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Farmers, hunters and wildlife officials met to discuss wildlife management, ATV issues and the 2007 Farm Bill during the 9th annual Farm Bureau Sportsmen Leaders Forum.

"Hunting and fishing is a big business in Ohio," Steve Gray, chief of the Ohio Division of Wildlife, said of the $1 billion industry. When you include all wildlife recreation, that figure increases to $3 billion, he said.

The Division of Wildlife expects hunters to take 200,000 to 225,000 deer this season. However, farmers who have had their crops decimated by deer expressed concern that not enough is being done to control the animal's population.

Dave Risley, wildlife management administrator for the Division of Wildlife, said the agency wants to work with farmers to allow them to kill deer that feed on their crops.

"We are never going to throw up a road block for a farmer trying to solve a legitimate problem," he said.

Risley said the state's Canada geese population is at 100,000, well above the target level of 60,000. He said controlling urban geese is the biggest challenge because they are beyond the reach of hunters and predators.

Also a threat to cropland is the use of ATVs in prohibited areas.

"If people are spending $6,000 to $7,000 on these machines, they want a place to ride -- legal or not," said Tom Donnelly, Division of Wildlife law enforcement supervisor. He described wildlife officers as a "thin green line" trying to address a widespread problem.

He said some properties contain abandoned roads that are still dedicated county or township roads. If they are dedicated roads, he said, it is legal for ATV riders to travel on them.

Regarding potential cuts in the 2007 Farm Bill, Keith Stimpert, OFBF vice president of government affairs, said legislators will likely spare health and welfare programs in light of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

"(Agriculture is) clearly in everyone's site, despite the fact that we're barely on the radar screen as far as federal expenditures go," Stimpert said.

The Division of Wildlife plans to form a coalition of agriculture and wildlife groups to address the conservation title in the Farm Bill.

"There's going to be some conflicting ideas on where we want the conservation title to go, but I'm sure we're going to reach a consensus on a lot of things," said Luke Miller, who is heading up the coalition for the division.

Stimpert emphasized the importance of the meeting, saying that he expects wildlife issues to have more of an impact on farmers in the future.

"I think we're all looking for a state where we're working together to build a better environment for hunters and a better environment for farmers," he said.

Caption: Division of Wildlife Chief Steve Gray gives OFBF Vice President of Government Affairs a few tips during an archery demonstration.