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The last few weeks have been hot and muggy, but September is coming and with it, the squirrel hunt in the fall. For a modestly sized group of hunters across the state, it’s a highly anticipated event. During my youth in southern Ohio, there was little to hunt among the hills other than squirrels, rabbits, grouse, and an occasional flock of quail, so I spent a lot of time looking for bushy tails that were not only challenging, but very tasty on the hunt. skillet. . Later, I hunted the animals from the Ohio River to Lake Erie and found that their habits never changed.

Knowing those habits can give you a limit on foxes, squirrels, or grays on hunting forays, and you just need to know a few basic facts. One is the ability to recognize at least some of the major trees in the forest, something simple to do with a library book or even a purchased Ohio Trees brochure. When the season starts, they will almost certainly feed mainly on hickory, shagbark, shellbark, pignut, etc. because they love highly nutritious, sweet-tasting nuts. So find a grove or stand of walnut trees, check under fresh “cuttings,” and if they’re there, wait for customers.

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Why would you think Mr. Busheytail is the perfect game animal?

The reasons are many; squirrels are very difficult to hunt and chasing them greatly increases one’s hunting knowledge; They will teach you how to become a better hunter! Squirrels are also abundant in much of the state and finding a place to hunt them is usually easy. Finding a farmer or rancher willing to let you hunt deer can be a challenge, but the same people will often open their doors to squirrel hunters. The fact that squirrels are great in a pot of meatballs or served with cream sauce and crackers adds a lot to squirrel hunting, though fewer and fewer people today are aware of just how tasty squirrel meat can be.

First off, you’ll need a stud gun with enough power to cleanly dispatch a squirrel from a 40-foot-high branch in a tree. When he was young, he had a pump-caliber air rifle that was very accurate out to about 25 yards. I killed a lot of squirrels with this little rifle, shooting to the head, but I remember not having enough oomph to cleanly dispatch squirrels with vital organ shots, especially if my aim was a bit off. There are many excellent .22 and .25 caliber air rifles on the market today that do a great job with squirrels.

A rifle used for squirrel hunting, whether it be air or .22 rimfire, should consistently shoot very small groups out to about 30 yards, which is about the maximum distance at which most squirrels are killed. Just as a white-tailed deer can jump a bowhunter’s rope, a squirrel is known to be active, especially the cat of the gray squirrels in East Texas. For this reason, many hunters in East Texas pursue their prey with shotguns. Even if a rifle has the punch and accuracy to kill cleanly at long ranges, keep in mind that squirrels don’t sit still for long, especially gray squirrels. The further you shoot, the greater the margin of error! My goal when hunting squirrels is a headshot that results in very little meat loss.

The technique involved in hunting squirrels depends a lot on where you hunt them. I have a good friend who owns a hunting ranch in East Texas. Throughout the year he maintains various corn feeders by dropping corn twice a day. My enlightened friend knows that if left unchecked and not harvested, busheytails will run rampant instead and eat a large percentage of the corn intended to attract deer and hogs. A couple of years ago I went downstairs and used my .25 caliber BB gun to take out several of their potential pests/food! After a tasty dinner of fried squirrel and gravy, my friend vowed to take the time to clean up every squirrel he shot at.

The squirrels are smart and prolific, just like the wild pigs and try as you might, you’ll always have them nibbling on your corn, but now you’re keeping the numbers in check and having a lot of fun doing it. Obviously this is a specialized way of hunting squirrels, but I have used it on many occasions. Just about every hunting ground in the state of Texas has multiple corn feeders and whether the ranch is in the Texas Hill Country or East Texas, there always seems to be a lot of bushy queuing around the golden kernels. of corn that are distributed freely on a daily basis.

I’ll set up in a likely area and usually lean against a tree wide enough to break the outline of my body. There is usually a pause in the squirrels’ movement when an approaching hunter disturbs the forest. Give them some time to calm down and get active again. Usually, if I’m in a good spot, I see squirrels moving around or hear their claws on the bark. Patience is the name of the game when hunting squirrels. Just like when hunting turkeys, it’s best to bring the rifle close to the shooting position so you’re ready to shoot without much movement. I often rest the rifle between my knees so I can move it a few inches and be in shooting position. Once a squirrel is shot, reload and stay silent. In about 15 minutes, you will probably see movement in the trees or on the ground again. If it doesn’t, it’s time to move on to the next likely spot with plenty of squirrel signals.

Still hunting is another very effective method of hunting squirrels and is best suited for hunters who have trouble staying still and staying still. There has been a resurgence in small game hunting in recent years and I expect the trend to continue. Regardless of the game animal one hunts during his career, squirrel hunting is absolutely the best teacher. If you take just a little information from this article, remember that a stud rifle is an absolute must! Your target is about the size of a half dollar. Keep your shots close and within your effective range.

Many squirrel hunters chase their prey with a shotgun loaded with No. 4 or No. 5 buckshot. I’ve hunted plenty of squirrels with a shotgun, but these days I much prefer a tack gun. Squirrel season runs through the end of May in East Texas and in the rest of the state, the season never ends.

Get in touch with outdoor writer Luke Clayton through his website www.catfishradio.org

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A superhero movie like no other. DC League of Super Pets is an upcoming animated film based on the DC Comics superhero team Legion of Super-Pets, featuring a group of super-powered pets from the DC Universe. The family comedy film is scheduled to be released in July 2022 with an all-star voice cast. The official trailer was released on November 23, 2021, and offers a look at superpowered pets, including Superman’s dog Krypto, trying to foil the plans of Lex Luthor’s evil guinea pig. Here’s everything we know so far about DC League of Super Pets.

Release date and where to watch

DC League of Super Pets is scheduled to be released in theaters on July 29, 2022. The film was originally supposed to come out on May 21, 2021 before the COVID-19 pandemic. The film was then pushed back to May 20, 2022 in favor of The Matrix Resurrections. It’s now set to a release date of July 29, 2022, which was when black adam was supposed to come out until the movie was pushed back to October 21, 2022. DC League of Super Pets will be available to stream on HBO Max 45 days after its theatrical release.

cast and crew

To emit

A large cast of actors lend their voices to DC League of Super Pets. Dwayne The Rock Johnson will voice Krypto, Superman’s Kryptonian Labrador Retriever. Dwayne will also star in another DC Comics movie, black adamas the title character. kevin hart will voice Ace the Bat-Hound, Batman’s hunting dog who has great strength and invulnerability. Vanessa Bayer is voicing PB, Wonder Woman’s pot-bellied pig who can grow and shrink in scale. natasha lyonne has been cast as the voice of Merton, Flash’s pet turtle who has super speed. diego moon he is voicing Chip, a squirrel with electrical powers who belongs to the female Green Lantern. Members of the Justice League will appear in the film, including Superman, voiced by John Krasinski. Batman will be voiced by Keanu Reeves and Green Lantern will have the voice of Dasha Polancho. Lex Luthor will have the voice of Marc Brown and his evil guinea pig Lulu will be voiced by kate mckinnon.

Other actors confirmed for the animated film include Thomas Middleditch, ben schwartzY Jameela Jamil. None of her roles have been revealed. They may be able to voice any of the other Justice League members, including Wonder Woman, Cyborg, Flash, and Aquaman. Lois Lane will also appear in the film, but it is unknown who voices her.

Crew

jared stern is directing DC League of Super Pets in his debut as a theater director. Jared worked as a writer for the lego batman movie Y lego ninja movie. he co-wrote DC League of Super Pets with John Whittington. The upcoming film is produced by Jared Stern, Dwayne Johnson, patrick Hicks, GarciaY hiram garcia. Steve Jablonsky composed the original score for the film while david egan Y joanne reyes did the edit. Warner Animation Group is producing the film with DC Entertainment, Seven Bucks Productions and Animal Logic, who provided the animation in Vancouver, Canada. Warner Bros. Pictures is distributing the film.

Plot

In DC League of Super Pets, Krypto forms a team of superpowered shelter pets after Lex Luthor captures the Justice League. The main villain is Lulu, the guinea pig. The film has an expected duration of 100 minutes. A video game based on the movie titled DC League of Super-Pets: The Adventures of Krypto and Ace will be released on July 15, ten days before the film’s release.

Many in the southern part of the Midwest have already hung up their turkey vest for the year, but up north and west, wolverines still get the heart rate up for hunters.

Open water fishing has increased across the board. Walleyes in Iowa, smallmouth in Ohio, and Sturgeon in Minnesota are just a few examples of the vast diversity of fishing opportunities the Midwest offers.

If you’re looking for a challenge this month and want to make the most of your long Memorial Day weekend, here are a few options for an epic adventure at the end of the big month of May.

Ohio: Smallmouth Lake Erie

Lake Erie may be most famous for walleye fishing, but anglers in the know place this Great Lake at the top of their list of destinations for large smallmouth bass. May is the time to go after them.

Captain Bob Witt of Sea Breeze Charters said: “Smallmouth fishing heats up in early May. We cast tube jigs into rock piles near the shoreline. We will also use live bait. The soft swishes and the big black eyes put the fish in the boat.” If you’re looking to rack up smallmouth numbers, Lake Erie in May shouldn’t disappoint.

Michigan: Two Heart River Trout

In his short story “The Great River of Two Hearts,” Ernest Hemingway wrote: “Nick looked out into the clear brown water, colored by the rocky bottom, and watched the trout stand firm in the current with fluttering fins. As he watched them, they changed positions at quick angles, only to hold their ground again in the fast water.”

Anglers today recreate this experience by fishing the Two-Hearted River in Michigan’s eastern Upper Peninsula. The river is home to numerous species of salmonids, but brook trout are the wild and native attraction. By May, anglers should be able to reach all remote sections of the river.

South Dakota: Merriam Turkey

The beautiful white tips of the Merriam turkey’s tail fan are a coveted prize among hunters. Those looking to catch one of these birds should look no further than the Black Hills of South Dakota, where Merriam’s numbers are strong.

Turkey season runs through May 31 in the Black Hills. Hunters must apply for a Black Hills turkey tag, but there is no deadline to do so. For all the information you need to plan a Merriam turkey hunt in the Black Hills, visit the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks website.

Kentucky: Spring Squirrels

Kentucky has a short spring squirrel season that opens in mid-May and runs through June. With a daily limit of six and a possession limit of 12, squirrels offer hunters the thrill of filling a game bag.

Spring squirrel hunting is fun on its own, but the spring season gives sportsmen a unique opportunity to hunt squirrels while fishing. Canoeing down a river that runs through public land or paddling along the shore of a public lake provides opportunities to spot squirrels from the water. The Land Between the Lakes is a squirrel hunting destination where you can double up with a fishing trip.

Kansas: Turkeys

Kansas has to be in the argument for the best hunting state in the entire country.

A large part of the qualification for such a bold statement comes from the outstanding turkey hunting in the Sunflower State. Kansas has two subspecies of wild turkey; Orientals and Rivers.

The regular season runs through the entire month of May.

Hunting hours are from half an hour before sunrise to sunset. Hunters can bag two turkeys during the spring season. Take a look at all the public land in the southeastern corner of the state.

Iowa ‘Great Lakes’ walleye opener

Spirit Lake and East and West Okoboji Lakes are known as the “Great Lakes of Iowa”. This nickname could be due to how good the walleye fishing can be in these waters.

Walleye season opened at these three lakes on May 1. Daily limit is 3. All walleye between 17 and 22 inches must be released. Only one walleye larger than 22 inches may be kept per day. The rest of Iowa has an ongoing walleye season.

Illinois: Lake Michigan Coho Salmon

Cohos sail up the Illinois coast in May. Giving anglers the opportunity to fish for salmon from shore.

Spoons, spinners, and night crawler platforms under a bobber occur along retaining walls and riprap. For a boat charter experience, Captain Rick Bentley operates Windy City Salmon from the Waukegan Harbor. He says, “Red and orange Jensen Dodgers and crawling flies remain the go-to gear for coho salmon on flat lines, flat boards, divers, and shallow mounting gear.”

See you on the road. …

third

Brandon Butler is an outdoor columnist for the News Tribune. Contact him at [email protected]

by: Talia Naquin

Aware: June 19, 2022 / 08:58 a.m. EDT

Updated: June 19, 2022 / 08:58 a.m. EDT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WJW) – The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife offers a special lottery for controlled hunts.

Hunters can apply for the opportunity to chase deer, waterfowl, doves, pheasants, squirrels and quail on public lands for special hunts during the 2022-2023 season. The program is open to adults, youth, people with reduced mobility, and mentors with apprentices with firearms and archery options. All applicants must have a valid Ohio hunting license.

The hunters will be randomly chosen from the applications. Applicants will be notified by Monday, August 8.

Each controlled hunt will have its own unique location and specific rules and requirements.

Hunters can apply beginning July 1 at the Ohio Wildlife Licensing System or by calling 1-800-703-1928. There is a $5.50 service fee for the phone option. Each hunt requires a $3 application fee. Hunters can apply to each hunt once a year. Participants may use a deer driving permit during controlled deer hunts. Deer management permits are $15 and can be used to hunt antherless deer only.

More on the hunts here.

Outdoor enthusiasts are encouraged to be cautious and take steps to minimize contact with Ohio’s tick species this summer, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife. Ticks are found throughout Ohio and sometimes carry potentially dangerous diseases.

When you spend time outdoors, take precautions to prevent a tick from attaching to your skin. Treat outdoor clothing with permethrin-based repellents according to label directions. Tuck pants into socks or boots and shirts into pants to keep ticks off clothing. It can be helpful to wear light-colored clothing, which will make it easier to spot ticks. Thoroughly check clothing and skin for attached ticks after any outdoor excursion, and don’t forget to check pets and gear, too.

Any attached tick should be removed as quickly as possible to reduce the risk of tick-borne diseases. To remove a tick, use tweezers or gloved hands. Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible and pull it out with even, steady pressure.

Ohio has three species of medically important ticks: the American dog tick, the black-legged tick, and the lone star tick. All three species have the potential to transmit diseases to humans and pets. The highest risk of tick-borne diseases occurs from June to August, but Lyme disease is possible year-round.

The American dog tick is the most common tick in Ohio and is found in grassy areas. It is most active during the summer months and is the main transmitter of Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Black-legged tick populations have increased in Ohio since 2010, especially in wooded areas. This species is active year-round, including winter, and can transmit Lyme disease. The black-legged tick is also known as a deer tick because it is frequently found on white-tailed deer. Lone star ticks are found primarily in southern Ohio in shady, grassy areas and are active during the warmer months. This species can also transmit various diseases.

More information on these and other tick species, as well as photos to aid identification, are available on the Ohio Department of Health website. For more information on tick-borne diseases and their symptoms, visit cdc.gov/ticks.

Ticks can transmit disease within 36 to 48 hours of the initial bite. It is important to regularly check for ticks and remove them as soon as possible. Outdoor recreation increases the chance of finding ticks. Urban and suburban development also increases risk as people are in close proximity to mice, white-tailed deer, and other tick hosts. Pets in an outdoor environment should have tick control.

It is important to note that unlike humans and pets, wild animals such as deer are not affected by the black-legged tick and do not suffer from the ill effects of Lyme disease. Hunters should remember that hunting and dressing deer can bring them into close contact with infected ticks. Lyme disease cannot be spread by eating venison.

• Park visitors have a new place to dock their boats, eat lunch and gather with family at Alum Creek State Park. The new marina building includes retail and boat rental space, offers pizza and snacks, accessible public restrooms and showers, and a covered outdoor patio space. The facility replaces the previous marina building that was built in the 1970s and complements the recently renovated docks and fuel system installed at the main marina.

Participants may use a deer management permit during controlled deer hunts. Deer management permits are $15 and can be used to hunt antlerless deer only. Deer management permits are valid on private land and select public hunting areas through Nov. 27. They are also valid during authorized controlled hunts between September 10 and February 5, 2023.

Hunters are randomly drawn from submitted requests. Selected applicants will be notified and provided additional information about the hunt by Monday, August 8, including a permit, rules, and a map of the hunt area. Each controlled hunt opportunity is unique, and applicants are encouraged to thoroughly review all site-specific information, including rules and requirements, before applying. Application statuses can be viewed through the Ohio Wildlife Licensing System.

Until next time, Good Hunting and Good Fishing!

Ken Parrott is an Agricultural Sciences teacher at Northmor High School.

Humans have been killing larger native predators and other species that they have competed with or feared throughout evolution. This process was especially successful in Ireland and the UK, where the lynxes and wolves with which people once shared their lives are no longer present.

Humans have also transported valuable species out of their natural ranges, inadvertently creating invasive species by introducing plants, animals, and microorganisms into ecosystems where they did not evolve. This caused the native species to become extinct by competing with them, eating them and exposing them to new diseases. Over the last century, studies have shown that invasive species have been the primary cause of vertebrate extinction.

Mounting evidence shows that once-scorned native predators are now critical for controlling invasive prey.

Love for native predators

According to new research, the eradication of native predators contributed to the current invasive species crisis. However, researchers in Ireland conducted a series of surveys between 2007 and 2019. It included public sightings of gray squirrels and pine martens to see how the return of a native predator can cause the rapid decline of a long-established invasive species. , the gray squirrel, across entire landscapes.

Joshua Twining, a Cornell University Population Ecology research scientist who is also a postdoctoral researcher at Queen’s University Belfast, collaborated on the study with Xavier Lambin and five other researchers.

Twining’s team analyzed the populations of both species to see what factors influence a native predator’s ability to control an invasive species after restoration. These factors include the invading prey’s failure to recognize or respond to the threat of a newly recovered predator, the predator’s ability to switch prey, and the availability of hiding places for the prey to flee.

predator-prey relationship

Native predators preferentially hunt invasive prey by a factor of two or even three, from wolves hunting non-native Corsican mouflons in the Mercantour mountains of southeastern France to red-banded snakes hunting invasive bullfrogs in China.

Understanding why this is the case can help determine when and where native predators can help control invasive species.

For example, Lynx have a proven ability to suppress deer populations by changing the species of deer they hunt. There are no areas accessible to deer that are restricted to the lynx. The combination of these factors suggests that restoring lynx populations will benefit ecosystems where sika deer are a problem. Where alternative prey such as roe deer are scarce or absent, such as in Ireland and Great Britain, the lynx is likely to have a greater impact on these invasive populations.

Also read: How invasive species thrive in the Mediterranean

Welcoming native predators

The natural recovery of some large predators in continental Europe, such as bears, lynxes and wolves, is well advanced. This challenges long held beliefs about the need for carnivores for pristine habitat. Despite urban sprawl and intensive agriculture, the only requirement was that people stop killing predator species to recolonize their former range. Extinct predators will not naturally recover in Britain because it is surrounded by sea. Any attempt to reintroduce them would require a social agreement, which currently does not exist.

The ecological rationale for restoring native predators is to help control and limit the spread of invasive species, according to our findings. However, living near large carnivores has its drawbacks, including the loss of livestock and sometimes even pets. This is unavoidable, but can be mitigated through proactive management.

Twining points out that if restoration of any native predator is to be accepted by people, the benefits, such as reduced damage from invasive species, must be balanced against plans to mitigate costs.

Related article: This is how non-human species drive others to extinction

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