MIKE BRAUN Young hunters get 2-day season

There are a couple bits of good news for young hunters in Ohio this deer season.
First, Ohio youth 17 and younger will get their very own season to hunt deer this year when the youth deer-gun season opens next Saturday and Sunday.
Going hand-in-hand with that is a quest by the editors of Wild Ohio magazine to get photos of youth and the deer they harvested during the two-day season.
The first two-day gun hunt for youth will be open statewide on both private and public land.
The young hunters may take one deer of either sex during this season, in line with existing bag and deer-zone limits. Legal weapons during this season include plugged shotguns, muzzleloaders, handguns and bows.
Those taking advantage of the new season are reminded that they must wear hunter orange, have a valid Ohio hunting license and special deer permit, and be accompanied by a nonhunting adult.
It's probably a good idea as well that the adult be wearing hunter orange, but that isn't required under Ohio outdoor rules.
Since all other regularly scheduled hunting seasons will continue, other hunters, including deer-archery hunters, are required to wear hunter orange during this period.
That IS part of the state hunting rules and regulations.
Hard on the heels of the youth season will be Ohio's regular deer-gun season, which runs Dec. 1-7.
For more information on these seasons, check the "Ohio 2003-2004 Hunting And Trapping Regulations" or visit ohiodnr.com on the Internet.
Youth photographs
For those youth hunters who are successful in their pursuit of a whitetail, Wild Ohio Magazine is looking for good-quality photographs of youth hunters with their deer taken during the youth deer gun season.
The magazine will print the best photos in a special spread in the fall 2004 issue and featured pictures may also appear on the Division of Wildlife's Web site.
Here's how you submit your photo: Send a print photograph or digital photo along with your name, address, telephone number, age, date the deer was taken, county where the deer was bagged, and name of public land area if taken in such an area.
Don't forget to make a copy because there's no guarantee that your photo will be returned.
The deadline for sending in photographs is April 1. Send print photos to Melissa Hathaway, Editor, ODNR Division of Wildlife, 305 E. Shoreline Dr., Sandusky, Ohio 44870. Digital photos should be sent to melissa.hathaway@ dnr.state.oh.us.
Ravenna hunts
Meanwhile, the special deer hunts at the Ravenna Training and Logistics Site -- also known as the Ravenna Arsenal -- are continuing this year and seem to be getting back to normal after being affected by the tragedy of 9/11.
There are three hunts remaining this year: Saturday and Nov. 29 and Dec. 13.
The Ohio Army National Guard and DOW worked out a schedule of eight hunts for this year, two of which were 50/50 for antlered/antlerless deer and the remaining six hunt days for antlerless deer only.
One of the 50/50 buck hunts was held Oct. 25, and the second will be next Saturday.
Hunters wanting to participate in the controlled deer hunts are entered in a special lottery drawing earlier in the year and are selected at random for specific dates.
After the terrorist attacks of September 2001, increased security at restricted access facilities such as the RTLS led to a curtailment of public access and a suspension of deer hunting at the site.
In the ensuing years, things have loosened a bit, though activities at the RTLS have been steady with the war in Iraq and mission in Afghanistan.
The Ohio Guard's Ravenna Training and Logistics Site provides training areas and facilities for combat, combat support and combat service support units of the Ohio Army National Guard and all other reserve components.
braun@vindy.com