Patoka Sportsman 2-8-20
Patoka Sportsman 2-8 & 2-9-20
Patoka Lake Bowhunters will host a 30 Target 3-D Archery Shoot on Sunday February 16th at Patoka Lake Archery Range near Wickcliffe. Participants should use the Main Entrance at Patoka Lake off State Road 164. Registration is from Daylight - Noon. Shooting fees are $10.00 for nonmembers, and $5.00 for youth (age 11-17), Cubs 10 and under along with Active Military will shoot for for free. For more information call 812-309-9373.
Holland Kiwanis Club 13th Annual Gun & Knife Show will occur February 15 & 16 at the Huntingburg Event Center.
The 66th Annual Indianapolis Boat Sport & Travel Show is Feb. 14-23 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. The Deer Turkey & Waterfowl show runs February 20-23. You can buy tickets at www.indianadeerandturkeyexpo.com. The 44th Annual NWTF Banquet is Feb. 12-16 at Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center. Online reservations end on February 5. Only a limited number of tickets will be available on site and events are likely to sell out. The link to purchase tickets is https://your.nwtf.org/sportshow/.
Patoka Valley Friends of the NRA will hold their 2020 annual friends of the NRA banquet on Saturday, Feb. 22 at Venue 1408 in Huntingburg. Doors open at 5. Dinner is at 7. There will be door prizes, a live and silent auction and special drawings. Tickets are in exchange for a donation of $35 each or are included with the big Shooters Bonus Pack for a $100 donation. This includes one dinner ticket and $100 bonus draw tickets. You can save $35 if you purchase before Feb. 17. Tickets are available at Dave’s Guns in Holland, Great Outdoors and Jeff’s Bait & Guns in Jasper. All net proceeds benefit youth education, range development, conservation efforts plus many other qualified educational programs.
White River Longbeards Hunting Heritage Banquet will be held Saturday, Feb. 22 at the Montgomery Ruritan Community Building. Doors open at 4:30. Dinner is at 6:30. Register online at events.nwtf.org/141430-2020. Early bird registration expires on Feb. 16. For more information contact Mike Chestnut at 812-698-0077 or email [email protected].
Applications may be submitted now through Feb. 19, 2020 for Spring Turkey reserved hunts. Local Participating properties are Atterbury Fish & Wildlife Area, Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge, Glendale Fish & Wildlife Area, Goose Pond Fish & Wildlife Area, Hovey Lake Fish & Wildlife Area, Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge and Sugar Ridge Fish & Wildlife Area. Applicants must possess a valid hunting license for the species they wish to hunt. The application process is now consolidated into the online services website along with Licenses, Check-In game, and HIP registration. An online account is not required to apply, so there is no need to log in. Please note that in this new system, hunts without fees to register will follow the same process as those with a fee. For hunts with no fee to register, you still will be asked to Add to Cart, Proceed to Checkout, and Place Order. If the transaction total is $0, you will not be asked to enter credit card info.
Pick up your hard copy of the 2020-2021 Indiana Fishing Regulation Guide this month from one of the DNR properties or retailers. The guide is now available online. Highlights of the new guide include: 2020 free fishing days, 2019 Fish of the Year winners, State Record Fish, crappie fishing locations and tips, and information about Indiana’s striped bass management program. This year's four free fishing days are May 3, June 6-7, and Sept. 26. Indiana residents do not need a fishing license or a trout stamp to fish in public waters on these days.
Indiana DNR’s Fish of the Year Program awards anglers who have submitted the largest fish from Hoosier waters of each species. Winners receive a certificate, patch, and bragging rights for the entire year.
If your fish is a potential state record, follow the instructions on our website to submit a state record. Current state record fish, Fish of the Year winners, and instructions for submitting Fish of the Year entries are also available. Yellow, white, striped, and hybrid striped bass are members of the true bass family (Moronidae) and can be found throughout Indiana. Yellow and white bass are both native to the state and often coexist. White bass were stocked in many of our reservoirs during the 1970s and 1980s to create more fishing opportunities.
Today, their populations are maintained by natural reproduction. Striped and hybrid striped bass do not reproduce naturally in Indiana. Therefore, their populations are maintained only through stockings. Striped and hybrid striped bass grow much larger than yellow and white bass.
Yellow bass have never been stocked by the DNR. In fact, yellow bass can be problematic when introduced into water bodies with high nutrient levels because of population increases that can negatively affect other sport fish. White bass and yellow bass are often confused by anglers. Yellow bass are yellow in color with more distinctive striping and a second anal spine that is equal in length to the third (see above). By comparison, white bass have fainter stripes, a deeper body, and their second anal spine is ¾ the length of the third.
The 2020-2021 hunting seasons are now posted. Dates for migratory bird and waterfowl seasons will become available in the summer. Those seasons are set by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in cooperation with the DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife. Your 2019 hunting and fishing licenses are valid through March 31, 2020.
Indiana DNR is excited to partner with Purdue Forestry and Natural Resources on the Integrated Deer Management Project. The project will combine deer population and habitat condition information with public perceptions of deer and deer management to better inform white-tailed deer management in Indiana. To accomplish this, the project will undertake a series of research studies split into three broad categories: deer, habitat, and people. You can stay tuned to updates by following @researchINdeer on Twitter. Learn more about white-tailed deer at deer.dnr.IN.gov.
Canada geese begin scouting for nesting areas in February and this is when goose management techniques should begin. Canada geese prefer to nest near water bodies that are surrounded by short, mowed grass and have a clear line of sight to look for potential predators.
Fortunately, implementing harassment techniques, installing fencing or other barriers, and the avoidance of feeding geese can prevent unwanted nesting on your property. For more information on these practices and how to do them, visit our website. A permit is not required to harass geese if they are not physically harmed. If necessary, nests without eggs or birds can be removed at any time without a permit.
The Natural Resources Commission (NRC) gave preliminary adoption to a number of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Permit-related rule proposals on Jan. 21. Proposed changes include allowing air bows and air rifles that meet certain specifications during the deer firearms season and adding ruffed grouse, cisco, and western sand darter to the list of endangered species. For a complete list with rationales, visit our website.
Public hearings have not been scheduled yet, but comments can now be submitted online. Scroll down to the rule making docket and click on “comment on this rule” next to the FW Biennial Fisheries Amendments or the FW Biennial Wildlife Amendments, whichever is applicable for your comment. Comments can also be mailed to: Natural Resources Commission; Indiana Government Center North; 100 North Senate Ave., Room N501-A; Indianapolis, IN 46204. The NRC will review the public comments before voting on final adoption of the changes later in 2020. Rule changes that are given final adoption must still be approved by the Attorney General’s Office and Governor’s Office and filed with the Indiana Register before taking effect.
Indiana’s salamanders occupy a diverse array of habitats and despite their secretive nature, can be found any month of the year under the right conditions. For DNR herpetologists, salamanders serve as “bookends” to the field season, often starting with the early season surveys for streamside salamanders (Ambystoma barbouri), a species of special concern, and concluding with surveys for state endangered green salamanders (Aneides aeneus). Surveys for these two species require different techniques that both involve searching around rock.
Streamside salamanders live underground, but migrate to streams to deposit their eggs on the underside of submerged rocks and other material (pictured above). Green salamanders are typically found hiding within rock outcrops, tucked into the cracks and fissures they use as shelter. Both species were found at several new locations during 2019 surveys. Monitoring efforts are supported by Indiana’s Nongame Wildlife Fund. Consider donating to help rare salamander species continue to persist in Indiana.