Well, the bad guys just lost one more state they could run to after committing a wildlife violation. Ohio is, and has been, a member of the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact (IWVC), an agreement whereby participating states share information about fish and game violators and honor each other’s decision to deny licenses and permits.

Effective this past April, Kentucky also became a member of the IWVC. The IWVC is an agreement in which member states reciprocate regarding the suspension or revocation of licenses and permits resulting from violations concerning hunting, fishing and trapping laws.

If a person’s license or permit privileges, which come under the scope of the compact, are suspended or revoked in one member state, they are subject to suspension or revocation in all member states.

In addition to license and permit suspensions and revocations, which result from a conviction for the illegal pursuit, possession or taking of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, mollusks, shellfish and crustaceans, failing to appear in court or to otherwise answer a ticket or summons issued for such violations will also result in license or permit suspension.

Compact member states also agree to recognize convictions for violations within the scope of the Compact which occur in all other member states and to apply them toward license and permit suspension and revocations in the state in which the person resides.

Hey, guys, you can run but you can’t hide.

Member states

In other words, if you’re hunting, fishing or trapping license is revoked in Ohio, you will lose your privileges in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

My only question is, where’s the great state of Pennsylvania? It seems to be absent from the list. Are they too good to sign on to a reciprocal agreement that benefits all of the participating states’ Division of Wildlife as well as the honest and ethical hunters? On the other hand, maybe they just don’t have any slob hunters in Pa. Yeah right!

Seems to me that since they put on the antler restrictions a few years back and are trying to make that god-forsaken rock pile into a “Big Buck” state, they just don’t want to play nice with the rest of us. Oh well their loss is our gain. We’ll just send all of our outlaws across the line and tell them to get a Pa. license. That’s where all the “Big Bucks” are anyway, right?

Arrow length

Last week, I talked about several things that can affect your success this coming season. One of the more crucial items I forgot to mention was arrow choice and setup.

In archery, many things including your bow set up are a matter of personal preference, arrow length being one of them. In my travels, I have the opportunity to speak with many shooters and hunters about equipment. This knowledge and being willing to try different setups has enabled me to fine-tune my equipment to my own personal preference.