FOREST WILDLIFE OVERVIEW

Ohio's forests have undergone dramatic changes since the late 1700s (presettlement), a time when nearly 95% of Ohio was forested. Rapid settlement of the Ohio countryside resulted in a steady decline of forest cover to a low of 12% in 1940. This massive loss of forest habitat was instrumental in the extirpation of many animals from Ohio including white-tailed deer, elk, timber wolf, mountain lion, black bear, bobcat, and wild turkey. Others, like the passenger pigeon, became extinct. Settlement also resulted in the introduction of exotic diseases such as Dutch elm disease and chestnut blight. These diseases inflicted heavy mortality on the American elm, resulted in the demise of the American chestnut, and altered the composition of Ohio's remnant forests. 

Ohio's forest land has been increasing since 1940 and, as of 2001, comprised approximately 33% of the state's land area. This represents a 2.5-fold increase over 61 years and has been the major factor leading to the successful reintroduction, return, or resurgence of many forest-dependent species like deer, wild turkey, beaver, and black bear.

Although forest land has increased dramatically, there are still wide differences in the amount of forest cover among the geographic regions of the state. In the western glaciated farmland region, most counties are <15% forested, with much of the forest occurring in small isolated patches of 20 acres or less. The northeastern glaciated counties average 30% forest cover and most are heavily urbanized. The east-central, southeastern, and south-central unglaciated counties (hill country) are the most heavily forested. Forest cover in these counties ranges from 35-80%. This distributionof forest land is a key determinant of the distribution and abundance of Ohio's forest wildlife. Species like fox squirrel and other forest edge species require, and can prosper in, the patchy woodlot habitats of western Ohio. Forest interior birds, like the cerulean warbler, that are area sensitive, require the relatively large, contiguous expanses of forest present in the unglaciated hill country. Ohio's forests are changing in other ways as well; they are maturing and their composition is changing. The recent increase in Ohio's forest land was due primarily to the reversion of abandoned pasture to brush and ultimately mature forest in eastern Ohio. This brushy stage of forest succession is declining as Ohio's forests mature (there was a >80% decline in the seedling-sapling stage from 1968 to 2001). As a consequence, we can expect species like the ruffed grouse and yellow-breasted chat that require early successional habitats to decline and those requiring more mature forest types like hooded warblers and wild turkey to increase.

Forest composition is also changing. Forests once dominated by oak and hickory are becoming increasingly dominated by red maple. Acorns and hickory nuts are staple foods of many forest wildlife species. Consequently, as forest composition shifts from oak and hickory dominance to red maple, declines in mast-dependent forest wildlife species are likely.
 
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White-Tailed Deer

Ohio’s first modern day deer hunting season was held in 1943.  Since that time, season closure, either-sex, buck-only, antlerless-only, and multiple bag limit regulations have been used to manage our deer herd.  While deer harvests and populations have grown and management strategies and landscapes have evolved since 1943, the goal of our deer program has remained the same:  a deer population that maximizes recreational opportunity including viewing, photographing, and hunting while minimizing conflicts with agriculture, motor travel, and other areas of human endeavor.  In short, we attempt to provide enough deer to hunt and enjoy, within limits defined by the habitat, but not so many that they cause undue human hardship.  This is accomplished by annually comparing a county’s deer population status with its corresponding population objective, or target level.  Consistent with the Division of Wildlife’s (DOW) deer management goal, these target levels represent minimum conflict levels, derived from either deer-vehicle accident (DVAs) rates in urban counties or farmer tolerances in rural counties.

Harvest—Since 1962, Ohio hunters have been required by law to register their deer at an official check station where information such as date, county of harvest, sex of deer, hunting implement used, and permit type are recorded.  A total of 252,017 deer was harvested during the 2008-09 hunting seasons, 8% more than the previous season.  During the 2008-09 deer hunting seasons, hunters harvested 134,231 deer during gun, 85,856 deer during archery, 20,966 deer during muzzleloader, and 9,699 deer during the youth hunts.  For historical deer harvest data see Publication 304.

Deer Age, Sex, and Condition—Each year during the gun season, DOW personnel will age approximately 5-7% of the harvest.  Typically, this amounts to between 6,000-8,000 deer.  A total of 5,938 deer was examined at 21 check stations in 2008.  For historical deer age-sex-condition data see Publication 304.

Deer-vehicle Accidents—Because they represent a significant cost to the public, the DOW has monitored deer-vehicle accident trends since the 1940s.  Additionally, if changes in traffic volume can be accounted for, and there is little annual variation in reporting rates, deer-vehicle accident trends should be a reflection of changes in the actual size of the deer herd.  For historical deer-vehicle accident data see Publication 304.

Deer Crop Damage Complaints—Because target levels for most of Ohio’s counties are based on farmer tolerances, the likelihood of widespread agricultural problems should be minimal when deer populations are at target.  However, some localized crop damage is still likely to occur and in these instances producers may be eligible for a Deer Damage Control permit.  For historical deer damage complaint and kill permit data see Publication 304.

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Ruffed Grouse

The ruffed grouse, an inhabitant of extensively forested areas, is a long-time Ohio resident dating back to the Ice Age.  Prior to European settlement, both forests and grouse occupied about 95% of Ohio's land surface.  By 1940, forest land had been reduced to 12% of Ohio's land area; grouse became greatly reduced in eastern Ohio and were totally absent from western Ohio by 1908.  Abandonment of hill farms in eastern Ohio during the period 1930-1950 resulted in the gradual reversion of farmland to brush and forest.  This reforestation helped bring grouse populations back so that today they can be found in 40 eastern Ohio counties. 

Grouse abundance, while fluctuating dramatically, has generally been declining since the early 1970s.  From 1983 to the present, grouse abundance has been consistently low and averaged well below the long-term mean.  The reason for this decline is thought to be loss of quality habitat.  A rapid increase in quality grouse habitat occurred in eastern Ohio through the early 1970s as abandoned farms reverted to brush.  Since then, good quality grouse habitat has declined as brushland has grown to more mature forest.  U.S. Forest Service inventories show an 80% decline in the seedling/sapling (brushland) size class from 1968 to 2001.  Overall, timber growth exceeds harvest in Ohio's grouse range and timber harvesting has been insufficient to halt the successional trend away from quality grouse habitat and toward more mature forests.  This, coupled with possible regional influences (grouse populations in neighboring states exhibit trends similar to Ohio's), is probably responsible for the consistently low abundance experienced since the early 1980s. 

Population and Harvest Surveys

Roadside Drumming Counts—Routes consist of 10 listening stops spaced at least 0.5 mile apart.  Routes are run on 2 nonconsecutive days between ½ hour before and 1 hour after sunrise.  Observers record all grouse heard and/or seen as well as the total number of drums during a 4-minute listening period at each stop.  In order to minimize the effect of weather, the survey is not conducted during heavy rain or when the wind exceeds 8 mph.  Routes are conducted in 37 counties and results are summarized range wide as grouse heard per 100 stops.  Historical data can be found in the Grouse Spring Population Table.

Grouse Hunter Cooperator Results—Approximately 300 cooperators are mailed a "Grouse Hunting Diary" just prior to the Ohio ruffed grouse season.  The list of cooperators remains quite constant from year to year, although a few new cooperators are added annually to replace those no longer wishing to participate in the survey.  Hunters are instructed to keep a record of their grouse hunting trips by recording the date, county, hours hunted, grouse flushed, and grouse harvested in their hunting diary.  Hunters are also instructed to not count reflushes or birds flushed by others in their hunting party.  Immediately following the close of the grouse season, cooperators are sent a diary recall notice.  Those not responding to the initial recall are sent a second notice after approximately 3 weeks.  Summaries of total gun hours, flushes per hour, and harvest per hour are obtained for county, region, and total occupied range.   Detailed information and historical data can be found in the Grouse Fall Population Table.

Cooperative Grouse Observation Reports—Ruffed grouse were added to the wild turkey observation report cards in 1999 to obtain an index of reproductive success.  June, July, and August observations are summarized by county and township, observation date, and number of adult and young grouse.  Data collected since 1999 can be found in the Grouse Summer Population Table.

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Black Bear

Black bear remains have been recovered from Indian mounds and other excavations throughout Ohio.  Old historical records of settlers and naturalists also indicate widespread occurrence before 1850.  Bears were still reasonably common in southern Ohio in 1820 with 46 reported killed in Athens County during that winter.  Continued habitat destruction resulting from human settlement accompanied by shooting and trapping of bears to protect crops and livestock resulted in their extirpation from Ohio.  The last bear reported from southern Ohio was from Jackson County in 1831.  In northern Ohio, the last report was of a bear killed in Paulding County in 1881.  Occasional reports of black bears occurred in the early-mid 1900s.  Beginning in the 1980s, sightings of black bear in northeastern and eastern Ohio became more common as bear populations in Pennsylvania and West Virginia increased in abundance and expanded westward.

Population Survey

Black Bear Observations—Since 1993, the Division of Wildlife has formally documented black bear observations in Ohio.  This procedure provides for standardized documentation of bear observations as bears travel and establish residency in Ohio.  Division employees are to investigate, attempt to confirm reported bear sightings, and complete a “Black Bear Observation Report.”  The report includes the following information:  date of sighting; location; initial observer; number of bears; their age, sex (if known), estimated weight; behavior; last known fate of the bear; and whether the report could be confirmed.  A confirmed report is one where there are tracks, photos, or other reliable evidence that provided the Division of Wildlife investigator with reasonable assurance that a bear was present.  A code number is assigned to the initial observation.  All subsequent reports of what are believed to be the same bear are given the code number of the initial sighting.  Black bear sighting data collected since 1993 are presented in the Bear Population Table.

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Bobcat

Bobcats were found throughout the Ohio country in early settlement times.  They were concentrated primarily in the large, lowland areas of the north and unglaciated Allegheny Plateau region of the southeastern portion of the state.  As forests were cleared and swamps and lowlands drained to make way for settlements and cropland, the bobcat population declined.  By 1850, they were considered extirpated from the state.  From 1850 through the 1960s, there were occasional reports of bobcats, mainly in eastern Ohio.  Since 1970, there have been 464 verified reports of bobcats in Ohio, 436 (94%) of which occurred since 2000.  In general, bobcats showed the first signs of recovery in Ohio in the 1990s, after which numbers of sightings have steadily increased.  See Bobcat Population Table for annual numbers of verified and unverified bobcat sightings.  Currently, the bobcat is officially classified as an Ohio endangered species and provided full protection under the law.

Population Surveys

Verified Reports—These reports represent positive identification of a bobcat, usually as a result of the animal either being killed on the road, photographed, or incidentally trapped.  In situations where the bobcat carcass is available, the age, weight, reproductive status of females, and various body measurements are obtained.  This provides information regarding the health and reproductive status of Ohio’s recovering bobcat population. 

Unverified Reports—Bobcat reports are received from a number of different sources.  The annual Bowhunter Survey is conducted by the Waterloo Wildlife Research Station.  In November, volunteer deer archery hunters report their observations of various wildlife, including bobcats, while deer hunting.  Approximately 50,000 observation hours are logged annually.  Additionally, a number of observations by the public are received via email (WildInfo@dnr.state.oh.us), 1-800-WILDLIFE, and Endangered/Uncommon Species Observation Cards.

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Gray and Fox Squirrel

Prior to settlement, the gray squirrel was abundant across the entire state.  Gray squirrels were apparently so numerous and such a menace to crops that taxpayers were required to pay a quota of squirrel scalps in addition to their regular taxes in 1807.  By 1940, Ohio’s forests had been reduced from 25 million acres to 3.7 million acres.  The gray squirrel, which requires large, relatively unbroken expanses of forest, was virtually eliminated from the western and northeastern portions of the state where forest land had been reduced to small, isolated woodlots.  Today, primary gray squirrel range is limited to the unglaciated hill country.

The fox squirrel is not native to Ohio, but historically occurred in the oak savannas of the humid prairie region.  However, as early settlers cleared forestland in Ohio, they created a patchwork of agricultural fields and small tracts of timber (woodlots) favorable to fox squirrels.  As settlement expanded westward across Indiana and into the humid prairies, fox squirrels moved eastward into this new habitat.  Fox squirrels first occurred in western Ohio about 1830 and reached the eastern boundaries of Trumbull and Ashtabula counties about 1885.  Today, the fox squirrel is found in all of Ohio’s 88 counties.  In primary gray squirrel habitat, fox squirrels represent approximately 15% of the total squirrel population.

Oak-hickory forests are capable of supporting the highest densities of squirrels in Ohio.  Densities in these habitats average about 1 squirrel per acre in mature timber stands and are due primarily to the abundance of favored squirrel foods, especially acorns and hickory nuts.  Other forest types are capable of supporting both squirrel species, but at lower densities.

The amount of forested habitat in primary fox and gray squirrel ranges increased markedly in the past century, but the total acreage of oak-hickory forest has remained unchanged since 1979.  Concerns over the conversion of oak-hickory to forests dominated by maple and tulip poplar have prompted research into new silvicultural systems that provide for oak regeneration in Ohio forests.

Population and Harvest Surveys

Squirrel Hunter Survey—Each year, we mail squirrel hunting diaries and nut crop rating forms to cooperators just prior to the Ohio squirrel season. Despite annual fluctuations, long-term harvest trends suggest that Ohio’s squirrel population has remained relatively stable across both the primary fox and gray squirrel ranges (see Squirrel Harvest Table and Squirrel Hunter Success Figure).  However, squirrel hunter numbers have declined approximately 20% since the late 1970s and early 1980s.

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Wild Turkey

The wild turkey once inhabited forested areas in every Ohio county and was an important food source for the early settlers.  Extensive loss of forest, coupled with unregulated hunting, led to the extirpation of the wild turkey in 1904.