Field reports from Ohio Division of Wildlife Officers

Northwest Ohio – Wildlife District Two
In April, State Wildlife Officer Nathan Kaufmann, assigned to Richland County, K-9 Officer May, Wildlife Officer Supervisor Kevin Russell, and Wildlife District Two staff participated in a Junior Achievement Inspire event at the Richland County Fairgrounds.

Approximately 850 high school students attended the event to gather information about careers. Attendees learned about the K-9 wildlife law enforcement program and tried the indoor archery range.

In 2023, the Lake Erie law enforcement unit patrolled near Wild Wings Marina to enforce fishing regulations. The officers contacted an angler who had taken more than the legal limit of six walleye. The officers discovered 12 walleye in the angler’s live well, one of which was shorter than the 15-inch minimum length requirement. The suspect was issued summonses for the violations and was found guilty in Ottawa County Municipal Court. The individual was ordered to pay $150 in fines, $566 in court costs, and $200 in restitution and received a one-year fishing license revocation.

Central Ohio – Wildlife District One
During the 2023-24 white-tailed deer archery hunting season, State Wildlife Officer Antoinette Freet, assigned to Licking County, received a report of a deer harvested with a rifle. Officer Freet located the suspect and discovered a rifle in the suspect’s vehicle. With the assistance of the Licking County Sheriff K-9, Officer Freet obtained more evidence from the field. The suspect was issued a summons for hunting with a rifle during the archery season and was found guilty. The individual paid $715 in restitution, paid $282 in fines and court costs, received a two-year hunting license revocation, and forfeited the rifle and deer to the Ohio Division of Wildlife. 

State Wildlife Officer Chad Grote, assigned to Marion County, received a call from a homeowner regarding an entrapped deer. Officer Grote responded to the residence and found a young buck stuck in a woven hammock. Officer Grote used a knife attached to a pole to cut the deer free from the hammock. The deer ran unharmed into the woods nearby after the incident.

Northeast Ohio – Wildlife District Three
During the 2023-24 white-tailed deer hunting season, State Wildlife Officer Scott Cartwright, assigned to Carroll County, received a complaint of hunting without permission. With assistance from State Wildlife Officer Jesse Janosik, assigned to Columbiana County, Officer Cartwright located the hunter. The officers determined that the individual had trespassed on two properties and harvested a deer and did not possess a valid hunting license or deer permit. The suspect was found guilty on six charges in Carroll County Municipal Court and ordered to pay $1,495 in fines and restitution. Further, the individual received a one-year hunting license suspension and 30 days in jail suspended pending no further violations. The harvested deer was forfeited to the state.

State Wildlife Officer Randy White, assigned to Lorain County, responded to a report of a bald eagle caught in a foothold trap. Officer White safely freed the eagle and transported it to a wildlife rehabilitator. He identified the owner of the trap and issued summonses for exposed bait and untagged traps. The individual paid $150 in fines and court costs. The eagle sustained superficial injuries, was treated by wildlife rehabilitators, and released near where it was found.

Southeast Ohio – Wildlife District Four
Each winter, Ohio Division of Wildlife staff conduct river otter surveys. These surveys help track river otter populations by looking for signs such as otter tracks and slides. While conducting the annual river otter survey, State Wildlife Officer Matt VanCleve, assigned to Pike County, found river otter tracks along a tributary of the Little Scioto River. The tracks were that tributary’s first documentation of river otters in Pike County.

At the end of the 2023-24 white-tailed deer hunting season, State Wildlife Officer Chris Dodge, assigned to Hocking County, followed up on a harvest anomaly. Officer Dodge and State Wildlife Officer Ben Smith, assigned to Morgan County, contacted a hunter who checked a buck during the gun season and purchased a hunting license and deer permit after the harvest. The suspect was issued summonses for hunting without a license and hunting without a deer permit. The individual pleaded guilty in Hocking County Municipal Court and paid $272 in fines and court costs. The deer mount was forfeited to the Ohio Division of Wildlife.

Southwest Ohio – Wildlife District Five
State Wildlife Officer Mark Schemmel, assigned to Auglaize County, attended the New Knoxville Gun Club’s hunter education course. Officer Schemmel spoke with students and answered questions about hunting and conservation. The course certified 27 new hunters.

State Wildlife Officer Matthew Bourne, assigned to Clark County, contacted a hunter who had harvested two white-tailed deer in December 2023. Officer Bourne discovered that the hunter had did not have a hunting license and deer permit before harvesting the two deer. The individual purchased a hunting license and deer permits later and game-checked the deer. The suspect was found guilty of multiple violations in Clark County Municipal Court and paid $650 in fines and $125 in court costs. Both deer were seized and forfeited to the Ohio Division of Wildlife.