The Big Outdoors -- 10/10/25

The Big Outdoors.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Big Outdoors. News Radio seven hundred w
l W Cincinnati, home of the Cincinnati Reds and the
best Bengals coverage. Chip Hard here and uh want last one,
Tom Cross. Uh he's back in the woods again, which
is actually a good place for him. And uh it's
it's very calming for the wildlife out there when when

(00:22):
he's in the woods because uh uh he has no
chance whatsoever, but hopefully he is catching this on his
way in. Do you like that, Danny?

Speaker 2 (00:32):
That's very good.

Speaker 1 (00:33):
All no harm will come to his quarry today. Correct.
Jim Samuel, welcome back to the Big Outdoors and uh
you uh you. You visit with me a couple of
times of years, particularly when there's important subjects and and
I have to and I need to turn to you.

(00:54):
You are a member of the Ohio Wildlife Council. And
for the for those that are not familiar, what does
a person that is on the council, what is the
responsibility that you have to the sportsman of Ohio.

Speaker 3 (01:11):
We'll chip, good morning, thanks for having me back on
the show. The Wildlade Council is an eight member board.
We are appointed by the Governor of Ohio and our
job is to assess the rules on seasons, dates, bag limits,
things like that that come from the Division of Wildlife,
and we vote to approve or not approve those rules.

(01:35):
And it really I see our role though, as to
try to be a voice for sportsmen in that rule process.
So I try to get out and you talk to
you talk to a lot of different groups around the state.
When I'm in a council meeting, I try to respond
to the rules and with what I'm hearing from from
hunters and anglers and trappers around the state, and you.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
Know, maybe make a rule better.

Speaker 3 (01:59):
And and and uh, you know, keep keep everything going going.

Speaker 2 (02:03):
Well for for Ohio's hunters and anglers.

Speaker 1 (02:05):
Well, before we get onto the subject of the day,
which is tremendously important, what are you finding more sportsmen uh,
participating in providing a voice or an opinion on the
rules coming down the road than you did, say, three

(02:25):
or four years.

Speaker 2 (02:26):
Ago at one hundred percent?

Speaker 3 (02:31):
You know, obviously there sadly there are fewer hunters and
not the same number of anglers across Ohio. But as
far as folks speaking up about rules and things like that, yes.

Speaker 2 (02:44):
It's it's been a tremendous increase.

Speaker 3 (02:46):
I've been on council for seven years and really just
you know, just this last meeting we had, it was
the largest penants I've ever seen in a meeting.

Speaker 2 (02:54):
Uh. And you know, only.

Speaker 3 (02:56):
The second time that that we've hit our maximum numbers
of public speakers allowed. And then when you get to
the comment periods where where hunters and anglers can comment
either uh, you know, either going online or showing up
the meetings uh and making public.

Speaker 2 (03:11):
Comments about the rules. Uh.

Speaker 3 (03:13):
You know, we've I have not seen anything like it
in my seven years. But you know, in the last
let's say a year and a half, folks have really
been getting engaged.

Speaker 2 (03:22):
And that's important.

Speaker 1 (03:23):
It is because you know, for for as long as
I can remember, the sportsman was always like, uh, you know,
a silent partner, so to speak, and maybe just because
they didn't feel that their their voices were heard, or
maybe just maybe even just a little bit lack of

(03:44):
days ago. But I'm glad that that has turned itself
around because as they're as you mentioned, you having fewer
hunters but about the same number of fishermen. You know, what,
what rules are proposed and inevitably are passed. You know,
people need to be knowledgeable about that. It's like taking
part in the political process.

Speaker 3 (04:06):
Absolutely. And you know, we've also had some really important
issues coming up. You know, we just went through the
five year process for changing the waterfowl zones in uh
in Ohio, and you know that, to me, that was
probably the best process I've seen thus far in my
years on council.

Speaker 2 (04:24):
A lot of a lot of interaction.

Speaker 3 (04:26):
Uh. The division modified their their proposal several times based
on the reaction of hunters and it, you know, and
people have more data. You know, the more data you
have probably the more accurate we can be. So I
think it's great to see a lot of you know,
sort of citizen scientists hunters out there who gather their

(04:47):
data and bring it to the division and to council,
and we see a really good process.

Speaker 2 (04:52):
Uh. In the outcome, Well.

Speaker 1 (04:54):
I'm hoping I played my part and others out there
as outdoor communicators have played their part and I and
I do hope, and I not hope. I know they'll
continue to do. So we are going to hit a break, Jim,
so you said tight, and we come back. We're going
to take on the biggest topic of the day facing
deer hunters in Ohio. So you said, tight, Chip Hart,

(05:16):
I guess. Jim Sanuel, Ohio wild Left Council, seven hundred
WLW Cincinnati, seven hundred WLW Cincinnati, stick around. It's gonna
be as always, a hell of a fun day at
the Big One and sports and sports and sports Gary

(05:37):
Jeff Walker up at uh oh right after the news
at the bottom of the hour. He'll take you to nine.
Uh what's that guy? What's that? What's that lawyer's name?
Danny Mike Shoot it, I've got Allan, Mike Allen, Michael
k Allen. It could be junior. But then he'll take
you at noon and uh ken Brew and then sports,

(05:58):
sports and the sports and more sports cards and let
them rip. Jim Samuel, welcome back with the Ohio Wildlife
Council the subject of the day. And I'll tell you
what I have heard more about this, seen more social
media posts on this about the EHD that has you know,

(06:19):
struck Ohio. Of course we still have that area up
kind of northwest central northwest Ohio with the cw D subject,
and you know, continued watching that. So what was it
three or four? Three or four weeks ago we had
new rules come out of the council on I guess

(06:41):
an adjustment to deer that can be taken in the
southeast area.

Speaker 3 (06:48):
Absolutely. So we're talking about epizootic camorrhagic disease EHD.

Speaker 2 (06:53):
And this is this is an issue.

Speaker 3 (06:55):
That I you know, never seen anything like it, especially
as you said, social media and response from the not
just the hunting public, but you know, all folks involved
in in you know, outdoor activities. But yeah, so it's
really hitting Southeast Ohio very hard. Three counties in particular, Athens, Washington,

(07:20):
and Miggs. Just to put some numbers on this, so
far in twenty twenty five, there have been over eighty
two hundred reports of dead and sick beer. Compare that
to let's say twenty twenty two or twenty twenty four
where we had other outbreaks. You know, you get fifteen hundred,
maybe two thousand reports. Eighty two hundred this year and

(07:44):
more than sixty percent of that has been reported just
from those three counties. So pretty serious issue down there.
We had a a wild Buff Council meeting kind of scheduled,
not the normal schedule. We had a meeting that the
division called down there. A couple of weeks ago, we

(08:06):
went to Athens. We went to the district headquarters down there,
so we were in the impacted area. I think that
was great because we were able to have a lot
of folks come and have their voice heard. The rule
that the division proposed was to lower the bag limit
from three deer to two deer in those three hardest
hit counties and to have that rule take effect before

(08:29):
deer gun season. So happy to see the division and
folks taking this seriously. A lot of comments not just
from council but especially most importantly from the locals in
the area was they were happy to see movement, what
actually would like to see the rule tighten even more.
A number of folks even called for closing the deer

(08:51):
season in some counties. But I do think we're going
to see some changes to that proposed rule. The Division
is looking at dropping it down to one deer in
some of those impacted counties and maybe expanding it beyond
just those three. So I think it's really good that
we're moving in that direction. Hunters still have until October sixteenth.

Speaker 2 (09:16):
To make their to make comments, so you.

Speaker 3 (09:19):
Know, if you want to have your voice heard, get
out there. Go online to the Division of Wildlife to
their rules section. You know, you can enter your comments
online or you can do it and do it in
writing by email.

Speaker 1 (09:31):
Okay. And so the rule change if it goes into effect,
regardless of whether it's two deer or one, that that
happens for the gun season, correct or is it December first?
Of my memory serves me correctly till the end of
the season.

Speaker 2 (09:50):
Yes, sure, correctly.

Speaker 3 (09:52):
You know, some of us really hoped that it could
have been implemented earlier, because, as we all know, more
folks are bow hunting these days. Yes, as it is now,
the rule would go into a fact December first, which
is you know, opening of deer non season, and then
that would be an effect for for the whole rest
of the deer season.

Speaker 1 (10:11):
Yeah, boy, I got let's see. You know, I've watched
that map evolve just from the postings you know online,
you know, from from the division.

Speaker 3 (10:23):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (10:23):
And I think there's another source or to you know,
the sharing and all that, and that that map just
continued to get more blotched with red uh and and
and it was really incredible that, you know, and how
short of a period of time that that you know,
it was it was growing like leaps and bounds. So

(10:43):
we're going to take this up to a greater extent
after the break. So Jim Samuel sit tight, Chip Hart
The Big Outdoors News Radio seven hundred w l W,
Cincinnati Back at the Moment Radio seven hundred w l
W Cincinnati, Home of the Best Bengals cover Jim the
Cincinnati read. Uh Jim Samuel Hawai a Wildlife Council as

(11:05):
we were talking off air that you know, I don't
think it's I don't think that this uh the AHD
EHD is over yet, but it may have peaked I
know on my property in particular. Probably just let's just
take a stretch of maybe seventy five acres along a
creek bed. I found a ten point buck. This goes

(11:28):
back three weeks, and then two weeks later we found
five does. And it's kind of interesting because never before,
in in prior situations with EHD, was I finding does.
So it's like and the and the bucks of course
they were they were in velvet when they seemed to
be really hit and you know, I don't know as

(11:50):
uh just my I guess opinion. You know, once that
the the antlers hardened. It seemed, you know, and there
that that animal was directing all of its energy back
to its body and particularly maybe the immune system that
it moved on from bucks to dose because a lot
of I guess, uh, the bucks I've seen it were found,

(12:13):
uh you know, they've been out there a little while
so and of course it doesn't seem like the buzzards
really hit them that hard either. It was like they
knew something was wrong, but eventually, you know, they had
their breakfast.

Speaker 3 (12:27):
So yeah, that that that is an interesting thing to
me that we don't see the we don't see the
buzzards and coyotes going after these these diseased beer. But yeah,
you know, as you said, you know, maybe it's hit
its peak.

Speaker 2 (12:39):
Hopefully it has.

Speaker 3 (12:39):
You know, the rain and cooler temperatures we had a
week or so ago was was good, but really it
won't be over until you have that first frost and
it kills off the midges that are that are the
ones that spread the disease. But you know, to your
point about you know, immunities or how the deer are reacting,
you know, it's interesting you see a lot of fawns
because of the lost from that they get from from

(13:01):
from the dough that a lot of fauns have been
appear to be you know, immune or making it through
this bad area. But the other important thing about why
we're looking at reducing bad bad limits and a lot
of people I know a lot of hunters who have
land and over in those impacted areas Athens, Washington County
where they're just you know, they're not going to hunt
it all this year or they're definitely not going to

(13:24):
take does. And the reason is this Southern deer don't
really get impacted by EHD. They've they've got an immunity
to them because you know, just the different temperatures down there,
there's more exposure. So so the focus on not taking does,
especially in that hardest hit area, is if they've you know,
if there's a dough that you're seeing in Athens or

(13:46):
Washington or Megs or maybe Morgan County that has made
it through this this pretty serious outbreak, it's a really
good chance that that that dough has immunity, and those
are the ones you want to see breeding and uh,
you know and bringing the new fawns in next spring
so that hopefully that immunity can spread throughout the herd.
And you know, the whitetail in Ohio can become more

(14:06):
immune to EHD like the like the whitetail are in
the southern part of the country.

Speaker 1 (14:11):
Again, I never really thought about it or heard it.
But do they really know that there is an immunity
that a deer can acquire to fend off something like this.
I haven't talked to a biologist about it, but you know,
I'll put that on my list to catch up on.
You know, it's it's a year round type of discussion.

Speaker 3 (14:35):
Yeah, I am certainly not the expert on that, but
I have heard from the experts. So when we had
our council meeting in Athens, we had two physicians come
and testify. We had a veterinarian testify also with us
that day was the state veterinarian, doctor Summers from the
Ohio Department of Agriculture, and all of them well, and
then also Doc Meckling, a great veteran of the Ohio

(14:59):
Wildlife Council, who of that marian himself. All of them
have talked about, you know, the immunity response that some
deer have to EHD, and and again the ones we
want to protect are those dose so that when they're
putting out the faunds, you know, next spring. We hope
the ones that have some immunity are the ones that
are building up the herd for the future.

Speaker 1 (15:20):
In the right bucks to handle the job, right, I hope,
So I would look forward to that, and that can't
hurt at all. So we're going to hit a break
here in just a second. But what's your council schedule
going forward?

Speaker 3 (15:41):
So again, there's that comment period for all hunters until
October sixteenth, and then we will have our next meeting
on October twenty second. I think that's probably when we'll
take a final vote on this and.

Speaker 2 (15:56):
Look forward to have you know, a new rule in
effect very soon.

Speaker 1 (16:00):
Okay, well, hey, could you sit tight and hang in
there for a couple more minutes and have a couple
of questions also going forward?

Speaker 2 (16:09):
Absolutely?

Speaker 1 (16:09):
All right, sit tight. Jim Samuel my guest with the
Ohio Wildlife Council, seven hundred WLW, Cincinnati, Back in the moment, Andy,
We're back the Big Outdoors News Radio seven hundred WLW.
Since name, I guess has been Jim Samuel. He visits
with me, oh a couple times a year especially in

(16:32):
times of necessity or maybe just to catch up. So Jim,
if an individuals, if a sportsman has an issue, can
it come directly to the council or does it need
to go through the Divisional Wildlife. I'm kind of curious
because I've never.

Speaker 3 (16:48):
Asked technically it needs to go to the Divisional Wildlife. Obviously,
I am more than happy, and I know every other
council member is more than happy to have hunters reach
out to them. I talk to a lot of groups
and individual hunters myself. I take their feedback so that
when I'm speaking a council usually I'm parroting what I'm
hearing from a lot of folks out there. But yeah,

(17:11):
you can go to the website for the Division Wildlife
and right there you can send an email to council members.
And again, we love to hear, we love to hear
from folks, but probably the most effective thing is for
folks to be getting there getting their comments and their
thoughts directly to the Divisional Wildlife because they're the experts,

(17:33):
they're the ones that put these rule packages together. We're
just here to kind of assess it and you know,
hopefully maybe massage it a little bit again based on
the feedback we're getting from hunters.

Speaker 1 (17:44):
Yeah, and from what happens around the whole state, not
just maybe an isolated situation or I guess subject matter
right exactly. All right, Jim, we thank you for your
time and we'll wait that final decision and I'm sure
i'll have it in my hands probably an hour after
it happened. So with that, thanks very much, and we'll

(18:06):
catch up down the road.

Speaker 3 (18:08):
Thanks, good luck to you and all your listeners out
there in the woods.

Speaker 1 (18:12):
Fantastic, But that I'm out of here. Gary Jeff is
next after the Neonest Hippard the Big Outdoors seven hundred WLW, Cincinnati,
Be safe in the woods and safe on the one