2021 Guernsey SWCD Summer Fun Days

 

Take Precautions to Avoid Ticks in the Outdoors this Summer

 

Take Precautions to Avoid Ticks in the Outdoors this Summer   COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife is encouraging hunters, anglers, birders, and all outdoor enthusiasts to use caution and take steps to avoid contact with Ohio’s tick species while exploring the outdoors this summer. Ticks are found throughout Ohio and sometimes carry potentially dangerous diseases.   Ohio has three medically important species of ticks: the American dog tick, blacklegged tick, and lone star tick. All three of these species have the potential to carry and transmit diseases to humans and pets. The American dog tick is the most common tick in Ohio and is found in grassy areas. This tick is most active during the summer months and is the primary transmitter of Rocky Mountain spotted fever.   When exploring the outdoors, everyone should take precautions to prevent a tick from becoming attached to the skin. Outer clothing should be sprayed with permethrin-based repellent according to the label directions. Pants should be tucked into socks or boots and shirts into pants to keep ticks on the outside of the clothing. Wear light colored clothing which will make spotting ticks easier. Thoroughly check clothes and skin for any attached ticks. Don’t forget to check pets and gear, too.   Attached ticks should be removed as quickly as possible to reduce the risk of contracting tick-borne diseases. To remove a tick, use tweezers or gloved hands. Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible and pull straight out with steady, even pressure. Do not use petroleum jelly, fingernail polish, alcohol, cigarettes, matches, or other similar methods to try to kill or stimulate the tick to back out. These methods do not work, delay proper removal, and may be dangerous.   “Ticks have the ability to transmit diseases to humans in 36 to 48 hours after the initial bite,” said Ohio Wildlife Council President and retired veterinarian Dr. Paul Mechling. “Urban and suburban development as well as outdoor recreation allows the spread of these diseases as people come in close contacts with mice, white-tailed deer, and other hosts for ticks. Pets in an outdoor setting should have tick control.”   Blacklegged tick populations have increased in Ohio since 2010, particularly in areas with forested habitat. This species can carry Lyme disease and is active throughout the year, including during the winter. Also known as the deer tick, blacklegged ticks are frequently found on white-tailed deer. The lone star tick is found mostly in southern Ohio and can transmit several diseases. It is found in shaded, grassy areas and is active during the warmer months of the year.   “Ohioans are at greatest risk for contracting tick-borne disease from June through August, but Lyme disease is possible year-round,” says Dr. Glen Needham, Associate Professor Emeritus of Entomology at The Ohio State University. “Wear proper clothing and use repellent to help prevent tick attachment.”   Dr. Mechling also advises landowners, particularly those who own woodlots, to consider the makeup of plants on their property. According to recent research conducted by the University of Maine, woodlots with invasive plants such as bush honeysuckle, Japanese barberry, and buckthorn had three to four times the number of blacklegged ticks compared to woodlots with no invasive plants.   It is important to note that unlike humans and pets, wild animals such as deer are not affected by the blacklegged tick and suffer no ill effects from Lyme disease. Additionally, Lyme disease cannot be transmitted by the consumption of venison. Hunters should remember that hunting and dressing deer may bring them into close contact with infected ticks.   More information on these and other tick species, and photos to help identify ticks can be found on the Ohio Department of Health webpage. To learn more about tick-borne diseases and their symptoms, visit cdc.gov/ticks.   The Ohio State University is hosting a day-long Ohio Regional Tick Symposium 2021 in October. Registration is available at osu.edu. For more information on ticks in Ohio, visit wildohio.gov.   The mission of the Division of Wildlife is to conserve and improve fish and wildlife resources and their habitats for sustainable use and appreciation by all. Visit wildohio.gov to find out more.   ODNR ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR website at ohiodnr.gov.   -30-   For more information, contact: Brian Plasters, Division of Wildlife (614) 601-3836

Ohio’s 2021 Spring Wild Turkey Hunting Season Concludes

 

Ohio’s 2021 Spring Wild Turkey Hunting Season Concludes   COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio’s 2021 spring wild turkey hunting season ended Sunday, May 30 with 14,541 birds taken, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. Ohio’s spring wild turkey hunting season concluded on Sunday, May 30 in the northeast zone, and Sunday, May 23 in the south zone. In 2020, hunters harvested 17,894 wild turkeys during the spring hunting season.   The top 10 counties for wild turkey harvest during the 2021 spring hunting season include: Columbiana (454), Belmont (444), Meigs (437), Tuscarawas (417), Jefferson (408), Monroe (408), Ashtabula (401), Washington (398), Guernsey (378), and Muskingum (373).   “Wild turkey populations appear to have declined in much of the eastern U.S., including Ohio,” said Division of Wildlife Chief Kendra Wecker. “The Division of Wildlife, in consultation with the Ohio Wildlife Council, other state wildlife agencies, and our non-government wildlife partners will be examining if further conservation measures are needed to stabilize and improve Ohio’s wild turkey population.”   Youth hunters harvested 1,473 wild turkeys during Ohio’s youth season on April 17-18. The youth season results are included in the final tally.   Ohio has two zones for spring wild turkey hunting: the south zone and the northeast zone. The northeast zone includes Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, and Trumbull counties, while the south zone covers the rest of the state. In the south zone, 13,510 turkeys were harvested, with 941 turkeys checked in the northeast zone.   Adult male turkeys (gobblers) made up 82% of the total 2021 harvest with 11,976 turkeys taken. Hunters checked 2,397 juvenile male turkeys (jakes) represented 16% of the harvest, and 173 bearded female turkeys (hens) were checked. The Division of Wildlife sold and distributed 61,135 wild turkey permits during the spring hunting season.   The 2021 spring turkey season limit was two bearded wild turkeys. Hunters could harvest one bearded turkey per day using a shotgun or archery equipment. All hunters were required to check in their harvest using the game-check system.   The Division of Wildlife began an extensive program in the 1950s to reintroduce wild turkeys to the Buckeye State. Ohio’s first modern day wild turkey season opened in 1966 in nine counties, and hunters checked 12 birds. The total number of harvested turkeys topped 1,000 for the first time in 1984. Turkey hunting was opened statewide in 2000. The record Ohio wild turkey harvest was in 2001, when hunters checked 26,156 birds.   Connect with the Division of Wildlife by downloading the HuntFish OH app and on Twitter and Facebook for instant news stories, outdoor recreation ideas, local wildlife information, and so much more. The Your Wild Ohio Hunter Facebook page provides hunting tips and useful information as you get outside this season.   The mission of the Division of Wildlife is to conserve and improve fish and wildlife resources and their habitats for sustainable use and appreciation by all. Visit wildohio.gov to find out more.   ODNR ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR website at ohiodnr.gov.   -30-   Editor’s Note: A county list of all wild turkeys checked by hunters during the 2021 spring and youth hunting seasons are shown below. The first number following the county’s name shows the harvest numbers for 2021, and the 2020 numbers are in parentheses. Harvest numbers below are raw data and subject to change.   Adams: 358 (421); Allen: 65 (79); Ashland: 149 (170); Ashtabula 401 (449); Athens: 324 (380); Auglaize: 29 (54); Belmont: 444 (533); Brown: 345 (433); Butler: 173 (237); Carroll: 286 (368); Champaign: 56 (106); Clark: 12 (17); Clermont: 249 (367); Clinton: 51 (92); Columbiana: 454 (395); Coshocton: 331 (450); Crawford: 47 (59); Cuyahoga 10 (7); Darke: 48 (68); Defiance: 160 (244); Delaware: 85 (127); Erie: 47 (41); Fairfield: 82 (115); Fayette: 7 (17); Franklin: 17 (21); Fulton: 104 (118); Gallia: 359 (398); Geauga 163 (214); Greene: 17 (22); Guernsey: 378 (508); Hamilton: 83 (147); Hancock: 28 (48); Hardin: 84 (103); Harrison: 351 (458); Henry: 48 (56); Highland: 317 (412); Hocking: 217 (271); Holmes: 167 (241); Huron: 88 (112); Jackson: 293 (351); Jefferson: 408 (413); Knox: 271 (317); Lake 60 (70); Lawrence: 182 (228); Licking: 277 (319); Logan: 88 (116); Lorain: 107 (141); Lucas: 50 (54); Madison: 5 (11); Mahoning: 181 (198); Marion: 30 (46); Medina: 97 (118); Meigs: 437 (503); Mercer: 10 (30); Miami: 18 (29); Monroe: 408 (532); Montgomery: 23 (28); Morgan: 267 (322); Morrow: 107 (146); Muskingum: 373 (499); Noble: 347 (399); Ottawa: 1 (1); Paulding: 70 (75); Perry: 249 (283); Pickaway: 13 (33); Pike: 185 (197); Portage: 185 (248); Preble: 82 (125); Putnam: 40 (61); Richland: 209 (221); Ross: 262 (334); Sandusky: 23 (23); Scioto: 228 (272); Seneca: 123 (108); Shelby: 42 (39); Stark: 240 (270); Summit: 64 (79); Trumbull 307 (378); Tuscarawas: 417 (528); Union: 34 (48); Van Wert: 10 (22); Vinton: 233 (294); Warren: 67 (110); Washington: 398 (484); Wayne: 102 (123); Williams: 183 (192); Wood: 24 (31); Wyandot: 77 (87).   2021 total: 14,541 2020 total: (17,894)   For more information, contact: Brian Plasters, Division of Wildlife (614) 601-3836