OHIO

OHIO
ODNR recoups $55,000in 'Operation Cornerstone'
Eight Conneaut men, convicted of poaching thousands of yellow perch from Lake Erie and selling them on the commercial market, have been ordered to pay a total of $55,000 in restitution to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife. It is the largest poaching restitution ever awarded to the division.
The men were arrested in July as part of "Operation Cornerstone," an undercover investigation that focused on the poaching and illegal sale of yellow perch in the Ashtabula County area. Each eventually pled guilty to first-degree misdemeanor charges involving the sale of sport-caught fish - a violation of Ohio wildlife laws.
In addition to the restitution, the men were each fined $1,000 and court costs, with $900 of the fine suspended. Each received a six-month suspended jail sentence and was placed on three years probation. Each had his fishing rights suspended for three years with the condition that the fines and restitution must be paid in full before those rights can be reinstated.
The eight convicted poachers, all of Conneaut, and their restitution amounts are: Jason W. Heinbaugh, 27, 747 Clinton Avenue - $15,000; James P. Mucciarone, 20, 846 Broad Street - $15,000; Raoul Erdman, 57, 604 Mill Street - $1,872; Richard H. Ferl, 64, 440 Underridge Road - $3,121; Walter G. Kaczorski, 56, 381 Bliss Avenue - $6,867; Keith E. Penniman, 26, 546 Keefus Road - $2,653; William J. Powell, 69, 5328 Center Road - $3,121; Edwin K. Winger, 66, 7817 Pennsylvania - $6,742
Lake Erie smallmouth bass, walleye regs approved
Conservation measures designed to provide long-term stability for Lake Erie's walleye and smallmouth bass populations have been approved by the Ohio Wildlife Council.
For walleye, the daily bag limit between March 1 and April 30 will be reduced from four fish to three. For all other times, the bag limit for walleye will remain at six fish per day. Other new walleye regulations include a year-round size limit of 15 inches and the elimination of treble hooks in the Maumee and Sandusky Bays during the March-April spawning runs.
State fisheries biologists say these approved regulations will help Ohio meet an anticipated 40 to 60 percent reduction in total allowable catches lakewide for walleye in 2004, set last March by the Lake Erie Committee of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission.
To help boost smallmouth bass reproduction, a closed season was also approved for the months of May and most of June, when the popular sport fish are laying eggs and guarding nests. Anglers will be able to legally possess smallmouth bass beginning the third Saturday in June.
PENNSYLVANIA
Pymatuning special hunt
A special flintlock /late archery deer hunt will be held at the Pymatuning Wildlife Management Area Dec. 23 and Jan. 17.
Access will be on a permit basis and there will be 60 flintlock and 30 archery permits issued.
Application deadline is at 3:30 p.m. Nov. 7. A drawing to award permits will be at 10 a.m. Nov. 8 at the PWMA Building, 9552 Hartstown Road, Hartstown, Crawford County.
Broadhead ban reversed
The Pennsylvania Game Commission has reversed its decision to ban "Crimson Talon Broadheads" for use by bowhunters participating in Pennsylvania's archery deer seasons.
The broadheads -- relatively new on the market -- were determined to be unlawful by the agency on Oct. 1, because they incorporate a design that includes curved blades. State hunting regulations require all broadheads to have an outside cutting diameter of at least 7/8th-inch with no less than two cutting edges; cutting edges must be on the same plane throughout the length of the cutting surface.
The reversal came after the PGC reviewed the performance specifications of the broadheads with the manufacturer.
The Game Commission's Bureau of Law Enforcement advises manufacturers of archery tackle to remember that archery regulations vary from state to state.
The Game Commission's current definition for a legal broadhead was enacted in April of 2002. Crimson Talons did not come on the market until this year.
This announcement by the Game Commission does not indicate an endorsement of the product.