Ohio Valley Outdoors Magazine Fall 2001

Does this sound familiar?

After driving miles of country roads surrounded on both sides by "NO HUNTING" signs, you arrive at a public hunting area only to waste an entire morning stomping through fields that hold no more game than the average mall parking lot.

If this scenario rings painfully true, don't feel bad - you're probably in the majority. Even though every hunting magazine touts scouting as the key to a successful hunt, most hunters simply don't have the time to spend scoping out their hunting spots before they get out in the field. And as more private land is becoming off-limits to hunters, those old dependable spots can't always be counted on.

With this problem in mind, each issue of Ohio Valley Outdoors will be bringing you "In the Public Domain." With larger numbers of hunters using public land, and each hunter pressed for time, I felt it would be useful to do some scouting for you to help remove some of the guesswork. Plus I have to admit, I also thought it would be great fun to hunt all over the Ohio Valley and call it work.

The format of this column will be fairly simple, but will contain some of the basic information that can make all the difference in saving time and effort, and in coming home with game for the freezer. Every public hunting land in the Tri-State area, including state game lands (SGLs) in Pennsylvania, and wildlife management areas (WMAs) in Ohio and West Virginia, will eventually be profiled in this column. Each edition will include tips on what to hunt and where, as well as helpful hints about the surrounding area. We'll include:

-Location (with a map of the area)

-Acreage

-A list of game species, based on information provided by the state wildlife

agencies and personal observations at the site

-Habitat types

-A list of nearby restaurants, sporting goods stores, hotels, and gas

stations (you know, the things that you might need while you're out, but hate

to waste time looking for).

Then comes the fun part - a description of our experiences as my partners and

I hunt each public site. I'll tell you where the hot spots and dead spots were, what game species were most prevalent, and what kind of adventures we endured in the field. When I can, I'll pass along hints from state conservation officers on where to look for the best hunting at each SGL or WMA. I'll also try to root out any local legends - information from neighborhood hunters on the best spots on their home turf.

Because of the way it's put together, there are several ways that you may be able to use this column. If you save up a couple of issues, they might make a fine doorstop or shore up that short leg on the kitchen table. Hey, it's your subscription, do what you want. But, if I may be so bold, I'd like to suggest a few other uses.

Since we'll be covering every public hunting site in the Ohio Valley and reporting the results from each, you may want to study "In the Public Domain" to decide where you want to hunt rabbits some November weekend. Or read it to figure out which WMA has the hottest duck hunting. Or even which SGL has the nicest scenery. I'll try to give you all that and more.

You may also want to check out "In the Public Domain" after you've decided where you're going to hunt. Read it the night before or toss it in the glove compartment and you'll have not only the lowdown on the habitat at your chosen destination, but you'll also know how to get there and where to stop for coffee (and maybe a tall stack of pancakes) on the way.

You'll find out where you can go nearby to solve those little problems that so often crop up while you're hunting. Like suddenly remembering that your shotgun shells are still sitting next to the microwave, or that your car doesn't travel quite as far on "E" as you thought. That's the kind of pre-season scouting that anyone can use.

You might want to just check out the hunting summary on your favorite public site. Then you can prove to your friends that your spot is as good as you've been bragging all these years. Of course, you may want to sneak a peek to see if I've revealed to thousands of magazine subscribers the location of the crabapple patch that has produced your last seven bucks. If that's the case, I apologize in advance.

You can choose any way you want to use this column, but if it were me,

I'd start by plopping down in front of the fire with each issue and reading through it.

The descriptions and photos of each public hunting area are meant to be not just informative, but entertaining. And you can squeeze a lot of entertainment into hunting this wild and beautiful area.

The frequently asked question, "Which is the best public site for the type of hunting I enjoy?" is a tough one to answer. It's difficult for a hunter with limited free time to get out and scout thousands of acres across three states to find out what suits his or her tastes best. There are few things more frustrating than traveling an hour or two before the sun comes up to arrive at a hunting spot, only to find it's more suited to ducks than the pheasants you came prepared for. Or worse yet, driving home in disgust and finding out later that the mother of all pheasant fields was just a clay pigeon's throw away.

"In the Public Domain" will be dedicated to alleviating that problem.

There will be no guarantees of success, nor even a guarantee that one day's hot spot won't be the next day's snoozer. But I'm happy to contribute my two cents, and I hope it pays off for you. More importantly, I hope you enjoy coming along for the ride.