ohio valley outdoor times 2-2015

Born and raisedin ColumbianaCounty, OH,Malakia Hilton, 24,has been huntingsince he was 10-years-old. His dadintroduced him tothe outdoors, oftentaking Hilton andhis two brothersrabbit and squirrelhunting. Hiltonkilled his first deer when he was only 12,and has since taken at least one deerevery year.When he was 17, Hilton killed a dandy

18-point buck with a unique rack. Whatmade it unique was a double row of tineson each main beam. For every typicalpoint on the main beams, another non-typical point jutted at an outward angle,and the rack scored an impressive 172inches. That wouldn’t be Hilton’s lastnon-typical buck, though – or his lastmonster buck. On December 1, 2014, hekilled a 20-point non-typical that couldchallenge the current ColumbianaCounty record.Although Hilton knew the 20-point

was in the area, he’d never actually laideyes on it himself. “The neighbors had

pictures of him on their trail cameras,”he says, “but I’d never encountered thebuck in the woods before first day of gunseason. I didn’t even have any picturesof it.”This is amazing considering that

Hilton keeps five trail cameras in opera-tion year-round on several nearby prop-erties. “After I killed this buck, I pulledthe SD card from a camera I had in thecreek bottom where I got the deer andhad a picture of a huge buck. But evenlooking at the picture, it’s hard to tell if itwas the same deer or not. Until that day,the buck had been a total ghost all sea-son long.”On opening day of gun season, Hilton

set up in the creek bottom an hour beforedaylight. Typically, Hilton experiencesthe most success in that spot when thewind is coming from the west. Thatmorning, however, the wind was comingfrom the north, which was less thanideal.The morning dawned clear and wet,

moisture dripping from the foliage, asHilton decided on where to repositionhimself. He has always had successhunting from the ground, no treestand orblind, so moving locations wasn’t a bigdeal.He decided to slowly make his way

through the creek bottom toward theother side, which would be more favor-able considering the north wind. “I wassneaking down an old logging road and

OutdoorDrift forWinter TroutStory inside page 5 February 2015

FREE!Ohio ValleySHOOTING A MOSIN RIFLE - P.12

The MalakiaHilton 20-pointer

Turn To 20-pt. Page 5Ohio Valley Outdoors–Photo courtesy of Malakia Hilton

The opening day of Ohio’s latest gun season proved very successful for Malakia Hilton. The24-year-old harvested a monster 20-point non-typical buck in Columbiana County.

Times

By Ralph ScherderHunting Editor

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OHIO VALLEY OUTDOOR TIMES2 February 2015

According to theODNR’s final whitetaildeer kill numbers thispast season there were15,710 less deer har-vested than last year. Isthat an earth-shatteringdifference? I don’tthink so. Others do, sosome have voiced theiropinion at five deer hunt-ing summits held by the state last month.If the number of deer kills do not rise eachyear, hunters say “there’s somethingwrong”.

Of the five summits — yes, hosted bythe ODNR — I read news accounts fromthree of them. I don’t know who the re-spective reporters/writers were in those ac-counts but from what I read they posted thenegative accounts from frustrated hunterswho said they haven’t been seeing deer.That may be the case for some, but if I’mnot seeing deer, seeing deer signs, I’mgoing to find another spot.

A drop in 15,000 deer kills in one year(from 191,455 to 175, 745) is not a reasonto demand the state to change it’s deermanagement program.

In the most recent press release about thefinal deer numbers for 2014-15, the stateexplained their ‘sound’ plan.

A sound plan that may not be agreedupon by everyone, but Ohio has had apretty good track record for building itsdeer herd. Are we forgetting about all ofthe monster bucks we see taken each year?

And I can’t help thinking about all of theproblems Pennsylvania has had with itsdeer management program. Always, whenwe do sportsman’s shows in PA the mostasked question we get from PA hunters is:“where can we go hunting in Ohio, be-

cause there’s no deer in PA?” That’s an-other story.

Proof that there is deer hunting successin Ohio can be witnessed each year by vis-iting any key check-in station or outdoorshop that caters to hunters. One such loca-tion would be Runzo’s Sports Center, inBeloit, OH (Columbiana County). Our of-fice is located about 20 miles fromRunzo’s so we get several reports from thislocation. And we see a lot of nice buckphotos they share on social media.

For several reasons Runzo’s is a popularspot to take trophy bucks. With the state’sfairly new Internet based check-in systemit’s not necessary to take your harvest to acheck-in location. A good number ofhunters now take advantage of the newsystem and check their deer or turkey invia the telephone or Internet. But, what thenew system doesn’t allow is the chance toshow off your trophy harvest to your peers.So, places like Runzo’s across the state area fantastic place to let others view your tro-phy. And in addition to that they take yourphotograph, post it on the Internet — Face-book — and enter it in a Big Buck Contest,which Runzo’s sponsors through a localnewspaper.

Tifani Firestone, gun counter salesper-son at Runzo’s Sports Center, says the out-door shop is very busy during huntingseason for several reasons.

“We’re still busy (during hunting sea-son). Sometimes there’s a mob of peopleat the counter, getting new deer tags, get-ting licenses and checking in deer,” saidFirestone.

“We have so many people coming in.Many of those to check in deer. Mostlybucks though. I think a lot of those come infor the contest and some for the photos (fortheir Facebook page).

Ohio’s Deer Herd: Is SomethingWrong?

4 Innovations forSelecting Your ModernSporting Rifle

Travis R. Hunt

5 Get the Drift forWinter Trout

Jeff Knapp

6 Small Game SeasonsProposed for 2015-16

ODNR

7 Hot Ice Fishing WorkoutScott Albrecht

8 Ohio HuntersHarvest 175K+ Deer

ODNR

12 Shooting a MosinNagant Sniper Rifle

Bill Waugaman

18 Prepper’s Ball toFeature Celebrities

Jack Kiser

19 WV Hunters Harvest104K Deer in 2014

WVDNR

INSIDE THIS MONTH

10 Whitetail Observations on a Winter’s Day

Indoor Pistol Shooting - Feb. 20, 27; Mar. 6, 13, 20, 27 (every Fri. thru Apr. 24) 7-10 p.m. (open topublic) at Columbiana County Fish & Game Association. New website:www.columbianacountyfishandgame.com.3D Archery Shoots - Feb. 21, 22; Mar. 21, 22, 28, 29. (Schedule runs through Sept.) Lake MiltonFish & Game Club. Sat. 8 a.m.-3 p.m., Sun. 8 a.m.-1 p.m.. Cost $10, cubs $5. Breakfast and lunchserved. Crossbows permitted, no rangefinders. Contact Dennis Dabney at 330-414-5795.National Bowhunter Education Certification Class - March 14 ( 9 a.m.- 5 p.m.) at TrumbullCounty Rod & Gun Club, located at 6575 Phillips Rice Road, Cortland (Mecca Township), OH44410. Free class is open to the public; pre-registration is required. Contact Todd Shafer at 330-883-4347 or email at [email protected] Deer and Turkey Expo - March 13-15 at Ohio Expo Center (state fairgrounds) in Columbus,OH.Admission $14. Save $3 with coupon in Ohio Valley Outdoors magazine, Spring issue. For info.check website: www.deerinfo.com. See more events listed on Page 13.

By Larry ClaypoolEditor

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OUTDOOR CALENDAR

Publisher/Editor, Larry [email protected]

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[email protected] Valley Outdoor Times

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To Advertise CALL 330-385-2243

OutdoorOhio Valley

TimesFebruary 2015 VOL. 7, NO. 02

Contributing EditorsRalph Scherder, Hunting Editor

Jeff Knapp, Fishing EditorBrian Miller, Field Editor

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Hands down, theAR-15 chambered in.223 Remington hasrobustly soldthroughout thefruited plain. The.223 Remington car-tridge is the civilianvariant of the NATO5.56 x 45 mm combatround that has effec-tively been utilized inthe M-16 since the early days of theVietnam conflict. The AR-15 is oftenmistakenly referred to as an assault riflewhen in reality the “AR” stands for Ar-maLite rifle; after all,ArmaLite inventedthe AR-15 in the 1950s. The more ac-curate designation for this platform isthe “Modern Sporting Rifle” (MSR).The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,Firearms and Explosives tracks the saleof firearms. The most recent data avail-able for MSR sales are specific to 2009and 2010 and is as follows:That’s a big number of MSR being

manufactured, marketed, and distributed

to Americans throughout the U.S. Withthis acknowledged, I am confident thatmany of those reading this article al-ready own a MSR.Before I wrote this article, I owned a

few but was in the market for just onemore. Besides admiring the stealthyblack hue, coyote brown, or dipped cam-

ouflage pattern oftheir favorite MSR,all MSR owners de-light in simply shoot-ing their MSR. Goodnews — now thatammunition pricesare slowly beginningto return to reality,recreational shootingis also returning as areality. Inevitably,shooting yields strip-ping and cleaning andthis is my least fa-vorite part of myblack gun hobby andwas the catalyst forthis article. I decided

I desired an MSR that did not require in-tense routine cleaning.Better yet, while I was pondering the

future, I had two more desires. The firstbeing an iron sight to use in conjunctionwith my Trijicon ACOG and a safe inwhich to secure the MSR and other suchassociated treasures. The remainder ofthis article details my rationale for se-lecting the products I chose to meet theabove three stated desires.Direct Impingement (DI) versus GasPiston Operating SystemsThe majority ofAR-15s utilize the tra-

ditional direct impingement (DI) operat-ing system. The DI utilizes propellantgas that directly contacts or “impinges”the bolt carrier mechanism. During thisaction, gas is pushed to the rear of therifle, cycling the carrier, stripping around from the top of the magazine andloading it into the chamber of the barrel.ADI operating system results in a waveof heat flowing through the receiver and

depositing a layer of burnt gasses andcarbon on the interior of the weapon. Inmy experience, owning and shootingboth Bushmaster and Smith andWessonAR-15s, with DI operating systems, Iconcur that these rifles foul and foulwithout regard for ammunition brand orconfiguration. I further acknowledgethat I have experience a limited numberof failures to eject discrepancies. Theobvious question at this point is themaintenance of my guns. Do I strip,clean, and lube them thoroughly afterevery shooting session? My answer isyes, but not always as robustly as Iwould like. Granted, it gets done but sodoes life and five children.This line of reasoning directed me


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Ohio Valley Outdoors - Photo by Travis R. HuntYour AR-15, more accurate called a“Modern Sporting Rifle” (MSR), has awide variety of accessories, gadgetsand attachments available to helpyou fully utilize this special firearm.

By Travis R. HuntOVO Pro Staff

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esDomestic AR-15s Sold in 2009 and 2010

Manufacturer 2009 2010Armalite, Inc. 16,814 9,472Bushmaster Firearms Int., LLC 81,290 40,568Colt Defense, LLC 45,150 8.840DPMS Firearms LLC 83,129 46,891Olympic Arms 12,089 2,892Rock River Arms 38,756 23,146Smith &Wesson 108,879 98,379Stag Arms 47,555 18,563Sub-Total 433,662 248,751Total 682,413

The conversationfocused on fishing asmy friend ShawnIman and I made thedrive east recently tofish HuntingdonCounty’s Little Juni-ata River. At onepoint an AC/DCsong played in thebackground at adecibel level far lowerthan had I been by myself.Shawn recalled that back when he did

a lot of steelhead fishing on Lake Erietributaries he would often wear headphones that piped in the hard rock, a tac-tic kept him pumped up on days thatcommonly provided challengingweather and water conditions.Naturally, the drive home later that

day — amidst some crazy sleet and hailsqualls — was a critique of the day’s ac-tivities. During the conversation it oc-curred to me that appropriate music toaccompany this kind of fishing could in-clude Puddle of Mudd’s “Drift and Die,”

as the drift can be such a big part of thedeal.“For me, getting the right drift is the

biggest thing,” noted Iman, whose dayhad included multiple wild brown troutup to 15 inches as well as a thick rain-bow that pushed 20. His fish came on abeadhead green caddis larva fly fishedbelow a strike indicator.So what constitutes “the right drift?”

According to Iman, it’s presenting thefly at the same pace at which naturalfood is washed downstream.Regardless of the season, trout tend to

hold in places where they can duck outof the current yet still be close enoughto pluck off an easy meal that drifts orswims by. One of Iman’s most produc-tive spots during our outing was a runabout three to four feet deep, 20 yards orso below an incoming riffle. The cur-rent was modest; the bottom coveredwith irregular rocks that furnished feed-ing lies for the trout. Standing in onespot Iman took three nice fish in shortorder. His attempts when working both


Get the Drift for Winter Trout

Turn To Winter Trout Page 6

Ohio Valley Outdoors– Photo by Jeff KnappShawn Iman caught and released this nice wild brown trout

from the Little Juniata River last month.

By Jeff KnappFishing Editor

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got about a hundred yards from where I’dbeen sitting,” he says, “when I looked upand saw a giant buck moving throughbrush about 95 yards away.” Hilton did-n’t hesitate. He shouldered the 12 gaugeH&R Ultra Slugger and sent a HornadySST into the deer’s vitals.Hilton killed the 18-point buck when hewas 17 years old the same way. He’dsimply been sneaking through the woodson a quiet, wet day, when he came uponthat deer, too.Although the 20-point dropped in its

tracks, Hilton finished it off with a sec-ond shot just to make sure it stayed down.“In the past,” he says, “I’ve seen them getup and run off after being hit and youhave to trail them. I didn’t want that tohappen with this one. I was on privateproperty, but the border of some state-

owned property was only about 60 yardsaway. I didn’t want him to make it therewhere there could be other hunters wait-ing.”After all, Hilton, his family, and his

neighbors weren’t the only people whoknew about the massive buck. Quite afew other hunters were also trying to pin-point its whereabouts. Hilton ended thechase that morning.“As soon as I shot,” he says, “my

neighbor texted me asking ‘who wasmaking all that noise up there’. I said,“Me. I just shot the big guy!”Hilton’s first call, though, was to his

brother-in-law who was hunting nearby.“I kinda freaked out,” Hilton says. “I toldhim to get over here quick before I passedout.” When his brother-in-law asked howbig the buck was, Hilton replied that hedidn’t know because he hadn’t reallywalked up close to it yet. All he knewwas that it was huge.Upon seeing the buck, Hilton’s brother-in-law agreed and called the buck “gor-geous.”Editor’s Note: Read the rest of this story,and many other ‘big buck’articles, in theSpring Issue of Ohio Valley Outdoorsmagazine, on newsstands March 1.

20-pt. From Page 1

Have a question forthe OVO Pro Staff?

Please submit questions on a variety oftopics to members of the Pro Staff via

email at:[email protected].


COLUMBUS, OH — The 2015-2016small game hunting seasons were pro-posed to the Ohio Wildlife Council re-cently, according to the OhioDepartment of Natural Resources(ODNR).Hunting season date proposals are pre-

pared by the ODNRDivision ofWildlifeand maintain many traditional openingdates. Proposals concerning Ohio’swhite-tailed deer hunting season will bepresented at the next Ohio WildlifeCouncil meeting.

ODNR Division of WildlifeProposed Hunting Season Dates:

2015• Sept. 1 - Squirrel and dove hunting• Oct. 24-25 and Oct. 31-Nov.1 -Youthsmall game hunting seasons statewide• Nov. 6 - Cottontail rabbit, ring-neckedpheasant and bobwhite quail — Note:Proposed open counties for quail hunt-ing remain the same as last season:Adams, Athens, Brown, Butler, Cler-mont, Clinton, Highland, Jackson,Meigs, Montgomery, Pike, Preble, Ross,Scioto, Vinton and Warren.• Nov. 10 - Fox, raccoon, skunk, opos-sum and weasel hunting and trapping• Oct. 12-Nov. 29 - Fall wild turkey2016• April 18-May 15 - Spring wild turkey• April 16-17 - Youth wild turkey

The OhioWildlife Council is an eight-member board that approves all of theODNR Division of Wildlife proposedrules and regulations. The council willvote on the proposed rules and seasondates after considering public input.Open houses to receive public com-

ments about hunting, trapping and fish-ing regulations and wildlife issues willbe held on March 7. Open houses will beheld at the ODNR Division of WildlifeDistrict One, District Two, District Threeand District Four offices, as well as theGreene County Fish and GameAssocia-tion clubhouse in Xenia.Open houses give the public an oppor-

tunity to view and discuss proposed fish-ing, hunting and trapping regulationswith the ODNR Division of Wildlife of-ficials. For Ohioans who are unable toattend an open house, comments will beaccepted online at wildohio.gov. The on-line form will be available until March.Directions to the open houses can befound at wildohio.gov or by calling 800-WILDLIFE (945-3543).A statewide hearing on all of the pro-

posed rules will be held at the ODNRDivision ofWildlife’s District One officeon March 19, at 9 a.m. The office is lo-cated at 1500 Dublin Road, Columbus,Ohio 43215.Visit the ODNR at ohiodnr.gov.

Small Game Seasons Proposed for 2015-16

upstream and downstream producednothing.“When I first approach a pool I work

the water closest to me first, makingshort upstream casts not much more thana rod length away,” he noted. “I positionmyself so that the spot I consider mostlikely to hold fish is pretty much straightout in front of me. That’s the placewhere I want to the fly to be drifting nat-urally as it passes by.”To attain this, his cast is made at about

a 45 degree angle upstream. This waythe fly (or flies when fishing with a drop-per) have had a chance to sink by thetime they reach the prime zone. He alsomakes any necessary line mends — typ-ically a flip of the fly line upstream —so that the setup is drifting drag freewhen it flows through the sweet spot.After fishing the “close water” Iman

makes progressively longer casts toreach more distant lies. He repositionshimself, though, when working upstreamor downstream, again aiming to achievethe perfect drift as the strike indicator

passes perpendicular to his location.Keeping the fly close to the bottom is

also a large part of the program, espe-cially at this time of year when the wateris cold. Trout feed, but usually won’tmove too far off of the bottom to inter-cept a fly. Typically Iman fishes twoflies. One is tied to the point of theleader tippet. He then uses a slider knotto tie a foot-long section of tippet mate-rial above the point fly, and secures asecond fly to the end of this tippet. Theslider knot jams against the point fly, butcan be slid back up the leader if hechooses to change the point fly.Nymphs, caddis larva, scuds and eggpatterns can all be effective now.Split shot — size and number ade-

quate to get the flies down quickly — ispinched on a foot or so above the pointfly.A strike indicator like the Float Masteris fastened on the leader. The position ofthe Float Master is easy to adjust, whichis important. You want the flies to occa-sionally tick bottom, but not so muchthat hang-ups are frequent.

Winter Trout From Page 5

By Scott AlbrechtHere in Ohio, it’s mid-to-late season

ice, which means deeper holes, longerwalks, and already fatigued fishermenand women. While many don’t associ-ate ice fishing with physicality or pro-fessional ice fisherman with pro athletes,I completely disagree. I just returnedfrom a 10-day ice fishing tour of the icebelt, of which included a 1.5 mile walkout of Catawba State Park to fish LakeErie, several 8+ hour days spent on myknees and hand drilling hundreds ofholes. Being prepared is a crucial pieceof what I call “ice fishing fitness” and inthis article I will share some tips to avoidice fishing fatigue in cold temperaturesduring the short amount of time we getto enjoy this sport.

Ice Fishing is Hot!One key ingredient to comfort on the

ice is temperature regulation and con-trol. Most days start out with gettinggear out of your vehicle and hauling itto your favorite spot, which is then pro-ceeded by drilling out that spot with sev-

eral holes. You will generate morewarmth during these early outing mo-ments than the rest of the day. Dressingin layers and removing the outer layersis how I keep from sweating in the weemorning hours of setup. If you do ven-ture out with more than just your baselayers and begin to sweat, take a layeroff. Sweating is the beginning to the endof your day because your body loses it’sability to produce warmth at the skinlevel, which then gets trapped as warmair between your body and your baselayer.

Ice Fishing is so COOL!Once you do settle in, so does the

cold, and as an avid ice angler I preparemy skin for the cold early in the year astemperatures begin to drop. Call mecrazy, but one rule I live by is wearing t-shirts in October. By exposing my skinto the 50-60 degree weather — mostpeople bring out the hoodies — I beginto acclimate and become less shockedby cold weather. I continue this modelas it gets colder and colder, alwaysaware of how used to the cold my body

is. One key element in keeping my bodyexposed to the cold is under dressing formorning runs. This not only keeps myskin used to the cold…but also providesreal life training for physical excursionin extreme conditions.

Mentally Fit for the Cold.It’s underestimated how much a cold,

humid, hard blowing wind can chill younot only physically but also mentally. Ican recall many days on the ice wheremy prep has helped me stay focused onthe task at hand so I can fish through thecold vs. previous years where a stiffbreeze shut my body and brain down. Iwould follow those non-prepared daysup with a “well the fish just weren’t bit-ing today…too cold”. My friends wouldcorrect me with a “the fish weren’t toocold, you were”. I started thinking aboutit and they were right...every decision Imade changed for the worse in adverseconditions. My jigging styles becamemore aggressive (shaking uncontrollablyvs. on purpose) I choose to move less, ormove to locations that were more bene-ficial for me (like to my car to drivehome).By training in these conditions I now

can stand the cold longer and when itdoes start to affect my body, still makesound decisions, not shutting down


Hot Ice Fishing Workout

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Ohio Valley Outdoors–Photo by Scott AlbrechtThe auther with a nice crappie,

taken with a jig while ice fishing in Ohio.

Turn To Hot Ice Page 8


Ohio Valley Outdoors–Photo by Scott AlbrechtSunfish can fill up a nice stringerduring ice fishing season in Ohio.

COLUMBUS, OH — Ohio’s white-tailed deer archery season closed Febru-ary 1, marking the end of Ohio’s2014-2015 deer hunting season. Acrossthe state, hunters checked a total of175,745 deer during all 2014-2015 hunt-ing seasons.In the last few years, through in-

creased deer harvests, dramatic strideshave been made in many counties to ap-proach acceptable populations. The ef-fectiveness of these management effortsare reflected in the decreased number ofdeer checked this season. During the2013-2014 hunting season, Ohio hunterschecked 191,455 deer. Bag limits werereduced in 46 counties prior to the 2014-2015 deer hunting season, and antlerlesspermits were eliminated in 29 counties.Deer population goals will be revised

this summer through a random survey ofhunters and farmers. Participants in thesurvey will have the opportunity to pro-vide input about the future of deer man-agement in Ohio.The Ohio counties that reported the

most checked deer for all implementsduring the 2014-2015 season: Coshoc-ton (5,727), Licking (5,281), Tuscarawas

(4,883), Muskingum (4,748), Ashtabula(4,418), Knox (4,191), Guernsey(4,181), Holmes (3,625), Harrison(3,448) and Carroll (3,406). CoshoctonCounty also reported the most deer har-vested in 2013-2014 (6,270).Ohio ranks fifth nationally in resident

hunters and 11th in the number of jobsassociated with hunting-related indus-tries. Hunting has a more than $853 mil-lion economic impact in Ohio throughthe sale of equipment, fuel, food, lodg-ing and more, according to the NationalShooting Sports Foundation’s Huntingin America: An Economic Force forConservation publication.The ODNR Division of Wildlife re-

mains committed to properly managingOhio’s deer populations through a com-bination of regulatory and programmaticchanges. The goal of Ohio’s Deer Man-agement Program is to provide a deerpopulation that maximizes recreationalopportunities, while minimizing con-flicts with landowners and motorists.This ensures that Ohio’s deer herd ismaintained at a level that is both accept-able to most, and biologically sound.Find more information about deer

hunting in the Ohio 2014-2015 Huntingand Trapping Regulations or at wildo-hio.gov. A detailed deer harvest reportwas posted online each Wednesday dur-ing the season, and a final report wasposted on Feb. 2.Hunters continue to utilize various

methods to report deer kills. Since thedeer season began on Sept. 27, 2014, 46percent of hunters phoned in their report,29 percent reported online, 15 percentused the mobile-friendly website and 9percent traveled to a license agent’s lo-cation.Ohio’s first modern day deer-gun sea-

son opened in 1943 in three counties,and hunters checked 168 deer. Deerhunting was allowed in all 88 countiesin 1956, and hunters harvested 3,911deer during the one-week season.ODNR ensures a balance between

wise use and protection of our natural re-sources for the benefit of all. Visit theODNR website at ohiodnr.gov.A list of all white-tailed deer checked

by hunters during Ohio’s 2014-2015hunting season is available online at.The first number following the county’sname shows the harvest numbers for2014-2015, and the 2013-2014 numbersare in parentheses.

Ohio Hunters Harvest175K+ Deer in 2014-2015 mentally out on the ice.

For more information on the types ofice fishing apparel I use to stay warm orto see my early season workout regimentvisit my page at:www.iceprofromohio.com.

Ice fishing tip: Grabber Hot Hands(www.warmers.com) sell adhesive toewarmers that I stick onto the handles ofmy ice fishing rods versus my socks, andthey serve as a great functional handwarmer while holding the rod!

Hot Ice From Page 7


As the snow fallson a Sunday morn-ing, I’m looking outthe window watchingsix deer pick at ascattering of corn inthe yard. They lookextra furry to me,their coats fullymaxed out to keeptheir bodies warm.One deer in particularhas returned to the corn on a daily basis.This deer, a yearling doe, was woundedsometime after Christmas, and when itfirst began visiting the site, it had a se-vere limp. It could’ve been injured by ahunter or clipped by a car, but there’s noway to tell for sure.The wound was to its front right leg.During its first visits, the deer held itsleg tucked up against its chest as it hob-bled around the yard, yet on the severaloccasions when I went outside and in-terrupted its meal, it bounded off. Evenas it bounded, though, it looked hurt, as

if it might topple any minute. It couldonly run about 50 yards before it had tostop and rest.That was six weeks ago. Time hasbeen good to this young doe. Now, inFebruary, the leg has almost healed, andthe doe no longer favors it so much. Shemeanders around the yard, eating corn,and shows no signs of ever having an in-jury at all. Animals have always amazedme with how fast they can heal. Withany luck, this doe will make it to fall,breed, and birth fawns next spring, andby the looks of her right now, she prob-ably will.Years ago I hunted an area where adoe had survived a collision with a car.Its front left leg was practically ruined.Over time, the muscles in that leg atro-phied and scar tissue formed. When Isaw the deer that fall, its leg was half thenormal size and curled up to its chest.However, that hadn’t stopped it fromgiving birth to two perfectly healthyfawns. I felt bad for the deer, even

Whitetail Observationson a Winter’s Day

Ohio Valley Outdoors– Photo courtesy of PGC/Jake DingelObserving deer, even in your neighborhood, can help you learn more about their behavior

and possibly help you during hunting season.Turn To Whitetail Page 10

HARRISBURG, PA — There still is nominimum age to participate in Pennsylva-nia’s MentoredYouth Hunting Program.Andthere is no minimum age for MentoredYouthto hunt deer and turkey. However, the Penn-sylvania Board of Game Commissioners re-cently gave preliminary approval to ameasure that would require any antlered deeror turkey harvested by a Mentored Youthhunter younger than 7 to be taken with validharvest tags provided by his or her adultmentor.Antlered deer and spring harvest tags

would be issued only as part of the MentoredYouth Hunting Permits issued to MentoredYouth ages 7 through 11.The transfer of an adult mentor’s tag to a

Mentored Youth hunter is not new to theMentored Youth Hunting Program. Underexisting regulations, any harvests of antler-less deer or fall turkeys by Mentored Youthhunters must be taken with valid harvest tagsprovided by an adult mentor.The proposal moved forward by the com-

missioners is an extension of those rules.In voting to preliminarily approve the

measure, the commissioners noted their con-

tinuing concerns over purported harvests byextremely young MentoredYouth that, in ac-tuality, are unlawful harvests by their adultmentors.The proposal addresses that concern, while

continuing to give parents the opportunity tointroduce their children to hunting at agesthey consider appropriate.The Mentored Youth Hunting Program

was established in 2009 to give children 11and younger the opportunity to experiencehunting in a tightly controlled setting.At present, MentoredYouth may only hunt

deer, turkeys, squirrels, woodchucks andcoyotes. And the Mentored Youth and adultmentor, together, may only possess onesporting arm between them while hunting.The adult mentor also must carry the sportingarm at all times while moving.All Mentored Youth hunters must obtain a

$2.70 permit that is valid during the licenseyear in which they hunt. If the proposal thatpassed preliminarily gains final approval,deer and spring turkey harvest tags wouldcontinue to be issued for Mentored Youthages 7 and older.

No Minimum Age Placedon Mentored Youth Hunters in PA

By Ralph ScherderHunting Editor

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though it showed no signs of pain orstruggle. To prove its strength and cun-ning, the deer made it through that falland winter, and the next summer I saw itagain – and again it had given birth totwo more fawns.

Observing the deer in the yard, I’venoticed a couple of interesting things.First of all, the injured doe seems to beon constant alert compared to all of theothers. She takes a bite, looks around,checks the wind, and then finally lowersher head to take another bite before re-peating the process. Meanwhile, herpartners chow down without a care inthe world, their noses rooting for thecorn kernels under the snow.

I’m not sure what to make of the in-jured deer’s suspiciousness. Somethingtells me that because she knows she’s in-jured, she has to keep her guard up at alltimes for possible danger, includingpredators. So instinct tells her to beextra cautious of her surroundings.That’s just my hunch, anyway.

The second interesting thing I’ve no-ticed is that the other deer in the groupseem to want to have nothing to do withher. When she gets too close to them,they chase her off, sometimes kicking at

her with their front hooves. It was re-ally bad six weeks ago, when the doewas struggling to stand, let alone walk.It got to the point where the injured doewould come to the corn by itself, andwhen the rest of them arrived, theykicked her out. Maybe that was theirway of being cautious, too, knowing thata weak deer in their group makes thegroup more susceptible to predators.

As time has gone by, the injured doehas steadily been welcomed back intothe group, although not completely. Shestill feeds alone, away from the group.And when the other five leave, she al-ways waits a few extra minutes beforefinally trailing along after them, but al-ways keeps her distance.

Today marked a big improvement insocial relations among the group of deerin the yard. One of the matriarch does –a very old, very big deer – slowly fed itsway closer to the injured deer. Insteadof kicking at her, though, the matriarchsniffed her ears and then licked her face.In response, the yearling doe lifted itshead and closed its eyes as if appreciat-ing the gesture. The other deer in thegroup took notice as well, all of themwatching as the matriarch groomed theyearling.

To see the yearling doe now, you’d

never know that it had been injured sobadly not too long ago. From what I cansee, there are no noticeable scars ormarks on its front right leg. It puts fullweight on that leg when it feeds, and onthe occasions when I’ve walked outsideand spooked it, the doe bounds off anddoesn’t stop until it’s out of sight.Slowly she has worked her way back to

health, and slowly she has been acceptedback into the herd.

When the deer in the yard finally hadtheir fill of corn today, one by one theyleft and went back into the woods. Theyearling doe, almost fully recoverednow, was right behind them – but not tooclose. I guess even she knows when notto push it too much.

Whitetail From Page 9

AKRON, OH (AP) — Ohio hunterssay they're frustrated by a drop in thenumber of deer being bagged this hunt-ing season.

About 90 people in northeast Ohiotook their complaints to the Ohio De-partment of Natural Resources over theweekend at one of five deer huntingsummits held around the state, theAkronBeacon Journal reported.

State estimates say Ohio hunters willbag about 180,000 deer during the 2014-2015 season. That's nearly 11,500 fewerdeer than last year's season.

Hunters at the meeting said theyhaven't been able to kill deer becausethey aren't seeing any to shoot.

Taxidermist Fritz Birkheimer, of Cort-land, OH, said he usually handles morethan 150 deer each season, but expectshe will handle less than 100 dear thisyear.

Ohio's deer herd is about 700,000, upabout 300,000 from a decade ago. But anumber of the population is in urbanareas where hunting is not permitted.

The number of deer killed by huntershas gone down under the state's deermanagement plans, the newspaper re-ports.

The overall condition of Ohio's deerherd is suffering from population in-creases and loss of habitat, said state bi-ologist Mike Tonkovich.

PENINSULA, OH — Walleye Mad-ness Tournaments and their officiallysanctioned Walleye Federation club -WT6, have announced a free entry bonusopportunity for all competitive walleyeanglers interested in competing for aberth to the Cabela’s National TeamChampionship in 2015. Until March 15,2015, each and every new and renewalmembership in WT6 will be eligible towin a free entry into the 2015 WalleyeMadness Tournaments event of theirchoice ($150 value).

As the first and largest official Wall-eye Federation club in Ohio, WT6 andWalleye Madness Tournaments are of-fering this exclusive WT6 bonus for allnew and renewal members to promoteand thank The Walleye Federation -www.walleyefederation.com - for pro-viding the ultimate grass roots nationalchampionship in walleye fishing; TheCabela’s National Team Championship.

Often imitated, but never duplicated,Walleye Madness Tournaments andWT6 offer 100% guaranteed payouts,sponsor bonuses, no- fee-required bigfish payouts, Cabela’s National TeamChampionship qualifying, and paid en-

tries and bonuses to the National TeamChampionship via theirWT6 - NTC sidepots held at every tournament.

The title sponsors ofWalleye MadnessTournaments include two of the most re-spected names in walleye fishing; LundBoats and Mercury Marine, and are sup-ported by Buckeye Sports Center; oneof Ohio’s leading Lund Boats and Mer-cury Marine dealers.

For more information on WalleyeMadness Tournaments and WT6 visitwww.walleyemadness.net or contact thetournament series via email [email protected].

WT6 is the officially sanctioned Wall-eye Federation club for Walleye Mad-ness Tournaments (WMT). The WalleyeFederation is the exclusive national or-ganization for Cabela’s National TeamChampionship qualifying.

Registration is now open for the 2015WMT events. A 40 boat maximum field.The schedule includes: April 26 at Mos-quito Lake (entry deadlineApril 20; May17 at Berlin Lake (deadline May 11);June 6 at Lake Erie, Cleveland (June 1)and June 27 at Lake Erie, Geneva (June22).

WT6/Walleye Madness Free Entry Promo

Hunters Voice Frustrationover Low Deer Harvest


Send us your trophy photos

For our contests& Nikon Photo

Showcase

April George, age 11jake, 17lb, shotgun

Columbiana County, OH

email to:[email protected] to: Photo Showcase210 East Fourth St.East Liverpool, OH 43920

www.ohiovalleyoutdoors.com

PamWilliams1st deer, muzzleloaderJefferson County, OH

Every summer,shooters from allover the Tri-Statearea travel to HiddenValley Sportsmen’sClub inWest Middle-sex (PA) to competein an event limited tomilitary issued rifles.As the shooters walkaround and chat, thegun racks are a com-mon gathering point as they admire thevariety of rifles.However, none of the rifles are ARs,

AKs, IWIs, M1s, FALs or HK416s.What you see are historic military riflessuch as Springfields, Mausers, Enfields,Arisakas and Mosin Nagants, all ofwhich are as-issued bolt action, opensight pre-1950 vintage.If you didn’t have one of these rifles

and wanted to participate, you wouldneed to purchase a bolt action militaryrifle that is over 60 years old. This is notlike buying a used modern bolt action

hunting rifle. With old military rifles,you really need to know what to inspectand they’re almost always sold ‘as-is,where-is and with all faults; in otherwords, buyer beware.I contacted a trusted acquaintance

with extensive knowledge and expertisein old military rifles at Mitchell’sMausers. Within a week, I was holdingan actual 1944 Mosin Nagant PU7.62x54R Soviet Sniper rifle. The scopeis a relic with its huge crosshairs, fixedmagnification and leather lens covers.The wooden stock and forearm arenicked and scratched; the bluing is farfrom ideal; the bolt, receiver and scopemount have grinding and machiningmarks. It’s beautiful.This particular rifle was in a batch of

rifles purchased July 2012 from a Russ-ian police warehouse. The rifle cameinto the U.S. through proper channelsand was taken to the Mitchell facility inCalifornia where it was inspected as partof their quality control procedure. Sincemany Russian Mosin rifles are still kept

in ‘battle ready’ condition, most of theserifles only need to be checked for func-tionality and safety. If there are anyproblems, the rifle is disassembled forany needed maintenance or repair. Fol-lowing BATFE guidelines, the rifles arestamped with a Mitchell serial numberon the receiver within 15 days of clear-ing customs.In my research about Mosin sniper ri-

fles, I found an excellent article byDenis Prisbrey that appeared in the Mil-itary Surplus Collectors Guide 2014 and

online at: http://www.tactical-life.com/exclusives/soviet-sniper/. Afterreading Prisbrey’s article and examiningthe rifle, I am confident the rifle re-ceived from Mitchell’s is the real-deal,not one pieced together from parts andsold under the guise of being a sniperrifle. Yes, there are individuals that willdo this to an unsuspecting buyer.Using Prisbrey’s article for reference,

I was able to match the scope serialnumber to the same serial number

Shooting a Mosin Nagant Sniper Rifle– A Piece of Armament History

Ohio Valley Outdoors– Photo by Bill WaugamanThe Mosin Sniper Package from Mitchell’s Mausers.

Turn To Mosin Page 13

By Bill Waugaman

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3D Archery Shoots - Feb. 21, 22; Mar. 21,22, 28, 29. (Schedule runs through Sept.)Lake Milton Fish & Game Club. Sat. 8 a.m.-3 p.m., Sun. 8 a.m.-1 p.m.. Cost $10, cubs$5. Breakfast and lunch served. Crossbowspermitted, no rangefinders. Contact DennisDabney at 330-414-5795.Trap Shooting/Winter Jackpot - Feb. 22.Weds. 6-9 p.m., Sun. 11-4. ColumbianaCounty Fish & Game Association, 45716Middle Beaver Rd, Lisbon, OH. Open topublic. 50 targets, $10 entry ($2 goes in jack-pot). Website:www.columbianacountyfishandgame.com.Old Fashion Style Turkey Shoot - Dec. 7,14, 21, 28 each Sunday thru March at BeaverCreek Sportsman Club, Washingtonville,OH. Field stock guns, .680 choke max., noscopes. For info. contact Tom Brunner 330-692-6577 oremail:[email protected] Virginia Trappers AssociationSpring Rendezvous and Fur Auction -March 6-8, 2015 at Glimer County Recre-ation Center, Glenville, WV. Several ven-dors. For info. call Scott Schimmel at304-462-7270, email Janet Hodge at

[email protected] or visit website at:www.wvtrappers.com.Ohio State TrappersAssociation FurAuc-tion - March 14 at West Muskingum BoosterHall, 2170 Highland Rd., Zanesville, OH43701. Starts at 9 a.m. Call-ins for lot num-bers (for all three auctions) will be taken onJan. 2 only from noon - 9 p.m. Call SteveHiller at 937-206-1934. For info. contactHiller, OSTA Fur Auction Coordinator viaemail: [email protected]. Visit the OSTAwebsite at: www.ohiostatetrapper.orgGun Show by Mahoning Valley Gun Col-lector’s - April 18, 19 (9 a.m.-4 p.m.) atLowellville Rod & Gun Club.Admission $4,vendor tables $25. Buy, sell, trade. Free ap-praisals, free parking. GPS address, 6225Quarry Road, Lowellville, OH. For info. callBill at 330-506-9194.PA Trappers Association Rendezvous -June 18-20,2015 at Schuylkill County Fair-grounds, 2270 Fair Road, Schuylkill Haven,PA17972. Demos, dealers, contests, auction,kid’s activities. $5 admission, $10 for threedays. Contact Karen Mohn at 610-562-1790.www.patrappers.com.

Calendar of Events

stamped on the barrel of the rifle. Thescope is a genuine PU scope with thestamping of an ‘X’ in a box and thescope mount Cyrillic serial numbermatching the Cyrillic serial numberstamped on the rifle. The scope mountand base have the rough grinding marksconsistent with the article’s references.About the Rifle

This rifle is hefty, weighing in at 9.3lbs. with the scope base and 10.5 lbs.with scope/mount/lens covers. Whilestandard issue Mosin 91/30 rifles have astraight bolt handle, sniper rifles have abolt handle that is bent downward toallow for cycling of the bolt when thescope is attached. The barrel is approxi-mately 28 1/2” and the overall lengthjust under 49”. The wood foreend coversall but last 4 1/2” of the barrel.

The trigger just dangles inside the trig-ger guard. There is about 1/3” of travelfrom the time the trigger mechanism isengaged until the sear releases, and it’sfar from smooth. The sear breaks rightat 6 lbs. which is an improvement doneby the Russian armorers for the sniperrifles.

The front sight is a hooded front postwith alignment hash marks on the base

and the hood/post. Windage is adjustedby moving the front post/hood left orright. The notched rear sight is ad-justable for elevation with hash marksfrom 1 to 20. Even with the scopemounted, the open sights can still beused.

The scope base is attached to the leftside of the receiver and require the woodstock to be notched out for clearance.When the scope mount was attached, theRussian armorers made coarse windageadjustments by filing the scope mountand coarse elevation adjustments byturning two adjustment screws on thebase to raise or lower the rear of themount. After these rough adjustmentswere made, the scope turrets were usedto fine tune the point of impact. This setup was designed so the scope could beremoved and put back on with very lit-tle, if any, change to the point of impact.

The scope that came with this sniperrifle was manufactured in 1942. It is3.5x and does not have a focal ring. Thereticle crosshairs are thick. The horizon-tal crosshairs come off the sides andleave the center open. A verticalcrosshair comes up from the bottomwith a triangular point at the top. Whilethey may look archaic, the crosshairswere designed to allow a sniper to use

them for estimating distances. The ele-vation dial is adjustable for distancesfrom 0 to 1300 meters and the windagedial adjustable from +10 to -10. Whenthe turret dials are turned, the crosshairsactually move. Believe it or not, thismade my preliminary zeroing super easy(I shot a grouping, kept the point of aim;moved the crosshairs to the point of im-pact; done).At the Range

Mosin 91/30 rifles were mostly pro-duced at the Tula or Izhevsk arsenals.Only the best ones were converted to

sniper rifles. These rifles had to be ca-pable of shooting a 10-shot group of nomore than 3.5 cm (1.38”) at 100 meters(109 yards) with service ammunition.For this review, non-corrosive ammuni-tion was used as recommended by mycontact at Mitchell’s Mausers — Hor-nady Vintage Match (174 gr. BTHP),Winchester Target (180 gr. FMJ) andWolf Polyformance (174 gr. FMJ). Dueto weather conditions (dark, overcast,windy, cold, snowing) and other factors,range testing was limited to 50 yards in

Mosin From Page 12

Turn To Mosin Page 14

Ohio Valley Outdoors– Photo by Bill WaugamanThe range test is shown for the Mosin Nagant;

45 consecutive shots, 3 different brands of ammunition.

order to have a reasonably good sightpicture.When I left the range that morning, I

was absolutely impressed with both therifle and the ammunition.

All three cartridges shot surprisinglyconsistent with comparable muzzle ve-locities. I will attribute this to ammuni-tion being made to very specifictolerances by these manufacturers andthe long barrel of the sniper rifle. Theslightly heavier bullet in the Winchesterammunition would account for theslightly slower muzzle velocities.• Five 3-shot groups (15 consecutive

shots). Wolf – the thumb screw on the

scope mount worked loose during thisstring of shots causing the .7” group.After tightening the thumb screw, thelast group shrank to .5”. Winchester –the most consistent 3-shot group meas-urements of the three. Hornady – the

most accurate of the three(the .1” group was oneragged hole .4” in diameter).

Mitchell’s Mausers puttogether a nice package withthe Mosin 91/30 PU Sniperrifle that includes: a DVDmovie (Enemy at the Gates),a book (Notes of a Sniper by

Vassili Zaitsev), a display stand, acces-sories (2 ammo pouches, sling, tools, oilcan), an Owner’s Manual and a Letter ofProvenance. This Mosin rifle also comeswith Mitchell’s Mausers SatisfactionGuarantee. Visit their website atwww.mausers.org or call 800-274-4124.Recent actions of Vladmir Putin have

resulted in sanctions by the U.S. andmany other countries against Russia,

Russian businesses and keyinfluential people in Russia.These sanctions have af-fected the importing of Russ-ian firearms and ammunitionwhich, in turn, drives supplydown and prices up.


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down the path of AR-15s utilizing gaspiston operating systems and to the elec-tronic door steps of Adams Arms(www.adamsarms.net ). This OdessaFlorida based company manufacturersmultiple lines of piston-driven ARs aswell as conversion kits. I initiated con-tact with Adams Arms and they ex-plained to me that the Adams Arms gaspiston system used in their complete ri-fles feature a short stroke and a freefloating piston that is self-cleaning. Theself-cleaning is accomplished simply be-cause the heat and escaping gasses thatpower the piston are expelled forwardand out the front of the rifle. This actprohibits the heat and gasses from enter-ing the receiver area and reduces bothheat and fouling. The result is keepingthe AR15 running cleaner, more effi-cient, and reduces maintenance time.I was sold, burned the credit card, and

soon retrieved a dark blackAdamsArmsMid Tactical EVO rifle from my localFFL. As soon as I arrived home, Iopened the package, confirmed anempty chamber, and removed the pistonfrom the exterior housing running downthe barrel. The piston came out and I ex-amined the simplistic design. Enough

was enough, so I set a magazine, actu-ated a round, acquired a target, andsqueezed the trigger. This was the easypart, and the EVO sprang to life. I im-mediately noticed that reacquiring thetarget was almost too easy because thebarrel did not drift off target as with anAR operating a DI operating system.The physics of the gas piston is easy toappreciate in that the act of expellingheat and fouling forward simultaneouslyresults in the rife driving forward as op-posed to drifting. I proceeded to shootthree 30 round magazines in a period ofabout 10 minutes and after every fewshots began to appreciate the gas pistonsystem a bit more. However, the trueanticipation mounted as I began to pre-pare to check the cleanliness of thechamber. I removed the last magazine,opened the chamber, and ran my fingeralong the innards. Clean….. I waspleasantly surprised, not that I did notbelieve the hype, but I am a fan of theRonald Reagan school of trust but ver-ify. I definitely verified a clean cham-ber.DiamondheadI dressed the Adams Arms EVO with

my trusty Trijicon 4x32, red chevronACOG. These devices are truly an engi-neering marvel and worth every penny.

ACOGs are great, but if I need to getclose and personal with a target, a mag-nified optic is not my first choice. Infact, under these circumstances, I preferthe classic iron sight. The joint combi-nation of iron sights and optics usuallyinvolve a co-witness effect. I do notwant a co-witness and actually demandthe ability to efficiently engage point tar-gets in a CQC (close quarters combat)scenario and have a backup plan if myoptic goes down. After research, I dis-covered the Diamondhead D-45 Inte-grated Sighting System (D-45) and thisflip sight appeared to meet my need. Isoon found myself on the electronicdoor step of Diamondhead USA (dia-mondhead-usa.com), located in Spring-field, MA. A few days later I mountedthe D-45 on my EVO. This is the pointthat the ingenuity of the D-45 becomesapparent.The D-45 design is cutting edge as I

had never experienced a flip out inte-grated sighting system. The ingenuityof the D-45 is that when attached to theweapon, they sit directly on the top rail,mirroring a traditional folding sight.However, when the operator chooses todeploy the sights, they swing out withthe simple push of a button. The D-45,as the name suggests, swings out at a 45

Rifle From Page 4

Ohio Valley Outdoors - Photo by Travis R. HuntA few nice additions to the author’s AR

include: the Diamondhead D-45Integrated Sighting System (D-45) and

Adams Arms gas piston operating system.

Turn To Rifle Page 15

Mosin From Page 13

3-Shot Groups* Wolf Winchester HornadyLargest .7” .5” .5”Smallest .3” .3” .1”Average .50” .42” .36”

Muzzle Velocity Wolf Winchester Hornady10-Shot Average 2661 2609 2670Maximum 2697 2629 2699Minimum 2635 2574 2640Max/Min Spread 62 55 59

degree angle from the axis of the gun.This enables the operator to avoid theco-witness effect of having to deal witha fixed sight when it is not needed. Inmy applications, I mainly shoot downrange. However, in a CQC situation oreven with a coyote presenting at 20yards, a fixed sight is preferable over amagnified optic. A deployed Diamond-head D-45 allows me to engage a targetvia my Trijicon ACOG and then simplyrotate the weapon and bring my inte-grated sighting system to bear. A thispoint, I have options and options aregood. The combination of a TrijiconACOG and a Diamondhead D-45 inte-grated sighting system enables an oper-ator or, for that matter, a father clearinga hallway after the bump in the night, tohave the confidence to engage a targetpoint blank or at a distance.Liberty SafesObviously, a safe is a better place to

secure your weapon than under yourbed, in your closet, or on your fireplacemantle. Definitely, children in my homewere the catalyst that propelled me topurchase my first safe. My first safe wasan off the floor safe from a big boxsporting goods store. The safe was nice

but I immediately knew that it was likelynot the sturdiest construction and won-dered if it would survive a fire or a prybar. However, the safe settled into life inthe basement just fine and I decided toleave well enough alone.The safe served me well for years but

began to rapidly fill with weapons andammunition. As the months fell fromthe calendar and years progressed, lifecontinued to happen. As such, my col-lection of documents exponentially grewfrom birth certificates and Social Secu-rity cards to everything else from databackup disks to car titles to a myriad ofaccumulated critical documents.I first heard about Liberty Safe prod-

ucts on a national radio talk show pro-gram. What the pundit was professingwas a bold combination ofAmerican en-gineering and construction backed by alifetime warranty to repair or replaceyour safe if it is damaged as the result ofa fire or attempted break-in. Theseclaims led me to the Liberty Safe Inter-net site (www.libertysafe.com) and, afew clicks later, to Flag Floors of Bar-nesville, located in Barnesville, OH(www.flagfloors) as my local premierdealer. Not that I am that fat, but I likedthe name and the features; so I settled onthe FatBoy Jr. Liberty Safe even before

I placed my first call to the dealer. Ispoke with the dealer on multiple occa-sions. My FatBoy Jr. is engineered towithstand a 1200 degree Fahrenheit firefor 60 minutes. This is equally impres-sive as the safe’s 760 pound weight,four-number combination/key lock, and12 / 1” chrome security bolts. The safearrived and the hydraulic dolly navi-gated the 60.5” x 42” x 25” Fatboy Jr. inposition. I configured the customizableinside to hold 24 of the 48 possible longguns. I plugged in the standard dehu-midifier and added an optional interiorlight.To me, my Liberty Safe is a work of

art on the outside and a model of effi-ciency on the inside. The textured blackexterior metal is seamless and oozesquality. The interior is cavernous andcustomizable. Liberty Safe has an avail-able line of accessories and I indulged.My favorite accessories are the riflerods. These are plastic rods with a flattop about the size of a quarter. The rodslips into the barrel of the gun and theVelcro on the flat top sticks to the top ofthe safe, thus enabling long and shortbarreled weapons to maintain an uprightposition in the safe. The rifle rods areconveniently available in six, 10, and 20packs. As for handguns, these fit nicely

into to the integrated door pockets orhang under a shelf via the hand gunhangers. The Fatboy Jr. has been underroof for a few months and I am mostgrateful for the “peace of mind” that itaffords me. To me, this is priceless be-cause I cannot put a price tag on peaceof mind.AR-15 operators, are fortunate people,

we are blessed with a virtual playgroundof accessories, gadgets and attachments,which assist us with fully utilizing ourinalienable right to pursue happiness.As for me and mine, we choose to pur-sue happiness one arrow at a time, onebullet at a time and one fall sunset at atime. I will be in the woods of Ohio,sometimes with a MSR hunting coyoteand sometime looking at a steel plateand throwing lead down range. I en-courage you to enjoy your MRS, betteryet show it some love and dress it with anice optic. Then when you are done pur-suing happiness you better clean it well,if it is not a piston driven weapon, andthen be sure to tuck it in bed nice andneat inside a well-deserved Liberty Safe.


Rifle From Page 14


Brandon Grub17-lbs. turkey


Cassy Wilson19-lbs. turkey

Carroll County, OH

Wilson Patterson20-lbs. turkey

Mahoning County, OH

Jim Caserta10-pt., 21-1/16" spread,Carroll County, OH

Olivia Myers8-pt. buck, compound

Mahoning County, OH

David Godseys Jr.8-pt.

Carroll County, OH

Bradley Dustman22-lbs. turkey

Mahoning County, OH

Send Us Your PhotosWe’ll print your hunting, fishing or trap-

ping photos in the next issue of OV Times orOhio Valley Outdoors magazine. Send pho-tos via mail, email or Facebook.Email to: [email protected] to: Photo Showcase210 East Fourth St., East Liverpool, OH 43920

Mike Estock8-pt., crossbow

Stark County, OH

Dylan Tasker8-pt., 23-3/5" spread, crossbow


Dillon Edwards & Chase Edwardscackler goose

Berlin Reservoir, OH


David Miller22-lbs. turkey


Kelly Runzo1st turkey, 18-lbs.

Mahoning County, OH

Mike Sabol23-lbs. turkey

Mahoning County

Marc Beckett22-lbs. turkey

Mahoning County, OH

Logan Hunt30" Axis deerBradford, FL

Tyler Souder8-pt., 17 1/16" spread


Dylan Hedrickdoe

Mahoning County, OH

Clint Gibboney11 pt., bow

Hardin County, OH

John Hinchcliffcoyote

Coumbiana County, OH

Alexis HighmanCanada gooseSenecaville, OH

Joe Blazergreater prairie chicken w/RexFt. Pierre Grasslands, SD

John HinchliffeSheep Head Mushrooms



Ohio Valley Outdoorswww.ohiovalleyoutdoors.com

By Jack KiserTALLMADGE, OH — Not so very

long ago, mention of being in any wayin a state of being prepared for any ca-tastrophe conjured up images of manicsurvivalists and psychotic anarchistssharing one another’s paranoia from un-derground caves and rural militia en-campments. My generation will readilyrelate to other’s tales of climbing intolockers and under rows of desks duringthe regular school air-raid drills of thelate 50s/early 60s era. Some may recallspecific neighbors who dug and stockedsurprisingly sophisticated bomb sheltersin more than a couple area back yards.Things have certainly evolved in the

legions of the preparedness movementsince those days of essentially one over-riding specter of villainy. Those pioneer-ing days of yore morphed initially into

real and imagined responses to per-ceived enemies both domestic andabroad, while attaching a negativestigma to it in any way advancing theidea of personal and familiar awarenessand preparation for a variety of threatsto personal comfort and safety.Today’s “preppers” may indeed have

political and social concerns, but are justas likely to be wary of environmentaldisasters that even now regularly impactpeople around the world. Earthquakes,tsunamis, droughts, civil unrest, andother large scope intrusions on oursafety understandably garner the major-ity of attention, but on a more local levelloom the alarmingly regular occurrencesof floods, fires, crime, and landslides.All and any of these intrusions can se-

verely impact our safety, and that of ourloved ones. It is no longer automaticallyassumed that those interested in pre-

paredness must somehow be exhibitingsome level of psychosis. Indeed, an in-creasing number of Americans are be-coming concerned about not only thepossible impact of the loss of utilitiesand transportation, but also of the possi-bility of an ongoing crisis necessitatingan abrupt lifestyle adjustment.To that end, the REALIZE Firearms

Awareness Coalition will present the“Prepper’s Ball Charity Raffle” on Feb-ruary 21 at the Arena Complex on theSummit County Fairgrounds, located at229 Howe Road in Tallmadge, OH.This event will feature a variety of

local celebrities, seminars, and educa-tors in the overall field of study. In-cluded among this list will be formerCleveland Browns player, actor, andWNIR talk show personality Bob Golic,and his wife Karen. Bob will assumeemcee duties. The director of the show

will be Amanda Suffecool, WNIR talkshow host and gun rights activist. Over$10,000 in gifts and prizes are alreadyassured, including a Big Green EggGrill, a Green House seeds starter, awine party at Grape & Granary, genera-tors and backup power supplies, and“prepper buckets”, among other items.Twelve different guest speakers will

cover relevant topics, including cheesemaking, bowhunting, ham radios, foodstorage, and cooking without power.My Fox Sports “Destination: Out-

doors” radio co-host Steve Jones and Iwill be manning a booth at the event andinvite all of our listeners to stop by, andparticipate in this event. Drawings forprizes will take place every 10 minutes.Throw in guns, ammo, great food, silver,tools and information, and you’ve got agreat mix for all attendees.The ticket price of $30 includes din-

You need morecustomers!YOUR CARD HEREContact Sales Consultant

Tracy Bissell at330-385-2243

Prepper’s Ball to Feature Area Celebrities, Education & Entertainment


ner and beer sales. Hours are from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m.,with the event officially beginning withthe first drawing. Though it’s indeed aball, dress is decidedly informal with nodancing, just fun and education.The show will support the REALIZE

Firearms Awareness Coalition, a(501(c)3-non-profit organization. Theirwebsite is: www.REALIZEfac.com.Some vendor table opportunities still re-

main atwww.EyeOnTheTargetRadio.com, or bycalling 440-548-2442.

Jack Kiser is the host of TV’S “Buckeye Angler” and co-host of FoxSports “ Destination : Outdoors”,

heard locally every Monday eveningfrom 6-7 and every Saturday morningfrom 6-7 on WARF- 1350. You may

reach him at the Facebook page for ei-ther program.

Prepper’s From Page 18

SOUTH CHARLESTON, WV —Preliminary counts of game checkingtags indicate West Virginia hunters har-vested 104,223 white-tailed deer duringthe recently completed bucks-only,antlerless, muzzleloader, archery andyouth/Class Q/Class XS deer seasons,according to Division of Natural Re-sources Director Bob Fala. This year’stotal harvest was 31 percent less than the2013 deer harvest of 150,877 and 23percent below the five-year average of136,168.The 2014 harvest is very similar to the

2010 harvest of 106,499, the last timeacorns were exceptionally abundant.Successful buck hunters this year had anexcellent chance to harvest an older-agebuck as the preliminary analysis of deerage data indicates that 25 percent of theantlered bucks brought to the gamechecking stations during the first threedays of traditional buck firearm seasonwere 3.5 years of age or older. A break-down of the combined 2014 deer sea-sons reveals hunters harvested 37,766bucks during the traditional buck firearmseason, 39,514 antlerless deer during allantlerless firearm hunting opportunities,21,653 deer during archery season, and

5,290 deer during muzzleloader season.Antlerless Deer Season

The 2014 antlerless deer season har-vest, which includes the youth/ClassQ/Class XS deer season, was 30 percentless than in 2013 and 14 percent belowthe five-year average of 46,204.“It is important to note that the antler-

less harvest is the key component to anydeer management strategy, as it controlsthe future deer population,” said Direc-tor Fala.In 2014, all or portions of 50 of the 55

counties were open to antlerless firearmsseason for hunters to harvest one to threeantlerless deer, depending on the county.Next year’s antlerless deer hunting op-portunity will depend on the need to in-crease, decrease or stabilize deerpopulations in each of the 51 countieswhere firearms deer hunting is permit-ted.The top 10 counties are: Preston

(1,859), Mason (1,446), Lewis (1,421),Upshur (1,365), Jackson (1,296), Ritchie(1,291), Randolph (1,285), Braxton(1,254), Harrison (1,253) and Monroe(1,214).

Muzzleloader Deer SeasonThe 2014 muzzleloader harvest of

5,290 was 32 percent less than the 2013harvest of 7,739, and 28 percent belowthe five-year average of 7,341. However,this year’s harvest was within 95 deer ofthe 2012 recorded harvest of 5,385.The top 10 counties are: Randolph

(295), Preston (265), Nicholas (251),Braxton (195), Lewis (193), Harrison(182), Fayette (164), Barbour (156),Mason (149) and Jackson (143).

Archery Deer SeasonThe bowhunter take of 21,653 deer

was 28 percent less than the 2013 har-vest of 29,979, 19 percent below thefive-year average harvest of 26,721 andis very similar to the 2010 harvest of21,962. Archery harvests are correlatedto hard mast crops, and the above aver-age acorn crop in 2014, like that of 2010,was a significant factor for the lowerharvest in 2014.The top 10 counties are: Preston (968),

Randolph (759), Kanawha (757), Mason(710), Wyoming (683), Nicholas (673)Fayette (647), Raleigh (635), Wood(602) and Logan (601).

WV Hunters Harvest 104,223 Deer in 2014 WV Deer KillDown 31%

CHARLESTON, WV (AP) — Thenumber of deer killed during West Vir-ginia’s various seasons fell 31 percentlast year compared with 2013.The Division of Natural Resources

says hunters killed 104,223 deer duringthe bucks-only, antlerless, muzzleloader,archery and youth/Class Q and Class XSdeer seasons.That’s down from 150,268 in 2013 and

23 percent below the five-year average of136,168.Last year’s deer total includes 37,766

killed during the buck firearm season,39,514 during all antlerless firearm hunt-ing opportunities, 21,653 deer duringarchery season and 5,290 deer duringmuzzleloader season.Preston County had the most kills at

4,625, followed by Randolph County at3,640, Mason County at 3,310, LewisCounty at 3,147 and Upshur County at2,959.

NH Considers Banon Drones

CONCORD, N.H. (AP)—While sev-eral states have already outlawed the useof drones in hunting, New Hampshiremay go further and ban so-called “smartrifles” and live-action game cameras aswell.The state Fish and Game Department

recently held a public hearing on pro-posed rules involving hunting with theuse of emerging technologies. The ruleswould ban the taking of wildlife using anunmanned aerial vehicle — bringingNew Hampshire in line with severalstates that have outlawed the use ofdrones in hunting. The rules also would

ban the use of rifles that contain comput-ers that lock in a target, adjust for windand animal movement and automaticallyfire. And hunters would not be allowedto locate wildlife using cameras.The traditions of hunting dictate that

game be taken in the spirit of fair chase,said Martin Garabedian.“We need to establish rules regarding

these fast-changing technologies tomake sure that people understand thattheir use for hunting is not appropriateor ethical,” he said.A number of states — including

Alaska, Colorado, Montana and NewMexico — already have outlawed theuse of drones in hunting.

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Ohio Valley Outdoors Magazine

ohio valley outdoor times 2-2015

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