Small-game hunt seasons, now more of a sideshow, to start in Ohio
The chase for rabbits, ring-necked pheasants and bobwhite quail begins Friday. At a time not so long ago, the small-game seasons topped the hunting bill in Ohio, though now it’s relegated to more of a sideshow.
The flourishing of deer and the reestablishment of the wild turkey have gathered larger followings steeped in emotionally gratifying trimmings that hunters and equipment promoters connect with big game.
In that regard, the taking of bunnies, pheasants and quail probably never delivered the magical elements waterfowl delivered to that fervid flock of hunters. But then it didn’t demand much technological prowess or a paid-up membership to a private hunt club.
In those days, neither had sprawl yet overtaken the wider landscape, meaning a bunny or two or a bird or three often could be kicked up close to home.
A shotgun, a pair of boots, a hunting jacket, an orange cap, a displayed license purchased at the local hardware store, a buddy or two, and a desire to walk on the wild side typically sufficed. The most dedicated folks kept and utilized dogs, including setters, pointers and beagles, to scare up entrees of their choice.
Often enough it was the hunters who got a startling jolt when a hiding pheasant or covey of quail would erupt unexpectedly, wings soundly beating the air, from a sheltering patch of fall-faded greenery.
Pheasants and quail in numbers could be found 50 or 60 years ago in a lot of places in Ohio. They’re not so easily found today when they can be found at all.
The story has been told often, so let a complex tale be short. Changing land use on farms shrank the range of pheasants. Land use changes coupled with a pair of brutal winters during the late 1970s took a deadly toll on quail from which they have not recovered.
Where favorable habitat exists, which includes parts of northwest and south-central Ohio, pheasants are holding their own and can provide productive hunting. Public land and private acreage planted for the birds can be found in Madison, Fayette, Pickaway and Ross counties.
Pheasants Forever, a national conservation organization with chapters in Ohio, reports that sections of Deer Creek Wildlife Area near Mount Sterling hold numbers of wild pheasants, as does Big Island Wildlife Area in Marion County.
The Ohio Division of Wildlife, meanwhile, raises pheasants that are released at various public locations, including Delaware Wildlife Area, around this time of year.
About 400 pheasants were released at Delaware for the two weekend youth hunts, the second of which concludes Sunday. Another 260 are scheduled to be let go in anticipation of the Friday opening day, followed by another 260 on both Nov. 10 and Nov. 23.
The pheasant season is open statewide daily from sunrise to sunset through Jan. 14. The bag limit is two male birds.
More restricted is quail hunting, which runs only on private land from sunrise to sunset through Nov. 26 with a daily limit of two. Open quail counties include Athens, Meigs, Vinton, Jackson, Scioto, Pike, Ross, Highland, Adams, Brown, Clinton, Clermont, Warren, Butler, Montgomery and Preble.
Tri-Valley Wildlife Area in Muskingum County near Dresden is the lone public area open to quail hunting during the entirely brief season. Only controlled hunting takes place at Crown City Wildlife Area in Gallia and Lawrence counties.
Rabbits may be hunted statewide from sunrise to sunset daily through Feb. 29. The limit is four each day. Rabbits run almost everywhere, though finding locations to hunt them legally can take some effort.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Small-game hunt seasons, now more of a sideshow, to start in Ohio
