Patoka Sportsman 3-12-22
Patoka Sportsman 3-12 & 3-13-22
The Indiana National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP®) State Tournament will be held this Saturday, March 12, at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis.This marks the 16th annual tournament held by the program since its inception in January 2005. The Elements Blue Ribbon and Champions pavilions at the fairgrounds will host the NASP® Bullseye and NASP®/IBO 3D tournaments. Schools across the state that have NASP® as a part of their curriculum were eligible to compete in qualifiers that were held from Jan. 1 through Feb. 6. Nearly 2,300 students qualified and were invited to compete in the NASP® Bullseye Tournament. The NASP®/IBO 3D Tournament will host more than 645 students. At this year’s Indiana NASP® State Tournament, more than $40,000 in continuing education and military scholarships to over 80 competing graduating high school archers will be awarded. These scholarship funds were raised from the tournament sponsors and a matching grant from National NASP®. Indiana NASP® is provided for schools across the state through the DNR Division of Law Enforcement. The program started in the state in 2002 with 10 pilot schools and now has more than 600 schools trained to deliver the program to Indiana students. More than 70,000 Indiana students have benefitted. The national organization’s slogan is NASP® “Changes Lives … One Arrow at A Time”.
There will be a 3-D Broken Arrow Archery shoot Sunday March 13 at Beaver Lake CR 325 E Jasper IN. Sign-in will be from sunrise till noon. A practice range will be available, and concessions will available. The entry fee is $10 for all adults, $8 for children age 11-17, and free for the cub class (10 and younger) and active military members. There will also be a new class for the kids in the archery programs at school. The fee for that class is $5. They will shoot from 8-12 yard stake (white stake). They will have to bring their bows from school. Come out and enjoy the shoot for a chance to win a free shoot. Every month we will be giving away a free shoot to a shooter from the month before. If anyone is wanting to join the club they can come to a shoot and sign up. For more information call cliff fleck at (812)630-0454 or karla brames at 812-827-3756.
Indiana DNR is accepting applications for reserved spring turkey hunts through March 14. Hunters can apply online at on.IN.gov/reservedhunt by clicking "Apply for a reserved hunt" and entering their Customer ID. The online method is the only way to apply. Late entries will not be accepted. The application process is consolidated into the online services website, on.IN.gov/INHuntFish, along with licenses, CheckIN Game, and HIP registration. You do not need to have an online account to apply, so there is no need to log in.
During the spring 2021 turkey season, hunters harvested 12,320 wild turkeys throughout 91 of Indiana’s 92 counties. This was a 15% decrease from the 2020 harvest but was close to the average harvest (12,065 birds) between 2015 and 2019. The Indiana Spring Turkey Harvest Data shows the top county was Dearborn, with a total of 355 birds. During the youth-only weekend, hunters took 1,198 birds (9% of the harvest). Most birds last year were taken in the early morning hours, during the early part of the season. The estimated number of hunters afield was 65,254 with an estimated success rate of 19%.
The 2022 spring turkey season runs April 27 - May 15, with the youth-only season April 23-24. Predictions for this season call for between 12,000 and 13,000 birds to be harvested including an increase in the number of juvenile (jakes) taken due to high summer brood success (survival of poults/young turkeys).
.410 and 28-gauge shotguns are now legal for turkey hunting in addition to already legal 10, 12, 16 and 20 gauge shotguns. Tungsten Super Shot #9 and #10 are also now legal for wild turkey hunting. Youth season is April 23 & 24.The regular season opens on April 27 through May 15.
This season’s resident Spring Turkey License fee is $32 plus the annual gamebird stamp ($11) for a total of $43. The Resident Youth Consolidated Hunt/Trap license fee is $12 (no stamp required). This license is also available to nonresident youth who have a parent, grandparent, or legal guardian who is an Indiana resident. See the nonresident fees and other seasonal fees.
Remember, your 2021-22 hunting and fishing licenses expire March 31. Purchase your annual hunting and fishing licenses for 2022-23 now.
The annual Becoming an Outdoors Woman workshop is April 29 to May 1 at Ross Camp in West Lafayette. The workshop is open to women ages 18 and older and limited to 85 participants. The program is designed for women to learn outdoor skills in a relaxed, low-pressure environment. Participants will choose four activities from more than two dozen offerings, including fishing, archery, geocaching, wilderness survival, natural gardening, wild edibles, wildlife tracking, shooting firearms, and outdoor cooking. The workshop is for women who have never tried these activities, but have hoped for an opportunity to learn; who have tried them but are beginners hoping to improve; or who know how to do some of the activities, but would like to try new ones. Women who enjoy the camaraderie of like-minded individuals and who seek time away to reconnect with nature are also prime candidates for BOW. Registration is now open and runs until there are 85 registrants, can be done online at Indianabow.com. The cost for the workshop is $250 and includes all equipment, meals, and lodging.
Another Hunter Ed class is coming up March 27 from 6-9:30 PM and Saturday March 28 form 8 Am to 4:30 PM at the Faith Baptist Church on East Main St. in Loogootee. For more information contact the church or Indiana Conservation Officer Tony Mann. Cornerstone Methodist Church on State Road 70 in Christney is having an Indiana Hunter Ed class on Saturday April 4 from 7 AM to 5:30 PM. Contact Perry Frey for more information on the Christney class. Indiana Hunter Education Courses will provide instruction in the areas of safe firearm use and handling while hunting, as well as in the home, hunter ethics and responsibility, game identification, and conservation management. Anyone born after December 31, 1986 is required to be certified in Hunter Education before they can purchase a hunting license. To sign up for any of these classes or the online class go to pass it on Indiana dot com. The online course costs $19.95. You must be at least 12 years old and a resident of Indiana to take this online course.
Falls of the Ohio State Park is hosting a Raptor Day on March 19 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and an eagle watch on March 20 from 2 to 4 p.m. The Raptor Day will include two programs from the Dwight Chamberlain Raptor Center at Hardy Lake, Raptors of the Day at 11 a.m., and Predators of the Night at 2 p.m. Other activities include looking at feathers under a microscope, matching nests with the birds that make them, matching birds with their preferred food, building an osprey nest with one hand, bird watching from the Interpretive Center’s deck, a birding hike, and coloring pages children can take home. First edition books by John James Audubon, Alexander Wilson and others will be on display. This event requires admission to the Interpretive Center, which is $9 for those 12 and older, $7 for ages 5 to 11, and those 4 and younger free. A state parks annual pass covers the $2 parking fee but not admission. The park’s eagle watch will be at the George Rogers Clark home site. Bald eagles nest on Shippingport Island in the Ohio River, and osprey nest by McAlpine locks. Spotting scopes and birding experts will help visitors find the birds. This event is free.
The DNR wants you to give feedback and help improve Indiana’s fisheries? They would like to hear about your 2021-2022 fishing experiences via a new electronic angler survey. Anglers with a current email address within DNR’s electronic license system will receive an email containing a personalized link to the survey the week of April 11. The survey is your chance to provide input on Indiana’s fisheries management statewide and around where you live and fish. Survey responses will help DNR gather information about Indiana anglers and their opinions on fisheries management. This information will provide valuable feedback in developing programs to better serve you. Make sure to add or update your email address to receive a link to the survey. The survey link you receive is a unique link that cannot be used for multiple surveys. DNR asks that you do not share this link with others, as it allows only one survey completion. If you do not receive an email with your licensed angler survey by April 15, email [email protected] to receive your unique survey link.
To increase the speed with which hunters and biologists can access deer management data, Indiana's County Deer Statistics can now be found online. This supplements the former process of downloading the annual White-tailed Deer Report and the County Deer Data sheets. These tables and charts will now be updated annually, near the end of March, allowing hunters and biologists to access statistics on deer harvest and mortality without waiting for the annual report. The data include the harvest records, deer vehicle collisions, significant disease events, and deer damage permit reports. DNR biologists use these data for establishing county bonus antlerless quotas and other deer management activities.
The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Good time Great Cause Three River’s Banquet will be held Saturday, march 26 at the Moose Lodge 904 S. 17th St. in Vincennes. For tickets contact Rob Ruth @ 740-572-0004 or email [email protected]. You can also call Marcus Culp at 812-890-8010.