Access to areas

By Mike Moore
Editor
Thursday, February 28, 2008 10:19 AM CST
Columbus - Ask any five deer hunters in Ohio to name their No. 1 frustration and three of them will mention the word “access.”

While not in any way a scientific finding, the DNR Division of Wildlife acknowledges that access, particularly to private land, is a relatively big issue to the state's deer hunters. Hunter surveys have told them so.

Private land accessibility is a problem in need of a solution, Division of Wildlife managers acknowledge. The issue is a major point of emphasis for Chief Dave Graham's administration this year, the rule-making Ohio Wildlife Council was told earlier this month.

“Most of us know, if you can't get (to the deer on private land), you can't kill them,” said Dave Risley, the Division of Wildlife's administrator for wildlife management and research.

The Division of Wildlife, Risley said, realizes that private land issues are becoming more important in managing an ever burgeoning deer herd.

The Ohio Farm Bureau last year asked for a reduced statewide herd of 250,000 (down from 675,000) due to increasing crop damage being suffered by its members.

Hunters complain that they have less places to hunt these days because private landowners won't let them cross their property lines. The solution, as always, lies somewhere in the middle.

To that end, Risley said he plans this year to facilitate the formation of a panel that would include representatives from the Farm Bureau, the Ohio Farmer's Union, and average hunters and farmers to offer solutions.

“The question that needs to be answered is ‘what would it take to get better access on private lands, particularly where we have (deer population) issues?'” Risley said.

An early idea is the creation of some type of Web-based solution that would match hunters with landowners experiencing problems with crop damage.

“I don't know what this will cost, $50,000, $100,000 a year?” Risley said. “But, I would be willing to pay for it out of my budget. I think it would help (deer) management. And, I think it would help with recruitment and retention (of hunters). It just makes sense.”

Under Risley's plan, the Division of Wildlife would not be represented on the discussion panel.

“I'd really like to see (a solution) that is brokered outside of state government,” he said. “I think that will help it succeed.”