Freshwater Barracuda

Apex predators capture the imagination of the outdoors wherever they’re found. We humans have tipped the scales in our favor through brains and tools to stay on top and out of the jaws of everything from lions to grizzly bears to sharks. But we recognize their dominance in their environment.

In the freshwater reservoirs and streams of Ohio, that top-of-the-pyramid king is the Muskellunge, Esox Masquinongy, or just muskie.

Often called the fish of 10,000 casts, it could take that long to hook one. Or it could be the second cast, like Audrey Porto pictured with her father managed at C.J. Brown Reservoir. 

Read the complete column here: The apex predator hiding in Ohio waters — and how to catch one

Resources

Fish Ohio

https://ohiodnr.gov/buy-and-apply/hunting-fishing-boating/fishing-resources/fishohio-program

Muskie Log

https://apps.ohiodnr.gov/MuskieLog/welcome.aspx

Woodcock Keep Moving

The first woodcock I ever saw while holding a shotgun launched from near my feet to eye level in a Champaign County woodlot and flew straightaway. Since it was early November, we were focused on cottontails.

Nobody in our party of four was quite sure what it was, or if it was legal to shoot. So no one did.

It wasn’t a pheasant. It kind of looked like a snipe (the real kind). It was still years before the National Harvest Information Program had started, so we hadn’t declared we were after any migratory birds when we bought our license, or were asked if we’d be hunting woodcock.

While it hadn’t done any of the swervy acrobatic things that the woodcock I had read about were known for, and that made them difficult targets, we decided that that’s what it was.

Read the complete column, Hunters might be able to catch this migratory bird in the next few weeks

Get a New Perspective on Fall

 The changing seasons are one of the best things about the Midwest. The cool and crisp air makes us want to get out and about. But it takes balance. Looking at the fall foliage should be on everyone’s list.

But how? 

The “Sunday drive” in a car seems wasteful and mundane by modern standards. Sure, you could pass by a lot of fall foliage, but would you really experience fall? Part of fall is the smell and feel of it. You miss that in a car. It’s also not the best for pictures, and we know that’s important to some people.

Walking or hiking can seem limiting for time and effort expended. You could see some color. You can stop for pictures. But you might always wonder what was around the bend or hill that was too far that you didn’t see.

Getting some assistance down a trail on a saddle of one kind or another might well be the perfect answer for southwest Ohio. If you’re looking for a different perspective this fall, southwest Ohio has several options.

Read the complete column here: https://www.daytondailynews.com/lifestyles/experience-autumn-in-the-region-from-a-new-perspective-see-it-on-horseback-rail-bikes-and-more/KFFBDIWWPNE4JBVZDHSCLSBPFM/

Dem Bones

Photo shared by reader, Maureen Sharib

 Halloween has taken over yards and department stores in full force. It’s a rare drive now to anywhere these days where you don’t pass under the looming shadow of a 15-foot-tall skeleton or inflatable monster of some kind.

While the fake bones abound, you might be walking across the real bones of ancient creatures. Southwest Ohio is prime ground for fossil hunting. In fact, scientists come from all over the world to search for them. All you have to do is get out.

Read the column in its entirety here: ht
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