Etta's Briefs March 2006

Etta's Briefs

New Program Aims to Promote Rivers

The state of Ohio's "Ohio Water Trails" system is aiming to promote and enhance the use of small rivers and other waterways in 2005.
The first Ohio stream designated in 2005 as a water trail is the Kokosing River in Knox and Coshocton counties, a 28-mile trail starting at Mount Vernon, about 30 miles northeast of Columbus.
This water trail includes deep pools, riffles, small rapids and scenic sandstone cliffs. Opportunities abound for wildlife viewing, fishing and hunting, reports the Ohio Division of Watercraft, the state agency coordinating the program.
While the Kokosing is the only designated Ohio Water Trail so far, others will follow later this year. Division officials said the program is a partnership effort by the state, National Park Service, Ohio recreation and conservation agencies, and grassroots volunteer groups working to improve small boat launch access.
The efforts will promote better access and more use of the smaller fisheries that harbor smallmouth bass and other species found in these waterways.

Buckeye Coyote Hunter Shot/Killed Hunting At Night

As the number of coyotes grows in the Buckeye State, hunters who pursue them will also increase. But wildlife officials are urging hunters to be extra vigilant while pursuing these.
A 27-year-old Van Wert hunter was fatally shot while coyote hunting at night, and using a predator call for the canines.
Trevor Ellerbrock was shot by a fellow coyote hunter while using a recording of squealing rabbits to lure the nocturnal animals, according to police reports. Two other coyote hunters, a 36-year-old Van Wert man and a 15-year-old boy, were also in the area hunting coyotes when they mistook Ellerbrock for a coyote.

Pennsylvania Elk CWD Free

It appears Pennsylvania's elk herd is safe, for now, from the fast moving Chronic Wasting Disease spreading in whitetail deer herds nationwide.
Samples taken from hunter-harvested elk during the 2005 hunting season all tested negative for CWD, according to Dr. Walt Cottrell, the Pennsylvania Game Commission's new wildlife veterinarian.
In 2004, 3,699 hunter-killed deer tested negative for CWD.
CWD has been confirmed in New York and West Virginia, and Pennsylvania wildlife officials are working closely with the state Department of Agriculture and other agency representatives on the state's CWD Task Force to halt the spread of the disease.

First Year Doe Study Ends

The first of a three-year whitetail doe study, designed to help wildlife managers in setting seasons and bag limits, has ended.
The mid-state study focuses on female whitetail deer survival and behavior during hunting seasons, and is a cooperative effort between the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Penn State University.