outdoor lore - Outdoor Writers of Ohio

1
LORE
OUTDOOR
Newsletter of the Outdoor Writers of Ohio
Spring 2015
President’s Message
Inside this Issue:
By John Hageman
Contest Coordinator
2
2016 Conference
3
Ohio Huskie Muskie Club 4
I am proud to follow in the footsteps of so many outstanding OWO Presidents before me. I have several
goals that I hope to accomplish during my term.
2015 Conference
4

OWO Contest Results
5
OWO Scholarships
7
Conference Memories
8
Convince the newer members of this organization
to participate in a variety of duties to get the maximum benefits from their membership in OWO
through skills learned and experiences gained.
Supporting Members
10

Featured Products
13
Trail Camera Concepts
14
Free Shooting Targets
17
To become more visible, viable and relevant to our
supporting members. They allow us to do what we
do for conservation organizations and college students through the annual Bruce Dawson Award
and college scholarships.
New Record Fish
18
Division. of Watercraft
19
John Hageman
President

Remember to send a tear sheet of your article to the supporting member
contact person listed in the OWO annual directory. This goes a long way
toward making it easier for them to justify renewing their annual membership.

Locate or create an OWO “Operating Manuals” to ensure continuity of the
organization, including:
1) By-Laws/Constitution
2) Officer roles
3) Committee duties
4) Conference Planning
Contributing Writers
5) OWO Contest
Jeff Frischkorn
John Hageman
6) Awards and Honors-such as President’s Pin, Klewer/Laycock,
Vicki Mountz
Jim Rahz
Fred Snyder
Lifetime Memberships


Promote mentoring opportunities for newer members at conferences or
special events
Recruit new members from the pool of qualifying media and potential supporting member organizations or companies.
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2016 OWO Contest Coordinator Wanted
By John Hageman
As I took over as Vice-President, I was told that I was in charge of the
annual OWO Craft Awards Contest. Robert Loewendick faithfully
turned over the folder with the instructional DVD and other supporting
materials such as score sheets, blank plaques & certificates for the
winners.
I selected my own judges to serve in each category and the new coordinator may do likewise. As contest coordinator, I abstained from entering for the past two years, but would like to enter some of my 2015
articles next year to support my new assignment with the Sandusky
Register and the other publications that use my work.
By tradition, the Vice President is responsible for the OWO contest.
But Mike Mainhart is already in charge of Annual Conference Fundraising, Supporting Membership Renewals, Raffle and Auction Item
Donations, People’s Choice Photo Contest, Conference Hospitality
Room Coordinator.
The OWO Contest needs to be adopted by someone who is not planning to enter the contest for the next two years and not chairing other
committees.
Any takers? Contact me so that I can send you the files at
[email protected] or 419-308-4086
Duties include:

Recruiting judges to evaluate each category

Receiving the entries

Confirming that they qualify for the category that they have entered and blackening their names to ensure their anonymity

Sorting entries into each of the categories to send out to the appropriate judge

Contacting the judges as their deadline approaches to remind
them to get the entries returned in a timely fashion with the scores

Upon receiving the scores, preparing a list of first place winners,
titles, etc. for the plaque engraver to cut. (I can still deliver and
pick these up, since the company that we use is nearby)

Entering names and article/photo titles onto certificates for the 2nd
OWO
We foster the highest standards
of journalistic skill and integrity
among members, promote the wise
use of natural resources, defend the
environment against abuse, recognize
the media as a public trust and dedicate ourselves to truth and conservation without regard for personal
gain.
PRESIDENT- Tim Snyder
PRESIDENT–Tim
John
Hageman
PRESIDENTSnyder
VICE PRESIDENT - Robert Loewendick
VICE PRESIDENT
PRESIDENT -- Robert
Mike Mainhart
VICE
Loewendick
SECRETARY-TREASURER - Guy Denny
SECRETARY-TREASURER -- Guy
Guy Denny
Denny
SECRETARY-TREASURER
BOARD OF TRESTEES
Vicki
Mountz (2012)
BOARD OF
OF TRESTEES
TRUSTEES
BOARD
Fred
Snyder
Jeff
Huxman
Vicki Mountz (2012)
(2012)
Mike
Mainhart
(2012)
Fred Snyder
Snyder (2012)
Fred
Jamey
Graham(2012)
(2013)
Susie Mainhart
Vance
Mike
John
Hageman
(2013)
BrendaGraham
Layman (2013)
Jamey
Brenda
Layman(2013)
(2013)
ScottHageman
Carpenter
John
W.H. Chip
Gross(2013)
Brenda
Layman
PAST PRESIDENT
Chip Hart (2012)
PAST PRESIDENT
PRESIDENT
PAST
Robert
Loewendick
Chip
Hart
(2012)
and 3rd place winners

Re-packing the entries into envelopes to return to the contestants
at the conference

Presenting the awards to the winners at the OWO Annual Confer
ence

Mailing out unclaimed awards to the contest winners not present
at the conference
www.outdoorwritersofohio.org
www.facebook.com/OutdoorWritersofOhio
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2016 OWO Conference Update
By John Hageman
The OWO conference is normally planned out over a year in advance. Planning includes picking a location and then speaking with the host county convention and visitor
bureau to get assistance with tour planning and meal sponsorship.
At the suggestion of Tom Cross, the board agreed last summer to pursue having the
2016 annual conference at Shawnee State Park, site of the 50th annual ODNR Shawnee Trout Derby. Although Xanterra, the 3rd party vendor who manages the ODNR
State Park lodge at Shawnee is out of our preferred price range, we were quoted a discount lodging rate of $91 + Tax, bringing the nightly total to $104.88.
Unfortunately, Tom Cross and Mike Mainhart had difficulty all along maintaining an open
line of communication with the Portsmouth/Scioto County CVB. They failed to provide a
representative to make the customary presentation or sponsor the 2015 Sunday breakfast . As of the end of May, we were uncertain if they were able to help to plan or support the 2016 conference.
As a result, shifting to an alternative site was determined to be the best course of action.
Next up was Auglaize/Mercer Co., which includes Wapakoneta, St. Marys, New Bremen, Celina, St. Henry, Jackson Center, Piqua and others in the vicinity of Grand Lake
St. Marys.
The dates are likely to be May 13-15, 2016, provided that there is an opening at one of
the banquet halls. It will not conflict with the 50th annual Shawnee trout derby on the 4th
weekend of April or Mother’s Day on May 8.
Plans in the making include for us to tour the St. Marys State Fish Hatchery, Neil Armstrong and Space Museum, Fort Recovery Museum, the National Bicycle & Rare Gem
Museum, the Airstream camper factory, Niekamp Farm & Flea Market, Miami and Erie
Canal Boat Ride at the Johnson Farm & Indian Agent Museum and some guided crappie fishing on Grand Lake St. Marys.
Lodging is still being worked out, but likely in Celina, Wapakoneta or St. Marys. So far,
quoted rates run in the $80’s per night. Work on the details continues as of press time.
Donna Grube, Jim Morris and I will try to schedule a site visit before the summer board
meeting.
Watch for an update in the Summer issue of LORE.
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Ohio Huskie Muskie Club/Div. Of Wildlife Outing
By John Hageman
On Friday June 5, I participated in the annual ODNR/Huskie Muskie Division of Wildlife
event, this year held at Alum Creek reservoir. Fellow OWO members James Proffitt and
Dan Armitage were also in attendance.
Although I have featured muskie fishing in a couple of articles, I had only gone muskie
fishing once before, during an OWO outing a few years ago. This trip led to my first muskie catch, a young 22.5 inch tagged fish, taken while trolling along some downed trees
near the bank of the reservoir.
My OHM Club guide was Second Vice President Rick Simpson, who had brought along
several tackle boxes full of lures that were almost all big enough to fillet. Coincidentally,
the fish was caught on a lure that I picked out, a silver 7 inch Grandma lure.
After a number of years that the Ohio Huskie Muskie Club was a supporting member,
this year their board voted to withhold their renewal, due to not seeing any evidence of
benefits of belonging to OWO.
Here is a prime example of a supporting member, who needed to justify expenditures of
their hard-earned club money to their own members, making a conscious decision to
drop OWO due to not seeing any articles written about them by OWO members.
2015 Conference
By John Hageman
Thanks to all who attended the 2015 Annual Conference in Elyria. We all survived and are
more resilient as a result of overcoming the hurdles caused by local road construction, no
air conditioning in the conference room and other minor annoyances.
Thanks goes to Heather Fraelich from VISIT LORAIN for all of her help over the past two
years helping me set up the field trips and working out all of the details except the road
construction and traffic congestion!
Special thanks also to Mike Mainhart for making this conference profitable once again
through his diligence collecting supporting member renewals, auction and raffle items and
for all of his work setting up the photo display board . I also thank Mike, Dorothy’and Linda
Loewendick for the hospitality room spread. Finally, Celeste deserves a big thank you for
contacting CVB’s and vendors for samples to fill the “Goodie Bags.”
Try to get some ink for the vendors who provided outings, lunch, demonstrations, raffle
prizes & auction items and samples of their products!
Scott Croft from Boat U.S.
welcomes conference attendees
B Frischkorn
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Craft Competition Results Announced at OWO Conference
1) Outstanding Media Achievement
Matt Markey and Jeff Basting- The Outdoors Page
Jim Rahtz- The Achievable Epic: Thru-Hiking the Colorado Trail
PRINT CATEGORIES
#2) Best Magazine Article
3rd Place- Hazel Freeman Sweet Sorghum Syrup Makes a Comeback
2nd Place- Michael Reeves-A Flexible Plan for Okeechobee
1st Place-Tom Cross-Deep Freeze Dilemma
#3) Best Newspaper Column
3rd Place- Alan Smith- Alan Smith Outdoor, Defiance Crescent-News
2nd Place- Jeff Frischkorn- Trail’s End, Ohio Outdoor News
1st Place-Matt Markey- Outdoors, The Blade
4) Best Newspaper Article
3rd Place- Matt Markey- Zoo Tracks, Treats Uninvited Critters…..
2nd Place- Jane Beathard Ohio home to more sandhill cranes than believed
1st Place- Matt Markey- Bass Fishing teams lure college anglers
#5) Best Newspaper Special Section or Series
3rd Place- Matt Markey- Profiles in the Great Outdoors
2nd Place- Alan Smith- IJNR Detroit River Institute
1st Place- Jeff Frischkorn Hubris: ODNR’s Achilles’ Heel
#6) Will Harbaum Award: Best travel Article
3rd Place- Matt Markey- People Make a Destination Memorable
2nd Place- Jeff Frischkorn- Head to Head with Hogs
1st Place- Jeff Frischkorn- Northeast Nebraska a Historical Haven
#7) Best How-To Article
3rd Place- Matt Markey-Safety Tops Checklist for Anxious Area Ice Anglers
2nd Place- Mike Mainhart-Winter Project: Homemade Tip-Ups
1st Place- Michael Reeves- Wobbling Blades for Cold Water Bass
#8) Atzenhoefer Award: Environmental Writing
3rd Place- Matt Markey-Erie’s Complex Issues Demand Multiple Actions
2nd Place- Kristina Smith- Raw sewage can get into lake
1st Place- Kristina Smith- Detroit River comeback benefits lake
INTERNET
#9) Best Internet Article
3rd Place- Michael Reeves- Witnessing Kennedy’s Comeback
2nd Place- Brian Belko- Print your own lures? What 3D printing means for the Angler World
1st Place- Hazel Freeman- Bluebirds in the Buckeye State
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PHOTOGRAPHY
#10) Best Black and White Photo (No contest due to insufficient entries)
#11) Best Color Photo
3rd Place- Larry Claypool- “First Raccoon”
2nd Place- Mike Mainhart- “Amazing Sunset”
1st Place- Larry Moore- “Like Honey-Love the Bees”
#12) Karl Maslowski Award for Best Nature Photography
2nd Place- Mike Mainhart- Entry #2- “Fall Trout Run”
1st Place-Tom Cross- Entry #1- “Wildflowers”
#13) Best Group or Series of Photos
3rd Place- Larry Moore- “Partnerships Work to Protect Lake Erie”
2nd Place- Larry Moore- “Local Man Wins National Muskie Lure-Making Championship”
1st Place- Jim Rahtz- “Scenes of the Colorado Trail”
#14) Best Conference Photo from 2014- (NO ENTRYS)
#15) Ben Doepel Memorial Contest (for use on 2015-2016 OWO Directory Cover)
1st Place-Judy Wells- “Fishing Under the Bridge-Harrison Lake State Park”
2nd Place- John Hageman- “Walleyes Done: Working on Perch Limit”
3rd Place- Judy Wells- “Owl in Fall”
#16) People’s Choice (all photos submitted to any category automatically entered in this one)
1st Place- Mike Mainhart- “Sunset Kayak”
#17) Open Photo Class
3rd Place- Gary Adair- “Jersey Shore”
2nd Place- Fred Snyder – “Dinner’s on the Table”
1st Place- Gary Adair- Incoming”
#18) Best TV Show or Video Project (NO ENTRY)
#19) Best Radio Show (NO ENTRY)
SUPPORTING MEMBER CATEGORY
#20) Supporting Member Achievement Award- Best Press Release, Website, Video or Display Ad (NO ENTRY)
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OWO Awards Three Scholarships
The Outdoor Writers of Ohio, together with the Spouse “Spice” program, were pleased
to award $1000 scholarships to three excellent students who are studying outdoor related degree programs at Ohio universities. The awards were announced at the OWO
Annual Conference held in Lorain.
A special word of thanks goes to the supporting members for their membership, and
generous donations of merchandise and services that were auctioned. They enable
the organization to continue the scholarship program.
Each scholarship applicant submitted an essay on what they hope to accomplish with
their education with the assistance of the scholarship, should they win. The essays of
the winner are reproduced here.
Dorothy Woodrich Scholarship
Recipient- Robert T. Denney– Ohio State University
Last summer, I had the privilege of touring the West; from the Grand Canyon to Yellowstone, I was able to experience the beauty of nature to its fullest. It is from this trip
that I came to realize my passion for understanding nature and the interrelationships
that govern its existence. It is with this passion that I study forest ecology as a thirdyear honors student at The Ohio State University with the goal of becoming a professor in the future. I have the gift of understanding nature at an intimate level, and I feel
motivated to help others develop this same appreciation.
With this, I have begun to hone in on understanding forest ecology and the general
field of natural resources management with my educational and professional experiences. I currently intern at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Forestry in the Project Learning Tree-Ohio program, an educational program that serves
to galvanize Ohio’s youth with the resources to promote environmental stewardship. I
also have experience as a counselor at Lutheran Memorial Camp, an outdoor summer
camp in Fulton, and I have recently received my Red Card to be a certified wildland
firefighter.
In addition, I am beginning to concentrate on my forest ecology specialization through
my honors undergraduate research thesis project at OSU. I am aiming at studying the
composition of eastern hemlock forests in order to aid in management of hemlock
woolly adelgid infestation, and this scholarship would undoubtedly help finance this
endeavor. And as a student paying out-of-state tuition who will be applying to graduate
schools in the fall, earning this scholarship from the Outdoor Writers of Ohio would be
an honor and contribute greatly to my future endeavors.
OWO Scholarship
Recipient - Anastasia Sipes - Ohio State University
My goal for a career is to establish a position in forestry/wildlife management or conservation. I plan to actively participate in forest management procedures whether they
relate to harvest planning, habitat quality, or diversity implications. Forest communities
provide many services to the environment as well as a driving economic factor. It is
Continued
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Scholarship Awards continued
also important to consider these aspects to derive sustainable management practices,
which I intent to take part in. Another important detail is that I hope to restore some of
the degradation of forests in the U.S., or around
the world, as human populations increase and habitat fragmentation becomes more of
problem. Thus, I would some day like to implement a plan to increase the function of
fragmented areas to improve ecosystems. Often times, invasive species are a problem
for fragmented areas, or a lack of disturbance produces poor forest quality. In addition,
wildlife needs are not met with proper cover and food resources.
My overall goal is that I intend to undertake these challenges, to develop complex and
innovative plans for forest management, aswell as work with the science and technology of silvicultural applications.
Science and further education is a leading tool that will be most helpful for students, like
me, to understand forest ecosystems first hand. With this in mind, this scholarship will
allow me to take on scholastic advancement through an undergraduate research project
focused on forest health and habitat quality. Likewise I plan to study abroad in China
through The Ohio State University, where I am able to utilize my knowledge of forestry
in a new setting, explore international proficiency, develop new ideas and share my findings when they are published and presented. This knowledge is quite useful for an better understanding of forest ecosystems, especially if we look beyond our borders.
OWO Scholarship
Recipient -Sarah Bail– Bowling Green University
Specializing in ecology and conservation, my goals are and always have been to restore the world to a more natural setting and to undo the damage that has been inflicted
on our depleting wild areas. As a graduate, I wish to work in either a governmental
agency created to combat the negative effects of human productivity on our environment or I wish to become a member of a small university or grant funded group that is
dedicated to the same issue. Working in the restoration of the world’s wilds has been
my goal for as long as I can remember and will continue to be my passion until the moment that I leave this domain.
Growing up my parents always would stress to me that, in order to live comfortably, I
had to have a college education. Whereas some children would just brush off that kind
of comment, I took those words to heart. I saw first-hand how hard life was (and is) for
them– for or our entire family. Their wisdom lead me to strive for a college degree but
their financial situation caused me to have to pay for everything on my own. Being
granted any number of these scholarships means that I have the ability to continue my
education, to make my parents proud, and to build the life for myself that they always
wanted for me and that I can be proud of. For me, scholarships are more than just money– they are the key to my future.
Conference Memories
Conference attendees will most likely remember the unseasonable heat that brutalized
the conference for some time. I’m sure the memory recount goes something like this...
“Why, it was so hot that the flies wouldn’t even alight for fear of bein’ fried when they
come to rest. They’d just circle round and round ’till they dropped dead from the heat.”
from First Dawn By Judith Miller
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Conference fun
and ballet in the
tree tops
among the dogwood blossoms
at Common
Ground
Canopy Tours.
Pictures courtesy of Common Ground Canopy Tours
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New Supporting Members
Vista Outdoor Inc.
Jake Edson, Communications Manager Outdoor Products
J.J. Reich, Communications Manager Shooting Sports
1 Vista Way, Anoka, MN 55303
Phone: 763-323-3865
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://media.vistaoutdoor.com/
We are a leading provider of innovative outdooor products that enable our customers to
achieve rugged independence in the activity of their choice. Vista Outdoor operates in two
primary business segments: Shooting Sports and Outdoor Products. Our portfolio includes
more than 30 well-respected brands designed to bring the world outside. Our highly recognized brands include Federal Premium®, Savage Arms™, Bushnell®, Primos®, BLACKHAWK!®, Bollé®, and many others.
Thundermist Lure Company Inc
Ivo Coia, CEO & CFO
P.O. Box 26012, Lundy’s Lane R.P.O.
Niagara Falls, Ontario Canada Zip: L2H 2W1
Phone: 905-225-0130
Email: [email protected]; Website Address: www.thundermistlures.com
Thundermist Lure Company was founded in 2006 and has innovative lures, line, and terminal tackle for both the everyday angler as well as the tournament pro.
With a number of patented products, they also have a line of tackle called the “Perfect Series”. This is where Thundermist Lure Company has taken the everyday
common tackle and perfected it, making it an anglers dream. The T-Turn is the flagship
product, which is a three way swivel like no other -which actually prevents line twist and
tangles. The Flexi Jig was next, taking the humble jig to a level never seen before – Thundermist Lure Company technology at it’s best.
Thundermist Lure Company is also all about teaching anglers, sharing knowledge and
helping anglers to have great days on the water and catch more fish by enjoying our great
outdoors and the fantastic sport of fishing. This is done via their YouTube Channel which
can be found at www.youtube.com/thundermistlures Informative, educational and entertaining episodes sharing all kinds of different tips and techniques for both the salt water and
fresh water angler – and let’s not forget their ever-popular “Boat-Less Angler Series”, and
they’ll even take you into the kitchen with different recipes on how to cook your catch.
So whether it’s jigging, casting, trolling, drifting –or whether it’s using live bait, cut bait, or
artificial bait in both fresh and salt water, Thundermist Lure Company will have the right lure
or tackle to help anglers have a great day on the water. Look for new products to come out
every year and new fishing episodes/tips every week. As the Thundermist Lure Company
slogan says, “Fish the Good Life”
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New Supporting Members
Daiwa Corporation
Curt Arakawa, Marketing Manager
11137 Warland Dr., Cypress CA, 90630
Phone: 562-375-6738; Fax 800-653-249
Email: [email protected]; Web: www.daiwa.com
Manufacturer of quality and innovative Rods and Reels.
Keep up to date at Daiwa’s North American facebook page with current events, fishing
pictures, promotions, links to videos and more at.
www.facebook.com/DaiwaUsa
Flambeau Outdoors
David Faulkner, VP Sales & Marketing
15981 Valplast St., PO Box 97, Middlefield, OH
44062
Phone: 440-632-3714
Email: [email protected]; Web: www.flambeauoutdoors.com
Flambeau Outdoors started in 1947 with their first fishing product called the “Halik Frog.”
We have patented an exclusive process in ZeRust and UV paint. ZeRust has proven to be
the absolute best way to prevent rust which is essential for fishing tackle and weapon
storage.
UV paint helps waterfowl and turkeys see with their vision that therefore makes our decoys
the most Realistic.
“Realism that Gets Results.” We have products from decoys, game calls, hunting
accessories, storage, fishing gear etc.
Member Sightings
B Frischkorn
Submitted Photo
Chip Hart & Steve Pollick
Kristina & Alan Smith at the
At an undisclosed location.
OWO Conference
J Frischkorn
Paul Liiklia & Senator Voinovich
at a secret Lake Co. stream.
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OWAA Elects Three New Board Members
Outdoor Writers Association of America membership elected three members to the board of directors:
Tom Keer (Massachusetts), Vicki Mountz (Ohio) and Paul Vang (Montana). All three members will
take their board seats on June 28 in conjunction with the 2015 OWAA annual conference in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Tom Keer owns The
Keer Group, a full-service
outdoor marketing and
communications company. TKG focuses on the
active outdoors vertical
markets, with fish/hunt,
equestrian, boating, manufacturing, publishing, and
travel as their areas of
expertise. He is also an
award-winning, full-time
freelance writer and columnist.
Vicki Mountz is a freelance writer/outdoor consultant living with husband Greg in Centerburg,
Ohio. A 30-year member
of OWAA, she has been a
writer and seminar speaker, managing editor of two
statewide and regional
outdoor magazines, a fishing guide, past-president
of Outdoor Writers of
Ohio, executive editor of
the state magazine Wild
Ohio, and the information
and education chief for the
Ohio Division of Wildlife.
Paul Vang is a native of Minnesota after graduating from
St. Olaf College in Northfield,
Minnesota, he spent almost
exactly one-third of the 20th
Century in a career with the
Social Security Administration.
After retiring from government service he reinvented
himself as a freelance writer,
landing a gig writing a weekly
outdoors newspaper column.
He has expanded with bylines
in numerous publications.
He’s not making much money
but he’s working about as hard
as he wants to work.
He became a member of
OWAA in 1997.
From Jim Rahz
As someone who has not been very involved with the organization in the past, I just wanted to say that I had a great time at the
recent OWO Conference. The tour options were fun, the Awards
Dinner was well orchestrated and the membership meeting was
more interesting than I could have imagined. Thanks for putting
together a great conference!
Thanks also to everyone for not outbidding me at the auction for
the Lake Erie charter fishing trip with Top Flight Fishing. I pulled
together a few of my brothers and we met up with Captain Dave
Submitted Photo
Hall on May 18. Dave was highly professional, great to fish with
and really knows his stuff. The worst thing I can say was that the day ended too soon. We
were the first boat back to the dock as we all had our limit of walleye by 10:30 in the morning. (topflightfishing.com)
Again, thanks to everyone involved with putting together the conference.
13
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12 Trail Camera Concepts - A Watchful Eye
Story & Photos By Todd Amenrud of Gamekeepers
Gamekeepers is represented by
Most whitetail enthusiasts don’t run their trail cameras through
the early summer months for several reasons; one being, a
buck’s antlers haven’t developed to a point of distinguishing
them from other bucks. It is the perfect time to get your cameras working for you and following are a few thoughts to help
you get the most from your trail cameras.
1) Choose the right camera. The worst cameras today are better than the first flash cameras that hit the market. The two most important features are an infrared flash and a quiet
shutter. No animal, including whitetails, like to have a whopping, white explosion go off in
their face when it’s pitch black. Flash cameras spook wildlife, period. You must also have a
quiet shutter. If you get photos of the animal looking at your camera, it could be hearing
your shutter.
You may also want certain other features like better resolution, time-lapse, burst mode, video, password protection or a built-in viewer. It all depends upon your personal needs, but
like most things…you get what you pay for.
2) Angle the camera to the trail. Trigger speeds have come a long way in recent years, but
if you’re covering a trail or a passage where the animals will pass by relatively quickly, it’s
best to angle the camera (about 45 degrees) to the trail rather than placing it perpendicular
to the trail. If the camera is placed at a right-angle to the trail and the animal passes
through the sensor area traveling fast, you may only have an image of a hind-end or no animal at all.
3) Use your cameras to back-track specific bucks. If a buck is showing up at a food plot or
feeding station after dark and you don’t have snow to back track him to his bedding area,
let your trail camera do the work for you. The closer you get to their core area, the better
your chances for a shot during legal shooting light. The key is to keep your cameras moving. A buck may simply walk five feet out of your camera’s sensor area, so keep repositioning them. Follow your buck back in to a spot where you have a good chance of killing him
during legal hunting hours.
4) Place the camera south of your target area and remove all debris. At times you may also
get away with facing your cameras to the south, it depends upon the time of the year as the
sun’s angle to the earth will change. It’s really the sunrise and sunset that you should try to
avoid. By facing the camera in a northerly direction your daytime photos should have the
best lighting.
Make sure to remove all obstructions. Cut branches, weeds and twigs out of the way. Included, you’ll see it’s suggested to use natural foliage to keep the camera concealed and
hide it from thieves, but if you do, just make sure you have a clear path to your target area.
Otherwise the LEDs will light up the brush in front of the camera leaving your target underexposed. It can also cause false triggering. If a large, sun-saturated branch is passing in
front of the camera’s sensors you’ll have an SD card full of animal-less images.
5) Deter camera crooks by concealing the camera, securing them to a tree with a cable and
lock, hanging them in hard to reach spots or placing them in a locked steel box. Nothing
Continued
15
Trail Camera Tips continued
seems to stop a really determined camera bandit, but to begin you must use some common
sense - don't hang your camera in an obvious location. A camera hanging on a trail, next to
a feeder or at a gate opening may be a bit too tempting. Find a less obvious spot and camouflage the camera into the surroundings.
One of the best ways to discourage theft is to hang the camera high in the tree. Bring a
climbing stick section, a couple tree-steps or a small ladder and hang the camera out of
reach of the average person. Remember, if you hang it high, you’ll need to place a branch or
wedge behind the camera to angle it downward.
Security chains and cables work well to deter most, but sometimes if a camera pinching
puke can’t take the camera, they’ll destroy it. Lastly, some cameras have security boxes that
can be fastened to a tree and then the camera locked into the box.
It is possible to use a second, better hidden camera to catch a camera thief. If you place a
second camera pointed at your original camera and make sure to conceal it VERY well, it’s
possible to catch some of these brainless camera-nabbing crooks. The penalty for vandalism or theft is much greater than trespassing.
6) Take advantage of the time-lapse feature. This means the camera is triggered at predetermined time intervals rather than movement through the sensor area. Time-lapse is a
great feature for covering food plots, agricultural fields or any large open area. If you can’t
figure out which trails deer are most often using to access a food source, time-lapse can
teach you.
Time-lapse is also a great feature for scouting turkeys. It can tell you areas gobblers prefer
for strutting zones/bugging areas and where it’s best to set up your ambush.
7) Use scent for a stopper. A small amount of scent placed in your chosen spot can stop
your buck in the perfect position to pose for his portrait. A little Trail’s End #307 or Golden
Buck will work during early season or after the rut, and Special Golden Estrus or Mega Tarsal Plus will stop them in their tracks and draw them in during late October through November. Place the scent on a Key-Wick and then put it on a branch or twig about four feet off the
ground.
Mock scrapes work amazingly well to take an inventory of the bucks you have in your area.
You may not get many photos of does, but bucks are instinctually drawn to the scrape from
early October into December. You can “doctor-up” a buck’s natural, existing scrape or make
your own mock scrape. A Magnum Scrape Dripper with some Active Scrape or Golden
Scrape will work best for this tactic.
8) Develop a system for filing your photos. To really effectively manage a property you must
be good at keeping records. Trail camera photos are one of the primary ways to keep on top
of what’s happening on your property. They help you to gather information on mature bucks,
document trends over the years and there is no better way to determine density, buck to doe
ratio or age structure of your herd. Now days, one property manager on a 500 acre parcel
can go through 200,000 images or more in one season. Whether you categorize your files
by date, place where the camera was located, the specific buck you’re after or some other
system, it’s important to find a way to organize your images so you can find them when you
need to recap.
9) Shoot a test photo/video so you know it’s framed properly. If your camera has a built in
Continued
16
Trail Camera Tips continued
viewer this will be easy, but you don’t want your camera to capture just legs or half a set of antlers. Consider using a digital
picture viewer so you can check over your photos in the field.
Small digital cameras may also work for you.
10) Find the sweet-spot. Most cameras will claim they are
good to a certain range… when in reality, they stink at the
maximum touted limit. Set them close enough to your target to
get good nighttime illumination on the subject from your infrared flash.
11) What are some camera manufacturers thinking with their
mounting systems? The strap some of people to get it around
a tree. A simple small rubber cord (bungee-cord) with hooks at
each end them give you to fasten your camera to a tree could
double for a seatbelt in a car and it requires two people to get it
around a tree. A simple small rubber cord (bungee-cord) with
hooks at each end works perfectly if you’re not worried about
theft. Otherwise, with mounting systems like the “Stake Out” or “Stic-n-Pic” you don’t need a
tree at all. Some trail-cams will work with a regular camera tripod. There are numerous other
mounting options, but it’s nice to have something simple and fast.
12) How and when should you check your cameras? Some say you must wait a certain timespan and check them at a specific time of day, but every situation is different. In some instances you may need to check them every day or every-other day. Under other scenarios
you may want to wait a week to ten days or more before you check them. Variables would be
the time of year, location of the camera(s), what you’re trying to do with your camera, how
you’re checking the cameras, weather conditions and more. The idea is to check or move
your cameras when you will disturb the area the least.
Since an ATV or some farm vehicles are less intrusive than a person on foot, some choose to
mount their cameras so they can drive right next to the camera to switch out SD cards. This is
less of a disturbance than walking in on foot because whitetails will stay bedded and will tolerate the vehicle passing by, where a person on foot would bump them to the next property. If
you’re able to drive right to your camera you also leave much less human scent in the area.
Would you like to learn more about improving your hunting and get discounts on the products
you need? Learn from the experts by joining the new Mossy Oak GameKeepers Club at
www.gamekeepersclub.com. Or call 662-495-9292.
From the Editor,
We would like to feature a new section in LORE titled Member
Sightings. If you spot a member out and about, take an interesting
photograph and please consider submitting it for this new section.
It should be fun to see what people are up to.
Don’t be shy! Please send articles, comments or any thing that is
for the Good of the Order.
17
Downloadable Targets from Remington
Jeff Frischkorn reports that while looking for some new targets to take to the range
that he came upon free targets offered by Remington online.
Visit http://www.remington.com/pages/news-and-resources/downloads/paper-targetdownloads.asp
To download and print the documents as PDF files you will need the Adobe® Acrobat® Reader. To prevent your browser from displaying a blank page, try the following:
1. Save the PDF directly to your computer by right-clicking on the link to the PDF
(Macintosh users click and hold) in your browser.
2. Select Save Target As (if using Microsoft Internet Explorer) or Save Link As (if using Netscape Navigator) from the pop-up menu that appears.
3. You will then be able to open the manual directly in Adobe® Acrobat® Reader
18
New Ohio State Record
Hybrid Striped Bass Certified
By Fred Snyder
A new Ohio record Hybrid Striped Bass (a cross between a white bass and a striped
bass) has been certified by the Outdoor Writers of Ohio’s State Record Fish Committee.
The new state record hybrid striper, weighing 18.32 pounds, was caught by Richard A.
Kinsley of Washington Court House, Ohio in a feeder creek to Deer Creek Lake in
Fayette County. Knisley caught the hybrid striped bass May 24, 2015, using cut shad
for bait, on a spinning rod with 15 lb test monofilament line. Knisley’s hybrid striped
bass is 31.75 inches long and 24.5 inches in girth.
His catch replaces the previous state record hybrid striper which was caught in Deer
Creek Lake by Rosemary Shaver on May 4, 2001, weighing 17.68 pounds and measuring 31 inches long. Ohio’s record fish are determined on the basis of weight only.
Ohio’s state record fish are certified by the Outdoor Writers of Ohio’s State Record Fish
Committee with assistance from fisheries biologists with the Ohio Division of Wildlife.
Fish Management Supervisor Debra Walters from the Ohio Division of Wildlife District
Five Office in Xenia confirmed the identification of Knisley ’s catch as a hybrid striped
bass.
For more information on Ohio’s state record fish program, contact Fred Snyder, Chairman, OWO State Record Fish Committee, 754 Co. Rd. 126, Fremont, OH 43420, phone
(419) 332-0777, email [email protected] , www.outdoorwritersofohio.org
Submitted Photo
Richard A. Knisely with his Ohio State Record Hybrid Striped Bass
19
Discounted Stays at Ohio State Parks
Offered with a Vessel Safety Check
Ohio State Parks is offering discounted stays at state park lodges and state-operated
campgrounds for Ohio boaters who participate in the Ohio Division of Water Craft vessel
safety check program.
“ODNR wants to reward safe boaters who participate in our free vessel safety checks by offering discounts at our Ohio State Park campgrounds and lodges,” said Mike Miller, chief of
the ODNR Division of Watercraft. “We believe this is a great incentive for adding a vessel
safety check to a boater’s annual safety checklist.”
ODNR officers are available to perform courtesy vessel safety checks scheduled at the convenience of boaters. The goal of the vessel safety checks is to help make boating as safe as
possible for Ohio boaters, their families and their friends, through education on the safety requirements of boating in Ohio.
Ohio boaters who wish to receive the discounts can contact a local office to schedule a vessel safety check by calling during normal business hours to find out where and when to
schedule a safety check with an officer, including evenings or weekends. Lists of local offices
and required safety equipment can be found at http://watercraft.ohiodnr.gov/safetycheck.
After participating in a free vessel safety check, boaters choose between a discount coupon
good for use at any Ohio State Park campground or any Ohio State Park lodge.
The camping discount is 50 percent off a second night’s camping fee with the purchase
of a first night. This discount is not valid on holiday weekends.
The Ohio State Park lodge discount coupon can be used in one of two ways:

25 percent off a two-night stay Sunday through Thursday at Burr Oak, Deer Creek,
Hueston Woods, Maumee Bay, Mohican, Punderson, Salt Fork or Shawnee lodges; or
 10 percent off regular room rates at The Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake (not valid on
packages).
Ohio has 74 state parks, 56 of which have campgrounds and nine with lodges and conference centers. The Buckeye State is one of only seven states in the nation where admission
to state parks is free. Many Ohio families and out-of-state residents turn to Ohio State Parks
for hiking, fishing, swimming, boating, camping, biking, disc golf, horseback riding and much
more. Last year, there were a total of 2.3 million overnight stays in Ohio’s state park
campgrounds, cabins and lodges.
Life Jackets Save Lives
No matter what the type of life jacket, the most significant fact about life jackets is that they
save lives. It is important for recreational boaters to take the time to choose a life jacket that
they will wear, that meets the need of the activity they are participating in, and that will work
for the environment to which they are exposed.
20
Calendar
Fish Ohio Day -July 8, 2015
OWO Summer Board Meeting -July 18 (tentative)
AGLO Annual Conference Sept. 28 - Oct. 1, 2015
November issue of LORE-Membership Renewal Forms
2016 OWO Conference– May 13-15, 2016
OUTDOOR WRITERS OF OHIO
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