It has been nearly a year since the Allen County Fly Fishers organized and things have been going well for the club, according to president Brad Sherrick.
Club membership is at 20 with about 10-12 members attending the monthly meetings, which are held at the Allen County Sportsmen and Farmers Association, located at 1001 S. Kemp Road in Elida.
After taking the summer off, the club will meet again Sept. 13. According to Sherrick, meetings, “usually consist of a short business meeting, a bit of instruction on a variety of subjects related to fly fishing, a question and answer period, then a hands on fly tying lesson to round out the meeting.”
A rod building class likely will begin in October. No date or time has been set for the class, which will be held separate from monthly meetings. Sherrick said there is ample room at the club “to spread out and build the rods.”
He added, “So far there are five folks interested in building rods. I think that is a great number for a first try.”
Sherrick also noted, “There is more interest than I expected, but so far it has not turned into members. We have one women member, but several more women I have talked to have shown interest. That is one of my goals for the coming year.”
The club has done a casting clinic and had one meeting at the local park pond.
Anyone interested in joining the club should contact Sherrick at [email protected] or phone 419-233-6448. He said he is willing to help any member.
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An archery deer hunt will be held at Lawrence Woods in Hardin County as part of hunts at 14 state nature preserves.
These hunts have taken place for years as the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) tries to thin the deer herds which have caused a negative impact on the areas as deer browsing native vegetation and introducing non-native plants has affected sensitive habitats at these preserves.
Interested hunters may attend a meeting next Saturday (Aug. 20) at the Lawrence Woods State Nature Preserve parking area, located at 13278 County Road 190 in Kenton at 2 p.m. Hunters can enter the drawing for this hunt by attending the mandatory meeting and purchasing a single ticket for $5. For more information, contact Ryan Schroeder at 419-445-1775 or [email protected].
Other requirements include:
Hunters must possess a valid 2022-23 hunting license to purchase tickets.
Names will be randomly drawn, and those selected will be assigned a specific time to hunt. For archery hunts, an orientation will be conducted immediately following the drawing.
Hunters will be permitted to hunt with a partner; however, the partner is not required to attend the drawing or orientation.
Hunters interested in the Lake Katharine gun and archery hunts will have to purchase separate lottery tickets for each event.
Some of the hunts at the preserves will be antlerless deer only while some will allow the taking of antlered deer but only after harvesting an antlerless deer first. The harvest of does helps manage the deer population. Other special regulations will be addressed at the orientation meetings following the drawings.
Other preserve hunts can be found at ohiodnr.gov.
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A free dove hunting workshop will be held at the Delaware Wildlife Area shooting range from 8 a.m.-noon Aug. 27. The workshop is put on by the Ohio Division of Wildlife.
Advance registration for the free workshop is required as space is limited. No walk-ins will be admitted. Deadline for registration is Aug. 26. Attendees should meet at the Delaware shooting range and education center at 1110 State Route 229 in Ashley.
Interested persons may register through the Wild Ohio Harvest Community Events and Learning Opportunities page at wildohio.gov.
Participants are asked not to bring outside equipment. Shotguns, ammunition, clay birds and safety gear will be provided.
Instructors will cover topics including safety, rules and regulations, hunting techniques and target practice with the use of clay birds.
Participants are asked to dress accordingly as there will be an indoor class period and outdoor shooting and hunting technique portion of the course depending on the weather.
Read previous Al Smith outdoors columns
Al Smith is a freelance outdoor writer. You may contact him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @alsmithFL
