Get outside to escape that holiday hustle and bustle

Although the hustle and bustle of the holidays make it difficult, December is a great time to get outdoors.

Deer settle down about a week or so after the seven-day gun season.

Hunting in the waterfowl south zone is under way (Duck season began Dec. 10).

The ring-necked pheasant and cottontail rabbit seasons are ongoing until early 2023.

And then there’s steelhead trout fishing.

I recently spoke to Curtis Wagner, the Fisheries Biologist for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, for an update and a few winter tactics when fishing steelhead.

Wagner said it’s time to adjust tactics — slow down presentation and search for fish concentrated in slower, deeper pools near the bottom. There can be exceptions, he said.

The middle of a sunny day can warm the water just enough to get the steelhead moving a bit and prompt bites as they feed more purposefully. It’s a good time to use scent on your bait.

Be cognizant of snowfall, snow melt and ice jams in the snow belt east of Cleveland. They can make rivers hard to access and melts can cause muddy conditions and high blows. Be cautious and safe — wear life jackets, fish with others, let others know your location, keep your cell phone in a waterproof container and take extra clothing to change into if you get wet.

Waterfowl

The season in the South Zone opened with great weather — temperatures in the 40s and open water on all our ponds, lakes, streams and creeks. We should be able to get in some good hunting before we freeze up and must head to big water for some hunting opportunities.

Michael Ervin, the Wetland/Waterfowl biologist at ODNR, said the waterfowl numbers and migration timing have been normal in the Lake Erie marsh region through the north zone. He said there have been large numbers of green-winged teal, gadwall, and pintails during the early migration. There was an influx of mallards and black ducks in November.

In the south zone, Ervin said we typically see an influx of birds following the freeze of Muddy Creek and Sandusky Bay. The timing of that shifts annually and has been later in recent years, he said. Last year during the mid-winter survey in the first week of January, many areas, even in the norther part of the state, were free of ice and waterfowl were abundant.

Ervin said a couple of wildlife areas stand out — Magee Marsh and Mercer. Both have had well above average duck numbers this year, though there has been only one survey at Mercer. Because of those above-average numbers, we should get in a few good says of shooting if the water stays open (free of ice).

Until next time, enjoy the outdoors.