Protestors to rally Monday against hunting grounds at former Candywood Golf Course

VIENNA

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has approved a permit to allow owners of the former Candywood Golf Course on Scoville North Road to operate a business that lets hunters kill various captive animals for money.

The preserve is called Candywood Whitetail Ranch LLC, according to a copy of the application provided to The Vindicator by the ODNR. The application says the property has 276 acres. The license is good for one year.

Anthony J. Candella Jr., a member of the family who owns the golf course, applied for the permit in December. The application says it will have hunts for white-tailed deer, elk, fallow deer, red deer, rams, sheep, hogs, buffalo, aoudad (Barbary sheep), red deer hinds (females) and blackbuck antelope.

Jamey Emmert, ODNR Division of Wildlife communications specialist in Akron, said it appears that the approval allows the owners to provide all of those types of hunting.

An attempt to learn more about how the business will operate was unsuccessful Friday. Two men standing in the driveway at the former golf course said Friday afternoon they did not want to talk to a Vindicator reporter.

Holly Justice of Youngstown opposes the establishment of the hunting preserve because she has concerns about stray bullets injuring or killing people living nearby or driving by on Scoville North Road or state Route 82.

“People are definitely concerned about property values and their safety,” she said. “People have said, “I’ve got golf balls in my yard. How do I know there won’t be bullets flying?”

She also opposes such hunting on ethical grounds, calling it “cruel” because the animals are held in a fenced area. She added that a lot of hunters say, “There’s no sport in it.”

She organized a rally for 6 p.m. Monday at Vienna Township Hall on Youngstown-Kingsville Road, one hour before Vienna Township’s trustees meeting, to bring awareness to the issue.

Justice said another issue is that the ODNR does not provide the public with notification when an application is filed.

Read more about the matter in Saturday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.