SKEET

SKEET
Camerons place high
Dick Cameron of Masury and his son, Rich of Sharon, racked up more excellent results last week at the conclusion of the World Shoot 2002 in San Antonio, Texas.
Rich placed 8th in the AAA category in the high-all-around event (scores based on four gauge championship events plus the doubles championship), with a 646 out of 650 score.
The father-son pair racked up three first places in two-man-team categories for the high-over-all event (scores based on four gauge championship events), the 12-gauge, 250-bird event and the 28-gauge events. Rich turned in marks of 546, 248 and 100 respectively while Dick scored 539, 246, and 98.
Dick and partner Forest Nailor of Maumee, Ohio, took first place in the HOA senior event with scores of 539 each and won the two-man senior 12-gauge event outright with scores of 246 for Cameron and 248 for Nailor.
Dick Cameron also placed 9th in the AA open category of the .410 event with a score of 99 and recorded a third-place finish in the senior category of the .410 event following a shoot-off with four others who scored 99.
PENNSYLVANIA
Three anglers caught
Three Ohio men have been charged with 22 violations of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Code for allegedly illegally netting steelhead trout with a combined weight of more than 300 pounds from Walnut Creek, in Fairview Township, Erie County.
Anatoliy Zozulya, 40, Eugeniusz Sroka, 43, and Vladimir Yewtukh, 48, all of Parma, Ohio, face up to $5,097 in fines for poaching 53 steelhead trout from an area the stream. Among the charges are violations for allegedly fishing without proper licenses, using illegal devices (landing nets) to take fish, being over the legal daily limit for steelhead, attempting to flee/elude law enforcement officers, misuse of property, failure to produce required identification, making fraudulent statements to enforcement officers and littering.
Waterways Conservation Officer Mark Kerr and Deputy Waterways Conservation Officer Mike McSkimming were on a night patrol October 21 when they heard unusual noises along the stream. Observing the three men from a distance, Kerr and McSkimming saw the trio netting steelhead and approached them. The three fled; one was captured immediately. Other officers located the suspects' vehicle at a nearby nursing home and apprehended the other two individuals shortly afterwards.
Officers initially found a total of 23 steelhead in the men's possession. A daylight search of the area the next morning uncovered an additional 28 fish.
Deer deaths probed
Pennsylvania Game Commission Wildlife Conservation Officers are investigating the cause of death of more than 70 white-tailed deer in Gilmore, Franklin and Richhill townships, Greene County and West Finley Township, Washington County.
Six samples from deer in both counties are being sent to the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study at the University of Georgia for testing. Once the results are available, the Game Commission plans to release the findings to the public.
"While we must wait for test results to confirm just what caused these deer to die, at this time, we are suspecting that the deer died of epizootic hemorrhagic disease, which was recently confirmed across the state border in West Virginia," said Robert C. Boyd, assistant director of the agency's Bureau of Wildlife Management. EHD also was confirmed earlier this year in Maryland, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin.
If test results confirm the cause of death as epizootic hemorrhagic disease, Boyd noted that this would mark the first time the disease has been confirmed in Pennsylvania.
EHD is one of the most common diseases among white-tailed deer in the United States, and is contracted by the bite of insects called "biting midges." EHD usually kills the animal within five to 10 days, but is not spread from deer to deer. While EHD is not infectious to humans, deer displaying severe symptoms of EHD may not be suitable for consumption. Boyd stressed that even though some EHD symptoms are similar to those of chronic wasting disease -- such as excessive drooling, unconsciousness and a loss of fear of humans - there is no relationship between EHD and CWD.
CLUBS
Thundering Toms collect $20,000
The Thundering Toms of Trumbull County raised more than over $20,000 at their third annual NWTF Super Fund Banquet recently.
Funds will go into the NWTF Superfund, the majority of which will be earmarked for conservation or restoration projects in Ohio.
Present at the banquet was special guest Christen Clemson of Cortland, winner of a $250 NWTF scholarship award for an outstanding local student. This amount was matched by the chapter with an additional $250 for a total of $500.00 to help Christen on her way to Penn State University.
Christen has already received scholarships to Penn State because of her outstanding athletic abilities, particularly at track & amp; field. She was the 2001 State Discus Champion, and is currently ranked second in Ohio and 11th in the country.