CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio — A local tip led to multiple citations for illegal fishing at the Deer Creek Lake spillway in Pickaway County, highlighting recent enforcement actions by the Ohio Division of Wildlife.
State Wildlife Officer Josh Elster, assigned to Pickaway County, responded to the area after an angler reported seeing several individuals snagging fish. Upon arriving, Officer Elster checked the group for fishing licenses and discovered that only one member had a valid license.
Four individuals were issued summonses for fishing without a license and were ordered to pay a total of $130 in fines and court costs through the Circleville Municipal Court. Officer Elster also took time during the encounter to educate the group on Ohio’s snagging laws.
The incident was part of a broader field report from the Division of Wildlife across the state, which included the following highlights:
- Central Ohio (District One): State Wildlife Officers Tyler Eldred and Chad Grote hosted a job shadow day at the Columbus office for high school students, college students, and ODNR interns. Students explored patrol vehicles, tried out night vision equipment, and watched a demonstration of the division’s law enforcement drone program performing a simulated water rescue.
- Northwest Ohio (District Two): In Crawford County, an officer assisted a stranded driver with four upset children by handing out fishing bracelets and helping change a flat tire. At the Mazurik Boat Ramp, investigators cited nine out-of-state anglers for keeping 26 walleye over their daily limits, resulting in over $2,800 in fines and one-year license suspensions.
- Northeast Ohio (District Three): In Medina County, a suspect who fled from officers to avoid a fishing license ticket was tracked down hiding in a relative’s home. He was charged with deterring an officer and fined over $300. In Mentor, an officer successfully coordinated with a demolition crew to rescue three herring gull hatchlings nesting on a roof, safely transporting them to a wildlife center.
- Southeast Ohio (District Four): A Scioto County man was sentenced to a suspended 10-day jail sentence and ordered to pay $1,130 after being caught poaching a wild turkey during the closed season in Wayne National Forest.
- Southwest Ohio (District Five): Wildlife officials partnered with the Cincinnati Zoo to release confiscated and displaced woodland box turtles back into the wild. In Brown County, a two-year investigation into illegal deer hunting concluded with two nonresidents losing their hunting privileges for four years and paying $17,666 in restitution for jacklighting and bag-limit violations.
