The Ohio Division of Wildlife’s mission is to improve and conserve fish and wildlife habitats and resources for the enjoyment of all Ohioans.
They have around 400 employees from Lake Erie to the Ohio River and in between consisting of biologists, research technicians, wildlife officers and investigators, wildlife management consultants, and many others.
Together they work as a team to achieve the division’s mission of managing fish and wildlife populations, enforcing regulations, providing educational opportunities, conducting research, assisting landowners with habitat improvement projects, and supporting fish and wildlife recreation.
This includes the annual stocking of 40 million fish into Ohio’s waters, which are all reared at one of the Division of Wildlife’s, six fish hatcheries, located around Ohio.
The Division of Wildlife has one wildlife officer assigned to all 88 counties, and they are responsible for enforcing the hunting, fishing, trapping, litter, and pollution regulations.
Wildlife Officers assist with hunter and trapper education, assist landowners with crop damage permits and hunting complaints, and assist the wildlife management and fish management sections with conducting research and collecting information from the field.
They attend events and programs and educate the public about Ohio’s wildlife, their habitats, and wildlife regulations.
Locally, the Division of Wildlife and their partners in the deer processing and taxidermy industry, have been collecting lymph nodes from white-tailed deer to monitor for chronic wasting disease (CWD).
This is a disease that affects white-tailed deer and is caused by naturally occurring proteins, called prions, that become misfolded, creating holes in the brain tissue of the deer, and resulting in eventual death.
In 2020, the first wild, white-tailed deer, tested positive for CWD in Wyandot County. Since then, CWD has been found in wild deer in Hardin, Marion, Allen, and Morrow counties.
The Division of Wildlife has tested 33, 487 deer for CWD since 2017, and has had 73 deer from the wild, test positive for CWD.
Hunters are encouraged to help limit the spread of CWD by adhering to regulations pertaining to deer carcass movement and/or transportation and proper disposal of deer carcasses.
For any questions or concerns regarding wildlife in Logan County, you can reach out to Wildlife Officer Adam Smith at (937) 441-5224.
Smith was on Listen Up! Sunday morning, listen in to the replay here with News Director, April King:
For general wildlife questions, you can call 1-800-WILDLIFE (1-800-945-3543) during business hours or contact 1-800-POACHER hotline to report a wildlife violation.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources communications center can be reached by calling #ODNR or (614) 799-9538.
Dispatchers in the communication center can get you in contact with an officer for the Ohio Division of Wildlife of the Ohio Division of Parks and Watercraft.
Learn more about the Ohio Department of Natural Resources HERE.
