By Dan Armitage, host of Buckeye Sportsman, Ohio’s longest running outdoor radio show
Here’s some breaking news: Anglers and other boaters operating watercraft less than 26 feet in length are required to use an engine cut-off switch as of April 1, when the U.S. Coast Guard implemented a law passed by Congress. There are a few exceptions, and I encourage you to click on the FAQ link at the end of this announcement.
The engine cutoff switch (ECOS) and engine cut-off switch link (ECOSL) prevent runaway vessels and the threats they pose. The ECOSL attaches the vessel operator to a switch that shuts off the engine if the operator is displaced from the helm. The ECOSL is usually a lanyard-style cord that attaches to an ECOS either in close proximity to the helm or on the outboard motor itself if the vessel is operated by a tiller. When enough tension is applied, the ECOSL disengages from the ECOS and the motor is automatically shut down.
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By Dan Armitage, host of Buckeye Sportsman, Ohio’s longest running outdoor radio show
I hosted Kip Adams of the National Deer Association on Buckeye Sportsman earlier this month, and the organization’s Chief Conservation Officer had some interesting information to share. According to the organization’s 2021 Deer Report, hunters in the United States took more adult and mature bucks in the 2019-20 hunting season than ever reported, based on a near-record buck harvest of 2.9 million and a record 39% of those bucks estimated to be 3.5 years or older.
“Hunters now shoot far more bucks that are at least 3.5 years old than 1.5 years,” said Adams, adding “This is very different from hunting seasons a decade or two ago.”
By Dan Armitage, host of Buckeye Sportsman, Ohio’s longest running outdoor radio showA Montreal-based company released a new dog food formula that includes Asian carp, an invasive species in North American waters. Philippe Poirier, a co-founder of Wilder Harrier (wildharrier.com), said the company started experimenting with adding Asian carp into the food because it saw the environmental threats the fish posed.
By Dan Armitage, host of Buckeye Sportsman, Ohio’s longest running outdoor radio show
In hindsight, I think I would have enjoyed a career as a “game warden.” That’s what Ohio’s fish and game law enforcers were called before being pegged as Wildlife Officers and, more recently, rebranded as Natural Resource Officers. By any name, I believe the job would be rewarding on many levels. If you have an interest in pursuing such a career, applications are being accepted through January 15 for the next Natural Resources Officer training academy. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) is seeking to fill at least 15 positions. Natural resources officer duties include law enforcement and public service, as well as education and public relations for ODNR’s divisions of Parks and Watercraft, Forestry, and Natural Areas and Preserves.