Central Ohio – Wildlife District One
During the 2025 white-tailed deer muzzleloader hunting season, State Wildlife Officer Chad Grote, assigned to Marion County, was contacted by a hunter who witnessed two individuals hunting without permission. In addition, the suspects were not wearing the required hunter orange clothing. Officer Grote and State Wildlife Officer Maurice Irish, assigned to Delaware County, contacted the individuals and found that they were hunting without a valid license or deer permit. They were charged for their violations and were found guilty in Marion Municipal Court.
State Wildlife Officer Austin Levering, assigned to Knox County, responded to a report of hunting violations at Kokosing Lake Wildlife Area during the 2024-25 deer gun hunting season. Officer Levering contacted a suspect who had harvested a deer the day before and discovered that the individual did not have a valid deer permit. Other members of the individual’s hunting party arrived, and Officer Levering found that another hunter in the group did not have a valid deer permit. Both hunters were issued summonses for hunting deer without a valid permit and paid a total of $380 in fines and court costs in Mount Vernon Municipal Court.
Northwest Ohio – Wildlife District Two
State Wildlife Investigator Kevin Good received information that an individual who had lost fishing privileges on Ohio’s public waterways as a result of previous wildlife violations had been fishing on Lake Erie. State Wildlife Investigators Brian Bury and Travis Abele observed the suspect fishing. Investigator Good issued the individual a summons for fishing under a revoked license. The individual was found guilty and ordered to pay more than $700 in fines and court costs, and the fishing license revocation was extended for five additional years.
State Wildlife Officer Jason Porinchok, assigned to Putnam County, and Wildlife Communications Specialist Sarah Schott taught children to shoot archery at the Putnam County Educational Service Center STEM Camp. All participants had a great time, and several campers expressed interest in pursuing archery as a hobby.
Northeast Ohio – Wildlife District Three
State Wildlife Officer Cory Burroughs, assigned to Holmes County, discovered a reporting error regarding an antlered white-tailed deer harvested during the 2024-25 hunting season. While following up on the error, Officer Burroughs discovered an active felony warrant for the individual issued by the Noble County Court of Common Pleas. Officer Burroughs reached out to State Wildlife Officer Evan Huegel, assigned to Ashland County, to assist in contacting the suspect. The officers found the suspect in violation for hunting without a deer permit and took the individual into custody for the active warrant. The suspect was found guilty of hunting without a permit and fined $250.
State Wildlife Officer Mike Greer, assigned to Cuyahoga County, responded to a call to rescue a barred owl that was trapped inside a resident’s chimney. The owl was transported to Lake Erie Nature and Science Center where it was provided much needed food and water. The owl was more than 100 grams underweight. The homeowner, Officer Greer, and Field Supervisor Brennan Earick joined wildlife rehabilitators a few days later to release the owl after it recovered. The team was lucky to witness the call and response between the released owl and another barred owl.
Southeast Ohio – Wildlife District Four
State Wildlife Officer Cole Tilton, assigned to Vinton County, attended a career day for the Vinton County High School freshman class. Officer Tilton and State Wildlife Officer Bob Nelson, assigned to Ross County, set up a mock scenario for the students to observe. The scenario included individuals fishing and littering. Officers Tilton and Nelson answered many questions from the students. There may be some future wildlife officers coming from this class!
State Wildlife Officer Ryan Donnelly, assigned to Athens County, received information from the Turn-In-A-Poacher (TIP) hotline about a subject harvesting a white-tailed deer unlawfully. Officer Donnelly contacted the suspect and found that the individual had failed to game check the deer. A summons was issued for failure to complete the game check process and the subject paid $190 in fines and court costs.
Southwest Ohio – Wildlife District Five
State Wildlife Officer Jasmine Grossnickle, assigned to Miami County, spoke to an individual who self-reported the unlawful sale of two turtles. The individual had bought a midland painted turtle and an eastern map turtle through a local group on social media. After the purchase, the individual learned from a friend that it was illegal to have the turtles, so he reported the violation. Officer Grossnickle was unable to determine the origin of the turtles. Both turtles are collectable species in Ohio were not legally held under a propagation permit by the individual or previous owner. The individual who initially self-reported the violation voluntarily released the turtles to the Ohio Division of Wildlife. The turtles were transferred to Ohio State Parks as educational animals since they could not be returned to the wild.
State Wildlife Officer Trent Weaver, assigned to Montgomery County, represented the Ohio Division of Wildlife in Washington, D.C., where Game Warden Harvey L. Monbeck was honored with having his name added to the memorial wall for the ultimate sacrifice. Game Warden Harvey Monbeck was killed in a vehicle crash in 1927 on the Dixie Highway near Moraine. He was on his way to investigate reports of poaching on state game reserves south of Dayton. Game Warden Monbeck had served as the state game warden in Montgomery County for eight years.
