OHIO

OHIO
Grand River rangeto close for season
The Grand River Shooting Range, located off of State Route 88 in Trumbull County, will close Dec. 30 and reopen on March 1, 2002.
"Typically the use of the range falls off around this time of year," said Dan Kramer, the division's Wildlife Management Supervisor for northeast Ohio. "That area also gets a lot of snow during the winter and keeping the parking lot and shooting area clear of snow just isn't cost effective," Kramer added.
The Grand River facility features 60 benches on three ranges with distances of 25, 50 and 100 yards. The range is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
The cost of using the range is $3 a day. Annual permits are $10 for individuals holding a hunting or fishing license and $25 for anyone without a license.
Steelhead troutprogram expanding
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources
has announced that it will begin stocking steelhead trout in the Vermilion River in the spring. The Vermilion River is located about 35 miles west of Cleveland.
Due to the success of the steelhead trout program in Conneaut Creek and the Rocky, Grand and Chagrin rivers, state wildlife biologists decided to add the Vermilion River to the popular program.
As part of both state's increased focus on the steelhead fishery, an agreement has been secured with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission to cooperatively stock steelhead in Conneaut Creek. Each agency will annually stock up to 75,000 yearling steelhead into Conneaut Creek.
To provide opportunities for a quality Vermilion River steelhead fishery, stocking numbers in three other Ohio steelhead streams will be slightly adjusted. Next spring, the Grand, Chagrin and Rocky rivers will each receive 90,000 yearling steelhead from ODNR. The Vermilion River will receive 55,000 yearling steelhead.
PENNSYLVANIA
Archery open
PORTERSVILLE, Pa. -- Late season archery hunting will be permitted from Dec. 26 to Jan. 12 on the normally closed to hunting area at Pleasant Valley Day Use Area on the south shore of Moraine State Park. The hunt will be conducted to help maintain the park's deer population in balance with the ecosystem of the Pleasant Valley Day Use Area. During this hunt, the area will be open to the general public. Hunters are urged to use extreme caution while hunting in this area. Safety zones and "no hunting areas" will be strictly enforced. Hunters must have in their possession identification, a current Pennsylvania hunting license, archery tag and valid buck and antlerless tags. All Pennsylvania Game Commission rules and regulations apply to the hunt. Anyone participating must stop at the park office and sign a special roster. For more information, call (724) 368-8811.
2001 bear harvestclose to record
Pennsylvania Game Commission's official final report of the three-day black bear season held Nov. 19-21, shows hunters took 3,063 bears, nearly matching the state record of 3,075 set last year. This year's harvest marks the second time in Pennsylvania history that the bear harvest topped 3,000.
This year's harvest documents a continued growth in the bear population. Since the 1980s, Pennsylvania's bear population has noticeably increased in size and distribution.