Ohio’s sportsmen and women will soon have more public land to hunt on thanks to new legislation that cleared the governor’s desk this month.
The Capital Improvements Bill that Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law on June 15 allocates $25 million to acquire more state wildlife and forestry lands open to hunters and trappers. When leveraged with matching federal funds, such as the Wildlife Restoration Fund, that acquisition amount will double to $50 million, according to the conservation groups who have cheered the move.
In a press release on June 17, the Sportsmen’s Alliance called the bill’s final passage a “major victory” for public access to the outdoors. The group said it had worked closely with DeWine, along with Senate President Rob McColley and House Speaker Matt Huffman, to make funding for public hunting lands a priority in the state budget bill. Gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy also reportedly supported the measure. All told, the bill directs nearly $4 billion to state infrastructure, including the building of new schools and healthcare facilities, according to Rep. Huffman’s office.
“The most urgent need for sportsmen in Ohio is to gain additional lands for hunting, trapping, fishing, and recreational shooting,” SA President and CEO Evan Heusinkveld said in a statement. “Beginning in 2018, we asked incoming Gov. DeWine to work with us to prioritize land acquisition. These funds in the 2026 Capital Bill cap an eight-year run of tremendous gains for sportsmen.”
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SA said the acquisitions are likely to center around private timberlands in southern and southeastern Ohio. Although no deals have been negotiated, estimates suggest that up to 25,000 acres could be purchased with the $50 million, according to The Columbus Dispatch. This will be a welcome addition to the roughly 650,000 acres that are currently open to public hunting in Ohio.
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