New Outdoor Callings, Maybe with Calls

Another waterfowl hunting season come and gone in Southwest Ohio (well maybe one more week for geese) and I didn’t hunt waterfowl. I joke about embracing cold or wet, but never the two simultaneously. Cold and wet is what waterfowl hunting has always looked like to me, never mind the really early mornings. But I know there has to be more to it than that because it clearly gets to people I know and becomes their passion. 

I was pheasant hunting along the Mad River years ago when I heard what I was sure had to be the worst duck caller in the world. It didn’t sound at all what I thought a duck call should sound like. Clearly my experience was limited, because there weren’t any other hunters on the property, just hundreds of ducks filling up the ice free river that day. I filed that in my brain under “outdoor TV shows haven’t actually taught me much about duck hunting.” So I don't know anything, but there are ways to learn. The ODNR has outlined steps.

• The Benefits of Learning to Hunt
• Waterfowl Hunting Considerations
• Hunter Education and Safety
• Build Your Skills: Learning Opportunities
• Learning Resources: Preparing for the Hunt
• Learning Resources: Hunting Equipment
• Learning Resources: Hunting Waterfowl
• Learning Resources: After the Hunt
• Cooking - Make Your Culinary Experience Wild!

Read the complete column here: It's a good time to prepare for new outdoor interests

Check out the ODNR Getting Started information here, from pollinator gardens to waterfowl decoy setup.

Wildharvest Community

Getting Started Waterfowl Hunting

Cabela's Bargain Cave

Keeping Kids Smiling in the Cold

“I can’t feel my legs,” said Audrey Griswold in the movie National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation as her father Clark leads the family on a forced winter march in search of the perfect Christmas tree. Later, as Audrey relays her misery and increasingly worse symptoms to whoever will listen, he quips, “That’s all part of the experience.” For certain, that’s what many people think of when it comes to snow and colder temperatures: misery.

Read the complete column to learn some quick tips on keeping kids warm outside and local events: Outdoor activities don’t have to stop when the temperature drops

Events

Winter Tree Identification

January 31, 2026

Cox Arboretum MetroPark: Mead Westvaco Theatre | 10:00am - 12:00pm

AGE: 10-17 | $3.00

Did you know that even when the trees don't have leaves in the winter, there are still ways to identify them?!

https://www.metroparks.org/programs-events-finder/?program_number=U122&api=programs&type=program 

Tree-Tapping Basics at Kingswood Park

 Jan 31, 2026

 10:00 am - 11:00 am

 Kingswood Park Activity Center

COST: Free

AGES: Any (children must be accompanied by a responsible guardian)

REGISTRATION REQUIRED?: Yes

https://www.warrencountyparks.com/events/event/tree-tapping-basics-at-kingswood-park/2026-01-31/ 

*A minimum of five people registered for this program to take place

Celebrate Backyard Birds

Saturday Feb 7, 2026

Germantown MetroPark: Twin Valley Welcome Center | 10:00am - 11:30am

AGE: 3-13 | FREE

Openings: 10

Like a canary in a goldmine, birds are indicators of change of the health of our local habitats. https://www.metroparks.org/programs-events-finder/?program_number=V67&api=programs&type=program 

Toddler Trek: Woodland Birds

 Feb 9, 2026

 10:30 am - 11:30 am

 Armco Park- Jones Pavilion

COST: Free

AGES: 2-6 year olds with a responsible grown up

REGISTRATION REQUIRED?: Yes

https://www.warrencountyparks.com/events/event/toddler-trek-woodland-birds/2026-02-04/ 

Trail Tots: Love in Nature

Feb 12, 2026

Admin - Board Room

Age at least 3 yrs but less than 5y 11m 4w, Mixed

Little explorers will discover animal families and how they care for each other. Explore and spark a love for nature with a story, song and craft.

https://anc.apm.activecommunities.com/ntprd/activity/search/detail/4607?onlineSiteId=0&from_original_cui=true 

Maple Celebration and Great Backyard Bird Count Open House at Armco Park

 Feb 14, 2026

 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

 Armco Park Jones Pavilion - 1223 N SR 741, Lebanon, OH 45036

FREE community celebration! Participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count and enjoy an authentic maple sugaring experience.

https://www.warrencountyparks.com/events/event/maple-celebration-and-great-backyard-bird-count-open-house-at-armco-park/2026-02-14/ 

Maple Sugaring

Feb 21, 2026

Carriage Hill MetroPark: Carriage Hill Historical Farm | 10:00am - 4:00pm

AGE: All ages | FREE

Openings: Unlimited

Nature has its own way of providing us with sweeteners. Come join us as we do maple sugaring on the farm.https://www.metroparks.org/programs-events-finder/?program_number=V4&api=programs&type=program 

Resources

https://time.com/collection/guide-to-happiness/4706590/scandinavia-world-happiness-report-nordics/

https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=frostbite-and-frostnip-in-children-90-P02820 

Brownfieldagnews.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTKpKBzd7jg

Rolling the Dice on Ice

“I'm not going out there. That’s crazy.” That was the response heard in our car when we visited Madison, WI, one March. We were looking at a group of ice fishing tents.

As a guy who has repeatedly tested the height limits of hip boots against the uncertain depth of the muddy bottom of creeks and came up with not quite enough boot, I can assure you that Ohio water outdoors in January and February is plenty cold. And I’ve stepped through frozen cattails and found myself up to my knees. That’s more than far enough for me. I’m really not looking for any cold plunges, intentional or accidental. Making Ice The common expression and shared by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) is “there’s no such thing as safe ice.” What they mean is that you should always be aware of the conditions and state of the ice. The only way to know for sure is make a hole with a spudbar or ice auger and measure. But you can get an idea of when it might be time to venture out and measure by calculating the number of freezing days. That can help determine if the body of water is making or losing ice. Calculate Freezing Degree Days (FDDs)

• Find Daily Average Temperature: (High Temp + Low Temp) / 2
• Calculate FDDs: 32°F (freezing point) - Daily Average Temperature
• Estimate Ice Growth: FDDs / 15 = Approximate inches of new ice or one inch of ice for every 15 FDDs

Read the complete article here: Ice Fishing in Ohio - All ice is not equal And avoid shortcuts across streams or any ice you’re not 100% sure about, as one deer hunter recently found out at Buck Creek State Park the hard way. But don’t miss out on opportunities out of fear. We ultimately all made it out onto Lake Mendota.

Resources

https://ohiodnr.gov/discover-and-learn/safety-conservation/recreational-safety/ice-thickness-guidelines 

https://ohiodnr.gov/go-and-do/family-friendly/winter-activities/ice-fishing

https://www.almanac.com/ice-thickness-safety-chart 

https://mikerowe.com/2020/03/walk-me-through-this-safety-third-thing/#

Gear
Ice Augers

For Birds - There Ain't Nothing Better When the Wind Cuts Cold

Food and shelter are the foundation of life for wildlife during the Southwest Ohio winter. Being efficient in finding food and minimizing exposure to the elements and predators are key. That’s why winters can sometimes seem bleak and lifeless. Much like we run to the grocery and then go immediately back inside, animals dash out to food sources and then back to shelter. There isn’t a lot of loafing around when the wind cuts cold. 

You can add some action outside your windows by creating or enhancing food, shelter, or both where you can see it. I once hung a feeder outside of an office window that I made from a plastic peanut-butter jar and a promotional Frisbee. If you know me, you’re not surprised by this at all. 

If you want to be selective in what you’re feeding and attracting to your area, you’ll want to be intentional about the style of feeder and what it contains. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources offers these suggestions for winter feeding: 

• Sunflower Seeds
• Peanuts
• Niger Thistle
• Millet
• Corn
• Safflower Seeds
• Suet

Check out the complete column to see what seed might be right for you: Want to attract birds to your backyard? Give them what they need

Whatever feed you choose, make sure to periodically clean the feeders, especially in the event of warmer weather. Suet can turn rancid if temperatures climb, and it wasn’t that long ago that the ODNR requested that feeders be pulled during the summer. 

If you see wildlife that looks sick or disabled, report it to the ODNR through their reporting portal here: https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/987f2ade0037405ea9ff1819aab040a8?portalUrl=https://gis.ohiodnr.gov/portal 

Resources

Backyard Wildlife

https://ohiodnr.gov/discover-and-learn/safety-conservation/stewardship-citizen-science/backyard-wildlife

Publications

https://dam.assets.ohio.gov/image/upload/ohiodnr.gov/documents/wildlife/backyard-wildlife/Attracting%20Birds%20in%20Ohio%20pub037.pdf 

Bird Buddy (responsible for this cover image shot) https://app.mybirdbuddy.com/media/springfield-united-states/6e2d8371-30b6-4cd4-b6a1-fdc4e88db806

Fresh Start for Fresh Tracks

 

A clean slate. That’s what some think of the New Year. But a clean slate is literally what a fresh overnight snow provides to the outdoor landscape. There’s nothing better than a couple of inches of new snow to reveal what’s passed by, complete with as definitive of a time stamp as the outdoors provides this side of a digital trail camera. 

To paraphrase hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, who said, “skate to where the puck is going, not where it is,” use the tracks to determine where the animal is going. Deer and rabbits are both known for watching their backtrail, so they’ll be looking for you, too. Seeing them before they see you is the trick. Look for slight elevation changes where a deer might bed down to watch their trail and along edges of cover before you approach. 

Read the complete article, Snow helps track what wildlife are roaming locally

Photo credit to Dave Woehr https://www.flickr.com/photos/s5200/50990143467/in/photostream/

Looking Ahead ... And Looking Way Ahead

It’s a fact. The hours of sunlight are getting longer from now until late June. But that doesn’t mean the days won’t feel short with the early setting sun. Switching to a new calendar is always a good time to mark things you want to do again or for the first time if you missed the opportunity. (Note to self: mark a date in June to find green walnuts for Nocino for real this year. Just do it.) There are lots of things that mark the seasons personally for me. By no means am I anywhere near Bill Felkner’s level of knowledge and detail recording seasonal happenings (don’t forget the average part of this outdoor column), but looking back is a good reminder for opportunities taken, and missed, and where more could be done. 

Take a class, or go on a hike. 
Of course, you can always visit our public lands on your own. Winter is a great time to get away outside and there is seldom anything that approaches the crowds of summer. Cottontail Rabbit, Ringnecked Pheasant, deer archery, and squirrel seasons are still open. And if none of that suits you, read or reread “A Sand County Almanac” by Aldo Leopold. It’s a timeless series of great essays on our connection to the world and our place in it. I’m going to mark a date in June to find green walnuts for nocino, in what’s become a stretch goal for me. 

Read the complete column here: The new year brings new opportunities to connect with the outdoors

Five Rivers Metro Parks

National Trail Parks and Recreation Department

Metro Parks of Butler County

Buckcreek State Park

Ceaser Creek State Park

A Sand County Almanac

Nocino

1. https://www.themeateater.com/wild-and-whole/wild-recipes/how-to-make-nocino

More to come

Ohio Christmas Bird Count

Knowing is critical. Actually wanting to know is the most critical - and to care. At the end of the 19th century, wildlife conservation was barely a thought. Many people thought that animals couldn’t go extinct or be eliminated by humans. Until they were. 

The first Christmas Bird Count (CBC) happened in 1900, proposed as an alternative to the “side hunts” by Frank Champman, an early officer of what would become the Adobon Society in 1905. The thought was that the birds could actually be counted without bringing all of them to bag. The interest was immediate, including 25 locations from California to Canada, and counted 90 different species. Today, there are bird counts in all 50 United States and 20 foreign countries, involving tens of thousands of participants and counting millions of birds.

Read the complete column online here: The Christmas bird count: The tradition that shocked America into saving wildlife

https://www.audubon.org/content/cbc-data-bird-trends 

https://www.fws.gov/story/tis-season-christmas-bird-count 

https://audubon.maps.arcgis.com/apps/View/index.html?appid=ac275eeb01434cedb1c5dcd0fd3fc7b4