Central Ohio – Wildlife District One
State Wildlife Officer Nick Oliver, assigned to Champaign County, investigated a white-tailed deer hunting violation involving the improper use of a deer permit. During the investigation, Officer Oliver discovered that an individual had checked a deer on behalf of someone else. One summons was issued for unlawfully using a deer permit for a deer taken by another person. The case was resolved with payment of $78 in fines and $102 in court costs.
State Wildlife Officer Brian Motsinger, assigned to Union County, was asked by the Union County Sheriff to attend the annual Union County Turkey Shoot. Officer Motsinger assisted with the youth BB gun shooting activity. Each young shooter took three shots from 10 yards. At the end of the event, every participant walked away with a BB gun, and some even competed with the sheriff for bragging rights.
Northwest Ohio – Wildlife District Two
State Wildlife Officer Payton Phenicie, assigned to Wyandot County, received a call that individuals had entered the refuge portion of Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area. Officer Phenicie located a vehicle and observed an individual shoot at a white-tailed deer from the vehicle. Officer Phenicie contacted the suspects while State Wildlife Officer Nathan Kaufmann, assigned to Richland County, and K-9 Officer May recovered a spent rifle casing. The shooter received summonses for hunting with the aid of a motor vehicle, trespassing onto the refuge, and possessing a rifle loaded with more than three cartridges. The driver of the vehicle received a summons for aiding a wildlife offender, and another passenger received summonses for improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle and trespassing on the refuge. The suspects appeared in Wyandot County Municipal Court and were ordered to pay a total of $1,000 in fines and $662 in court costs. The firearm was seized as evidence and the shooter received a one-year hunting license suspension.
In December, State Wildlife Officer Mike Ohlrich, assigned to Lucas County, and State Wildlife Officer Supervisor Josh Zientek participated in 12 Kids of Christmas in Toledo, organized by Feet on the Street. The officers spent time with local children at Imagination Station, and then the participants shopped for Christmas gifts.
Northeast Ohio – Wildlife District Three
State Wildlife Officers Michael Budd and Scott Cartwright, assigned to Tuscarawas and Carroll counties, respectively, were asked by the National Park Service to instruct a wildlife investigation and law course for Cuyahoga Valley National Park rangers. The course taught participants how to identify wildlife violations and collect evidence. The officers included a brief overview of equipment commonly used by wildlife officers and hunters and anglers. At the end of the course, the participants were tested with scenarios to see how they would apply their new insights in the field.
In May 2025, State Wildlife Officers Joshua Quail and Ryan Pawlus, assigned to Ashtabula and Lake counties, respectively, along with State Wildlife Investigators Matthew Fisher and Jason Warren, followed up on a complaint of trespassing and hunting wild turkeys without permission. The officers witnessed an individual set up turkey decoys and enter a hunting blind on private property. Investigator Warren and Officer Quail contacted the individual, who was found in violation of hunting without permission and hunting without a valid hunting license. The suspect was issued a summons to Western County Court in Ashtabula County. The individual pleaded guilty and paid $195 in fines and court costs.
Southeast Ohio – Wildlife District Four
In December 2025, State Wildlife Officer Ben Smith, assigned to Morgan County, received a complaint from a landowner of someone trespassing on their property. Officer Smith identified a suspect from a trail camera photo and found that the individual had failed to wear hunter orange during the white-tailed deer gun hunting season. The individual was issued a summons to appear in Morgan County Court and was convicted of hunting without permission, failing to wear hunter orange during the deer gun season, and hunting without a valid deer permit. The individual was ordered to pay $300 in fines and court costs and sentenced to 10 days in jail, suspended.
During the 2025 white-tailed deer gun hunting season, State Wildlife Officer Matt Van Cleve, assigned to Pike County, stopped to talk to a hunter who had recently harvested and butchered an antlered deer. The individual had not completed the game check process, which is required to be complete before a hunter can butcher their harvest. The hunter was issued a citation for removing the skin and head of a deer before game checking the animal and attaching a confirmation number, and paid $270 in fines and court costs.
Southwest Ohio – Wildlife District Five
State Wildlife Officer Gus Kiebel, assigned to Adams County, as well as Law Operations Manager Jason Keller, Wildlife Officer Supervisor Matt Hunt, and District Five Manager Eric Lamb, attended a Conservation Club Competitive Partnership Grant meeting. This program is designed to encourage participation in hunting, fishing, and trapping by providing funding to organizations through a competitive grant program. The meeting was well attended, and staff continued to answer questions well after the meeting had ended.
State Wildlife Officers Gus Kiebel, assigned to Adams County, and Micah Collier, assigned to Brown County, observed a group fishing along Ohio Brush Creek. One of the anglers discarded a beverage container in the creek and left other garbage on the stream bank. The officers contacted the suspect and issued a summons for stream litter. The individual paid $225 in fines and court costs in Adams County Court.
