Outdoor Life

outdoorswithmartin on November 21st, 2009

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

outdoorswithmartin on October 25th, 2009

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

outdoorswithmartin on October 13th, 2009

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

outdoorswithmartin on October 12th, 2009

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)

outdoorswithmartin on October 3rd, 2009

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

outdoorswithmartin on October 2nd, 2009

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

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

outdoorswithmartin on September 21st, 2009

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

outdoorswithmartin on September 3rd, 2009

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

outdoorswithmartin on September 2nd, 2009

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

outdoorswithmartin on August 27th, 2009

Some years ago, I happened to pass a good sized woodlot whose owner I knew and where I’d hunted more than once.  He’d decided that the timber could be more profitably converted to corn and soybeans, and therefore decided to bulldoze down the four acre lot to plant grain crops.  The man didn’t timber it […]

Continue reading about Woodlots Worth Saving: Profits from Tree Farming and Forest Harvests

Published April 2005 Floods have been a real problem in Ohio this winter, bad enough sometimes to destroy homes, strain dams, and send people scrambling for higher ground.  Those floods are likely not over yet, since March and April with their frequent heavy rains can bring flooding again and again.  We know what floods do to […]

Continue reading about From Rattlesnakes to River Otters: Wildlife Impacts from Flooding in Ohio

outdoorswithmartin on July 24th, 2009

How do you like your weekends or vacations?  Rugged and rustic?  Ultra-modern with all of the amenities?  You can find either at Lake Hope, a 120 acre lake that waits in Vinton County not far from McArthur in southeastern Ohio.  This pretty woodland lake is a fish-hook shaped body of water surrounded by 2,983 acre […]

Continue reading about Boating, Fishing and Camping at Lake Hope, Ohio

outdoorswithmartin on July 22nd, 2009

Published February 2005 Hocking Hills in springtime is a beautiful place with rugged hills covered by trilliums, spring beauties, and other flowers. In summer it’s a cool, shaded place with challenging hikes and climbs, and come fall, the hills are a riot of color with wild turkeys gobbling in the valleys. But winter? It’s a […]

Continue reading about Ohio Winter Travel Feature: Hocking Hills Ohio

outdoorswithmartin on July 22nd, 2009

Published February 2005 When it’s been a bad winter, with too much snow, too much rain, too much ice, too much everything, and when according to the Pennsylvania groundhog, we’ve got more long weeks of the above coming, what are your options?  Area outdoorsmen have a simple choice.  They can hole up like that proverbial […]

Continue reading about Winter Fun for Families at Ohio's State Parks

outdoorswithmartin on July 20th, 2009

Veteran outdoorsmen, whether they be hunters, fishermen, hikers, or other brands know that the world of nature has the potential of becoming a hazardous place.  And take precautions accordingly.  But this country is filled with folk who live in cities or suburbs and see little more of nature than city park squirrels and the occasional […]

Continue reading about Bear Safety for Parks Visitors

outdoorswithmartin on July 20th, 2009

Published January 2005 We’ve had some bad years recently for major fires.  Severe drought in southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah brought wildfires that burned hundreds of thousands of acres, drove many from their homes, killed untold wildlife creatures, and destroyed millions of trees.  Obviously, fire is bad.  Or is it, at least always? Once […]

Continue reading about Ohio Forest Fires: Are Forest Fires Always Bad?

outdoorswithmartin on July 18th, 2009

Published December 2004 One of the nicest things about living in a forested part of America (as opposed to prairie or desert) is that we have lots of trees.  And trees are great for many a reason.  We like to plant them for fruit or to provide food for birds and squirrels.  They gladden our […]

Continue reading about Great Tips for Cutting Your Own Firewood