Bluegills. Unusually prolific, doughty fighters, easy to catch, and excellent on the table. It’s no wonder they’re one of Ohio’s most sought species, and while these little panfish will bite 12 months of the year, the top time to make a serious catch is when they’re on their spring spawning beds. And that’s usually sometime […]
Continue reading about Time For Spawning Bed Bluegills -Spring Fishing Ohio
It’s spring at last. How do you tell? Not by the calender or by the tulips and daffodils that are pushing up. Spring arrives in most fishermen’s opinion when the first walleyes move into the Sandusky and Maumee rivers with spawning on their mind. The smaller males arrive first, usually around the last of March […]
Our area has lots of farm ponds. Some of them are excellent in terms of all around recreation, particularly fishing for lunker bass and palm-sized bluegills. Some others rank as good, more fair, and a goodly percentage are definitely mediocre to poor. We all love the excellent to goods, and many a reader either has […]
Continue reading about How to Make Ohio Farm Ponds Healthy and Great for Fishing in Ohio
There’s very little question that yellow perch are Lake Erie’s favorite fish on the table. Crisp, brown fillets touched with tartar sauce disappear from plates like magic when they appear, leaving smiles of appreciation, and one of the prime times to take some is right now. Action should improve through April, remain steady well into […]
Continue reading about Early Spring Lake Erie Perching Can Be Excellent
Ever do something really dumb? All of us have, and more than once, but the stupidest thing I ever did in my life happened on an ice fishing trip. It happened about 40 years ago when a partner and I drove to a good sized farm pond that had some lunker bluegills. We stopped at […]
Continue reading about Ice Fishing Safety: What to Take Just In Case
Someone asked me recently if I had an absolute favorite outdoor sport, and it proved a tough question. As readers know, I love hunting and fishing of any kind, but when I thought a little more I had to say that skin diving (snorkeling) ranked extremely high. It’s a wonderful sport, one that lets you […]
Continue reading about Fishermen, Swim With Your Fish: Snorkling the World and Snorkling Ohio
Gardening can demand some tough choices when it comes to protecting your vegetables from insects. Many people solve the problem the easy way by hosing down vegetables with a powerful insecticide like Sevin or whatever. It definitely works, but I get goose bumps when I think about vegetables glistening with insecticides and more dripping into […]
Continue reading about Thinking Ahead to Spring Gardening: Protecting Your Plants from Pests
Ohio’s ice fishing has been slow in coming this year. Bitter cold days that see first a skim over local ponds and lakes, then thicker ice, then a warm spell that eats it away again. But traditionally good ice of 5-6 inches comes sooner or later, and now it’s here, and local anglers begin gathering […]
Ice fishing season comes upon us just as soon as area lakes and farm ponds reach a safe ice thickness, and that means it’ll be time to catch those first of the winter meals of bluegill and crappie fillets. Coming out of ice water they’ll be unusually tasty. But after four or five trips for panfish, it […]
Continue reading about Ohio Icefishers:Try Trout and Walleye for More Fight
The average home can be pretty grim in mid-winter, mostly just shades of white and grey, along with any colors in the furniture and walls. Some bright greens are needed now, some flowers, some scent, some reason to walk into a room and smile, instead of frown. Which is why every home needs some plants. […]
Continue reading about Keeping Houseplants Alive in Northern Winters
Remember the good old days? When it was an annual tradition for family and friends to gather together for the autumn apple butter making. The mix of apples and cider was cooked in a big copper kettle over a wood fire, and the contents stirred with a big wooden paddle. The result was tasty, especially […]
Continue reading about Old Time Applebutter and Jelly Still Exist in Bucyrus, Ohio
It may be mid-November, but that’s no time to give up on the years gardening. At the very least you should be mowing that lawn covered with nutrient filled dead leaves, placing the mix on your garden, and rototilling it in to decay for next spring. I’ve already planted a row of garlic and […]
Continue reading about Don't Give Up On Gardening in November
This years cottontail rabbit hunting season began November 6 running through February 28 (for season dates and bag limits see the Ohio Division of Wildlife site), and it’s expected to be a very good year. Division of Wildlife biologists are predicting fair success statewide with exceptional hunting in some areas. And some of that fine action can […]
Continue reading about Field Tips for Ohio Rabbit Hunting Success
Times are getting a little tough in the woods, fields, and creek bottoms of northcentral Ohio. Not for deer hunters who are doing very well this season, but for big, dominant, Type A, testosterone laden bucks. The problem is that the rut is more than half over, and many, perhaps most does have come into […]
Continue reading about Grunting and Rattling in Bucks Good for Bowhunters
Cold weather is coming, and already there have been hard frosts, a freeze or two, and even snowflakes in the air once or twice. In this part of Ohio winter lasts about six months, a lot of days sure to be dreary, nasty, windy, wet, or slushy. Farm folk can be trapped in the house until […]
Continue reading about Flint Knapping Fun, and Lucrative, Too
Bitter cold weather came early this fall, but there’ll still be days, even weeks of reasonably mild temperatures before the ground freezes hard and winter snows arrive. So, there should still be time to plant a tree or two, and some of those trees should be apples. Apples are good fruit, and the supermarkets and […]
Continue reading about Still Time to Plant Apple Trees in Autumn
History lives at Buck Creek State Park which surrounds C.J. Brown Reservoir in east-central Ohio. George Rogers Clark fought there in 1780, leading 1,000 Kentuckians in a raid against a Shawnee camp, and defeating them at the Battle of Piqua. One Indian who fled the attack was a young Shawnee called Tecumseh. Much later the […]
Continue reading about C.J. Brown Reservoir Prime Boater Destination
The 2009 squirrel season opened in Ohio on September 1 and runs to 31 January 2010 (Editor: See the Ohio Department of Natural Resources website for a useful Hunt Calendar of Ohio Hunting Seasons dates), and most days so far have been perfect days, cool, sunny, and pleasant. There’ll be lots more days like that as leaves slowly […]
Continue reading about Ohio Squirrel Hunting: Avoid Common Mistakes and Get Your Limit
Fall has to be the best, though shortest, season of the year. And once the beans and corn are off, it’s a good time to take a well earned vacation. The question is – where can you go that’s reasonably close, inexpensive, and a great place to visit with lots of things to do? For […]
Continue reading about Houghton Lake, Michigan Good To Visit for Fishing and Fun
The 2009 Ohio deer archery season opened on 26 September, a long awaited event for northcentral Ohio bow and crossbow hunters. It’s a wonderful time to hunt, with cool, pleasant days, leaves turning into a riot of red and gold, blue skies, and that hint of fox grapes on a gentle wind. But not a […]
Continue reading about Bad Weather is Good Weather for October Deer Hunters in Ohio
Autumn has arrived almost unnoticed, but it seems that every day the leaves turn a little more and gradually begin to assume their gorgeous autumn hues. A few days ago on a country drive I passed a red maple that was nearly at peak color, and lots more maples that were showing tinges or yellow […]
Continue reading about Why Do Leaves Turn Color? (And Autumn Tips for Tree Planting in Ohio)
I love to look at gardens. Driving in the country or walking on city streets each spring and summer, I’ve got to slow down and look over other peoples plantings, their rows, the quality of their soil. And while many I see are rich and fertile with healthy, vigorous plants, too many have soil that’s […]
Continue reading about Improve Your Garden Soil: Build a Compost Pile
Wouldn’t it be nice during this soon-to-come prettiest season of the year to do some near wilderness fishing? To roam where almost no one else goes, cast for fish who seldom or never see a hook, to wade where deer come to drink and wild turkeys slip through shoreside brush? You can do it, and […]
The 2009 squirrel season opened last month in most midwestern states cool, sunny, and pleasant. There’ll be lots more days like that this year and next, and plenty of chances to fill a squirrel limit. Some hunters will have little trouble bagging those bushytails, but lots more will be lucky to get one or two […]
Continue reading about Squirrel Hunters: Simple Tactics For Improved Squirrel Limits
Here’s a question for you. Do you enjoy greens fresh from the garden? In season, they’re great, especially cut and come again types like leaf lettuce, arugula, mustard, and others. Of course, you can buy them in supermarkets, head lettuce and leaf lettuce, and mixes that might be wonderful and healthy, but might also have […]
Continue reading about Choosing and Planting Fall Lettuce and Greens
Ohio’s archery season opened on September 26 (2009), but it didn’t mean much to many area bow hunters. Lots went out on opening day, of course, because it’s traditional, and some made a few trips later. But it’s during the rut that bow and crossbow hunters become serious, because deer move then, and the big […]
Continue reading about Bow Hunters:Tactics for Tree Stand Success During Deer Rut
Some years ago an old friend retired and was given a fishing rod and box of tackle, instead of a watch. “I’ve always wanted to learn to fish,” he said, “and now I’ve got the time.” He made several visits to a local lake, caught nothing, and gave his equipment away. “I just didn’t know […]
Continue reading about The Absolute Nuts and Bolts of Fishing
Hunting seasons are well in, and the thoughts of most area outdoorsmen are on deer, rabbits, pheasants, and waterfowl. But fish are still biting, cold weather or no, and one of the most active now is white and black crappie. These silvery, flatsided pansters are extremely popular each spring when they come in close to […]
Continue reading about Autumn Crappie Fishing: Where Are They Biting?
Farmers and landowners have enough problems these days without adding predation by foxes and coyotes, and there are plenty of both out there in family woods and fields. Actually, red fox populations are down a bit, possibly due to predation by coyotes, though there are still lots around, grey fox are almost extinct north of […]
Continue reading about Trapping Tactics That Work for Fox and Coyote: Ohio Veteran Trapper’s Tips
Some people don’t care for the taste of venison, complaining that it has a slightly “wild” flavor. But many others like that flavor, and feel that it adds substantially to meals and dishes like chili where ground deer seems to surpass beef. And few deny that venison is healthier, being leaner and free of antibiotics […]
Continue reading about Raising Deer Can Be Profitable: Ohio Whitetail Deer Farmer Tells How
This world is full of things an outdoorsman will never know, and just one of them is how many times a waiting bowhunter will have a trophy buck or even a small doe catch his or her scent and ghost away to safer climes. But I suspect it happens often. Too many archers don’t really […]
Back when I was a kid in the hills of southern Ohio, there were lots of poisonous snakes, and since we ran those hills like little savages we had to quickly learn to avoid the fairly common timber rattlesnakes and even more common copperheads. We learned to take care around rockpiles which both species favored […]
Continue reading about Help Save Ohio's Tiny Population of Poisonous Snakes
October is a good month for hunting several kinds of wildlife, but it’s an equally good time to do some fishing, and the best game in town these days is seeking Lake Erie perch. Erie perch traditionally turn on in October with action along shorelines and on piers a little slow at first, but gradually […]
Continue reading about October Perfect for Lake Erie Perch Fishing on Piers and Headboats
Ohio native Americans called him the “little bear”, and relished his rich meat. Many a young Huron and Sandusky made his first kill on a groundhog, and not only was the hand of man turned against this stocky creature, but bears, cougars, wolves, and coyotes ate them at every opportunity. The only animals that survived […]
Continue reading about Many Reasons to Hunt Groundhogs: Eat Them, Practice, and Make a Farmer Happy
Life has gotten complicated for modern day farmers. Pigs and cattle are often fed by computer, litters and basic information is computer oriented too, and we do our plowing and harvesting with huge tractors and combines. But young farmers are often forced to listen to parents and grandparents and hear “It wasn’t like this when […]
Continue reading about Ohio Farming in the 1930s: Were The Good Old Days Really Good?
“English” folk like you and me love to visit Mennonite and Amish businesses whether they be selling home bakes or produce. But few indeed get into the nursery and greenhouse market, and fewer yet succeed well enough to grow like Topsy. Elvin Burkholder is one that’s thriving. Elvin owns the Lakeside Greenhouse & Produce on […]
Continue reading about Ohio Mennonite Knows How to Make A Nursery Grow
As many Ohio readers know, there are farm markets and farm markets. The former are usually roadside affairs selling tomatoes, sweet corn, squash, and other good things from their garden. The latter, few indeed, are something special, offering unusual items as well as ordinary produce, items interesting enough to be worth a modest or even […]
Lots of Northcentral Ohio readers like to make an annual trip or two to Amish Country, but gas prices are high and these days a visit can be costly. How would you like to see some “Amish country” close to home, a little jewel of a market that is off the beaten track in untrammeled farm country, […]
Continue reading about Planktown Market Little Jewel: Amish and Mennonite Deli in Shiloh, Ohio
Back when I was a youngster in the heavily wooded hills of southern Ohio, there were only three animals to hunt when fall rolled around, squirrels, rabbits, and ruffed grouse, though we did bounce an occasional covey of bobwhite quail. So, the opening of squirrel season was an eagerly awaited affair, and we hunted them […]
It finally happened. You went from anticipation as that very first tomato turned gradually from yellow to red, then feasted happily on a half dozen that were either sliced and devoured, or placed in salads. Then tomatoes came on by the dozen, and you started serious canning, now they’re out there nearly in hundreds and […]
Is there a best season of the year to go muskie fishing? It’s an arguable point, but in my opinion the top time is right now. Why? Because muskies are cold blooded, which means their metabolism varies with water temperature. That water is hot right now, but cooling, so not only are muskies feeding heavily […]
Continue reading about Muskie Fishing Tactics for Ohio Lakes: Success at Clear Fork Reservoir
Right now is a good time for landowners and city folk alike. The weather is finally cooling, there’s been plenty of rain, and soybeans and corn are just beginning to yellow. It’s a small pocket of calm before fall crops come off, and you might be looking for a nice, but low key to visit, […]
Continue reading about Mansfield Ohio's Kingwood Center Gardens Great In Fall
September bird hunting in Ohio normally features an early teal season. (Ohio’s 2009 early teal season begins on September 5 and ends September 20 with a four bird limit.) Do you care? Probably not, because few waterfowlers indeed take advantage of this first opportunity to bag some ducks. Most don’t know where to find such early arrivals, and […]
Continue reading about How to Hunt Teal Without Decoys or Blinds: Ohio Waterfowl Early Season
It’s September now, and everything seems to be happening at once. Tomatoes are coming on strong, and I’ve already canned 16 quarts and 4 pints that will be used this fall and winter in everything from chili and spaghetti to vegetable soup and pasta. Peppers are ripening too, and so far I’ve sliced quite a […]
Continue reading about September Harvest Recipes for Fall Peppers and Corn
The 2009 squirrel season opened on September 1, and the year should be a good one. With a generous six squirrel limit, it should be no trick most days to fill a ticket with some fine eating, and they are indeed good eating. Back when I was a kid in the hills of southern Ohio, […]
Continue reading about Ohio Squirrel Hunting: Know Your Trees to Find Fox and Greys
Once upon a time when I was attending Ohio State University (OSU) at Stone Lab on South Bass Island, I took a few hours off and went smallmouth bass fishing along Peach Point at Put-In-Bay. I caught nothing. It’s a prime spot and I was curious, so I put on a face mask and snorkel I’d […]
Continue reading about Scuba Diving in Ohio Lakes: Fisherman Seeing the World Through Fish Eyes
How much does the average grain farmer make on his land per acre? $100? If he’s lucky. But apparently, it’s possible to make $1,000 on those acres, at least if they’re wet. Really wet! Bob Calala and his two brothers Lewis and David, have been doing extremely well on their liquid acres, and their annual […]
Continue reading about Shrimp Farming In Ohio Farm Ponds? Yes!
Usually, they’re called carp, but other names include bugle mouth, sewer bass, and some that can’t be printed here. They’re maligned as destroyers of game fish eggs, bottom rooters that murk clear water, fish with few enemies, but wonderful reproductive success, so much so that an accidental introduction in a farm pond can see that […]
Continue reading about Catch a Big Fighter: Carp Fishing Tips and Making Your Own Boilies
There are plenty of man-made lakes in Ohio, but very few natural ones, and most of those few are small, gouged out when the last glacier receded about 10,000 years ago. But there’s one large one, 90 acre Punderson Lake, a clear, sparkling body of water that’s deep and cold and offers some interesting activities […]
Continue reading about Punderson Lake, Ohio: Worth a Visit for Outdoor Sports and Family Fun
Every farm and rural dweller should have a dog, and many do. The bigger ones are often useful for controlling groundhogs, for letting owners know when visitors arrive, for keeping an eye on expensive equipment and farm machinery at night, and of course, as pets and animals well loved by family members. But picking the […]
Continue reading about Picking the Perfect (Almost) Farm Dog
