http://www.toledoblade.com The Latest News from Toledoblade.com (v5) Fri, 11 Sep 2026 17:28:48 GMT en-us hourly 1 https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/outdoors/2026/09/06/outdoors-lake-erie-walleye-tournament/stories/20260906059 https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/outdoors/2026/09/06/outdoors-lake-erie-walleye-tournament/stories/20260906059#comments Sun, 06 Sep 2026 14:25:24 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/outdoors/2026/09/06/outdoors-lake-erie-walleye-tournament/stories/20260906059 Quite a season finale is shaping up for the Lake Erie Walleye Trail tournament championship next month (Oct. 9-10) in Fairport Harbor, Ohio. Nick Olesky along with his father, Ed, are positioned in first in team points going into the Lake Erie Walleye Trail tournament's final event Oct. 9-10. https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/outdoors/2026/08/30/outdoors-1/stories/20260830038 https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/outdoors/2026/08/30/outdoors-1/stories/20260830038#comments Sun, 30 Aug 2026 14:00:00 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/outdoors/2026/08/30/outdoors-1/stories/20260830038 As these dog days of summer wind down, it always gets the butterflies going in my stomach with anticipation of another deer season — even with 33 years of hunting under my belt. A Disease Surveillance Area was established in 2021 following the detection of CWD in Wyandot County in 2020. The boundaries of the DSA have been expanded over time with the discovery of new positive cases. Currently, the DSA encompasses the entirety of Allen, Hardin, Marion, and Wyandot counties, as well as portions of Crawford, Delaware, Hancock, Morrow, and Union counties. Deer browse among fallen leaves in Sylvania on Oct. 31, 2023. https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/outdoors/2026/08/16/outdoors-drop-line-water-fine-fishing/stories/20260816072 https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/outdoors/2026/08/16/outdoors-drop-line-water-fine-fishing/stories/20260816072#comments Sun, 16 Aug 2026 14:00:00 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/outdoors/2026/08/16/outdoors-drop-line-water-fine-fishing/stories/20260816072 One thing you can almost bank on is Lake Erie’s water conditions changing up from one year to the next. A cooler is loaded with some nice perch after a recent outing on Capt. Ken's Wild Wings LTD charters. https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/outdoors/2026/08/09/outdoors-michigan-ohio-waterfowl-hunting-asian-carp-great-lakes/stories/20260809026 https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/outdoors/2026/08/09/outdoors-michigan-ohio-waterfowl-hunting-asian-carp-great-lakes/stories/20260809026#comments Sat, 08 Aug 2026 13:30:00 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/outdoors/2026/08/09/outdoors-michigan-ohio-waterfowl-hunting-asian-carp-great-lakes/stories/20260809026 Seems like everything these days is about the economic hardships, even hunting and fishing. Fish Point State Wildlife Area, which is about 2½ hours from Toledo, is one of Michigan’s Wetland Wonders public lands where waterfowl hunters can participate in free drawings for permits to hunt specific zones. These areas offer pristine habitat for migratory birds, as well as ideal conditions for hunters. https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/outdoors/2026/08/01/outdoors-ohio-nature-preserves-and-lands-to-hold-special-deer-hunts/stories/20260802050 https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/outdoors/2026/08/01/outdoors-ohio-nature-preserves-and-lands-to-hold-special-deer-hunts/stories/20260802050#comments Sat, 01 Aug 2026 15:00:00 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/outdoors/2026/08/01/outdoors-ohio-nature-preserves-and-lands-to-hold-special-deer-hunts/stories/20260802050 Not only do humans like to visit the Ohio Department of Natural Resource’s state nature preserves and scenic river lands but so do white-tailed deer, but for different purposes — one for a walk in the woods and the other for dinner. According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Goll Woods is a vestige from the ‘Black Swamp’ era and it is said to be the ‘least disturbed woodland known to remain in extreme northwestern Ohio.’ However that last part doesn’t include the hungry deer, hence the need for a special preserve hunt. Summer's sunlight seeps through the Goll Woods' foliage. You can almost hear the spring peepers in this picture of Goll Woods. https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/outdoors/2026/07/26/outdoors-finding-the-zone-could-reap-bass-rewards-report-turkey-grouse-sightings/stories/20260726039 https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/outdoors/2026/07/26/outdoors-finding-the-zone-could-reap-bass-rewards-report-turkey-grouse-sightings/stories/20260726039#comments Sun, 26 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/outdoors/2026/07/26/outdoors-finding-the-zone-could-reap-bass-rewards-report-turkey-grouse-sightings/stories/20260726039 “Why be skunked in your own local waters when you can spend $90 in gas and be somewhere beautiful — and get skunked.” Wild turkey poults follow behind their mother in the open grass. Now is the time wildlife biologists like to know about wild turkey and grouse sightings to assess reproductive success. https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/outdoors/2026/07/19/outdoors-panfishing-can-land-you-dinner-or-a-state-record/stories/20260719041 https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/outdoors/2026/07/19/outdoors-panfishing-can-land-you-dinner-or-a-state-record/stories/20260719041#comments Sun, 19 Jul 2026 13:00:00 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/outdoors/2026/07/19/outdoors-panfishing-can-land-you-dinner-or-a-state-record/stories/20260719041 Panfishing is usually the start of a child’s way into fishing. Jaret Stevens' record-setting Ohio green sunfish fills out this dinner plate. It weighed 1.35 pounds and was 11.45 inches long. Jaret Stevens' real passion outside of panfishing is trapping for snapping turtles. He follows a family recipe of his grandfather's to make a mean turtle soup. https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/outdoors/2026/07/04/outdoors-classic-birding-book-updated-latest-species-accounts/stories/20260705050 https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/outdoors/2026/07/04/outdoors-classic-birding-book-updated-latest-species-accounts/stories/20260705050#comments Sat, 04 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/outdoors/2026/07/04/outdoors-classic-birding-book-updated-latest-species-accounts/stories/20260705050 If you’re in the market for an in-depth book on birding that takes a deep dive into our Toledo area feathered friends, then look no further than Matt Anderson’s Birds of the Toledo Area 2026 edition. The 2026 edition on 'Birds of the Toledo Area' is a must-have, for the casual birder to the more intense avian enthusiast. https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/outdoors/2026/06/27/outdoors-fishing-during-mayfly-hatch-challenges/stories/20260628038 https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/outdoors/2026/06/27/outdoors-fishing-during-mayfly-hatch-challenges/stories/20260628038#comments Sat, 27 Jun 2026 12:23:28 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/outdoors/2026/06/27/outdoors-fishing-during-mayfly-hatch-challenges/stories/20260628038 Earlier this past week, my son noted the airy facility we both work at on the midnight shift “smelled like the Maumee,” and I had noticed it too. The team at Captain Ken's Wild Wings LTD look over a nice walleye netted during a recent charter. Mayflies are seen clinging to a tree at the Maumee Bay State Park. The sandhill crane remains an endangered species in Ohio, with only 344 individuals recorded in the 2026 count. https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/outdoors/2026/06/19/outdoors-more-bears-sighted-northern-ohio-southeast-michigan/stories/20260621051 https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/outdoors/2026/06/19/outdoors-more-bears-sighted-northern-ohio-southeast-michigan/stories/20260621051#comments Fri, 19 Jun 2026 14:45:19 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/outdoors/2026/06/19/outdoors-more-bears-sighted-northern-ohio-southeast-michigan/stories/20260621051 I might be getting in late on the bear sightings in Ohio and Michigan where they’re not common to see, but it’s still intriguing to talk about nonetheless. Tory Westall, a PhD student from the University of Dayton doing research on bears in Ohio, examines the 576-pound bear that was found traveling into Ashtabula County last week. While it's not entirely uncommon to see a bear in the northwest part of Ohio, one that is well over 500 pounds is quite more of a surprise.