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Hunters Adapting Well to Ohio’s Automated Game Check System
Wild Turkey season continues until May 15.

Ohio Department Natural Resources

COLUMBUS, OH --(Ammoland.com)- Close to 10,000 wild turkeys have been checked through Ohio’s new automated game check system, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Wildlife.

Hunters must still report their turkey harvest, but they are no longer required to take their turkey to a check station for physical inspection. Instead, hunters have three options to complete the new automated game check:

• On the Internet at wildohio.com
• By telephone at 1-877-TAG-ITOH (1-877-824-4864). This option is only available to those who are required to have a turkey permit to hunt turkeys.
• At all license agents. A list of these agents can be found at wildohio.com

All three check-in methods are being used, with 42-percent of hunters using the phone method. Hunters checking at a license agent location are second at 31-percent, followed closely by those using the Internet at 27-percent.

Those hunters checking their turkey on the Internet need to make sure they have access to a working printer so the game check receipt can be printed. Game check requires the hunter to open and print a receipt from a PDF file. Adobe Acrobat Reader version 5.2 or better is required. Adobe’s Acrobat Reader is a free download.

Hunters need to be aware that checking game on the Internet with their smart phone is available, but those hunters will eventually need to print out a game check receipt with a permanent tag number printed on it. So hunters must save the game check receipt PDF file provided at the end of the transaction for later printing.

A new option available to hunters is the ability to access your customer account. Log onto wildohio.com and choose the “Manage Your Customer Account” link. The hunter can use his or her customer identification number to log in. Customer identification numbers can be found at the top of hunting licenses and permits. Information available through the customer account includes licenses and permits purchased, game check transactions, hunting and fishing lottery results and Wild Ohio Magazine subscriptions.

Since the new automated game check system is built on a web-based platform making needed modifications to the system can be accomplished. Last fall, a pilot test of the game check system was completed and a few modifications were made for this year’s spring turkey season. The Division of Wildlife will continue to monitor the game check system and make changes as need for customer convenience.

Game-check transactions are available online and by telephone seven days a week and during holidays. License agents’ locations are available for turkey check-in during normal business hours. Please call the license agent for specific hours of operation. All turkeys must be checked in by 11 p.m. the day of kill.

ODNR ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR Web site at www.ohiodnr.com.

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Prevent Nuisance Bear Problems – Put Away Bird Feeders & Trash Cans

Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Michigan --(Ammoland.com)- Each spring as hibernating bears leave their winter dens and resume daily activity, wildlife officials in northern Michigan receive many calls about bears hanging around and even destroying man-made food sources such as bird feeders, trash cans and grills, and this year has been no exception, according to the Department of Natural Resources.

“At this time of year, bears are on the move and are looking for food,” said DNR bear specialist Adam Bump. “They are hungry after spending months hibernating, and will often resort to finding food in unnatural places, such as residential back yards.”

Bird seed is especially attractive to bears because it is a high-energy food and relatively easy to find. Once bird feeders are discovered, bears will keep coming back until the seed is gone or the feeders have been removed.

“The majority of complaints we receive about nuisance bears this time of year involve a food source. The easiest thing people can do to avoid creating a problem is to temporarily take in their bird feeders, and store other attractants, like grills, trash cans and pet food, in a garage or storage shed,” Bump said. “Once the woods green up, bears tend to move on to find more natural sources of food, as long as they haven’t become habituated to the bird seed or garbage cans.”

Bears can become habituated to man-made food sources, which can create an unsafe situation for the bear, and a nuisance situation for landowners if they have a bear continuously visiting their yard during the day and repeatedly destroying private property in search of food.

DNR Wildlife Division staff members are unable to respond directly to each nuisance bear complaint, and instead ask that landowners do their part to help reduce potential food sources in their yards first before calling for further assistance. The trapping of nuisance bears is only authorized by DNR wildlife officials in cases of significant property damage or threats to human safety.

Anyone experiencing problems with nuisance bears, who has taken the appropriate action to remove food sources for a period of two to three weeks but has not seen results, should contact the nearest DNR office and speak with a wildlife biologist or technician for further assistance.

For more information, go to www.michigan.gov/bear.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state’s natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. For more information, go to www.michigan.gov/dnr.

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