Am I allowed to hunt without taking the course?...I do have my license and did not lie when I got it, I did have a hunting license in Alaska, and did ask about it when I got mine here last week. I was planning on going tomorrow...should I not go now?
Mark
You are fine. Go and have a good time. When getting a license they ask 1. Have you taken a hunter safety course in Ohio. 2. Have you taken a hunters safety course in another state. 3. Do you attests that you've held a hunting license in another state. If you answer yes to any of the three you are allowed to get a license. So since you had one in Alaska you can have one here. Like the other guys said it would greatly benefit you to take the ohio course however. There is tons of good information in there about laws etc, it's not just about gun safety.
If you're hunting public land just make sure you're in an allowed hunting zone. The ODNR site has maps for every public hunting area that you can go look at to make sure.
Here is all you need tomorrow.
1. License
2. Gun.
3 shells
4 knife for cleaning them.
5. Something to carry squirrels in. Plastic bag etc.
It's not a bad idea to wear an orange hat or something other than deer colors. Not required but smart.
When your hunting the bushy tailed tree rats take your time. Walk 20-30 yards and stop for 5-10 minutes. Listen for them in the trees, rooting around in leaves, chewing on nuts etc or barking at you. Take your time and just pay attention to the woods. Often when your walking the squirrels will hear you coming and hide. If you stop and take a seat on a log or stand there the woods will calm back down and often the squirrels will resume their daily routine. Also look for cuttings around trees. If you see a bunch of nut shells that look like they went through a blender spend a little extra time there as the squirrels are obviously around. A couple weeks ago in Athens county we were squirrel hunting and I noticed a lack of acorns. The squirrels were mostly around beech trees and hickory. You'll be able to spot a hickory by it's scaly bark.
Good luck buddy and just have fun. Take you time and enjoy the woods.
Oh. And don't forget to take some pictures and post them for us.