Ohio Valley Outdoor Times 9-2015

It’s that time of year again. Fall is almost upon usand enthusiasm for the new season is starting toramp up, and so are the tales of monster bucks.This week alone I’ve seen more trail camera pho-tos of bucks than I’ve seen since, well, last year atthis time. It’s pretty awesome, when you thinkabout it, that full grown adults can get so giddyover getting photos of bucks in the areas wherethey hunt. Getting pictures of nice bucks and actu-ally killing them, though, are two completely dif-ferent things.If there’s one thing I’ve learned about using trail

cameras, it’s this: one photo of a big buck doesn’t mean much this earlyin the season. Patterns and food sources can change dramatically be-tween now and the rut. Bucks can go nocturnal or get pressured enoughthat they completely leave certain areas. Also, as food sources change,they can totally shift their movements within an area. To truly have achance at one of those big bucks on your trail cameras, you have tokeep after them and keep scouting even as the season wears on.Without a doubt, trail cameras have revolutionized the way we hunt

whitetails. They offer 24/7 surveillance of our favorite locations. Yes,it adds a certain excitement to get photos of big bucks, but it’s kind ofa catch-22 because, after all, what happens if you don’t get many pho-tos? Do you still hunt that location? Or, as many hunters have starteddoing, wait to hunt until you finally do get the photos you want?Over the past few years, I’ve talked to hunters who have come to

rely on trail cameras so much that they don’t even bother hunting un-less they get daytime photos of bucks. Usually, that means waiting untilthe rut. We can probably thank many of the hunting shows on TV forthat. In recent years, I’ve heard more than one hunting celebrity preachabout waiting to hunt your favorite stands until that magical time ofthe fall. That’s a bogus philosophy, though, because a big buck can be

OutdoorAR’sNo MoreStory inside page 5 September 2015

FREE!Ohio ValleyOHIO’S WATERFOWL HUNTING SEASONS - P.10

Changing with the Season

Turn To Season Page 4

Ohio Valley Outdoors– Photo courtesy of Ralph ScherderTo truly have a chance at a big buck that’s on your trail cameras,

you have to keep after them and keep scouting even as the season wears on.

TimesBy Ralph ScherderHunting Editor

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OHIO VALLEY OUTDOOR TIMES2 September 2015

Time will tell if Wal-mart is pulling thepolyester over ourrangefinders. Is themega store chain reallyclosing out its AR-15inventory (see story onPage 5) because ofslow sales or using thatas an excuse to stopselling “assault-like ri-fles”?And they made theannouncement on the same day two tele-vision journalists were killed in a uselessshooting rampage in Virginia.Handguns were used in that shooting,

but it doesn’t matter to the knuckleheadswho listen to gun control advocates whodon’t know the difference between a shot-gun and a AR-platform rifle.For those who don’t know Walmart is

this country’s biggest seller of firearms andammunition. When sales were lagging in2011 the Arkansas-based chain reintro-duced firearms to many of its stores, “partof a broader strategy to add back merchan-dise and boost sales growth at U.S. stores”.Walmart has been selling modern sport-

ing rifles at about one-third of its U.S.stores. In 2006, the company reduced thenumber and variety of guns it offered instores and replaced them with more up-scale products such as exercise equipment.According to NRA News, the voice of

the NRA, “not all Walmart stores carryfirearms, and those that do typically tendto sell much higher volumes of entry-levelbolt-action rifles, lever-action centerfire ri-fles, single-shot shotguns, and pump-ac-tion shotguns.“Walmart has made the decision to sell

out their remaining inventory of the dis-

continued firearms at closeout prices, andwe’ve seen claims on the Internet of somelucky Walmart shoppers picking up Bush-masterAR-15s for as low as $250. In placeof the discontinued MSRs and shotguns,Walmart will bring in other models of eco-nomical firearms to match the hunting-driven fall product mix,” added the NRANews.The company will continue stocking am-

munition for the AR-15.My research online found a similar

move from Walmart in April of 2006,which was mentioned in the NRA informa-tion above. In that move the store chain de-cided to stop selling guns in about 1/3(1,000 at the time) of its U.S. stores. Thenit was called, “a marketing decision basedon lack of demand in some places”. And in“favor of stocking other sporting goods, inline with a ‘Store of the Community’ strat-egy for boosting sales by paying closer at-tention to local differences in demand,”said a spokesmen.Hogwash or not, there might be a Bush-

masterAR available at your localWalmartfor $250. Stock up!And if you’re a local Mom and Pop gun

shop, you may be able to keep the lightsturned on until Wally World sees anotherdip in sales.Now that I’ve covered that angle of the

story, what about the talk of shareholdersputting pressure on Walmart to not sellfirearms? What! And a ‘historic’ TrinityChurch in New York — who owns stockinWalmart — filing a lawsuit over the saleof “products that could endanger publicsafety and well-being”? What!How many church members does this

church have? There must be a lot of moneyfalling out of those collection plates.

Stock Up!Walmart’s Controlling the Inventory

5 Walmart to StopSelling AR-15s

Associated Press

6 Swim a Grub forFall Bass

Jeff Knapp

7 Allowable HuntingEquipment in Ohio

8 Shedding Some Lighton Early Mornings thisFall

Grey D. Berrier II

10 Ohio WaterfowlHunting Seasons

ODNR

12 Volunteers GetNovices Hooked on FlyFishing

Associated Press

14 Browning’s NewIgnite Knife

Bill Waugaman

INSIDE THIS MONTH

19 Folk Art Comes Alive in Wooden Fish Decoys

West Virginia Trappers Association Trappers Convention - Sept. 18-19, 2015 at Gilmer CountyRecreation Center, Glenville, WV. Free admission. For info. call Scott Schimmel at 304-462-7270.3-D Archery Shoot - September 19, 20 and 27 at Chester-Newell Sportsmen Club on Gas ValleyRoad (behind Green Valley Dairy). Times 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Cost is $10 for adults, $8 for youths andkids under 12 are free. For info. call 304-479-3456 or 304-374-5587.Kid's Day at Leetonia Sportsman Club - Sept. 26 at 311 East High Street, Leetonia, Ohio 44431.Free for youths, ages 6-16. Must pre-register. Participants compete for trophies in .22 rifle targetshoot, archery, shotgun turkey shoot, and fishing. Other activities: paintball gun shooting, wildlifeidentification, "floo-floo arrow shooting," canoeing and more. All registered participants will re-ceive a t-shirt and lunch.Gun and Sporting Goods Show - Sept. 26-27 (Sat. 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., Sun. 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.) at HiddenValley Sportsmen’s Club, 268 Gilkey Road,West Middlesex, PA16159. 60+ vendors.Admission $5.Call clubhouse for info. at 724-528-2700.

By Larry ClaypoolEditor

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OUTDOOR CALENDAR

Publisher/Editor, Larry [email protected]

Graphics Designer, Linda [email protected]

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[email protected] Valley Outdoor Times

is published by Ohio Valley Outdoors Magazine©Offices located at

210 E. 4th Street, East Liverpool, OH 43920Phone 330-385-2243, Fax 330-385-7114ohvod@ohiovalleyoutdoors.comwww.ohiovalleyoutdoors.com

To Advertise CALL 330-385-2243

OutdoorOhio Valley

TimesSeptember 2015 VOL. 7, NO. 09

Contributing EditorsRalph Scherder, Hunting EditorJeff Knapp, Fishing EditorBrian Miller, Field Editor

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killed at any time of the season, not justduring the rut, and just because you don’thave them on camera doesn’t meanthey’re not there.A trail camera can only cover so much

territory. There are plenty of other areaswhere a deer can walk and never be de-tected by a sensor. Mature whitetailsseem to have an uncanny ability to side-step cameras, especially in high pressureareas. In my own experiences, I’ve seenbig bucks pass just out of range of mycameras, or behind them.Whether it wasinstinct or dumb luck, who knows, butthey slipped by without being pho-tographed.No matter how many cameras you

have in an area, you can never be com-pletely sure of what’s there until you huntit. How many times have you been inyour treestand and spotted a buck 50, 75,or 100 yards away?And howmany timeshave you grunted or rattled and pulledthat buck within range? I’ve done it onmany occasions, and I’m sure you have,too. Cameras aren’t going to tell youwhat’s happening 100 yards away.Too often, I meet hunters who never

catch up to the big buck they had a pic-ture of back inAugust. One possible rea-son is that the picture was a fluke. I’veexperienced this personally, too. I’ve got-ten a photo of a huge buck, or even a se-ries of photos over the span of a week ortwo, and then never another one afterthat. The buck could’ve just happened tobe passing through, or, more likely, mycamera wasn’t in his core area.I’ve learned that if I don’t get a photo

of a good buck within four or five days,then my camera is in the wrong spot.Also, if I’m not getting multiple shots ofthe deer over an extended period of time,then, once again, I’m probably not in hiscore area. Every buck frequents certainparts of its range more often than others.Find these core areas and you’re odds ofsuccess will increase.Trail cameras are only the beginning,

though. You have to do some footwork,too, if you expect to nail a good buck.Because a deer goes through so manytransitions in the fall – changing foodsources, sky rocketing testosterone lev-els, does coming into estrous – you have

to scout continuously, even during theseason, to keep up with the changes. Dur-ing the course of a season, areas can gohot and cold, sometimes in a matter ofdays. Take a proactive approach and keeplooking for fresh rubs and scrapes. Everyday, when I get down out of my tree-stand, I take a different route back to mytruck because it gives me the opportunityto check out little nooks and crannieswhere bucks might be more active. Yes,you may have spent a great deal of timepreparing a treestand and location duringthe preseason, but circumstances canchange, and sometimes you have tochange with them.Big bucks are amazing animals. They

can seemingly vanish, at times. I can’teven count the number of times huntershave shown me trail camera photos ofbucks that they never saw while hunting,or bucks that disappeared for a wholeseason yet suddenly showed up againafter the season ended. I often wonder,where did those deer go?Last year, I encountered one of these

bucks in the area where I hunt. I had nu-merous photos of him and even saw himonce while scouting the week before theseason. I kept getting nighttime photos ofthe deer during the first three weeks ofarchery season, and then nothing. Therut came and went and I killed a nice lit-tle 8-point, but I wondered what hap-pened to that bigger one.Two days before gun season, the deer

finally showed up again almost two milesaway. My dad and I were scouting anarea for my brother-in-law and nephewto hunt first day when we saw this beau-tiful 8-point following a doe through abrush-choked draw. We set up a ladderstand in that spot and shortly after noonon opening day, my brother-in-law killedthat buck.Trail cameras are great scouting tools,

but they’re not the end-all answer to bag-ging a buck. You have to keep scouting,even as the season wears on, and some-times you have to change tactics, andeven locations, to put yourself in a posi-tion to succeed. If you got a photo overthe summer of a buck that you’d like tokill this fall, find out where he is now, notwhere he was back then.

Season From Page 1


LITTLE ROCK, AR (AP) — Wal-Mart stores will stop selling the AR-15rifle and other semi-automatic weaponsat its stores because fewer people arebuying them, a spokesman said recently.The AR-15 rifles and other modernsporting rifles were being sold at lessthan a third of the company’s 4,600 U.S.stores. Company spokesman Kory Lund-berg said Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will re-move the remaining inventory as storestransition from summer to fall merchan-dise, which should take a week or two tocomplete.Lundberg said the decision to removethe weapons was not political and thatthe Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailermade the decision earlier this year.“It’s similar to what we do with anyproduct. Being what it is, it gets a littlemore attention, but it’s the same processfor any other product,” Lundberg said.Lundberg said the company had seena decrease in sales of the particular mod-els of guns, but declined to give specificsales numbers. He said stores would in-crease inventory of other models of shot-guns and rifles popular among hunters.

“We wanted to make sure when cus-tomers are coming and looking to pur-chase those products, they see theproducts they want. We see more busi-ness from hunters and people shootingclay,” he said.Several analysts said the decision waslikely based on sales and demand.“Big retailers don’t make decisions ona whim, and it would appear that they areresponding to their market,” said JasonMaloni, a crisis communications expertat LEVICK. “This seems to be a strategicdecision of Wal-Mart to address cus-tomer desires.”In recent years, shareholders haveplaced some pressure on the company toreconsider its sales policies of productssuch as weapons that hold high-capacitymagazines. Bushmaster variations of thesemi-automaticAR-15 have been used insuch high-profile mass shootings as theSandy Hook massacre in Newtown, Con-necticut, and the theater shooting in Au-rora, Colorado.The historic Trinity Church on WallStreet in NewYork, which owns stock inWal-Mart, filed a lawsuit last year after

the company declined to allow a share-holder vote on the church’s proposal forthe board of directors to more closely re-view policies on sales decisions of prod-ucts that could “endanger public safetyand well-being” or hurt the company’sreputation or emphasis on family andcommunity values.A lower court ruled that the sharehold-ers should be allowed to consider theproposal, but a U.S. Circuit Court ofAp-peals judge lifted that injunction. Thechurch has not appealed, but officialssaid they are not ready to drop the law-suit either.The Rev. William Lupfer, rector of thechurch, said in a statement Wednesday

that the church was “pleased to hearWal-Mart will no longer sell the kinds ofweapons that have caused such devasta-tion and loss in communities across ourcountry.”“We continue to believe that corporateboards have the responsibility to overseethe creation of policies that will guide de-cision making on marketing and other is-sues that could have momentous impacton the safety and well-being of societyand to shareholder value,” Lupfer wrote.Wal-Mart scaled back the number ofstores that sold guns around 2006, Lund-berg said, but has no plans to stop thesale of guns all together.

Ohio Valley Outdoors–File photoWal-Mart stores have decided to stop selling AR-15-style weapons and other semi-automatic

weapons at its stores. Shown is a Bushmaster AR15.

Wal-Mart to Stop Selling AR-15s

Twister-tail grubspack a lot of fish-catching qualities intheir modest profile.And while most an-glers carry an assort-ment of grubs,generally they limittheir usage to that of aniche bait, morespecifically a jig-typelure hopped along thebottom. They miss out on one of the bait’smost productive applications, as that of aswimming lure.

Bass-fishing expert Doug Cummings ofMichigan isn’t one to limit his use of curlytails grubs to bottom dragging. From midspring through mid fall, the time whenwater temperatures remain warm enoughfor bass to chase a moving lure, Cum-mings often reaches for a grub rod.

“During the late summer on into midfall I often rely on a four-inch grub as a fi-nesse lure, when due to fishing pressure orconditions bass won’t finish the deal on abigger presentation,” he noted. “For in-stance, in clear water conditions I’ll oftenhave a big smallmouth follow a soft swim-

bait or a spinnerbait. But when I throwback with a four-inch grub, that same fishwill eat it rather than just follow.”

Regardless of the precise time of yearhe’s fishing it, Cummings sees the swim-ming grub as a shallow water offering. Heonly uses it in depths of four feet or less.“The other great thing about a swimminggrub is that folks with limited fishing ex-perience can catch fish on it,” he said.“You don’t have to be able to manipulatethe lure. You can simply cast it out, windit in, and still catch bass.”

For grubs to function correctly as aswimming lure they must be riggedstraight. Cummings prefers a fatter bodiedcurly tail bait such as the Yum’s MuyGrande grub. The thicker body, he says,makes the bait a bit more forgiving regard-ing rigging. The bait can be off-center atad and still swim well.

Though the exact style can vary, somesort of leadhead jig is used to rig a grub asa swimbait. Bullet head (often call darterhead), ball head and mushroom heads areall acceptable. A bigger issue than headshape is hook size, particularly with lighterheads that typically sport small hooks. Forproper placement on a four-inch grub a 1

or 1/0 hook is needed, one with adequatehook gap as well. Lindy’s Max Gap hookis a good example or a leadhead jig well-suited for swimming grub work. Cum-mings typically fishes eighth to

three-sixteenth ounce heads. He uses around head jig produced in his area. It fea-tures several tiny barbs to keep the grubbody in place. Heads with a single barb


Ohio Valley Outdoors–Photo by Jeff KnappTwister-tail grubs are a top choice for both river and lake dwelling

smallmouth bass during the late summer and fall.

By Jeff KnappFishing Editor

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Turn To Bass Page 7

Swim a Grub for Fall Bass

also work. A drop of super glue can beused to keep the bait in place, particularlyafter a fish or two has pulled the bait down.Piercing the grub with the hook point,

thread the grub on to the hook, keeping itcentered on the hook on both the up-and-down plane, as well as the left-to-right ori-entation. When the proper length of thegrub has been threaded on to the hook – sothat the bait runs straight – pop the hookout of the body. Grubs can be rigged bothtail-up or tail-down. Cummings preferstail-down, finding that the tail often foulson the hook point during the cast whenrigged tail-up.Cummings likes to make long casts with

a swimming grub and impart a steady re-trieve. He has his most success with min-now-like color patterns such as silver pearland blue glimmer pepper.While Cummings uses a swimming grub

for finicky smallmouth and largemouthbass in lakes, I’ve had similar success onflowing waters for smallmouth bass.There are many similarities, as well as afew differences, when swimming grubs forcreek and river brown bass.Smallmouth bass, as well as walleyes,

get in moods where the profile of a swim-ming grub is what they prefer that givenday. And like Cummings, I find this oftenthe case when they follow other moving

baits, or strike short. Downsizing to aswimming grub, from a larger profile baitlike a four-inch paddle-tail soft swimbait,often triggers fish in such a state. Regard-ing water clarity, this can happen duringtimes of clear water, but it can also occurwhen creeks and rivers flow stained.While lake-dwelling bass often turn on a

swimming grub and hook themselves,river smallies often follow up behind thebait, grab it, and continue on toward theboat. Strikes can be more difficult to de-tect. Sometimes the line goes slack, oryou’ll feel just a slight weight as the bassswims along with the lure, heading in yourdirection. Rapidly reel to put some tensionon the line and sweep set the hook.One of the simplest forms of fishing, yet

most rewarding, is exploring the potentialof warm water creeks for untapped small-mouth bass action. The grub shines in thissituation. Since this is commonly a hik-ing/wading proposition you are limited inlure selection. A grub can be used as botha swimming lure in the fast water, and alsoa jigging lure when working deeper holes.

COLUMBUS, OH — The followingis a list of the allowable hunting equip-ment in the state of Ohio. This informa-tion, and other important hunting rulesand regulations, can be found in the OhioHunting and Trapping Regulations 2015-16 booklet or online atwww.wildlife.ohiodnr.gov. For addi-tional questions, call the Division ofWildlife at 1-800-WILDLIFE (945-3543).

Legal Deer HuntingEquipment in OhioArchery Season

Longbow or Bow: Minimum drawweight 40 pounds. This includes com-pound bows and recurve bows. Thearrow tip needs a minimum of two cut-ting edges, which may be exposed or un-exposed and a minimum 3/4-inch width.Expandable and mechanical broadheadsare legal.Crossbow: Minimum draw weight 75pounds. The arrow tip needs a minimumof two cutting edges, which may be ex-posed or unexposed and a minimum 3/4-inch width. Expandable and mechanicalbroadheads are legal.

Gun Season and Youth Gun SeasonShotgun: 10 gauge or smaller shotgunusing one ball or one rifled slug per bar-rel (rifled shotgun barrels are permittedwhen using shotgun slug ammunition).Muzzleloading rifle: .38 caliber orlarger.Muzzleloading shotgun: 10 gauge orsmaller using one ball per barrel.Handgun: With 5-inch minimumlength barrel, using straight-walled car-tridges .357 caliber or larger.Straight-walled cartridge rifles in thefollowing calibers: .357 Magnum, .357Maximum, .38 Special, .375 Super Mag-num, .375 Winchester, .38-55, .41 LongColt, .41 Magnum, .44 Special, .44 Mag-num, .444 Marlin, .45ACP, .45 Colt, .45Long Colt, .45Winchester Magnum, .45Smith & Wesson, .450 Marlin, .454 Ca-sull, .460 Smith & Wesson, .45-70, .45-90, .45-110, .475 Linebaugh, .50-70,.50-90, .50-100, .50-110, and .500 Smith&Wesson.Shotguns and straight-walled cartridgerifles can be loaded with no more thanthree shells in the chamber and magazinecombined.

Muzzleloader SeasonMuzzleloading rifle: .38 caliber orlarger; muzzleloading shotgun: 10 gaugeor smaller using one ball per barrel.

Allowable HuntingEquipment in Ohio


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Ohio Valley Outdoors Magazine

Bass From Page 6

I really can’t ex-plain it. Maybe it’sonly a long-seatedhabit I inherited frommy maternal grandfa-ther and dad. Possi-bly it’s the passionthat makes me feellike a kid on Christ-mas morning and I just can’t sleep.Whatever the rationale, it’s getting to bethat time of year when “Oh, Dark–Thirty” becomes a regular setting on thealarm clock and I find myself climbingout of bed several hours before firstshooting light and the eventual arrival ofsunrise.Plain and simple, I like to be the first

person in the woods or on the water,whenever I hunt. Regardless, whether itsdeer, bear, or waterfowl I’m after, I liketo be in my stand or blind one hour be-fore legal shooting start time arrives. Ifigure that gives me 30 minutes to qui-etly and methodically get dressed andposition my gear in the darkness, before

sitting there perfectly silent and still forthe final 30 minutes listening for thewoods to come alive and possibly otherlast-minute hunters rushing to get to theirpredetermined spots before daylight ar-rives.Knowing I want to be at my stand or

blind one hour before shooting time, mybackward planning goes something likethis. I estimate my drive time to myparking spot and the amount of time itwill take to walk in at a comfortable pacethat won’t leave me completely saturatedin sweat. I add to that one hour for thenormal things I do around the house afterleaving the sheets, such as personal hy-giene, getting dressed, eating breakfast,packing a lunch, and loading up my gear.Totaled up, I usually find myself get-

ting up 1 1/2 to 2 hours before I want tobe in place in the field, normally 2 1/2 to3 hours before first shooting light, so thatmeans a lot of 3:30 to 4 AM wake upcalls every fall.It’s not unheard of to get-up at 2 AM

for a morning hunt, especially when I

plan on driving a considerable distanceor if I need to walk-in a mile or more toa remote location. (Possibly it’s a mili-tary thing after all those years in uniform,but at this point in life, time is just a num-ber and getting up at what many peoplewould call an ungodly, or even insane,hour is just what I do because I love to

be outdoors and maximize my chancesof being successful.Heading out so early has its pluses and

minuses, along with its unexpectedtwists. Back in 1995 and 1996, when Ilived and hunted in Armstrong County,PA; I was rewarded for my early risings


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Buy - Sell - Trade - BrowseFree Parking • $5 Admission

(children under 12 free when accompanied by an adult)

Hidden Valley Sportsmen’s Club268 Gilkey Road, West Middlesex, PA • 724-528-2700

(an IRS approved 501(c) non-profit organization)

Ohio Valley Outdoors–Photo by Grey D. Berrier IIA display of the variety of headlamps and flashlights the author has employed

to make his way through the early morning darkness to a stand or blind.In a pinch, there’s always a flashlight app on the smartphone!

Turn To Mornings Page 9

Shedding Some Lighton Early Mornings This Fall

By Col.(Ret.)Grey D. Berrier IIFIN Pro Staff

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by firing the initial shots of the morningfor those two consecutive years and hadmy bucks on-the-ground within the firstfive minutes on Opening Day of RegularDeer Season because later arrivinghunters inadvertently pushed them to meas they walked in. Like most hunters, itseems like at least once each fall I havethe misfortune of walking into a spiderweb in the darkness and subsequently dothat crazy dance that only other hunterscan relate to as you scramble to get thecobwebs off your face and upper extrem-ities. (It gets really interesting when youcan either feel the spider moving aroundor if you’re standing thigh deep in yourwaders while weaving through the redbrush in a swamp.)Sometimes you are blessed with

unique experiences in the darkness you’llremember for a lifetime. Like the time Iwas walking into the same treestand inArmstrong County during the 1997archery season and I was suddenlydrenched by an unexpected downpourwhen there wasn’t a cloud in the cool,star-lit morning darkness. I immediatelystopped after I felt the first drops and itregistered in my mind that somethingwasn’t right about getting wet when it

was completely clear. When I looked up,I made out the silhouettes of approxi-mately 50 turkeys roosting in the treetopsdirectly overhead. My presence wasmaking them nervous and their fidgetingwas shaking the heavy dew off thebranches. I paused for a minute to takethe entire spectacle in and realized I hadto move at some point to eventually getto my treestand. I hadn’t taken two stepswhen turkeys erupted in every directionand their hasty departures from thelimbs, coupled with powerful wingbeatshitting branches, completely soaked meas I was trapped underneath the suddendew deluge.While it’s my natural inclination, and a

significant amount of past military train-ing, to walk in the darkness unaided afterallowing for my eyes to adjust for nightvision; it doesn’t pass the common sensetest and in many cases it’s not legal whenthere may be other hunters in the woods.Your flashlight not only illuminates yourway, it also vividly identifies you to otherhunters as a human being working yourway through the woods and not a poten-tial game animal. While sitting in myposition in the darkness, I’ll shine mylight towards any approaching hunters ifthey get within 200 yards, so they areaware of my presence and hopefully

they’ll move on to another spot so there’sa little more room between us.As hunters, we have more flashlight

options today than ever before. Flash-lights come in a variety of styles andsizes, and we must first decide betweentraditional hand-held models or head-lamps. Then we have to choose betweenvarious types of batteries and recharge-able power sources, followed by the se-lection of either a traditionalincandescent light bulb or the newerLED bulbs. I recommend you find whattype of flashlight works best for you,based on your hunting style, what you’llbe carrying on the walk in, the terrainand brush you’ll be navigating, and theamount of light you’ll require. I havefound that batteries die and bulbs burnout at the most inopportune times, soallow for redundancy. For the past fewyears, I have gone to a hands-free head-lamp as my primary light source forworking my way through the forest,field, or swamp darkness. I always carrya small hand-held LED flashlight in mybutt pack as my alternate light source andI also have a tiny key-chain LED lightstashed away as a last resort option.With the exception of spring turkey

season, we’re now entering the time ofyear when I, along with most hunters,

spend the greatest amount of time afieldin the darkness. It can be intimidatingand unfortunately, many outdoorsmenand women, especially younger ones,have seen too many graphic horror filmsand allow their imaginations to get thebest of them when they hear unusualsounds or can’t see what’s movingaround them. While the old adage is “theearly bird gets the worm,” my experiencehas shown that “the early hunter oftengets the best opportunities for a shot.”All we can ask for is a chance to harvestthe game we’re after and increasing theodds of having that encounter is whatkeeps me getting out of bed very early onmany mornings each Fall.While your non-hunting family,

friends, and co-workers may think you’rea little eccentric to be afield in the earlymorning hours, you’ll be content inknowing that the woods are a specialplace in the pre-sunrise darkness and youhave to be there, not in bed, to makethings happen as a hunter!

Mornings From Page 8

TAKE A KIDHUNTING OR

FISHING


DAILY BAG LIMITS• Ducks: Daily bag limit of 6 ducks notto include more than 4 mallards (only 1of which may be a hen), 3 wood ducks,1 black duck, 2 redheads, 3 scaup(bluebill), 2 canvasback, 1 mottledduck, or 2 pintails.• Mergansers: Daily bag limit of 5, notto include more than 2 hoodedmergansers.• Coots: Daily bag limit of 15.• Geese: Daily bag limit of 3 Canadageese, 10 light geese (snows, blues, orRoss’s), 1 white-fronted goose, and 1brant.

• Possession Limit - The possessionlimit is three times the daily bag limit,after the second day for all waterfowl.• Shooting Hours - Daily hunting hours1/2 hour before sunrise to sunset for theregular waterfowl season.

To hunt migratory waterfowl in Ohio,you must have:• A resident hunting license ($19),

resident youth huntinglicense ($10), nonresident seasonlicense ($125), or 3‑daynonresident tourist license ($40).• A printed Ohio Wetlands HabitatStamp endorsement ($15).See your hunting license vendor. TheOhio Wetlands HabitatStamp is not required for anyoneyounger than 18 years of age.

• HIP certification (Harvest InformationProgram) is required.Call 1-877-HIP-OHIO (447-6446).• A signed federal Migratory BirdHunting Stamp ($25),required of all persons age 16 and older.Federal “DuckStamps” are available at most postoffices.

Ohio Department ofNatural ResourcesDIVISION OFWILDLIFE

The Lake Erie Marsh Zone begins at the intersection ofInterstate 75 at the Ohio-Michigan state line and contin-ues south to Interstate 280, then south on I-280 to theOhio Turnpike (I-80/I-90), then east on the Ohio Turn-pike to the Erie-Lorain county line, then north to LakeErie. The zone boundary follows the Lake Erie shore-line at a distance of 200 yards offshore. The zoneboundary follows the shoreline west toward and aroundthe northern tip of Cedar Point Amusement Park, thencontinues from the westernmost point of Cedar Pointtoward the southernmost tip of the sand bar at the mouthof Sandusky Bay and out into Lake Erie at a distanceof 200 yards offshore continuing parallel to the LakeErie shoreline north and west toward the northernmosttip of Cedar Point National Wildlife Refuge, then fol-lows a direct line toward the southernmost tip of WoodTick Peninsula in Michigan to a point that intersects theOhio-Michigan state line, then follows the state lineback to the point of the beginning (see map).


LAKE ERIE MARSH ZONE

North Zone: North of I-70 excluding the Lake ErieMarsh Zone. The North Zone includes all Lake Erieislands and waters not in the Lake Erie Marsh Zone.South Zone: South of I-70.


The Associated PressFREDERICKSBURG, VA. (AP) —Only people interested in fly fishingwould encourage others to tie one on at9 in the morning.There wasn’t any alcohol involved,just golden hooks decorated with vari-ous colors of threads and feathers.Volunteers with the Friends of theRappahannock and the Falmouth FlatsFly Fishers — say that three times fast— showed others the basics of fly tying,making knots and casting during an in-troductory session in mid-August at oldCossey Pond in Fredericksburg.Jean Falvey was one of several peoplewho said she’d always wanted to learnhow to fly fish, so she took a seat at atable under a tent near the pond.“Half of my family is from Montana,and I feel like it’s my duty to learn howto fly fish,” she said.Instructors said they were glad to see

females in the group.“I like to emphasize that ladies can flyfish, too,” said Woodie Walker, a com-munity conservationist with FOR. “It’snot just for boys.”Pete Adams chimed in that the beststudents are 7-year-old girls.“Their hand-eye coordination is bet-ter, and they listen better than boys.”Likewise, the sport of fly fishing ismore about finesse than brawn, saidCharles Naples, an FFFF volunteer.“Casting is about leverage and tim-ing,” he said, demonstrating how to castto Cheryl and Doug Orr. “Guys screwup because they try to overpower it. It’snot about that at all.”The latest workshop was the fourthannual workshop presented by the twogroups.First, participants created flies whosefeathery and colorful movements aremeant to serve one purpose in the water:

Volunteers Get NovicesHooked on Fly Fishing

Ohio Valley Outdoors–Photo by Sarah Ann Jump/The Free Lance-StarBen Raterman of Stafford, VA, learns how to cast during a Fly Fishing 101 course hosted byFriends of the Rappahannock and the Falmouth Flats Fly Fishers in Fredericksburg, VA.

Turn To Fishing Page 13

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to attract fish.“It’s supposed to look like food,” said

Ross Horton, adding the food might beminnows, insects or their larvae.Fly fishermen are all about trying to

“match the hatch,” Walker said. Thatmeans they want artificial ties that lookexactly like what fly or insect is hatchingat the time because it’s usually what thefish are biting.The volunteers had several stations set

up with devices specially made for tyingflies. A clamp gripped a golden fishhook and an arm supported the threadused to loop around the head and bodyof the fly.Participants used different colors and

textures to give their bugs differentlooks.After the students made what looked

like insect heads, they were given a spe-cial material — nail polish— to seal theknots.Clear polish is a favorite, but the men

also used black, red or shades withsparkles.“Those of us who tie a lot of flies have

a pretty large collection of fingernailpolish,” Adams said, “probably morethan our wives.”

At another station, Craig Conover,president of FFFF, sounded like a magi-cian as he gave step-by-step instructionson tying knots with names like “perfec-tion” and “surgeon’s loop.”“I’ve got two lines,” he said, holding

the strands in front of his face. “I’mgoing to overlap them.”Falvey compared the surgeon’s loop

to double-tying shoestring, and Conoversaid that was exactly right.When students moved on to casting

their lines into the grass — because theyweren’t ready yet to hit the water —Walker reminded them to keep the wristmoving and the action fluid.He said fly fishing was perfect for the

Rappahannock River region becausethere are so many different types of fishto catch with the technique — and be-cause the basic technique works with somany different types of fish.“This is the shad cast, the striper cast,

the salmon in Alaska cast,” he said.As he showed Ben Raterman, a fellow

volunteer at FOR, Walker comparedcasting to learning the guitar.“You can learn three cords and you

can play today, but you can spend therest of your life perfecting them,”Walker said. “Fly fishing is the sameway.”


Visit www.carrollcountyohio.com1-877-727-0103

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Explore Carroll CountyFishing and hunting paradise

• Two man-made, low-power lakes• Fish for bluegill, bullheads, channel cat�sh, crappie, northern pike, saugeye, yellow perch and muskies• Four parcels of public hunting grounds totaling nearly 700 acres• Find white-tailed deer, grouse, wild turkeys and rabbits• Regulated by ODNR, with license required

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Fishing From Page 12

Ohio Valley Outdoors–Photo by Sarah Ann Jump/The Free Lance-Star

Instructor Peter Adams finishes making a flyduring a fly tying demonstration at the Fly

Fishing 101 course hosted by Friends of the Rap-pahannock and the Falmouth Flats Fly Fishers.

WVDNR StartsYouth

Hunting Program

SOUTH CHARLESTON, WV —Hunting is a West Virginia tradition, buteveryone has to start somewhere. Manyyoung people who would like to get in-volved don’t have anyone to teach them,so the Natural Resources Police Officersof the West Virginia Division of NaturalResources have started a new YouthHunting Program to recruit and increasethe number of young people participatingin wildlife and hunting activities.Youth Hunting Program participants

must be 8-17 years old and complete anapplication. They also are required tocomplete the WV Hunter EducationCourse, have a valid West Virginia hunt-ing license (if required), and have a com-pleted release form signed by a parent orguardian.Anyone interested in participat-ing in theYouth Hunting Program shouldcontact their closest DNR district office.Future youth hunting days for antler-

less deer are scheduled for Oct. 16, Dec.26 and Dec. 28. For more information,refer to the 2015-2016 Hunting and Trap-ping Regulations Summary brochureavailable at DNR offices, license vendorsand online at www.wvdnr.gov.

A couple yearsago, I wrote a re-view of Browning’sHog Hunter knife.It’s a very impres-sive knife with fea-tures that make itideal for anyonewho enjoys huntingfor wild hogs. Thisyear, Browning isintroducing anotherknife called Ignite, a knife designed foruse by anyone who spends time in theoutdoors.Whatever outdoor activity youenjoy, a good knife may be the most im-portant tool you will carry.The first feature about the Ignite knife

and sheath that will catch your attentionis the bright orange and black coloration.These contrasting colors are easily seenmaking it less likely the knife would belost or misplaced in the outdoors. Thesecond feature you will notice is the cut-

ting edge… the Ignite is very sharp. If itdoes start to get dull, instructions are in-cluded on how to properly sharpen thecutting edge.The blade and tang of the Ignite knife

are made with 7Cr stainless steel whichhas a composition including 7%chromium, .17%molybdenum and .17%vanadium. On the Rockwell steel hard-ness scale, this blade and tang are ratedat 56-58. That means it is not too brittleto be used as an impact blade (like meatcleavers, axes, etc.) and is still suitablefor the wide range of tasks you need in agood survival knife, one that should holdan edge fairly well. The blade and tangare given a black oxide coating beforethe cutting edge is sharpened and thespine is notched for the striking flint.The overall length of the Ignite is 8

1/2” with a 4” drop point style blade.The textured handle is injection-moldedpolymer with rubberized inserts on bothsides. Both the thumb ramp and the un-

derside of the tang near the butt aregrooved for a better grip when thrustingor pulling. The tang extends beyond thehandle for attaching a lanyard so it won’tinterfere with the grip.The sheath is made from injection-

molded polymer. The design of thesheath incorporates a belt loop that fitsbelts up to 1 3/4” wide. The belt loopcan be easily removed if you prefer notto carry a knife on your belt, for exam-ple in a backpack. On the inside of thesheath, two small lips snap into notchesin the handle to hold the knife in place.A rubber loop can be pulled up over thebutt of the handle to further secure theknife in the sheath, if needed.

The sheath also incorporates a sleeveto hold the flint. The orange handle forthe flint has two lips that snap in placeinside the sleeve, plus there is a rubberseal to secure the flint. The flint handleis also drilled for attaching a lanyard. Ifthe flint is lost, or it needs to be replacedfor whatever reason, simply contactBrowning and one will be sent out forfree.On the chance that you fall into water

or get caught in the rain, there are weepholes in the bottom of the sheath and theflint sleeve to drain off any water thatwould happen to get inside.When it comes to being in the out-


Turn To Knife Page 15

Ohio Valley Outdoors–Photo by Bill WaugamanBrowning Ignite knife

Product ReviewBrowning’s New Ignite Knife

By Bill Waugaman

OVOu

tdoo

rTim

es

doors, especially in survival situations,weight is a major concern. The Igniteknife, sheath, flint and belt loop weigh alittle over seven ounces. To put this inperspective, that’s less than six 12-gaugehunting load shotgun shells.The MSRP for the Browning Ignite

knife is a very reasonable $33. While itdoes not have a written warranty, mycontact at Browning said they stand be-hind all of their products.

Browning has put a lot of thought intothe design and construction of the Igniteknife. Even if you are not a hunter, thisknife would be very well suited for any-one who enjoys hiking, camping, explor-ing, canoeing or fishing inout-of-the-way places. Getting lost or in-jured during any outdoor activity can bea frightening experience. Having a sharpknife and the ability to start a fire canmake a difference.


Knife From Page 14

Ohio Valley Outdoors–Photo by Bill WaugamanThe total weight of the Browning Ignite knife is slightly over seven ounces.

WV Hunting Summary of Changes 2015-2016

1. Hunters and trappers must follow the new rules for electronic checking of game.These rulesno longer require the hunter to take their game to a check station. All field tagging,transporting and possession requirements still apply.2. Night vision technology is legal for taking coyote, fox, raccoon, skunk and opos-

sumduring open seasons.3. The crossbow season will run September 26 - December 31, 2015, and game

speciesmay be taken with a crossbow during their respective open archery season duringthis period. Additionally, crossbows are legal to use during any big game firearmsseason.4. The WV CWD Containment Area has been expanded.5. Antlerless deer hunting season dates and open counties have changed.6. Spring and fall wild turkey hunting season dates and open counties have changed.7. Black bear hunting season dates and open counties have changed.See specifics on these items in the 2015-16WVHunting and Trapping Regulations

Summary booklet, available at any WV Hunting License Agent or online atwww.wvdnr.gov/hunting/hunting_regs.shtm.

Error Found in WV Hunting Rules

SOUTH CHARLESTON,WV (AP)—TheWest Virginia Division of Natural Re-sources says a summary of state hunting and trapping regulations contains an erro-neous combined bag limit for archery and crossbow deer seasons in 11 counties.The DNR said Thursday that the maximum combined seasons bag limit is two ei-

ther-sex deer. The bag limit printed in the 2015-2016 summary is three deer.The bag limit applies to Boone, Tucker, Webster and portions of Clay, Fayette,

Greenbrier, Kanawha, Mineral, Pendleton and Raleigh counties, which are closed tothe antlerless season.


Shane Blankenship24-3/4spread, 197-7/8" rough score

Lorain County, OH

David Scarsella9-pt., bow

Columbiana County, OH

Jeff Metzgar8-pt.

Carroll County, OH

Rylan Monk1st buck, 8-pt.Beaver, OH

Patti Stull1st deer, 9-pt.buck, crossbowColumbiana County, OH

Buckwheat Heldreth8-pt.,

Jefferson County, OH

Aric Cook10-pt., crossbow

Tuscarawas County, OH

Send Us Your PhotosWe’ll print your hunting, fishing or trap-

ping photos in the next issue of OV Times orOhio Valley Outdoors magazine. Send pho-tos via mail, email or Facebook.Email to: [email protected] to: Photo Showcase210 East Fourth St., East Liverpool, OH 43920

Bob Duncan485 lbs. black bearNorth Carolina


Bub Welchlargemouth bass

Shawn Dickey19lbs. gobbler

Monroe County, OH

Clayton Gourly, age 1318-1/2" bass

16-1/2" crappie

Tim Baker20lbs., 9.5" beard, 1" spurs

Marvin AeschbacherFirst banded waterfowl


Danielle Aeschbacher1st banded goose


Shawn Dickey20.5" spread


Jessie French, age 131st. rabbit

Wauseon, OH

Harlee Heldreth, age 108-pt.


Tommy Chaffin9-pt. buck, crossbow


Tom Chaffin11-pt. buck, crossbow


Cade Staats, age 61st buck, 7-pt.

Wood County, WV


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The Petroleum IndustryJet Fueling SystemsGas Compressor Stations

Over 30 Years of Doing Things Right

By MARK BUGNASKI,Kalamazoo GazetteKALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP)— Craig

“Curly” Spink swirls a hand-made jigabove a water-filled 15-gallon galva-nized steel tub in his Kalamazoo backyard, tugging and relaxing the line at-tached to a wooded fish decoy he carvedand painted. He’s trying to make it swimas realistically as possible.“This is how I test them,” Spink told

the Kalamazoo Gazette(http://bit.ly/1hiyDyu ). “See, how I canmake it go slower?”Getting the right feeling for swimminghis fish decoys around in a circle is morethan making lures for spear fishing, he ispreparing for the annual Great LakesFish Decoy Carving and Collecting As-sociation’s World Championships ofFish Decoy Carving competition, onSept. 18-19, in Monroe.Spink said his inspiration comes from

his grandfather Bill Leithold, who ranfishing expeditions with a float plane

into the boundary waters of NorthernMinnesota and Canada. He recalls fish-ing right off of the plane’s pontoons as akid and admiring the beauty of the bass,trout, walleye and northern pike.Carving in a small workshop in his

basement, Spink holds a template of arainbow trout he traced from a fishcaught on the Kalamazoo River.“From this, I carved a fish out of di-

mensional lumber,” Spink said. “Thisone is going to an oil painting artist inMinnesota.”Spink has been wood working for yearsand also builds for the Heritage GuitarCo. inside the old Gibson factory onKalamazoo’s north side.Producing hundreds of fishing decoys,

Spink also carves fish and wildlife folkpieces he describes as cabin art.“I’m not trying to make perfectly pol-

ished replicas of fish models,” saidSpink, “but rather ‘folk art’ that followsthe tradition of hand-carved wooden de-coys produced for spear fishing decadesago.”

“I trying to keep the “Cadillac style”alive, said Spink, a fish decoy style cre-ated by master carver Oscar “Pelee” Pe-terson in the early 1900s, and works thatare collectable and highly valued decora-tive art.Spink hopes to get the word out about

his traditional carvings and grow an ap-preciation for this style of Michigan folkart.The gallery at Brakeman Design fea-

tures Curl’s Carving during the JuneArtHop and Spink took fourth prize in the2014 West Michigan Area Show for hislife-size Sturgeon over Sticks.Spink said his art preserves a Michi-

gan tradition, one that NativeAmericansonce used to fish Michigan lakes.“It’s so exciting to watch a fish come

in on a decoy, said Spink, “to watch abass hit your folk art, it’s just such athrill.”

Ohio Valley Outdoors–Photo by Mark Bugnaski/Kalamazoo GazetteHand carved wildlife decoys are on display at Craig Spink’s workshopon Aug. 13, 2015 in Kalamazoo, Mich. Spink has produced a variety

of fish and wildlife decoys in the Cadillac style tradition.

Folk Art Comes Alivein Wooden Fish Decoys

Send us your trophy photos

For ourPhoto Showcase

Connor Mayleturkey

Trumbull County, OH

email to:[email protected] to: Photo Showcase210 East Fourth St.East Liverpool, OH 43920

www.ohiovalleyoutdoors.com

Eric Mehalkolargemouth bass

using green pumpkin java tubes

Documents

Ohio Valley Outdoor Times 9-2015