Duck hunters fined for using state park trees

WAPAKONETA - Five men from Yorkshire and Osgood pleaded guilty to criminal damaging after constructing a duck blind on Oct. 21 with limbs and trees at Grand Lake St. Marys State Park.

Each man was sentenced to a $50 fine and court costs for their part in damaging state land.

The Ohio Division of Wildlife (ODW) rents out space in the state park to hunters for duck blinds. ODW is renting the site to erect a blind, not the material to make a blind, said Brett Beatty, assistant wildlife supervisor of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Some sites already have blinds and others require hunters to bring their own materials to build the blind.

Instead of bringing materials to build a blind, the group of local men used trees and limbs from the state park.

Charged was: Richard Davis, 36, of Osgood, who rented the ODW blind space; Paul Poeppelman, 23, and Scott Bruey, 36, both of Yorkshire, and Steven Werling, 22, of Osgood, who all admitted to building the blind; and Eric K. Thobe, 27, Yorkshire, who admitted to using the chain saw to cut down the limbs and trees.