Though intimidating, stag beetles are no pest

Christmas got an odd start that year. I was 9 years-old and was doing what most kids my age were doing; enjoying my last month of freedom before my fourth-grade incarceration. My folks were at work while I was under the eye of my babysitting sister which meant that as long as I was in one piece when Mom got home, she did her job. Knowing she'd be in deep trouble if I came up missing or dismembered, I felt relatively safe. The more I was out of the house, the better she liked it — as well as the plausible deniability it offered her. I was digging around some old rotting logs in a wooded fencerow when I found it…the biggest bug that I'd ever seen. This was no praying mantis or cicada, this one looked mean; prehistoric monster mean … big-sister mean. It was as long as my finger and bigger around. It had huge jaws that surely made it deadly. I was amazed and, just like on Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, I was going to capture and study this creepy-crawler. I carefully wrapped it in a handkerchief and walked home. From there, I put some dirt in a Ball jar and carefully dropped the bug into his new home. My teachers would have been proud to see me splayed on the living room floor, carefully studying our set of encyclopedias. There are two problems with dictionaries and encyclopedias: 1. You need some idea of what you're looking for and, 2. You need to be able to come close to spelling it. Since nothing was listed under "bug," "giant bug," "prehistoric bug," or "dinosaur bug," I was in quite a quandary. Maybe I'd discovered a brand-new bug! I proudly showed it to my sister with hopes she might help me find it in the books. She once again threatened to remove a piece of my anatomy and instructed that I "get that insect out of the house, IMMEDIATELY!" Huh … insect. I hid the bug in my closet and got back to the books. Insects … there was page after page of them but nothing helped. At least now I was on the right path but I needed more pictures. When Mom got home, I asked if she would take me to the library. I think she actually began to tear-up. After supper, we got into the car for the ride to town. I was carrying a brown bag and she curiously never asked what was in it. Probably a good thing and I may have unwittingly set the groundworks for future "don't ask, don't tell" policies. I was sitting at a big oak library table with a stack of bug books in which I learned more about their pseudonym "insects." Except for a little scratching sound, the paper sack sat on the table silently as I carefully perused the books. That's when I found a picture of the beast! About then a librarian walked by, pointed at the sack and requested that I not eat or drink in the library. I proudly pulled out the bug; recently dubbed Mr. Big, to assure her that it wasn't food. My Mom responded pretty quickly, promising that the lid would be put back tightly on the jar. You know, I always thought librarians were supposed to whisper. I found out that Mr. Big was a stag beetle, also known as the pinching beetle. They're not uncommon in Ohio, though seldom encountered. Stag beetles range from reddish brown to black and adults can measure two inches. Large curved jaws extend in a vicious portrayal meant to fight other male stag beetles for mates. The similarity to rutting bucks' use of antlers landed them the name "stag." While mean-looking, the worst those imposing jaws can offer us is a very mild squeeze but the less intimidating-looking females can inflict a painful bite. Another life lesson learned that I didn't heed. These beneficial insects aren't pests. The larvae feed for several years on rotting deciduous wood while growing through three larval stages; helping with the decomposition process. Adult stag beetles feed on tree sap and the sticky secretions of aphids. They're found around oak trees, rotting stumps and logs, often hiding under leaf clutter. They're active at night which reduces the chance of being eaten by birds but they do have a bit of an Achilles heel. Stag beetles, like many insects, are attracted to nighttime lights which can place them squarely on the front porch. If you have a librarian's aversion to large bugs, this can come as quite a surprise. Don't step on this harmless bug, just collect it in a Ball jar and use it to amaze a 9-year-old. It's still possible. Upon returning home, Dad and Mom carefully looked the bug over; Mom seemingly even more fascinated than me as I recited from my notes. They wanted to see where I'd found it and suggested I return it to its home. I carefully released and gave him a kind of head pat as he buried himself under the leaves. Just a few short months later, Dad took me to the local Five-and-Ten store for some Christmas shopping. My brother and I were each given an allowance to pick out gifts. Our budget was pretty limited so careful selection was necessary. That's when I saw it in the jewelry case; a life size stag beetle brooch with a jade-colored back. It was beautiful and looked exactly like Mr. Big — and it was more than I could afford. Dad saw the disappointment and slipped me another dollar. He must have known that Mom would love it. On Christmas morning, instead of ripping into the packages, I grabbed the carefully wrapped gift and presented it to her first. She opened it and looked really surprised. I could tell that Dad was really proud of that gift because, as we were leaving for church, with a smile he reminded her that she might want to show it off. Without hesitation, she snatched it up and fastened it to her dress. Mr. Big was going to Mass. "I like to compare the holiday season with the way a child listens to a favorite story. The pleasure is in the familiar way the story begins, the anticipation of familiar turns it takes, the familiar moments of suspense, and the familiar climax and ending."— Fred Rogers Along the way The Ohio Division of Wildlife reports that hunters harvested 15,469 deer during the extra weekend of deer gun hunting on Dec. 16-17. This year's number was very close to 2022's kill of 15,164 deer. The top 10 counties for the two-day season were: Coshocton (534), Tuscarawas (505), Ashtabula (470), Carroll (414), Knox (412), Muskingum (410), Licking (392), Holmes (359), Ashland (359), and Guernsey (348). Coshocton County led the state last year with 517 deer taken. During the hunt, 4,408 bucks were checked (29% of the harvest), 9,130 does (59%), and 1,639 button bucks (11%). Bucks with shed antlers and bucks with antlers less than 3 inches long accounted for 1% of the harvest, or 292 deer. Straight-walled cartridge rifles continue to climb in popularity since becoming legal hunting instruments in 2014. Over the weekend, 9,586 deer were taken with straight-walled cartridge rifles, or 62% of the total. 30% used a shotgun, 5% used a muzzleloader, 2% used archery equipment, and less than 1% used a handgun. Through this year's combined gun seasons, hunters checked 96,136 deer, including 10,039 deer checked by youth hunters during their special opportunity held on Nov. 18-19. Archery hunters have taken 89,823 deer through Sunday, Dec. 17, bringing the season total for all implements to 185,959 deer. If I'm doing my math correctly, and an average 140-pound deer yields around 55 pounds of meat, that's an amazing 10,220,265 pounds of healthy free-range venison! Hunters still looking to harvest a deer can take part in the ongoing archery season, which continues until Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024, or the state's muzzleloader season, Jan. 6-9, 2024. Local harvests, including last year's in kill in parenthesis: Allen: 113 (77); Hancock: 152 (100); Hardin: 152 (95); Henry: 95 (52); Putnam: 96 (46); Sandusky: 93 (57); Seneca: 195 (144); Wood: 98 (62); Wyandot: 170 (118). 2023 total: 15,469, 3-year average total: 13,329 Step outside •The Blue Creek Limestone Glade State Nature Preserve has been dedicated as Ohio's 145th state nature preserve. The preserve will protect two plant communities rarely seen worldwide: sand barren and limestone glade. Within these plant communities, visitors can see rare species of hairy pinweed, Canada frostweeds, and 100-year-old Chinquapin oak trees. This newest preserve is located at State Nature Preserve 7700 Schadel Road, Whitehouse, OH. •Monday: The merriest of Christmases to you! •Thursday: Trap and Skeet Practice, open to the public. 4 p.m. UCOA, 6943 Marion Township 243, Findlay. •Jan. 7: Trap Shoot, 1 p.m. Mount Blanchard Gun Club, 21655 Delaware Township 186. •Jan. 14: 50-Bird Trap Shoot, Fostoria United Sportsmen, 1324 N. US-23 Fostoria. Practice traps open at 11 a.m., program at noon. Contact Danny Bryant: 567-278-1956. Abrams is a retired wildlife officer supervisor for the state Division of Wildlife in Findlay. He can be reached at P.O. Box 413, Mount Blanchard, OH 45867-0413 or via email at jimsfieldnotes@aol.com