When Jim Stewart mentioned that he used to plant a few patches of dwarf sorghum for the local pheasants, I filed that information away. The subject came up last September when I made my annual autumn stop to ask permission to hunt the acreage he farms. Although primarily seeking a spot to hunt whitetails these days, I always inquire about the local ?bird? population and receive the same answer I get at all the places I have been allowed to hunt pheasants over the years: dwindling sightings and a dreary forecast. Blame they offer ranges from booming coyote populations to a drastic drop in set-aside acreage. The bottom line is that pheasants are getting few and far between here in the Buckeye State for a combination of reasons.
When Jim mentioned the sorghum, he planted the seed of an idea. I went to work to learn about the plant and to try to locate some seeds, using Ohio?s Country Journal as a resource. I found out that the grain is an excellent source of food and cover for pheasants and other game and non-game species, and that the plant is more popularly known as milo. I located a mill that offered the seed and bought a couple of bags, one for Stewart and the other for nearby landowner whose late father maintained a patch of set-aside that held birds and continues to serve as a wildlife oasis thanks to his son?s continuing efforts to manage it today.
I dropped the bags of milo seed off at each farmhouse this month. If it gets planted, that would be great. If it doesn?t, due to busy schedules and limited time and considerable effort to make paying hay while the sun shines, I certainly understand that. Either way, the exercise educated me and offered an excuse to visit the folks who allow me to spend some of the best days of my year sitting in a tree or walking a grassy swale, at a time of year when such contact isn?t expected. And the gesture shows those who work the land that I appreciate what they do and am willing to contribute a bit to the cause.
In hindsight, those evening visits in May allowed me to see a landscape from a fresh perspective, at the start of a growing season that I normally only get to experience come harvest-time. Next spring I won?t wait for an excuse. I?ll just get out there.
Speaking of harvest, Ohio turkey hunters are likely to bag a bumper crop of birds this season. The spring harvest figures were up over last year as of press time, and there?s little reason to doubt the fall season will add to the bounty, thanks to several more counties being open to the autumn sport.
Fall turkey hunting will be expanded to 11 additional counties for the first time: Allen, Champaign, Crawford, Fulton, Hardin, Henry, Logan, Paulding, Preble, Putnam and Wyandot. Harvest records and research indicates wild turkey populations have increased in these areas to a point where a fall harvest will not impact the overall numbers. Fall wild turkey hunting is Oct. 14 to Nov. 26. Theautumn season will now be open in 67 of Ohio?s 88 counties.
