Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Wildlife officials said Friday that Ohio's white-tail deer muzzleloader hunting season has been set for Jan. 5-8.  According to the department, so far Ohio hunters have bagged more than 188,000 deer this season. During the last four-day muzzleloader season more than 19,000 were harvested.  To partake in the 2013 season, deer hunters must have proper permits and may only take one antlered deer, which must be checked-in by noon the next day. Legal hunting hours are set for a half-hour before sunrise to sunset.  The state's small game, furbearer and waterfowl seasons will also be open during the event.

Cover crops boosting soils and profits

Like a kid on Christmas morning, Allen Dean can hardly wait to dig into his soil test results from the fields on his Williams County soybean and wheat farm. He excitedly looks to see how his soil nutrient holding has improved each year —something that has been happening consistently since he combined no-till and cover crops nine years ago.
Read complete article here:
http://ocj.com/2012/12/cover-crops-boosting-soils-and-profits/

Update on Ohio deer harvest figures from ODNR

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources shared that the agency's Division of Wildlife noted a drop in the statewide deer harvest during Ohio's extra gun-hunting weekend of Dec. 15-16.  Hunters checked 14,365 white-tailed deer during the period, according to DNR. The total reflected a 14.3% decline from 2011, when hunters harvested 16,766 deer. In 2010, hunters bagged 20,916 deer over the same time period.

"The overall size of the deer herd is smaller, and the harvest is aligned with that decrease," Mike Tonkovich, ODNR Division of Wildlife deer project leader, said in a release. "We anticipated the 2012-2013 deer season harvest would be down 5 to 10 percent from last year. Most of Ohio's counties are above their target deer harvest number, and we have worked to get those numbers closer to the target through generous harvest regulations."

The counties reporting the highest numbers of deer checked during the 2012 deer-gun hunting weekend: Coshocton (489), Tuscarawas (483), Muskingum (474), Licking (444), Harrison (390), Belmont (387), Guernsey (382), Carroll (375), Ashtabula (372) and Knox (356). The top five counties remained unchanged from last year.

Walnut Twig Beetle

Ohio Department of Agriculture officials announced Monday the discovery of the Walnut Twig Beetle in southwest Ohio.   According to the department, the beetle often carries a fungus that threatens the health and sustainability of walnut trees. Officials said currently, no trees in Ohio have been found to be infested with the disease, Thousand Cankers Disease, caused by the fungus.   Eight of the insects were found in traps set by the Department of Natural Resources at a wood processing company in Butler County. Following the discovery, ODA officials quarantined walnut products at the site.

STREAM NIGHT - on salamander migration

Landowners and children are welcomed to join the fun; we will be exploring the salamanders that will be migrating to the wetlands, vernal pools and streams.
Salamanders in Ohio are generally inconspicuous most of the year.  Since salamanders go into hiding during the day, finding them can be an exciting adventure.  Mole salamanders live most their life underground. During the spring breeding season they appear in large numbers; some species migrate by the hundreds during cool spring rains as they move toward water to lay eggs.

The best place to begin your search is in any wet, wooded environment in the early spring.  The best time for viewing comes at night either after or during an early spring precipitation when the temperature is around 50 degrees.  So grab a flashlight and lets go take a look at some night-migrating salamanders.  you'll see something that very few others have ever witnessed.

This workshop will take place on private property near Piedmont Lake in Guernsey county at the end of February or beginning of March, depending on weather conditions.  We will call those who are on the list giving a 24-48 hour notice of the time and location. Please dress according to the weather.  RSVP to Joe Lehman, Guernsey SWCD, at 740-432-5624 soon so that you will be on the list to call when the time is right.  It will be spring again before we know it!

Ohio Deer Harvest down slightly from 2011

Ohio Division of Natural Resources notes that Ohio hunters yielded nearly 87,000 white-tailed deer during the state's week-long deer-gun season, a slight decrease from the 90,000-plus deer harvested in 2011.  Counties reporting the highest number of checked deer include: Coshocton, with more than 3,000; Muskingum, with more than 2,900; and Tuscarawas, with more than 2,800. According to the department, the order of the top-six counties for deer harvesting remains unchanged from last year.  Ohioans still have one weekend left for deer-gun hunting in mid-December. Archery season remains in effect through early February, meanwhile statewide deer-muzzleloader season will run in early January

Watch for signs of disease at your birdfeeder this winter

SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Backyard bird watchers need to be extra vigilant this year in maintaining their feeders, according to ornithologist Richard Bailey of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Section.

http://www.farmanddairy.com/news/migratory-birds-could-bring-disease-with-them/44630.html

1st day deer/gun season a success

The first day of Ohio’s deer-gun season resulted in many happy hunters — and a lot of venison.


Hunters taking to the field on a pleasant day took down 29,297 white-tailed deer on Monday, a 24 percent increase from the number killed during a soaking rain last year, state wildlife officials announced yesterday.

The deer-gun season continues through Sunday, with an additional weekend hunt Dec. 15 and 16.

An estimated 420,000 hunters will seek to bag deer this year, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Wildlife.

Hunters brought down 90,282 deer in the weeklong gun season last year, a drop of about 15,000 from 2010.No accidental shootings or other serious hunting-related injuries had been reported as of midday yesterday.

From the Columbus Dispatch

Thanksgiving

As we celebrate Thanksgiving, the district would like to remind us all of our personal responsibility to be good stewards of the soil that produces the food we eat.  Assuring food for the future is one of the most basic issues any society faces, and is quite complex. In today's world, and for tomorrow's needs, an ample supply of food requires:

• Productive soils and ample water supplies, maintained in a clean and healthy condition by people who practice effective stewardship;
• A wide and diverse variety of food crops, with traditional crop strains protected so that their characteristics can be used in the future if needed;
• An economic and social system that provides peace and security for people who produce food and fiber on the lands where they live;
• A transportation and distribution network that moves food rapidly and safely from the fields where it is produced to the consumers who need it; and,
• A global network of support that allows people to quickly and effectively helps those in hunger or famine. 

THE DUST BOWL

Don't miss Ken Burns two-part documentary, The Dust Bowl, Sunday and Monday on PBS.  Read about it in this story at USA Today:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2012/11/13/the-dust-bowl-and-ken-burns/1702991/

The Dust Bowl years prompted the formation of the SWCDs across the US - Guernsey SWCD formed on October 22, 1942 - 70 years ago. 

National Wildlife Federation Publishes Report on Cover Crops

The National Wildlife Federation released a new report, titled "Roadmap to Increased Cover Crop Adoption.” NACD, along with two-dozen other organizations, assisted the National Wildlife Federation in the development of this document. The report is meant to be a guideline for organizations and individuals interested in increasing cover crop adoption. Since cover crops are such an important conservation measure in managing soil health and nutrients, it can serve as a great starting point and a motivator to overcoming the barriers and supporting the champions of cover crop adoption.

For more information, or to download the report, http://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/Media-Center/News-by-Topic/Global-Warming/2012/11-01-12-NWF-Releases-Roadmap-for-Increased-Cover-Crop-Adoption.aspx.

Tips for fall soil fertility testing

Soil fertility is one of the foundations for high yield potential and is necessary for maintaining plant health and integrity. Particularly after a challenging year like 2012, post-harvest is a good time for soil testing and fertilizing for the immobile nutrients phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). Appropriate pH levels, as well as adequate P and K are keys to help maximize yield potential for 2013 and beyond.

Read entire article here:
http://ocj.com/2012/11/tips-for-fall-soil-fertility-and-sampling/