Central Ohio – Wildlife District One
In the spring of 2025, State Wildlife Officer John Coffman, assigned to Fayette County, received information regarding individuals who were using a large net to catch fish at Deer Creek Lake. When Officer Coffman contacted the suspects, they had unlawfully taken 59 sport fish with the net. Largemouth bass, bluegill, channel catfish, and crappie were taken as evidence. Summonses were issued for sport fishing by an illegal method and possessing bass and crappie shorter than the minimum length requirement. Fines and court costs totaled $260.
In September 2025, State Wildlife Officer Mark Williams, assigned to Franklin County, attended Scioto Fest, hosted by Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks. The event was attended by many individuals from the Columbus area, and Officer Williams helped inform and educate residents about the importance of nuisance trapping in urban areas.
Northwest Ohio – Wildlife District Two
State Wildlife Officer Matt D. Smith, assigned to Huron County, received a report of an individual keeping more than the daily limit of bass along the Sandusky River. Officer Smith and State Wildlife Officer Charles McMullen, assigned to Sandusky County, contacted the individual and found the angler in possession of eight smallmouth bass, all shorter than the minimum length requirement of 12 inches. The daily limit for smallmouth bass is five. Summonses were issued for taking a smallmouth bass shorter than 12 inches and for taking more than five black bass in one day. The angler was found guilty in Tiffin Municipal Court and was ordered to pay $504 in fines and costs, as well as $400 in restitution. Additionally, the suspect received 30 days of jail, suspended, and one year of probation. All evidence was forfeited.
While on patrol at Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area during the youth white-tailed deer gun hunting weekend, State Wildlife Officer Charles McMullen, assigned to Sandusky County, encountered a 10-year-old hunter who had just harvested a spike buck alongside a parent. Officer McMullen assisted the hunters in recovering the deer and taking photos. The child’s parent used the opportunity to teach the young hunter how wildlife officers help hunters and make sure rules are followed for sustainable hunting.
Northeast Ohio – Wildlife District Three
In June 2025, State Wildlife Investigator Jason P. Hadsell, assigned to Lake Erie, and State Wildlife Officer Ryan Pawlus, assigned to Lake County, attended the Madison Public Library’s Pet the Trucks event. The event involved various public service and first responder agencies and was attended by nearly 300 visitors. The wildlife officers brought a 27-foot Lake Erie patrol vessel and a Division of Wildlife patrol vehicle. Attendees were welcomed aboard the boat and in the patrol vehicle to experience the environment that wildlife officers work in and learn about their day-to-day work.
In May 2025, State Wildlife Officer Joshua Quail, assigned to Ashtabula County, responded to a report from a landowner that a common loon had landed in a yard the previous evening and seemed unable to fly. Officer Quail safely captured the loon and wrapped it in a towel for safekeeping. He contacted a local wildlife rehabilitator to assess the bird and determined the loon was most likely not injured or sick. Loons require open water to take flight and the bird was unable to fly from the landowner’s yard. Officer Quail transported the loon to the Lake Erie coast, where it swam away from shore and successfully took flight.
Southeast Ohio – Wildlife District Four
In October 2025, State Wildlife Officer Tyler Fields, assigned to Scioto County, contacted a group of duck hunters in Wayne National Forest to check for compliance with waterfowl hunting regulations. Officer Fields found that one of the hunters had an unplugged shotgun and another did not have a required federal migratory bird hunting stamp. Both hunters were issued a summons for their violation and found guilty in Portsmouth Municipal Court. Each suspect was ordered to pay $50 in fines and $130 in court costs.
In July 2025, State Wildlife Officer Taylor Combs, assigned to Hocking County, was contacted by the Hocking County Sheriff’s Office regarding a suspect who had been arrested while digging ginseng. Officer Combs investigated and found that the individual dug ginseng out of season and on private property without permission. The individual was in possession of approximately 196 ginseng roots at the time of the arrest. The defendant was ordered to pay $200 in fines and court costs, complete two years of probation, and serve 180 days in jail, suspended. Ginseng, a digging tool, and a knife were forfeited to the Ohio Division of Wildlife.
Southwest Ohio – Wildlife District Five
State Wildlife Officer Micah Collier, assigned to Brown County, received a complaint of a UTV parked outside a designated parking area at Indian Creek Wildlife Area. While patrolling the area, Officer Collier located the vehicle’s driver and contacted the individual. The individual drove the vehicle to the wildlife area to hunt white-tailed deer. The UTV driver, a convicted felon who was not permitted to possess a firearm, hid a handgun in the brush after seeing Officer Collier. Officer Collier requested assistance from State Wildlife Officer Jason Keller, assigned to Warren County, and K-9 Officer Scout. K-9 Officer Scout and Officer Keller located a firearm and a crossbow that were hidden. The individual was charged with a misdemeanor for parking outside a designated area and a felony for possessing weapons under disability. The individual pleaded guilty and was convicted. The individual was sentenced to two years of community control sanctions and paid $975.70 in fines and court costs.
State Wildlife Officers Brad Turner, assigned to Preble County, Jason Keller, assigned to Warren County, and Andrew Dowdell, assigned to Butler County, along with K-9 Officer Scout, attended a youth ring-necked pheasant hunt in the fall of 2025. The officers spoke with the youth about hunter safety and answered questions about hunting, fishing, and trapping in Ohio.
