Enjoying the outdoors
It’s been a tough year for most Ohioans who have obediently stayed home and curtailed all or nearly all outside activities.
Now many thou- sands are near desperate to get outside, go somewhere, do outdoor activities with their families, enjoy fresh air, and new places.
Which is why the sport of camping has mushroomed amazingly and demand for camper units from small and large motor homes to trailers, fifth wheelers, even little poptops and truck camper sales have grown almost past the ability of manufacturers to build them.
It’s a wise choice for many, allowing all of the above with a personal choice of still staying away from all or most others, and allowing sports from hiking and fishing to just sitting around a crackling fire and making smores.
And there are lots of ways to enjoy this ‘new’ sport.
One is to camp strictly alone and far from others, and this can be done around a farm pond owned by a friend or relative.
You can camp there in pure isolation, enjoy fresh bluegill fillets, walk and explore around the farm, swim, and even try a little groundhog hunting if you wish, this at no cost at all.
But there are lots of other choices for a weekend or a week of camping.
Google up ‘list of Ohio State Parks’ and you’ll find 75 of them scattered around the state.
Some, like Salt Fork and Pymatunning, are likely to be very popular and even crowded, but there are lots more smaller or more obscure parks that offer a wonderful escape from confining walls.
Like huge Shawnee State Park down near the Ohio River which sits in the 60,000 acre Shawnee Forest.
I’ve never seen its quiet, peaceful campground full, and it offers trout fishing at Turkey Creek Lake, 10 miles of forested hiking trails, 101 electric sites, and a chance to see even wild turkeys and deer wander into the campground.
Mohican State Park lies in picturesque hill country in north central Ohio with 153 campsites boasting electricity, 13 miles of hiking trails that take you to unusual vegetation and tall timber, and trout fishing in the Mohican River.
There are plenty of smaller state parks too, which might well hold only a few campers, but lots of things to do.
Findley State Park in northern Ohio is a good example, a small, well wooded park that offers 272 non-electric sites for visitors.
There’s good catfishing on this lake, four miles of hiking trails with plenty of wildlife
OUTDOORS to see.
And off the beaten track little parks like Kiser in western Ohio which most have never heard of.
It has 115 non-electric sites around a 396-acre lake with good fishing and 11 miles of hiking trails.
These and others are available by again Googling ‘list of Ohio State Parks,’ then click on the one that interests you, and find out just what amenities are there and how to find it or call the park headquarters.
There are plenty of other possible campgrounds, too, like those owned by the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District.
These campgrounds are on lakes like Leesville Lake with its top notch muskie fishing, Pleasant Hill with pretty country and tasty saugeye, Piedmont with some of the biggest catfish in Ohio, and more.
Again, the internet will give full details and directions of your choice.
Don’t forget dozens of private campgrounds around the state, easily found by Googling ‘private campgrounds in Ohio.’
And if you don’t have a camping unit or don’t want to buy one, keep in mind that Ohio State Parks offers Camper Cabins, Rent a Teepee, cabins, and more.
Or you might even find a dealer with rental units or used ones he’ll let you use.
Lots of choices, and lots of places to escape cabin fever. The outdoors is waiting.
Hooks & Bullets
— The Ohio Wildlife Council recently passed a new rule approving a six walleye daily limit across Lake Erie from March 1 to April 30 in separate daily limits for the Sandusky River and Sandusky Bay and the previous daily limit there has been rescinded. The Council also removed the six fish daily limit of channel cats on inland lakes and reservoirs less than 700 acres in size.
— Hunters of Ohio’s deer and wild turkeys should be pleased to hear that the current crop of white oak acorns is up five percent with an average of 27% of white oaks bearing fruit this year. The high protein, high carbohydrate white oak acorns are relished by these animals and also nearly 90 other forest species. The white oaks have less bitter tannin than red oaks, and thus were eaten by early Ohio native Americans too, who crushed the acorns, and washed them with water several times to remove even more tannin before baking the meal into cakes.
— Looking for a Christmas gift for that serious bird watcher in the family? He or she might enjoy a new book called Bird Songs From Around The World by Les Beletsky, which explores the sights and sounds from 200 of the world’s most interested bird species. As they turn the 370 pages they’ll meet and hear birds from noisy toucans and kiwis to cardinals and robins. The book is available for $50 from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Dick Martin is a retired biology teacher who has been writing outdoor articles for more than 30 years. You can reach him at richmart@neo.rr.com.