The free HuntFish OH mobile app is available now for Ohio’s outdoors enthusiasts to conveniently purchase fishing and hunting licenses, check game, and view wildlife area maps, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife. The HuntFish OH mobile app is available for Android and iOS users and can be found in the app store.

The HuntFish OH mobile app allows people to purchase their hunting and fishing licenses on their phones in a user-friendly manner. Users are also able to access the Division of Wildlife’s online system to check harvested white-tailed deer and wild turkey while out in the field, even without a WiFi connection.

Other features include a map which allows users to view wildlife areas, shooting ranges, boat ramps, and license agents. A weather widget displays sunrise and sunset times, wind speed, and forecast information. Ohio fishing and hunting regulations are available in PDF versions, as well as links to the Ohio State Parks and boat registration.

Users also have the option to select push notifications from the Division of Wildlife, keeping them up to date on upcoming seasons, license renewals, events, and other useful information. Funding for the HuntFish OH mobile app was provided, in part, by Sovereign Sportsman Solutions and the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation.

Although I am not a big fan of the new Division of Wildlife website, I am a fan of the new app. Unlike the website, it’s easy to find what you are looking for quickly and it is very user friendly. The app is a must have for the modern Ohio outdoorsman.

For more information about hunting and fishing in Ohio download the app or visit wildohio.gov. Follow the Division of Wildlife on Twitter and Facebook for instant news stories, outdoor recreation ideas, local wildlife information, and much more.

• Contributions to the conservation of state nature preserves and endangered wildlife through Ohio’s annual income tax checkoff program resulted in nearly $680,000 in donations in 2020, according to the ODNR. Those donations go directly to programs that protect Ohio’s wildlife and natural areas.

The Division of Natural Areas and Preserves oversees Ohio’s 136 nature preserves. The 2020 tax checkoff program provided nearly $400,000, donated by more than 26,000 Ohioans, to help fund facility improvements, invasive species management, land purchases, education opportunities, and scientific research. The monies will be used to purchase additional lands at Eagle Creek State Nature Preserve and to secure grants to replace the ADA accessible boardwalk at Fowler Woods State Nature Preserve.

These beautiful natural areas are open year-round and available to all Ohioans. Donations to the state nature preserves help protect Ohio’s prairies, old-growth forests, wetlands, and rare geologic formations, and provide critical habitat for endangered species. Hiking, birding, and wildlife photography are but a few of the activities that can be enjoyed at Ohio’s nature preserves.

The mission of the Division of Wildlife is to manage, protect, and restore wildlife populations for the benefit of all Ohioans. Almost $277,000 from 22,000 donations were made to the Wildlife Diversity Fund to help support critical management activities in Ohio. Just a few of the projects these funds support include monitoring sandhill cranes, black bears, and trumpeter swans; restoring native butterflies, freshwater mussels, lake sturgeon, and hellbenders; creating monarch butterfly habitat and other conservation efforts benefiting pollinators; and wildlife education efforts through the production and distribution of field guides and posters.

The Division of Wildlife does not receive taxpayer dollars and relies on funding from hunting, fishing, and trapping license fees. The tax checkoff donation program is an important way all wildlife enthusiasts can help restore and manage endangered and threatened wildlife.

Since its inception more than 30 years ago, the tax checkoff program has received widespread public support. Millions of dollars have been donated to natural land conservation and wildlife management. The tax checkoff program provides a convenient and efficient way for all Ohioans to contribute to conservation work in Ohio. For more information on the tax checkoff program and to find other ways to contribute to conservation efforts, visit ohiodnr.gov.

Until next time, Good Hunting and Good Fishing!

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Water and Wings by Ken Parrott

Ken Parrott is an Agricultural Science teacher with Northmor High School.