Congrats to 11-year old Carsyn Raines of Winchester who bagged his first wild turkey, a 22-lb monster gobbler with a 9.5-inch beard taken Saturday during Ohio’s youth turkey season in Adams County, hunting with his dad Chad Raines. (Photo courtesy of grandmother Janet Raines)

By Tom Cross-

Although participation is likely to be down due to Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s shelter-in-place order, for some the turkey season opener on Monday was and is a welcome relief.
After polishing the brass on all my 22 caliber shells, counting fishhooks and sorting sinkers, finally going afield is much needed for guys like me who have a hard time sitting still. In Adams County much of it is turkey hunting country and if you’re fortunate enough to live on a farm or be able to access a close patch of woods, consider yourself lucky. For some Ohio hunters, shelter-in-place means staying-at-home during the season opener.
Aside from the health factor, COVID-19 has not been kind to anyone especially to sportsmen and women who are accustomed to getting in a pickup and heading out to a lake or patch of woods to hunt mushrooms. Across the U.S., hunters and fishers had been subject to a series of newly enacted regulations aimed not only to out-of-state sportsmen and women but to residents as well. Ohio and most other states have temporarily discontinued out-of-state hunting and fishing license sales.
State and national parks, campgrounds, lodges, and public hunting areas have been shuttered. Michigan has banned the use of power boats. Some states have even gone as far as to cancel fishing and hunting season. In Kentucky Red River Gorge was closed and access to some lakes and boat ramps have been sealed off. And due to crowds on some hiking trails, even they have not escaped the shutdown.
The Shawnee Trout Derby, Ohio oldest continuing trout derby since the late 60’s, was set for April 25, has been canned. My favorite is from West Virginia that now allows residence of the state to fish without having to first purchase a fishing license.
Ohio has been kind to its hunters and fishers and has not closed any hunting and fishing seasons. The crowded boat ramps at some Lake Erie ports were reason enough to suspend non-resident license sales and the spring walleye run at the Maumee River has been curtailed because popular fishing spots and access to the river were closed by the municipalities they were within.
Although the Shawnee Trout Derby has been canceled, the trout stocking continues throughout Ohio. Time and dates to trout stockings are not being announced to avoid crowds and stocking trucks have now placed barriers around the stocking area to prevent any human contact with ODNR folks. The trout are immune to the coronavirus.
By the time you read this the white bass run on Ohio Brush Creek should be in full swing. The best fishing is south of the State Rte. 125 Bridge along Waggoner Riffle Rd. The run usually peaks the last weekend in April. Be sure to practice safe social distancing while fishing.
The bottom line of the Ohio Division of Wildlife Ohio could take a hit as fishing license sales have plummeted by nearly 32 percent due to the coronavirus but could rebound to even greater numbers once shelter-in-place is lifted as folks will be ready to get out and go fishing.
Surprisingly, according to ODNR, sales of resident spring turkey permits have increased a few percentage points over last year. Ohio’s turkey season opened April 20 and continues through May 17. In the five counties that make up Ohio’s northeast zone, season opens a week later. Ohio’s youth turkey season was the weekend of April 18-19.