HUNTING

HUNTING
Deer course set
The Quality Deer Management Association will host a day-long Deer Management Short Course at Fin, Feather, and Fur Outfitters in Ashland, Ohio, Sept. 22.
The seminar will be conducted by some of the nation's leading whitetail authorities and will be located at the outfitters, 606 U.S. Route 250 in Ashland.
Topics will include: Quality deer management in Ohio, food plots, property management, harvest strategies, food and mineral supplementation, distribution of Boone & amp; Crockett and Pope & amp; Young record book whitetails, protection the hunting heritage, and much more.
Registration is at 8 a.m. The course runs from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Cost is $30 per person, or $40 per married couple. For information or to register, call (800) 209-DEER. Tickets may also be purchased in advance at the outfitters.
Space is limited so advance registration is strongly encouraged.
BOATING
Milton draw down starts
COLUMBUS,- The annual winter draw down at Lake Milton State Park has started and will reduce water levels by an average of 6 feet on the 1,685-acre lake.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources started reducing water levels on Sept. 4 with levels expected to drop about a foot every 10 days. The draw down should be completed by Nov. 30.
Updates on water levels at Lake Milton, as well as nearby Berlin Lake and Kirwan Reservoir at West Branch State Park, are available on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' website at www.lrp.usace.army.mil
The Robinson Point launch ramp on Lake Milton will remain accessible through the draw down. However, the Miller's Landing launch ramp will be unavailable to boaters once water levels begin to drop.
BIRDING
Audubon meet Sept. 19
The regular monthly meeting of the Audubon Society of Mahoning Valley will be at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Mahoning County Experimental Farm.
Patrice Harvey from Wild Birds Unlimited will speak on "Attracting Birds to Your Backyard."
There will be a birdwalk preceding the meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the farm, led by Carl Keppler.
PENNSYLVANIA
Licenses on sale
County treasurers will begin accepting applications for the second round of unsold antlerless licenses Monday. Hunters only may apply for one unsold license during this round.
56 counties have exhausted their antlerless deer license allocations. Armstrong; Bedford; Berks; Blair; Bradford; Butler; Cambria; Cameron; Carbon; Centre; Clarion; Clearfield; Clinton; Columbia; Crawford;Cumberland; Dauphin; Elk; Erie; Fayette; Forest; Franklin; Fulton; Huntingdon; Indiana; Jefferson; Juniata; Lackawanna; Lancaster; Lawrence; Lebanon; Lehigh; Luzerne; Lycoming; McKean; Mercer; Mifflin; Monroe; Montour; Northampton; Northumberland; Perry; Pike; Potter; Schuylkill; Snyder; Somerset; Sullivan; Susquehanna; Tioga; Union; Venango; Warren; Wayne; Westmoreland; and Wyoming.
Adams has 1,000 remaining; Allegheny, 26,000; Beaver, 3,600; Bucks, 12,400; Chester, 10,000; Delaware, 3,700; Greene, 1,950; Montgomery, 5,600; Philadelphia, 550; Washington, 9,685; and York, 500.
Early goose season
An early hunting season for Canada geese is now being held at Shenango Lake.
For information, call (724) 646-1124 or (724) 962-7746. Blinds will be issued Sept. 23.
Elk deadline is Sept. 14
Hunters planning to participate in Pennsylvania's first modern-day elk hunt in 70 years have until Sept. 14, to submit an application and $10 non-refundable fee via "The Outdoor Shop" on the Pennsylvania Game Commission's website (www.pgc.state.pa.us).