below-average summer poult index.”

Ohio’s fall wild turkey-hunting season began October 10th and continues through November 29th. Hunters are allowed to shoot one bird of either sex and hunting hours are 30 minutes before sunrise until sunset.

Often, fall turkey hunting is viewed as one of “opportunity,” or where a person archery deer hunting takes a poke at and kills a turkey that happens to stroll by. This helps explain why the number of birds shot with archery tackle far exceeds the number of spring-killed turkeys taken by the same means.

- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn

JFrischk@Ameritech.net

JFrischk4@gmail.com