Ohio is finally making hunting & fishing easier!

wabi · Post by **wabi** » Wed Sep 24, 2008 9:22 pm

For years I've been somewhat unhappy with Ohio's methods of tagging deer and turkey. I usually kill my deer in the evening, and that means all but two of the check stations in my county are closed for the day. One is open 24-7 and the one I use (since it's on the same road my processor lives on) is open until 10 or 11PM. From where I hunt it's about a 29 mile round-trip drive to get the deer checked, tagged, and dropped off at the cooler. (3 miles to town, 13 miles to the check station, 10 miles back to the processor, 3 miles home) In my truck that equals $6.00 worth of gas today!
With the new system it will be a 9 mile round trip.

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Default.aspx?tabid=20384
(I already buy my licenses & tags on the internet)

Grizzly Adam · Post by **Grizzly Adam** » Wed Sep 24, 2008 9:36 pm

Wabi, I'm sorry you've had to do the check station thing at all. We don't have to do that. No tags. All we have to do is notch out the proper slots on our Big Game Harvest Report Cards. All we have to do is call 1-800-I-GOT-ONE and answer the prompt questions. We're issued an Authorization Number to record on our Big Game Harvest Report Cards ... and that's it. We're good to go.

Simple and easy.

Imagine what it would be like for some of us who live in such remote areas if we had check stations!

wabi · Post by **wabi** » Wed Sep 24, 2008 10:12 pm

Grizz,
One of the big problems here is finding a check station that is open!
In warm weather it can be a real race to get the deer field dressed, hauled out, checked & tagged, and in the processor's cooler. It usually takes me about 2 or 3 hours to get it all done after I recover the deer. Hopefully, after the new system goes into effect I'll be able to cut at least an hour off the process.

Not sure how it will work, but hopefully I'll be able to take the deer straight to the cooler, then come home and check it in online. If an authorization number is required I can always phone the processor with it as soon as the check-in is finished.

raydaughety · Post by **raydaughety** » Wed Sep 24, 2008 10:21 pm

Um, hey Grizz, could you SHOW us how to report a big game kill in NC?

. I couldn't help myself

Mike P · Post by **Mike P** » Thu Sep 25, 2008 8:55 am

521 days until the system is up and running.

BigBird-VA · Post by **BigBird-VA** » Thu Sep 25, 2008 9:17 am

We've had the phone call in here for a few years too. Makes it nice and easy.

FredBear · Post by **FredBear** » Thu Sep 25, 2008 11:20 am

It will be nice for the honest hunter, but even better for the poacher! Im sure there will be double the deer taken without a tag when this goes into affect.

Grizzly Adam · Post by **Grizzly Adam** » Thu Sep 25, 2008 12:17 pm

FredBear wrote:It will be nice for the honest hunter, but even better for the poacher! Im sure there will be double the deer taken without a tag when this goes into affect.

That's what people said when the law changed here. Happily, though, it hasn't made a bit of difference in poaching levels.

With our system, it doesn't matter that there's no tag or physical check station involved. If you get stopped and you don't have that Harvest Report Card punched for the animal you possess, you've had it. Same goes for dismemberment and butchering ... if you don't have that authorization number, you're toast.

It makes absolutely no difference here.

It does make it much better for those of us who live so very far from any town, though.

kev · Post by **kev** » Fri Sep 26, 2008 10:44 pm

that's the best news I've heard in awhile. most of the check station by me are part time, either they open at 1:00pm or work 4 days a week.

It's about time we caught up with other states.