COLUMBUS – The Ohio Wildlife Council has approved the state’s early migratory bird hunting seasons for this fall, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.

September 1 will kick off the state’s hunting seasons with the opening of dove, Canada goose, rail, moorhen and snipe. Squirrel hunting season also starts that day.

Ohio’s dove hunting season runs September 1 through October 25 and December 7 through December 21, with a daily limit of 15 birds and a possession limit of 30 birds.

Controlled dove hunts will be offered at Fallsville, Rush Run, Spring Valley, Indian Creek and Bott state wildlife areas, and St. Marys Fish Hatchery. These controlled hunts will take place Tuesday, September 1 and Wednesday, September 2; hunting hours will be noon to sunset. Youth-priority controlled dove hunts will be held at St. Marys Fish Hatchery on September 1, 5, 6, 13, 19 and 20. Drawings for all of these hunts will take place at noon, Saturday, August 22, at the respective public area headquarters. Maps and details are available at wildohio.com

Questions about any one of these hunts should be directed to the southwest ODNR Division of Wildlife district office at 937-372-9261.

Canada geese may be hunted statewide September 1-15, during the special early season, with a daily limit of four birds and possession limit of eight birds after the first day. The Mercer Goose Zone will not be open during the early Canada goose season.

The early teal hunting season will be open September 5 and end September 20, with a daily bag limit of four birds and possession limit of eight after the first day.

Waterfowl hunters must have a valid hunting license in addition to a state wetlands habitat stamp endorsement, a federal duck stamp and a Harvest Information Program (HIP) certification. Anyone who intends to hunt migratory game birds must obtain a new HIP certification each year.

Sora rails, Virginia rails and moorhens can be hunted September 1 through November 9, with a daily limit of 25 rails and 15 moorhens. Hunting season for snipe will be September 1 through November 29 and December 7-23, with a daily bag limit of eight. The woodcock hunting season is open October 10 through November 23, with a daily bag limit of three birds and a possession limit of six birds.

Hunting hours during the seasons for rails, moorhens, snipe, woodcock, teal, doves and Canada geese are sunrise to sunset. The only exceptions will be on wildlife areas that have specially posted hunting times for doves.

The 2009-10 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations and the 2009 Migratory Game Bird Hunting Seasons brochure can be found on line at wildohio.com .

The 2009 Migratory Game Bird Hunting Seasons brochure will be available by late August at license outlets, Division of Wildlife district offices, or by calling 1-800-WILDLIFE.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR web site at www.ohiodnr.com

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WASHINGTON – A walk in the park is free this weekend! Everyone is invited to national parks across the country for the second of three free admission summer weekends.

All 391 national parks will offer free admission this Saturday and Sunday, July 18 and 19, and again on August 15-16. Many park partners, including tour operators, hotels, restaurants, and gift shops, will provide discounts and special promotions to sweeten the deal. Visit http://www.nps.gov/findapark/feefreeparks.htm for more information. Fees for activities such as camping, reservations, tours, or concessions are not affected by the entrance fee waiver.

“During these tough economic times, our national parks provide opportunities for affordable vacations for families,” said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. “I encourage everyone to take advantage of these free-admittance weekends.”

Dan Wenk, acting Director of the National Park Service, said, “Most Americans live within a few hours’ drive of a national park, and free entrance weekends offer the perfect chance to visit an old favorite or to discover and explore a new place.”

There are 147 parks that normally charge entrance fees ranging from $3 to $25. But here’s a tip – 244 national parks do not charge entrance fees, so you can plan inexpensive visits year round!

To plan your national park adventure visit www.nps.gov, and mark your
calendar for the next fee-free weekend, August 15-16. For a list of family fun activities this summer visit http://www.nps.gov/pub_aff/parks2009/index.htm. Or take a look at the weekly feature Experience America’s Best Idea This Summer: National Park Getaways at http://www.nps.gov/getaways/

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HARRISBURG – Hunters will see similar dove and early Canada goose seasons and bag limits, both of which open Sept. 1, as part of Pennsylvania’s 2009-10 migratory bird seasons announced today by Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe.

Dove hunters, once again, will have the opportunity to participate in a triple-split season. During the first season (Sept. 1-26), hunting will start at noon and close at sunset daily. The second and third splits will be Oct. 24-Nov. 28, and Dec. 26-Jan. 2, with hunting hours a half-hour before sunrise until sunset. In all three seasons, the daily bag limit will be 15, and the possession limit will be 30.

The early statewide season for resident Canada geese will open Sept. 1, and continue through Sept. 25. However, John Dunn, agency Game Bird Section supervisor, noted that bag limits depend on the area being hunted.

In the Southern James Bay Population Zone, and on the Pymatuning State Park Reservoir and the area extending 100 yards inland from the shoreline of the reservoir, excluding the area east of SR 3011 (Hartstown Road), hunters will have a daily limit of three and a possession limit of six.

Also, in western Pennsylvania, the daily bag limit is one goose in the area south of SR 198 from the Ohio state line to intersection of SR 18, SR 18 south to SR 618, SR 618 south to US Route 6, US Route 6 east to US Route 322/SR 18, US Route 322/SR 18 west to intersection of SR 3013, SR 3013 south to the Crawford/Mercer County line. The exception to this is on State Game Land 214, where September goose hunting is closed.

The controlled hunting areas at the Game Commission’s Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area in Lebanon-Lancaster counties, as well as all of State Game Land 46, will remain closed to September goose hunting to address the decline in the resident Canada goose flock. And, in the area of Lancaster and Lebanon counties north of the Pennsylvania Turnpike I-76, east of SR 501 to SR 419, south of SR 419 to Lebanon-Berks county line, west of Lebanon-Berks county line and Lancaster-Berks county line to SR 1053 (also known as Peartown Road and Greenville Road), west of SR 1053 to Pennsylvania Turnpike I-76, the daily bag limit is one goose, possession limit two geese.

Excluding these areas, the early season in the remainder of the state retains a daily bag limit of eight Canada geese and possession limit of 16.

Dunn noted that recent liberalizations in Canada goose hunting opportunities, along with control programs being implemented by many municipalities and public and private landowners, finally might be stabilizing the growth of the state’s resident Canada goose population. The 2009 Pennsylvania resident Canada goose population was estimated at 289,879, which is similar to the recent six-year average of 278,787.

“Hunting remains the most effective and efficient way to manage resident Canada geese, provided hunters can gain access to geese in problem areas,” Dunn said.

Once again, young Pennsylvania hunters will be provided with a special day of waterfowl hunting on Saturday, Sept. 19. The Youth Waterfowl Day will be open to those 12- to 15-years-old who hold a junior hunting license. To participate, a youngster must be accompanied by an adult, who may assist the youth in calling, duck identification and other aspects of the hunt. During this special day-long hunt, youth can harvest ducks, mergansers, coots and moorhens.

In addition, because the Youth Waterfowl Day and the early Canada goose season overlap this year, youth and the adults accompanying them may harvest Canada geese. The daily limit for the Youth Waterfowl Day for Canada geese is the same as the daily limit for adults in the area being hunted, as noted above.

Youth Waterfowl Day bag limits for ducks, mergansers and coots will be consistent with the limit for the regular season, which will be announced in mid-August, after the annual Waterfowl Symposium on Aug. 7. The symposium will begin at 1 p.m., in the Stull Environmental Education Center at Presque Isle State Park, Erie County. Public comments will be accepted at the meeting or by sending a letter to: Pennsylvania Game Commission, Bureau of Wildlife Management, 2001 Elmerton Avenue, Harrisburg, PA 17110-9797; or via e-mail (waterfowlcomments@state.pa.us).

Pennsylvania’s woodcock season will open Oct. 17, and continue through Nov. 14. The daily limit is three, and the possession limit is six.

A season for common snipe will run from Oct. 17 to Nov. 28. The daily limit is 8, and the possession limit is 16.

Virginia and sora rail hunting will run Sept. 1-Nov. 9. Bag limits, which are singly or combined, are 3 daily or 6 in possession. The season for king and clapper rails is closed.

Hunting for moorhen and gallinules will run from Sept. 1 to Nov. 9, and the bag limits are three daily and six in possession.

Migratory game bird hunters, including those afield for doves and woodcock, are required to obtain and carry a Pennsylvania migratory game bird license ($3.70 for residents, $6.70 for nonresidents), as well as a general hunting, combination or lifetime license. All waterfowl hunters age 16 and older also must possess a federal migratory game bird and conservation (duck) stamp.

Roe noted that, although hunting hours have been extended to one-half hour after sunset for big game (except spring gobbler), as well as small game and furbearers, federal regulations prevail for waterfowl and migratory game birds and shooting hours for these species will continue to close at sunset. The only exception to this is during the early September Canada goose season, in which the USFWS has permitted states to extend the hunting hours to one-half hour after sunset.

Annual migratory bird and waterfowl seasons are selected by states from a framework established by the USFWS. The Game Commission is expected to announce in mid-August the regular and late waterfowl seasons, after the agency holds its annual Waterfowl Symposium, Aug. 7.

The “Pennsylvania 2009-10 Guide to Migratory Bird Hunting” brochure will be posted on the Game Commission’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us) in mid-August, and the mass-produced brochure should be available at U.S. Post Offices in the state by the end of August.

Hunters are encouraged to use a toll-free number (1-800-327-BAND), e-mail address bandreports@patuxent.usgs.gov or via the U.S. Geological Survey bird banding website (www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbl/) to report banded ducks, geese and doves they harvest. Callers will be requested to provide information on where, when and what species of waterfowl were taken, in addition to the band number. This information is crucial to the successful management of waterfowl.

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ANDOVER, OH- Fish naturally relate with some sort of habitat in Ohio’s lakes. But what happens when the habitat disappears? Typically, fishing gets a lot tougher since fish spread out and can be more difficult to find. But, thanks to the Division of Wildlife and numerous other state agencies and conservation clubs, anglers who fish Pymatuning have another hot spot to try out.

“The wood structures, or Porcupines, that we introduced imitate the old stumps that have degraded away.” said Matt Wolfe, fisheries biologist for the Ohio Division of Wildlife, who oversees this project. These structures will allow anglers to benefit from the tremendous panfish fishing that Pymatuning has to offer, and anglers won’t have to wait long before they start to work. “By the time we introduced the last structures, fish were already moving into the ones we placed earlier in the morning.” added Wolfe.

The Porcupines can be found at the following location:

Ø From N 41o 36’ 33.1” / W 80o 31’ 41.2” to N 41o 36’ 33.6” / W 80o 31’ 34.2” to N 41o 36’ 31.3” / W 80o 31’ 38.2” in about 13 – 14 feet of water

The map datum on your GPS unit should be set at NAD 83 to find the structures.

The goal of this project is to introduce 500 structures into the waters of northeastern Ohio annually. With limited funding available, none of this would be possible without the help of local organizations who have contributed to this effort. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Ohio State Parks, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Pymatuning Lake Association, Ashtabula County Wildlife League, Whitetails Unlimited of Ohio, Conservation League Inc., Crooker Creek Conservation Club, and the Jefferson Conservation Club partnered up with the Division of Wildlife on this particular project in its attempt to recruit the next generation of anglers and retain the anglers who already enjoy the sport of fishing.

Structure locations in other northeast Ohio lakes can be found at the Northeast Ohio Fishing Prospects page. For all other inquiries, please contact the Wildlife District Three office in Akron at (330) 644-2293.

For more news online, check out the ODNR Press Room at ohiodnr.com

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AKRON, OH- Public shooting ranges operated by the ODNR Division of Wildlife are located statewide, allowing hunters to practice their shooting skills for the upcoming season. Six different counties including Harrison, Jefferson, Medina, Portage, Trumbull, and Wayne offer rifle, pistol, shotgun, or archery ranges.

Ranges are classified by the type of facilities offered and whether they are supervised. A class “A” range requires a shooting range permit for all persons 18 years and older. Shooters age 17 and under are not required to purchase a permit, but must be accompanied by and directly monitored by an adult (age 18 years or older) holding a valid shooting range permit. This permit, available at all hunting and fishing license outlets, partially offsets the cost of the shooting range attendant, restroom facilities, maintenance, trash removal, and improvements.

In northeast Ohio, only the Grand River Wildlife Area range in Trumbull County is a class “A” range. It is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily Wednesday through Sunday. Hours of operation for other class “A” ranges may vary, however all are closed every Monday and Tuesday as well as the following dates: Easter, Memorial Day, July 4th, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day (also closed all of January and February).

The remaining ranges are class “B, C, and D” ranges. These ranges are open free-of-charge, no permit is required, and no range attendant or restroom facilities are provided. Archery ranges are open everyday except during holidays, sunrise to sunset.

Harrison State Forest in Harrison County and Fernwood State Forest in Jefferson County both offer class “O” shooting ranges which are operated by the ODNR Division of Forestry.

The annual shooting range permit is $24.00 and allows the permit holder to access Class “A” ranges throughout the year. A one-day shooting range permit is $5.00 and allows permit holder to access a Class “A” range for one visit (the permit is valid only once). These permits partially offset the cost of the shooting range attendant, restroom facilities, maintenance, trash removal, and improvements.

Other ranges, owned and operated by a wide variety of organizations are also available throughout northeast Ohio. Contact Wildlife District Three at (330) 644-2293 for more information on other ranges in your county.

NOTE: All ranges are subject to closing during inclement weather or flooding conditions. Range users are advised to contact the range number provided or call the District Three office at (330) 644-2293 for range conditions. For more information on public shooting ranges click here

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