ion march '13

STRAIGHT SHOOTERPAGE 8

HOG HEAVENPAGE 12

THE SPRING SPAWNPAGE 2

FISHING REPORTPAGE 6

GONE AFIELDPAGE 7

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INDIANA NON-TYPICAL WHITETAIL FALLS JUSTSHORT OF B&C HUNTER-TAKEN WORLD RECORD

COMPLIMENTS OF:

Indiana’s Choice for Outdoor News & Information • Since 1994Indiana’s Choice for Outdoor News & Information • Since 1994

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Inside:

VOL. 2013 • NO. 3 MARCH, 2013

POSTMASTER: Please deliver by March 8

ION Staff Report --

Trusted outdoor news source,www.outdoorhub.com reported latelast month that the Boone andCrockett Club (B&C) had receiveda score sheet for a massive bucktaken in Indiana last November.Speculation at the time of thereport was that the hunter-takenbuck would score nearly 310 on theB&C scale and displace the currentofficial record -- a massive buckscoring 307-5/8, taken by TonyLovstuen in Iowa back in 2003.Boone and Crockett also acceptsrecords that are “found,” animalsthat have died naturally and thensubmitted for review by the club.The largest non-typical whitetailbuck is a 333-7/8-scoring animalfound in Missouri over 30 yearsago.

While not yet authorized torelease details, Boone and Crockettofficials confirmed to IndianaOutdoor News staff on February 20that the so-called Beck Buck willnot top the Lovstuen Buck, but willcome in, instead, as the new num-ber two hunter-taken non-typicalwhitetail of all time.

Sources at B&C told IndianaOutdoor News that initial B&C

SPRING TURKEY SEASON

Indiana’s spring turkey sea-son is right around the cornerand runs April 24 through May12. The bag limit is one beardedor male turkey. Indiana residentsneed a resident turkey huntinglicense and a valid game birdhabitat stamp privilege. Thosethat have a lifetime comprehen-sive hunting, lifetime compre-hensive hunting and fishing, oryouth hunt/trap license can huntturkey and do not need to pur-chase the game bird habitatstamp because it is included withthose license types.

YOUTH SEASONThis year’s special youth

season is April 20 and 21.Licensed hunters 17 and youngermay use any legal shotgun, bowand arrow, or crossbow to takeone bearded or male turkey dur-ing the special season. Theaccompanying adult must be atleast 18 years of age, must notpossess a firearm, bow andarrow, or crossbow, and mustpossess a turkey hunting licenseand game bird habitat stamp ifparticipating in the hunt (i.e.calling turkeys.

HUNTERS SET RECORD DEER HARVEST IN 2012 SEASON

DNR Report --

Hunters took advantage ofnew equipment regulations andextra hunting dates to harvest arecord 136,248 deer during the2012 season, according to data theDNR gathered from designatedcheck stations and from a recentlyimplemented online and phonereporting system.

The total harvest represented a6 percent increase over the 2011season’s harvest and topped theprevious record of 134,004 deer setin 2010.

“We started down the path tostrategically reduce the deer herd inorder to balance the ecological,recreational, and economic needsof all Indiana citizens,” said MitchMarcus, wildlife chief for the DNRDivision of Fish & Wildlife. “Tomeet that strategy, we initiated sev-eral regulation changes to make iteasier to take antlerless deer. Itappears the regulations may beworking.”

Key regulation changes imple-mented in 2012 included makingcrossbows legal equipment for alllicensed hunters during archeryseason; adding a special late antler-less season in designated countiesfrom Dec. 26 to Jan. 6; extendingthe urban zone season to run con-tinuously from Sept. 15 to the endof January; and allowing youth

Photo courtesy of the Boone & Crockett Club. www.boone-crockett.org

Joyce Johnson of Middletown bought her Mossberg 500 Super Bantam 20gauge in March, practiced, then took her first deer in northern Indiana atMidwest Woodlots in November. Photo provided.

typical whitetail taken in the lastdecade and the second largest inhunter taken in history is that itonly has 10 4/8 of deductions leftto right,” said the B&C official.

The Boone and Crockett clubwas founded in 1887 by America’sgreat outdoorsman, TheodoreRoosevelt. The organization worksto preserve the nation’s outdoorsand wildlife to ensure a future forhunters, and is known as the NorthAmerican authority on gamerecords. For more information, goto www.boone-crockett.org or findthem on Facebook.

hunters in the two-day youth sea-son to take whatever the bonusantlerless quota was in the countywhere they hunted. Archery seasonalso increased by seven days withelimination of the traditional one-week break between early and latesegments.

Crossbow hunters took 8,452deer, or 6 percent of the overalltotal. That was an increase from1,091 deer, or 1 percent, reported in2011 when crossbows could beused in early archery season onlyby persons with a disabilities per-mit or by any licensed hunter inlate archery season.

Hunters using archery equip-ment tagged more deer in 2012(27,580) than they did in 2011(26,715) or 2010 (27,186).

Youth hunters bagged 3,587deer, up 55 percent from 2011, andthe new special late antlerless sea-son accounted for 10,091 deer.

It also was the first year of alicense bundle, which allowed thebuyer to hunt in all segments ofdeer season—except in urbanzones—for a total of one antleredand two antlerless deer. More than56,600 license bundles were pur-chased in 2012, second only to theresident firearm license.

“In previous years, five or sixat the most, resident license holders

scoring put the deer at 308-5/8, butthe final official scoring came in at305-7/8. “Three tines originallyscored as normal were deemedabnormal. On this particular head ittook away 2/8 in deductions butwhen the H4 circumference meas-urements were taken with the cor-rect classification the circumfer-ences dropped a few inches result-ing in a lower net score than theoriginal posted 308-5/8. The finaltally on this deer is 222-4/8 grosstypical frame, 93-7/8 in abnormals,and the reason that this buck’s finalscore ranks it as the largest non

Continued on 4

NWTF Photo

INDIANA OUTDOOR NEWS ® 2013© March, 2013

JOSHLANTZ

Springtime offers some of thebest fishing of the year. Why?Because metabolism increases aswater temperatures rise. Put sim-ply, this means everything in thefood chain is becoming moreactive, and gamefish are willing toexpend more energy to chase downa meal - good things for anglers.Most fish also move out of relative-ly deep wintering areas and intoshallow areas to spawn makingthem more concentrated and moreaccessible. Finally, these warm,shallow spawning areas literally fillup with forage as more fish spawnand fry begin to hatch.

Most of the gamefish I chaseare more susceptible to angling inand around the spawning period.Whether you choose to fish foractively spawning fish or not,understanding how, when andwhere your target species spawnwill help you to catch more duringthe pre-spawn, spawn and post-spawn periods.

Northern PikeNorthern pike are among the

first to spawn in the spring - occa-sionally laying their eggs beneaththe ice. Pike prefer to spawn inshallow backwaters, floodedmarshes, bays and river mouthswhen water temperatures arebetween 38 and 52 degrees. Pikeare broadcast spawners, and amature, ripe female may deposit upto a half-million eggs at randomover the course of a few days. Anaccompanying male fertilizes theeggs as they are laid. The fertilizedeggs stick to vegetation and hatch5-16 days later, depending on watertemperatures. Pike are perhaps themost aggressive fish we find in theMidwest and are no different whilespawning. They can be sight fishedthroughout the spawn and willeagerly hit most spinners, spoons,jigs and streamers.

SteelheadGreat Lakes steelhead enter

their natal streams throughout theyear. Summer-run steelhead likeIndiana's Skamania strain mayreturn as early as June, while win-ter-run fish like Ganaraska (WI)and Little Manistee (MI) strainsmay not return until February orMarch. All steelhead strainsattempt to spawn when stream tem-peratures reach about 41 degrees.Hens will construct a nest, or redd,over shallow gravel by turning ontheir sides and digging out a shal-low depression in which to lay theireggs. Several males may accompa-ny a gravid female and aggressive-ly chase and fight with one anotherfor the right to spawn with her.This is a sight fishing proposition.Aggressive males will typicallychase down and strike spinners,jerkbaits and streamer flies.

MuskieMuskies usually begin spawn-

ing when water temperatures reachabout 50 degrees, although I havewitnessed spawning activity inwater as cold as 46 degrees and aswarm as 60 degrees. Most of thespawning activity where I fish inNorthern Indiana takes place dur-ing mid-to-late April. LikeNorthern pike, muskies don'tspawn in a nest. They get the jobdone by swimming side-by-sideand can often be coaxed into strik-ing a well-placed jig or fly.Biologists claim that the big,female muskies usually spawntwice. Most mature muskiesremain on the shallow spawningflats until water temperatures hit58-60 degrees, at which time theymay move onto adjacent primaryweed edges, breaks and points.

Smallmouth BassSmallmouth bass usually

spawn over sun-bathed gravel areasin 3 to 8 feet of water, although Ihave seen bigger fish spawning inas much as 25 feet of water in LakeMichigan and Lake Erie. 55degrees seems to be the magic tem-perature when smallies begin tomove up from adjacent, deeperflats and start to build nests. Pre-spawn fishing for smallmouth basscan be dynamite, because smalliestend to concentrate in predictable

areas prior to moving up to thespawning flats. Look for schoolsof bass down the break from knownspawning areas. Just keep movingdeeper until you find them.Smallmouth bass prefer spawningflats that have direct access to thesun's warming rays. They alsohave an uncanny affinity for nearbysolid objects such as stumps, boul-ders, seawalls and cut banks. Inmy observation, smallies like tospawn with something up againsttheir backs. Most active spawningtakes place when water tempera-tures are between the upper 50'sand 70 degrees. In my experience,most active spawning activity takesplace during the first full moonafter water temperatures stabilizeabove 60 degrees. On our GreatLakes fisheries, the smallmouthspawning cycle might last as longas three full months. Smallmouthare reluctant to bite while activelybedding, but will pick up a jig orsoft plastic to remove it from thebed. Studies on the Great Lakeshave shown that smallmouth nestsare subject to significant predationfrom the invasive round goby whilespawning fish are being caught andbeing released.

Largemouth BassMale largemouth bass begin to

bed once water temperatures stabi-lize above 60 degrees, and most ofthe active spawning takes placebetween 65 and 75 degrees.Depending on latitude, this hap-pens anytime from March throughMay here in the Midwest. A large-mouth's spawning bed is typicallyaround 6-inches deep and 2-feet indiameter on a hard-packed sand,gravel or clay bottom. Bass willspawn over marl if it is the onlything available. Primary beddingsites may be in as little as a foot toas much as ten feet of water inareas where springtime sun anglesheat up the waters first. Unlikemany other sunfish that constructtheir beds in interlocking complex-es, largemouth prefer isolated bed-ding locations where feasible, andwill also tend to bed in areas thatare protected from excessive waveaction and the prevailing winds.The male or buck largemouth is themost-active spawning participant.He selects the nest site, builds it,

Understand the spring spawn for better fishing

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attracts the ripe female, fertilizeseggs as she drops them, protects thespawning nest from predators andprotects the brood of fry after theyhatch - usually 2-5 days after theeggs are fertilized. He may stay toguard the developing brood for 7 to10 days before his hunger gets thebetter of him and he abandons theyoungsters to feed. Ironically, hemay eat several of his own broodwhile “guarding” them from preda-tors. Buck bass guarding theirbroods are typically easy to catchand are often suckers for soft plas-tic jerkbaits.

Understanding when, whereand how your target species spawnswill provide you with better, moreeffective options for catching fishthroughout the pre-spawn, spawnand post-spawn periods. Whensearching for spawning areas,remember that different parts of thelake heat up earlier than others, sospawning can take place at varyingtimes on different parts of the samebody of water. Generally, the shal-low portions of the north end ofany lake will be the first to heat upin the spring - often before the iceeven goes out.

Smallmouth bass tend to spawn once water temperatures stabilize above60 degrees or so. This fat, pre-spawn female was caught on the SaintJoseph River in Mishawaka on April 1 last year. Photo by author.

March, 2013 INDIANA OUTDOOR NEWS ® 2013©


DNR OFFERS GUIDELINES ON DEALINGWITH NUISANCE CANADA GEESE

MICRO TAG RETURN DATA REVEALS CHINOOK SURPRISES

FIREARMS OWNERS, INDUSTRY NOT THE “BAD GUYS”SANETTI TELLS PBS

DNR Report -- If Canada geese have become a

problem on your property, informa-tion is available through the IndianaDepartment of Natural Resourceswebsite.

Most goose problems occurfrom March through June, duringthe nesting season, when geese areespecially aggressive, sometimesattacking and nipping at people.

Geese can also cause a greatdeal of localized damage if manyyoung are hatched in one area. After hatching, goslings are incapable offlight for about 70 days, so the young birds and their parents will grazenear the hatching area for that time. Damage to landscaping can be signif-icant and expensive to repair or replace, while large amounts of excrementcan render areas unfit for human use.

Information on actions property owners can take to manage Canadageese is available at dnr.IN.gov/dnr/fishwild/2996.htm.

Solutions range from habitat modification, to daily goose harassmentthrough noisemaking devices, to supporting goose hunting or obtaining aDNR trapping permit. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service also allowslandowners who are properly registered to destroy resident Canada gooseeggs and nests on their property.

More information on registering for federal permission to destroyeggs and nests is at https://epermits.fws.gov/ercgr/gesi.aspx. It’s againstfederal law for anyone to destroy a Canada goose nest that contains one ormore eggs without first securing permission through the U.S. Fish &Wildlife Service.

DNR Report -- Microscopic tags are helping

Indiana biologists learn moreabout Chinook salmon movementand life history patterns in LakeMichigan and its tributaries.

Under direction of the feder-ally funded Great Lakes MassMarking Program started in 2011,every Chinook salmon stocked inthe Great Lakes over a five-yearperiod will have a coded, stain-less steel wire tag (CWT) identi-fying the stocking agency, dateand location. The tags are placedin the snouts of the fish. Fish witha CWT can be recognized bytheir clipped missing adipose fin.The project will help biologistsevaluate survival and growthrates of stocked fish, track move-ment patterns, and provide a bet-ter estimate of natural reproduc-tion of Lake Michigan’s top pred-ator.

Indiana DNR biologists col-lected 105 CWT fish caught byanglers during April and May of2012. Only 4 percent of those fishwere stocked by Indiana; mostfish were stocked by Wisconsin

NEWTOWN, CT --In an extended interview with

the PBS Frontline program, SteveSanetti, president and CEO of theNational Shooting SportsFoundation (NSSF), emphaticallysays that the nation's firearms own-ers and firearms industry are notresponsible for the criminal misuseof firearms and, consequently,should not be subjected to thesevere restrictions being consid-ered by Congress and many statelegislatures. "[Firearms owners]are not the bad guys. The industryisn't the bad guys," said Sanetti inthe interview. "Insofar as we canhelp the situation we want to beable to help. But that doesn't meanpiling meaningless restrictions andonerous conditions upon peoplewho want to exercise their rightsand just enjoy what they do peace-fully."

PBS has devoted unprecedent-ed airtime this week across all of itsnews programming platforms tocoverage of violence in Americansociety. NSSF agreed to do theinterview in order to provide thefirearms industry's perspective oncontentious gun and legislativeissues.

NSSF is the trade associationfor the firearms, ammunition, hunt-ing and shooting sports industryand has more than 8,000 members.NSSF is headquartered inNewtown, CT.

The following quotes bySanetti are taken from the wide-ranging interview:

On restricting magazine capaci-ty:

"Millions and millions of law-abiding Americans use semiauto-matic firearms with detachablemagazines of varying capacities,and millions and millions of themevery day don't do a thing wrong.And so we feel that it's not the cor-rect approach and do not supportmagazine limitation."

On selling guns and providingsafety literature:

". . . people look at a tradeassociation like ours and assumethat the only thing we're interestedin is selling guns. Not true. Wewant our products to be used safelyand responsibly. Because let's faceit, we're the ones who get blamed ifproducts are used unsafely or irre-sponsibly."

On Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) saying AR-style rifles aredesigned to kill people:

"With all due respect he couldnot be more wrong . . . . You havemillions and millions . . . ofAmericans who pass a backgroundcheck, who buy these guns andhave millions and millions of mag-azines . . . . [Yet] the crime rate hasbeen going down. If you tell thesepeople . . . who use these guns forlegitimate purposes . . . 'You'renothing but a murderer, becausethat's the only reason why anyonewould own guns is to kill people.'How are you going to get thesepeople to cooperate [on solutions toviolence]?"

On violence and guns: "Let's take Connecticut. In

Connecticut there are exactly twohomicides committed with a rifleof any kind in the last seven years.There were 40 deaths annuallyfrom knives, 320 deaths annuallyfrom clubs and 20 deaths annuallyfrom hands and feet. So it's not justfirearms.Yes, firearms can be mis-used, but other things can be mis-used too. So the focus I thinkshould be on violence."

Who or what is to blame for whathappened in Newtown?

"I think primarily the firearmsowner in this instance was notexercising that degree of personalresponsibility . . . she should havedone. She knew she had an at-riskindividual in her home . . . . Sheknew he needed help. She knew hewas mentally troubled. She hadfirearms in the house that she pur-chased legally. She had gonethrough all the background check

(53 percent) and Michigan (30 per-cent), with the remaining 12 per-cent of fish coming from Illinois.Surprisingly, five of the taggedChinook came from Lake Huron.Fish stocked in May 2010 andcaught in spring 2012 averaged 27inches and 7 pounds. Fish stockedin May 2011 averaged 16 inchesand 1.5 pounds.

Indiana biologists also collect-ed 61 tagged Chinooks during sam-pling of Trail Creek in October

2012. The 2011-stocked fishaveraged 22 inches and 3.7pounds.

“We expected that everyChinook returning to Trail Creekwould be a fish stocked byIndiana DNR,” said BrianBreidert, Indiana’s LakeMichigan fisheries biologist.“Surprisingly, that was not thecase.”

Preliminary analysis shows71 percent of the tagged fish werestocked by Indiana, 16 percent byMichigan, 8 percent by Illinois,and 5 percent by Wisconsin.

As the Mass MarkingProgram continues, DNR biolo-gists should learn a great dealmore about where Indiana’s fishare caught, which tributaries theyreturn to, and how well fish fromdifferent age classes and stockingsites survive.

Eventually, all trout andsalmon stocked in Lake Michiganwill be tagged under the guidanceof the Mass Marking Program, tofurther enhance restoration andmanagement efforts in LakeMichigan.

Every Chinook salmon stocked inLake Michigan from 2011 - 2015will contain a coded wire tag (CWT)containing information on the fish’sorigin and stocking date. Thesefish can be identified by their miss-ing adipose fin.

required in Connecticut, the gunswere registered to her, nothing wasdone improperly or illegally. Butwhere I think she really caused thisincident was by not adequatelystoring these guns securely awayfrom her son who she knew to havethese problems. Had she done thatthis incident would not haveoccurred and you wouldn't see thisbig cry over, let's have more guncontrol."

On hasty lawmaking:". . . people react emotionally.

And I think people make bad deci-sions when they are angry, whenthey are fearful and when they actin haste. And I think that this situa-tion had the making of all three."

On restrictions on, and increasedsales of, firearms:

"We want people to ownfirearms for the right reasonsbecause they understand, respectthem, enjoy them, and will usethem safely, properly, and responsi-bly. So the idea of a mad rush foreverybody to buy a firearm I don'tthink is necessarily the best trend inthe world but it's a fact of lifebecause, as I say, we're Americans,and if you say we can't have some-thing, people want it."

Frontline has posted its com-plete interview with Steve Sanettiin written Q&A format. The broad-cast segments are now online aswell.

`To stay abreast of federal andstate legislation that could poten-tially restrict ownership and use ofsemiautomatic firearms and ammu-nition and also to write your legis-lators, visit the NSSF LegislativeAction Center athttp://www.nssf.org/ProtectYourRights/.

The NSSF is the trade associationfor the firearms industry. Its mis-sion is to promote, protect and pre-serve hunting and the shootingsports. For more information, logon to www.nssf.org.

USSA Report --On Tuesday, February 12th, the Humane Society of the United

States (HSUS) and other animal rights organizations filed a lawsuitagainst the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to overturn the removal ofthe Western Great Lakes region wolves from listing under theEndangered Species Act (ESA). The lawsuit was filed in the U.S.District Court in Washington D.C.

Wolves in the Western Great Lakes region, which consists ofWisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, and parts of bordering states, wereremoved from ESA protection in January of 2012 after exceeding pop-ulation recovery goals. This allowed state wildlife professionals tomanage exploding wolf populations that have become a danger to live-stock, pets, and wildlife populations.

If successful, the lawsuit would unnecessarily return wolves in theregion to federal protection under the ESA, a move that would againprohibit state wildlife agencies from managing them.

“This lawsuit undermines both the ESA and the North AmericanModel of Wildlife Conservation,” said Jeremy Rine, U.S. Sportsmen’sAlliance In-House Counsel. “Wolves in this region have far exceededthe population recovery goals established and should be managed bythe individual state wildlife agencies to ensure sustainable populationsand public safety. This is just another example of the animal rightslobby trying to abuse the ESA which was never intended to permanent-ly protect species that have recovered.”

Joining HSUS in filing the lawsuit are Born Free USA, Help OurWolves Live, and Friends of Animals and Their Environment.

HSUS SUES OVER WOLF DELISTING

AFRICAN LION CONSERVATION THREATENED

USSA Report --Last fall, the U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service announced that itis considering a petition to list theAfrican lion as “endangered” underthe Endangered Species Act (ESA)after a petition was filed by animalrights and anti-hunting organiza-tions. If listed under the ESA,African lions would be significant-ly and negatively impacted by theloss of revenue generated byAmericans.

“American hunters play thekey role in the conservation ofAfrican lions, said EvanHeusinkveld, USSAF Director ofGovernment Affairs. “A sustain-able use strategy is a model that hasworked well for many speciesacross Africa – and continues towork well today.”

Many African countries andlocal communities do not have thefinancial resources for lion conser-vation efforts. American hunters,

through sustainable use huntingprograms, provide much neededconservation dollars for lion popu-lations. These dollars are vital topreserve lion habits from agricul-tural expansion and other develop-ment and vital to prevent illegalpoaching, which are both majorthreats to African lion populations.

“This is nothing more thanyour typical anti-hunting organiza-tions pushing to have the Africanlion granted unwarranted protec-tions,” said Heusinkveld.“Hunting provides the economicincentive for local communities toprotect lion habitats, to refrainfrom retaliatory killings to protectlivestock, and to enforce lawsagainst illegal poaching. This peti-tion is simply a blanket approachthat would only serve to hurt thriv-ing lion populations.”

For updates on this matter anda list of the anti-hunting groupspushing the lion listing, go towww.ussportsmen.org.

March , 2013 INDIANA OUTDOOR NEWS ® 2013©

Bans, Boycotts and MORE B.S.

Politics in the FieldMARK C. SMITH

Continued on Page 16

So, if you read my column lastmonth, you learned that the pro-moters of the Eastern Sports andOutdoor Show (Reed Exhibitions)placed a ban on “certain products”at the Harrisburg, PA show. The“certain products” were, of course,scary looking firearms and the clipsand magazines for those guns,among others. The ban subse-quently caused a boycott of theshow by outdoor celeb's scheduledto appear there, as well as sponsors,vendors and would-be attendees. Itworked. Reed Exhibitions can-celled the show.

The real victory here is thatthere was an awesome display ofsolidarity among outdoor enthusi-asts, from top to bottom. The factthat everyone, from outdoor retailpowerhouses like Cabela's down tothe blue collar ticket holder, stoodtogether and sent a message to theshow promoter that they would notstand for anyone (especially aBritish-owned company) toinfringe our Second Amendmentrights.

The sad reality is that Reed

still doesn't get it. Following is thestatement they have posted on theirwebsite regarding the event:

It has become very clear to us afterspeaking with our customers thatthe event could not be held becausethe atmosphere of this year's showwould not be conducive to an eventthat is designed to provide familyenjoyment. It is unfortunate that inthe current emotionally chargedatmosphere this celebratory eventhas become overshadowed by adecision that directly affected asmall percentage of more than1,000 exhibits showcasing productsand services for those interested inhunting and fishing.

My initial reaction to thisstatement is; hey, the HarrisburgShow isn't a kindergarten field tripto Chuckie Cheese... and, by theway, millions of American familiesfind enjoyment daily by participat-ing in the shooting sports, some ofwhich involve the “banned” prod-ucts. Besides, prior to the looming“executive orders” put forth by ourPresident, the only two things thatReed was interested in was collect-ing rental fees from booth vendorsand gate fees from attendees.

The point that Reed is missingis glaring and obvious in their ownstatement -- the fact that hundredsof vendors and celebrities that hadabsolutely nothing to do with thebanned products were willing totake a stand. Like myself, many ofthose who boycotted the show,

don't own, operate, sell, or have theeven the faintest interest in thisstyle of firearm, however, we arenot uncomfortable around, intimi-dated by, nor in any way offendedby those who do. And, oh, by theway, all of these items are still per-fectly legal to have, to hold, to ownand to sell here in the United Statesof America. What Reed and ourown Congress are really trying todo here is stomp all over our rightsas U.S. citizens.

Also missing is any mention ofthis happening in any of the nation-al media. The only media mentionI could find regarding the boycottand subsequent cancellation of theshow was in a couple of newspa-pers and television affiliates in theHarrisburg area. While the eventssurrounding the cancellation of theshow are not as earth shattering asthe meteor strike in Russia, neitherare the hundreds of off-handed ref-erences to guns put forth by themedia on a daily basis. I wouldhope that most Americans havelearned not to believe everythingthey see on TV, however, whenconsistently bombarded withbiased, one-sided reporting, it canbe difficult to stay focused on thereal issues.

Politicians, on the other hand,feel inclined to constantly react tothe national news media and what-ever the crisis du jour happens tobe, whether any basis in fact existsor not. They are like all goodstory-tellers, if they tell the storyenough times, they even start to

believe it themselves. Politiciansare faced with a somewhat perplex-ing gut-check when it comes totopics like the current gun controlissue. You see, they are like littlekids. They feel the need to react ina manner that won't make theteacher mad, without looking like awussy in front of their friends, allthe while hoping their parents don'tfind out. Having been in this situa-tion myself growing up, I can tellyou it never ends well. The result-ing spew of rhetoric usually resultsin one of two things. Either thepolitician releases some carefullycrafted press offering that placesthem firmly on the fence (that wayno matter which way they get“caught” voting, they can act likethat is what they said they weregoing to do all along), or they erron the side of toeing the line withthe media and hope it gives themsome favorable airtime that may behelpful in their next re-election bid.Lord knows, if a politician grows apair and stands against the views ofone of the major networks, they arequickly painted as a lunatic notworthy of re-election.

Last month I challenged you tocontact every politician that repre-sents you where you live, and letthem know how you feel aboutthese issues. I am still urging youto do so. I am also urging you tocheck up on them from time to timeand see where they stand on theissues that will affect you.

Where I live, I am representedin the U.S. Senate by Joe Donnelly.

Just before writing this article, Iwent to his website and searchedfor information on his stance on thelatest gun control issues and foundthis press release from Jan. 30,2013:

I am a strong supporter of theSecond Amendment and my votingrecord shows that I have stood timeand again to protect the rights oflaw-abiding gun owners. Like allAmericans, I was shaken to my coreby the senseless murders of 20 chil-dren last month in Connecticut. Itis only reasonable for all of us toask, 'What can we do to make surethis never happens again?'

In 2007, just weeks after 32 peopleat Virginia Tech were murdered bya single gunman, Democrats andRepublicans came together toimprove the National InstantCriminal Background CheckSystem, which is used to check thebackgrounds of most prospectivegun buyers. That system still doesnot work as well as it should andshould be examined again in thecoming weeks.

Whether a gun owner or not, a city-dweller or not, a Democrat or aRepublican, everyone would agreethat we can take steps to reduceviolent crime without sacrificingthe Second Amendment rights oflaw-abiding citizens. My concernis not those who follow the law, but,


JIMBIDDLE

March

Lake MichiganEd Afentatti at Mik-Lurch

Tackle in Hammond tells me theyare taking perch out of the CalumetRiver in the Calumet Park area onthe state line with minnows. Atthe Pastrick and Hammond mari-nas, you can take a coho with aspoon or try skein on the bottom.Coho action should pick up later inthe month. Floating spawn sacsor spinners could get a steelheadout of Trail or Salt Creeks. Youcan get some bluegill action atWillow Slough.

Saint Joseph RiverDick Parker from Parker’s

Central Bait & Tackle inMishawaka says steelhead actionhas started and suggests you usein-line-spinners or drift a spawnsac behind the spawning beds.

East Central IndianaEd Gipson at Peacepipe Bait

& Tackle in Andrews says once theice is off Salamonie andMississinewa Lakes, catfish actionshould really pick up. Ed expectswalleye action to kick in big timearound mid month as well. If yougo for walleye, try a rooster tail ora night crawler.. When the waterstarts warming up, crappie andbluegill will provide some greataction.

Central IndianaDave McCalla at the Bait Barn

in Indianapolis expects crappie

on strong too, so get ready. Later inthe month Terry expects the crap-pie and silvers (white bass) to starthitting.

Sounds like the theme for thismonth is “waiting for the walleye”.Don’t ask me why, but waiting forthe walleye sounds like a good titlefor a country song. Most of mycontacts have had a pretty slowwinter with ice fishing opportu-nities at the bare minimum, sostop in and cheer them up ratherthan picking up your bait at the gas

station.As I end this report I’m

remembering an incident last fall.I was casting along the bank astwo fisherman in a boat camedrifting by casting toward thebank. I asked them, “Don’t youguys have anything better to do?”They replied, “ There ain’t nothingbetter to do.” I guess that says itall. So get that walleye sniffingdog on the bow of you boat andhead out.

Good luck and I’ll see younext month.

and perch action to come on strongaround mid month. Dave says thewalleye bite should be kicking inas well. He says a spinner is yourbest bet for the walleyes.

Southwest IndianaBarbara Shedd from the Fishin

Shedd in Bloomington expectsLake Monroe’s crappie, bluegill,catfish and walleye action to comeon strong mid-month.

Northwest IndianaPenny Boisvert at Greenwood

Bait Shop in English Lake wouldlike to remind everyone the shopwill open for the season on March1st. Penny said there has been alot of night fishing going on at thepoint in English Lake. The fel-lows are most likely trying forcrappie or walleye.

Doris Salada at Country Baitin Valparaiso tells me crappie andbluegill action is really picking upon Roger’s Lake. If we have anearly spring like last year, look foran early largemouth spawn laterthis month on the shallower, peatand marl-bottomed lakes.

West Central IndianaTerry Raines at Twin Lakes

Fish & Game in Monticello reportsthat the walleye action by theOakdale Dam is picking up every-day. Terri suggest using a deerhair jig with a minnow and bounc-ing it off the bottom. As the iceleaves, the catfish action will come

I recently read an article in anoutdoor magazine about a fellowwhose dog sniffed out antler sheds.I started thinking about the bound-less possibilities of man’s bestfriend. Just think about it. Wehave coon dogs, rabbit dogs, birddogs, hog dogs, bear dogs, narcot-ic sniffing dogs, seeing eye dogsand mountain lion dogs. The listcould be endless. Off the top ofmy head, I can think of two typesof dogs I would like to have.

First, I would love to have adog that could sniff out morelmushrooms. Wouldn’t that changethe whole pattern of mushroomhunting? Then, just to top thingsoff, I would like to have a dog thatcould sniff out various species offish. Can’t you just imagine hav-ing a walleye sniffer at the bow ofthe boat on point showing youwhere to cast?

Speaking of where to cast,let’s check out what the folks whoknow have to say about fishingprospects for the next few weeks.

Indiana’s Lake Michigan coastline is the first Great Lakes fishery to heat upeach March. Here’s a happy angler who fished with Capt. Mike Schoonveldand Brother Nature Charters last spring. Catch up with Capt. Mike athttp://www.brother-nature.blogspot.com/.


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This months answers From

Puzzle on Page 17

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Photo Information,Clockwise from left. . . 1) Brian Lambert took this super10-pointer with his bow on November1 near Mill Creek. The big buck fielddressed at 208 lbs. 2) 15-year-oldLiam McLaughlin from Crete, ILtook his very first deer last seasonwith a Lightfield Hybred EXP slug.3) 9-year-old Owen Duax, nephew ofTop Shot star, Joe Serafini, made a44-yard shot to anchor his very firstdeer. Photo submitted by proudgrandpa, Rory Serafini! 4) JoyceJohnson of Middletown took her firstbuck on November 17 last season.Way to go, Joyce! 5) ShawnSchuppert (Left) of Sellersburg andguide Trip Diagle with Shawn’s 8-1/2’alligator taken in Pierre Part, LA. 6)Matthew Duhamell of Indianapoliscaught & released this giant 54-1/2inch, 41-lb. muskie last September atLeech Lake, MN.

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Join thousands of other Indiana outdoorspeople & follow Indiana Outdoor Newson Facebook. Submit your photos & posts there, or at the best online sourcefor Indiana’s outdoor news & info, INDIANAOUTDOORNEWS.net.


Taking a break from the guncontrol histrionics for a moment,we’re going to share a few thoughtsfrom our recent trip to Las Vegasfor the annual Shooting, Huntingand Outdoor Trades (SHOT) Show.

The SHOT Show is a huge 4-day trade show attended by over60,000 folks associated with theoutdoor and shooting business.For those who are maniacal aboutfirearms, a step inside the doors ofthe Sands Convention Center dur-ing SHOT can cause a fatal connip-tion fit.

SHOT is where most newthings in the shooting and huntingbusiness are unveiled. Walkingamong the dozen miles of aislesbetween booths you will findeverything under the sun thatrelates to the field of pushing a pro-jectile out of a barrel using gun-powder.

This year’s show had a weirdvibe to the whole thing. Right onthe heels of the Newtown murdersand the pandering, emotionalresponse by certain politicians,most attendees were concerned that

The latest, greatest and most expensive…

The Straight ShooterBRENTWHEAT

their entire industry could conceiv-ably fall prey to unconstitutionaland unconscionable gun grabs bythe government.

In fact, despite unbelievablesales across the entire industry, themood could be described as down-right gloomy. Only time will tell ifour fretting is justifiable.

Throughout the show, oneword was on everyone’s lips: back-order. With unprecedenteddemand for guns, ammunition andaccessories, it wasn’t uncommon tohear manufacturers talking of six-to-twelve month backorders onmany products.

In fact, some manufactureswouldn’t even take new orders dueto the inability to meet currentdemand. The bottom line: until thecurrent craziness subsides, don’twait to buy something you reallywant. The prices aren’t comingdown anytime soon and the objectof your desire probably won’t bethere tomorrow.

The one trend that is certainlyin evidence is the shift towards“tactical-cool” guns and the “in-your-face” style of marketing. Assomeone who owns lots of geardedicated to the pursuit of badguys, I still find this edgy, aggres-sive tone towards the contempla-tive sport of hunting to be unset-tling.

It seems that, especially in theduck and predator hunting fields,everything is being tagged withtitles like “Killer,” “Massacre,”“Death-dealer” and other such

pleasant imagery. Maybe I’m justgetting old.

The whole zombie craze of lastyear was still in evidence but seemsto have hit the high-water marksometime in 2012. As one personquipped, “I guess we have realthings to worry about now.” Allthose lime-green products unveiledlast year were still on display butseemed to draw decidedly lessattention.

On a positive note, there was anoticeable increase in both firearmsand accessories for women. As theladies comprise the fastest growingsegment of the shooting world, it isgood to see more things gearedtoward them.

With everyone cautious overboth the legal and economic con-cerns, there were relatively fewnew firearms. Most were simplyadaptations on existing platforms,such as the new Glock 30S, afirearm that marries the model 30frame with the model 36’s slimmerslide, creating a 10+1 capacity .45pistol with a smaller slide.

We were mostly successful inhiding our extreme enthusiasmunder a thin veneer of yawns.

There was also the SpringfieldXDs in 9mm. For the same-sizedpackage as the .45 ACP, you get thesmaller 9mm cartridge. Perhaps itwill become popular amongSpringfield XD fans that are recoil-sensitive.

For true firearms geeks, suchas my travel companion and partnerin crime Ken, Walther unveiled a

PPK/S in .22 rimfire. Now youcan act out your James Bond fan-tasies with cheaper ammo.

The AR-15 platform appearedin some form in every odd-num-bered booth. We dearly love“assault rifles,” oops, “ModernSporting Rifles” but it seems likeeveryone from Turkmenistan to theAcme Sewing Machine Companyis making one and/or a line ofaccessories for them.

Apparently the demand is inplace, especially now, but I’mbeginning to develop an unrequitedlove for classic walnut and bluedsteel. Those guns are still beingmade but less and less with eachpassing day.

The hunting rifle that drew themost attention was the Remington783. Basically, the gun seems tofill the gap between the Model 700and Model 700SPS, offering goodaccuracy on a bolt gun that willprobably have a street price around$400 minus optics.From those who shot therifle, accuracy is consid-ered quite good for gun inthat neck of the price-point woods.

The wildest thing wefound was theTrackingPoint PrecisionGuided Firearm (PGF)Rifle.

Basically, the gun is

a Surgeon .338 Lapua rifle with alarge black box mounted on top.Inside the box are a rifle scope,laser rangefinder, a computer andperhaps magic fairies. What thePDF does is shoot game for youautomatically at long distances.

Actually, the system workslike a fighter aircraft missile target-ing system. You place the red-dottarget indicator on your quarry andthen let the scope do all that crazymath stuff. When the firing solu-tion is composed within millisec-onds, the gun will fire if you areholding down the trigger. It’s real-ly slick and really, really expensive.If you want to shoot large game at1000+ yards and don’t mind stag-gering around the mountains with a$16,000 firearm/computer, then theTrackingPoint PGF is for you. Iplan on ordering one, as soon theeditors of Indiana Outdoor Newsadvance me for my next 8,000columns.

Writer Brent T. Wheat firing the Springfield XDs in 9mm at 2013 SHOT Showmedia day. The desert near Hoover Dam was cold but the shooting was hot!


Captain Pat Kalmerton and his crew stay on the fish and hone their skills allseason long by competing in tournaments all over Lake Michigan aboard theWolf Pack II. Photo by author.

The author takes a break from the action aboard Wolf Pack I to pose for ashot with a nice Chinook salmon. Mark Smith photo.

As the ice breaks and the tem-peratures warm, the big waters ofLake Michigan beckon. Headingnorth into the expanses ofWisconsin, it's a short trip to theharbor at Sheboygan, which wasrated the #1 port in Wisconsin in2010.

This is where Wolf PackAdventures docks its fleet of twolake going boats -- the Wolf Pack I,a 38-foot charter fishing boat origi-nally designed for luxury oceancruising, and the Wolf Pack II, a28-foot Baha Cruiser that is 10.5-feet wide and powered by powerfultwin Ford V8 engines. The WolfPack II is rigged for tournamentstyle fishing. making it a hardcore

fishing machine while still havingenough space for comfortable lakecruising.

All of the Wolf Pack boats arecaptained by U.S. Coast Guardlicensed captains and are mannedby professional first mates andcrew. There are no worries aboutpacking bulky gear since all of thefishing equipment is provided. Weshowed up on the docks with justsunscreen, licenses withsalmon/trout stamps, and a smallcooler for beverages. This was allwe needed for a day aboard theWolf Pack I.

Having a charter service thatis familiar with the varying fishingconditions and locations on the

seemingly endless expanses ofLake Michigan is priceless. WolfPack asked the important questionsand then fine-tuned our trip tofocus on exactly what we wanted toexperience. This is the differencebetween just limiting out and hav-ing a one of a kind Lake Michiganfishing experience.

Good fishing is often foundright outside the Sheboygan Harbor-- a nice consideration when yourealize that fuel is part of what youpay for in your charter boat fee. Itis also nice because you spendmore of your time fishing and lesstime running. We plied the watersoutside the harbor first, droppingthe lines to depths up to 50 feet.

One of the rods soon dipped,signaling the exciting moment eachin our party was waiting for. Fishon!

Muscling the rod, the fishmade a run as I played it up throughthe cool depths. The large salmonbroke the surface of LakeMichigan, flashing silver againstthe deep blue waters.

Captain Pat Kalmerton leanedover the side to scoop the salmoninto his large Frabill net. Boatingan impressive salmon was a greatmood setter on board. It signaledhow the rest of the day would playout. Line after line dipped, bring-ing the exciting variety of trout andsalmon that Lake Michigan fishinghas to offer into the boat. Coho andChinook salmon both were boatedalong with a lake trout and animpressive steelhead.

Adjusting our fishing depth asthe temperatures rose, Captain Patkept us firmly on the bite until welimited out. These later bitesincluded a couple of nice brown

Howling with the Wolf Pack By D.L. SmithLAKE MICHIGAN

trout, which rounded out our LakeMichigan Grand Slam of Chinook,coho, steelhead, lake trout, andbrown trout. Its all in a day’s workfor this hard-working, experiencedand entertaining captain.

Cruising back to the docks,Captain Pat's knowledge of theSheboygan area was priceless. Hedirected us to some very uniquedining experiences, including asandwich we would get to knowlater that night at Frankie's Placethat included a BLT with a poundof bacon!

Ready to leave the expansivewaters of Lake Michigan, our catch

was cleaned, bagged and madeready to be brought home.Experiencing a day of fishing thatwas not just the same old cookiecutter charter made us want to bookagain immediately. Whether it's forfamily vacations, large groups or aspecial corporate package, WolfPack Adventures are the go to char-ter in Sheboygan that can accom-modate all types of groups on LakeMichigan. Looking for a differentoutdoor experience in the beautifulSheboygan area? Ask about WolfPack’s river fishing, ice fishing,waterfowl hunting and turkey hunt-ing adventures too!


Ice fishing is like a religion inWisconsin, and the annual sturgeonspearing opener is it's highest holi-day.

Shanties litter the ice on the137,000-acre Lake Winnebago mak-ing a small village. Everything

from sim-ple shackswith justenough roomfor one fisher-man to large mini-lodges are representedon the ice. Artworkadorned several -- some, nodoubt, meant to inspire the stur-geon spearer during those longhours waiting for the prehistoric

D.L.SMITHCurves in Camo TM

More than JustTurkeys

STACYYOUNGCurves in Camo TM

What do you think when youhear of the National Wild TurkeyFederation? Is it turkeys? Well, Iwant to squash some of the mis-conceptions and provide someinsight on all the NWTF does.

The NWTF is a nonprofitorganization and the leader inupland wildlife habitat conserva-tion in North America. It is dedi-cated to preserving our huntingheritage and conserving the wildturkey. The NWTF and its volun-teers work closely with state, fed-eral, and provincial wildlife agen-cies and other partners.

The partners and members ofthe NWTF have restored wildturkey populations by spendingmore than $372 million to con-serve 17 million acres of habitat,while also educating new huntersand shooting sports enthusiasts.Programs such as Women in theOutdoors, Wheelin' Sportsmen,and JAKES (Juniors Acquiring

fish. O t h e r s

and I hadcome at the

invitation of theFond du Lac

Convention and Visitors’Bureau -- a progressive

tourism organization that rec-ognizes and places a high value

on it’s unique and significant out-door resources and recreationalopportunities.

The high, winter sun was brightand the skies blue, as the group ofwomen gathered for the first WOW(Women on Winnebago) mediaweekend watched Shawn Wendt ofWendt's on the Lake cut holesthrough the thick ice for sturgeonspearing. It seemed surreal. Unlikenormal ice fishing holes, theseimpressive cuts needed to accom-modate hauling a giant, prehistoricfish through the ice. Shawn's chain-saw -- an impressive model com-plete with four-foot blade -- bit intothe frozen lake, throwing water andice. Zipping around the markedlocation where the shanty would sit,He broke the ice free of its solidhold. Long poles pushed the freedslab of ice beneath the solid lake,

Knowledge Ethics, and Skills) havereached thousands of people.

Here in Indiana, some of theareas the NWTF has influenced thisyear alone include a $15,000 grantfor the National Archery SchoolsProgram, a $5,000 grant to FutureFarmers of America, and $8,000approved for a college internshipwith the US Forestry Service.

Since its founding in 1973, theNWTF has spent $504,021 on habi-tat enhancements throughoutIndiana, $457,194 on educationalprograms, scholarships, 4-H teacherworkshops and literature. In addi-tion, it has spent $116,419 to intro-duce youth to outdoor activities,conservation and hunting; $130,800to purchase land for conservation toenhance hunting opportunities; andmany more thousands of dollars toget women into the outdoors andhunting, in addition to support forhunter safety programs. If thisdoesn't show you that the NWTF isnot just for the turkeys, I don'tknow what will.

I am the President of the Tri-State Thundering Toms Chapter ofthe NWTF in Evansville. My chap-ter put on our first JAKES eventlast year and it was just awesome.We had a great turnout. Our com-mittee put together a day filled witha lot of fun for the kids includingarchery, BB gun shooting, fishing,and a free lunch. The kids allreceived a free JAKES membershipfrom the NWTF for attending. Itwas so cool getting to teach the kidshow to shoot a bow and how to usea spin cast fishing reel. We hadenough stations set up that the kidsdidn't even have to wait in line forwhat they wanted to do. Theycould stand there and shoot a bowall afternoon if they wanted , andsome did. We got feedback from

some parents say-ing since that day,their child nowwants a bow andto learn to hunt.This is really coolto hear, becausethose kids aregoing to be theones who carry onour hunting her-itage. They areour future. Itfeels good toknow that you aremaking a differ-ence in a child'slife and helping inconservation.

We are plan-ning a bigger andbetter JAKESevent for thissummer at IzaacWalton Gun Clubin Boonville,Indiana. Welearned a lot onour first event andnow we havesome great newideas. We aregoing to try to at least double ourattendance this time around.

In order to fund our JAKESevent, we need to have a successfulbanquet. Most chapters rely ontheir banquets every year to pay fortheir JAKES day and WITO event.We have a banquet on March 22ndat 5pm at The Pub on 1348 DivisionStreet in Evansville. My committeeis made up of a bunch of great vol-unteers and a wonderful RegionalDirector. We have all collecteddonations from duck calls, DJ serv-ices, original art, and computerrepairs, to a Wisconsin Turkey huntand South Carolina European Boar

Not your average ice holes. Sturgeon spearers prepare their “Winnebagowindows”. D. L. Smith photo.

The author encourages a next generation conserva-tionist at last year’s Tri-State Thundering TomsNWTF Chapter JAKES event. Photo provided.

TM

opening the hole I would stare downfor the next two days. The shantywas towed back in place over thefresh holes, and all was ready for theopening day of spearing.

Sturgeon spearing onWinnebago is a lifelong endeavorfor many in Wisconsin. Bill Casper,like many other Lake Winnebagoresidents, has spent almost everysturgeon-spearing season on thefrozen lake since he was a smallboy. His passion for the sturgeon ofWinnebago has helped to preservethe lake sturgeon not only in thewaters of Winnebago, but through-out the United States.

The lake sturgeon populationwas not always as healthy as it isnow. Damming and developmenthad hampered the natural spawning

areas of the native lake sturgeon,while poaching for the fish’s covet-ed roe also brought sturgeon num-bers down in the past. Bill wanted tokeep the population healthy and thespearing season going. Along with agroup of other spearers and conser-vationists, Bill founded Sturgeon forTomorrow in hopes of preservingthe fish and the tradition.

Mr. Casper knew the future ofsturgeon in Winnebago was depend-ent on developing a hatchery pro-gram. Attempts had been made tohatch lake sturgeon in other areas ofthe United States, but with eachattempt something went horriblywrong. Sturgeon eggs would devel-op a fungus and die, or would hatchbut the fry wouldn't eat and thendied.

Shortly after it's founding in1977, Sturgeon for Tomorrow gath-ered a petition of four thousandnames and began negotiations withthe Wisconsin DNR to develop ahatchery program. The DNR made itclear to the spearers that they wouldneed to provide a scientifically-based research proposal in order forany serious attempts at sturgeonpropagation to take place. Mostpeople would have been frustratedand at a loss for where to go next.Bill Casper, however, was notdeterred.

In a pre-Internet age, Bill begansearching for the answers to thesturgeon propagation problems. Hefound an article in NationalGeographic Magazine mentioning aresearcher who had studied sturgeonon the Caspian Sea in what was thenthe Soviet Union. Mr. Casper wasimmediately on the phone toDartmouth College, where thisresearcher had been based. As luckwould have it he connected with BillBallard, an embryologist, who wasastonished to learn that Wisconsinhad sturgeon. After all, he had beenflying to the other side of the worldto study these ancient creatures.

Ballard agreed to meet withSturgeon for Tomorrow if theywould provide for his travel expens-es. Bob Blanck, the vice presidentof Sturgeon for Tomorrow personal-ly paid for Ballard and his wife,Elizabeth to travel to Wisconsin in1978.

From that meeting betweenSturgeon for Tomorrow and theDNR, a research proposal was draft-ed. For the first time in nearly fortyyears, hatching of sturgeon wouldbe attempted. Success was notimmediate.

The first attempt was a failure -- again losing the eggs to a fungus.But the DNR was more optimistic

Through theThrough the

hunt. These are in addition to thegreat core package the NWTF hasfor us like guns, housewares, andgear.

If you have never been to anNWTF banquet, you need to gocheck one out. It is for a greatcause, and goes for more than justturkeys. If you care about yourhunting heritage, preservation ofland, and providing an educationto our youth and new hunters, thenplease plan to attend one of theseevents.

Go to www.nwtf.org and lookto see what banquets are comingup in your area.

Photo by D.L. Smith.


Seven year old Kayla Bell of Peru, IN with her first deer! Kayla's mom,Robyn Bell, sent the photos and says the buck was shot last November inMiami County with her trusty .44 at 98 yards. The buck dropped in his tracksand Kayla had this to sayabout it: "I am better thanthe hunters on televisionbecause most of their deer runafter they are shot, mineDROPPED!" Her mom alsosays she is an accomplishedhunter and loves to squirrelhunt with her Cricket .22,having taken 6 squirrels thispast season. She has alsoaccompanied her dad, LanceBell, on a Tennesee wild boarhunt and a Wyoming ante-lope hunt. Robyn says not toworry, Kayla has a "girly" sidetoo. She is level 4 gymnasticsat the local YMCA and likes towear pink under her huntingclothes! A big congratula-tions to Kayla from all of thestaff here at Indiana OutdoorNews and Curves in Camo!

- D.L. Smith

The author stands outside Wendt’s on the Lake next to an average stur-geon speared during opening weekend. Mark Smith photo.

than in the past. The second attemptwas a resounding success. Thehatch rate reached an impressive80%.

Propagating the sturgeon wasonly part of the solution to a healthysturgeon population. Eliminatingthe poaching of sturgeon was anoth-er huge hurdle to overcome.

The Sturgeon Watch wasformed to provide volunteerobservers on the waters in knownsturgeon spawning areas. Poachershave always been lured to varioussturgeon species by the money thatthe coveted roe can bring on thecaviar black market. These patrolsworked and became essential inmaintaining healthy populations ofspawning sturgeon in the LakeWinnebago system.

Strict harvest quotas are estab-lished and enforced by theWisconsin DNR, and harvest ratesduring recent spearing seasons onlyamount to about 13% of all tag hold-ers on Lake Winnebago. If the wateris cloudy, the success rate falls evenfurther. Unlike other forms of icefishing, sturgeon spearing is notabout the finesse or lures. Instead, adecoy to suspend in the waterbeneath the shanty to tempt the curi-ous sturgeon and a spear are theonly gear needed.

Light seeped around the edgesof my shanty making the greenmurk of the water luminesce. Theice popped and moaned, settling asthe other fisherman made their wayacross the ice to shanties adornedwith mermaids and fish. Outside, itwas bitter cold and damp -- a con-trast to the bright sun and mild tem-peratures that had prevailed the pre-vious day when my group observedthe placing of the shanties.

Small gizzard shad swam in themurk. Winnebago’s shad die offeach winter, making them a perfectfood source along with red wormbeds for sturgeon. Seeing the giz-zard shad seemed promising. Thelake was giant, but I only neededone sturgeon to swim beneath theholes in our shanty. Not impossible.Unlikely but not impossible.

I watched the water intently. Itfelt more like hunting than fishing,only with fewer squirrels. A bluegill swam sluggishly past. Moreshad swam sideways, glinting silverin the green of the water. The icepopped and groaned as the LP heaterblasted us with warmth. Pretty soonI was shedding my Frabill IceSuit.The shanty door was flung open,blasting cooling air into our shanty.We had visitors.

“Have you seen any?” our twovisitors inquired. “No, but I saw a

mermaid,” said Mark Smith, mycameraman, as he looked intentlyinto the water. Sitting in a darkshanty staring down a hole makessome spearers delusional.

“You mean that one twoshanties over?” A big grin spreadover Mark's face. He was thinkingof the unique artwork featuringsome ogling fish and a very volup-tuous mermaid.

Our visitors stayed, chatting forquite a while sharing their stories offishing on Winnebago. Others cameand went from our shanty too, pass-ing the news of the sturgeon makingtheir way to the checking station justoutside of Wendt's on the Lake,where we would soon meet forlunch while exchanging stories ofwhat we saw through our small win-dows into Winnebago.

e Ice: Winnebago’s Sturgeon Storye Ice:

The likelihood of harvesting asturgeon is slim, but experiencingthe thrill and possibility is a must forany angler, fisherman, or lover ofthe winter season. Winnebago andFond du Lac bring all the best ofWisconsin’s natural resources in onelocation. There is something bothancient and primordial about partic-ipating in the sturgeon season. Theshanties are modern and warm, butthe act of spearing and camaraderieare ancient, and a welcomed treatfor any outdoors enthusiast.

For more information aboutWOW or sturgeon spearing on LakeWinnebago, contact the Fond duLac CVB via email at [email protected], by phone at 800-937-9123, or visit their website atwww.fdl.com.


Nestled amongst the hills andcraggy bluffs of the CumberlandMountains of eastern Tennesseelies the oldest commercial huntinglodge in that state, a place com-monly referred to as ClarkrangeHunting Lodge... a place I call HogHeaven.

Having hunted hogs in severaldifferent parts of the country, it wasonly natural that I was put incharge of securing a place for ourgroup of eight hunters to pursuewild boar. Having just booked ahunting safari in South Africa withKen Moody, I thought we shouldgive him a try at his Tennesseehunting lodge as well.

Southern wild boar hunts aresteeped in tradition and the storiesof wild boar hunts there are thestuff legend is made of. I thinkKen says it best in his brochurewhen he describes the TennesseeWild Boar:

Once roaming only the continentsof Europe and Asia, the Wild Boarmade its way to America in severalways. Descendants of swinebrought over by the SpanishExplorers still run wild in Floridaand other southern states.European strain boar were intro-duced to the area in the early1900s by George Moore whoattempted to establish an old worldhunting preserve in the SmokyMountains. These boar escaped,however, and began to populate thelofty southern highlands ofTennessee and North Carolina.Over the years, they mated with theexisting descendants of the afore-mentioned explorers’ swine to pro-duce the famed southern razorback

known today. Part European Boar,part feral hog and altogethermean, the Tennessee Wild Boar oftoday has carved out a reputationfor himself here in the CumberlandMountains. His unpredictable tem-perament, and razor sharp tusksmake him a trophy worthy of anyhunter's steel.

My group of hunters rangedfrom sage, old, experiencedhunters, to teenage girls and every-thing in between. We had riflehunters, shotgun hunters andbowhunters in the group. One ofthe aspects of Clarkrange thatmade the place so appealing wasthat it could accommodate every-one, regardless of experience levelor choice of weapon.

The area we hunted was in theneighborhood of 1,000-acres, andcould have easily accommodatedthree times the number of huntersin our group. The typical wild boarhunt at Clarkrange is two days ofhunting and a three nights’ stay,usually arriving the evening beforethe first day of hunting.

Everyone in our group optedto hunt from treestands and groundblinds the first day and let the hogscome to us. My 16-year-old niecewas the first to connect, knockingdown a 400 plus-pound tusker withher 20 gauge shotgun from aground blind. The two bowhunterswere next. They each shot beauti-ful hogs from a treestand. Equallyimpressive was the fact that it waseach of their first bow kills ever.Two more treestand hunters, bothequipped with shotguns and slugs,connected that evening.

Stand hunting is not the only

Clarkrange Hunting Lodge is Hog Heaven By Mark C. SmithDESTINATIONS

method of hunting hogs inTennessee though. The more tradi-tional method of hunting hogs inthe south is with the use of dogs. Iwill be the first to admit that thisdid not sound very appealing tome…until I tried it, and now I amhooked.

Clarkrange is blessed to havegreat guides and an awesome ken-nel of boar hounds. The dogs arecut out and it is all you can do tokeep up through the rugged terrain.When the dog finally bays the hogand you close the distance for theshot, you don't have a heart if itisn't up in your throat. It is perhapsthe most exciting and exhilaratingthing I have ever experienced inthe woods. Don't knock it untilyou've tried it. This method ofhunting is considered traditionaland has stood the test of time forgood reason.

After the hunt, it's back to thelodge to unwind and relax.

There are two lodge buildings.One will accommodate 10 hunters.The other will handle 20. Theyeach have bedrooms, bathroomsand fully equipped kitchens and arevery hunter friendly and comfort-able. While you are back at thelodge making supper and re-livingthe hunt, your day’s harvest isbeing processed in the on-site pro-cessing plant.

Comfortable accommoda-tions, lots of hogs, great dogs, greatguides, beautiful and challengingsurroundings, and a cooler full ofcut and wrapped pork, ready for thefreezer: these are all the reasons Ineed to make eastern Tennesee’sClarkrange Hunting Lodge anannual trip.

Clockwise from left:Megan Smith; JoshMcLaughlin & D.L.Smith; Brian Smith;D.L. Smith; and theauthor, Mark Smithall took qualityhogs at ClarkrangeHunting Lodge.


We all know of sweet spotswhere game seems to be moreprevalent. Fields and clearingswhere turkey and deer frequent canbe a hunting nirvana. Those sameareas also draw poachers lookingfor an easy kill, from causal roadhunters to antler addicts whosesense of fair play has been over-come by greed. However,Indiana’s Conservation Officers(ICO) also know of these samepoaching hot spots and set up oneof their most effective tools, thedeer decoy.

The deer decoy has come along way since the days of when itwas an old deer hide tacked to achicken wire body mounted ontobacco stakes. Modern deerdecoys are battery operated andremote controlled. The operatorcan hide in a safe place and workthe deer’s head, tail and ears tomimic the real thing.

Wary poachers pull tricks likehonking their car horns to see if thedeer moves, then circling back tosee if the deer is still in the samespot. Veteran ConservationOfficers have their own tricks, likesneaking over after the car honksits horn and laying the decoy downto hide it. On many occasions, thewary poachers become embold-ened because they think the decoywas real since it “ran off”.

farmer, Ryan was just too busy toperform a decoy sting operation.Finally, during muzzleloading sea-son Ryan went back to the dayshift. With nothing going on he

headed out to the farmer’s house toget permission to set up the decoy.Ryan’s knock was answered by thefarmer’s wife and young son.“My new friend’s wife told me thather husband was checking cattleand he would be back soon.” He

While working in LawrenceCounty, ICO Ryan Jahn becamefriends with a local farmer and hisfamily. The farmer had a largetract of land and was tired ofpoachers and road hunters takingdeer off his land. “He told meabout the deer poaching that wenton day and night around hishouse,” Ryan said. “I was veryi n t e r e s t e d . ”The farmereagerly showedRyan a greatplace he couldsit and watchthe area. Thec o n v e r s a t i o nthen turned tohow effectiveRyan’s deerdecoy would beif properlyplaced. “Thefarmer showedme a locationthat the decoywould likely beshot at if I wereto use it,” Ryansaid. “He told me I was sure tocatch somebody here. I left thatday feeling confident that I hadmade a new ally and would eventu-ally catch a road hunter.”

Hunting season came quicklyand despite several requests by the

The Sure Thing

ALANGARBERS

Record -- From Cover

accounted for 42 percent of the harvest,” said Chad Stewart, DNR deer management biologist. “This year, resi-dent license holders accounted for 47 percent of the total harvest. That’s only a couple percentage points, but tomove it even that much is pretty significant. That’s probably attributed to the bundle license. We don’t know thatfor sure, but that’s where we’re leaning because it’s the one thing in the rules that only affected resident hunters.”

The total harvest was made up of 45,936 antlered deer and 90,312 antlerless deer. The proportion of report-ed antlered deer in the harvest (34 percent) is the lowest in Indiana’s history while the antlerless total was thehighest.

“Despite the record harvest, trends within the harvest data showed that deer numbers were down this year,”Marcus said. “The number of antlered deer in the harvest was at its lowest point since 2000, an indicator of areduced deer herd.”

Stewart said the antlered deer harvest tracks the total population about as well as anything because there arefewer variables to consider.

“Year-to-year hunter efforts don’t change much, so people aren’t all of a sudden taking three bucks or eightbucks; they’re locked into one buck,” he said, noting the one-buck limit in Indiana. “If there are fewer bucks tokill with the same amount of hunter effort, not as many bucks get killed, which tells us the overall population isdown.”

Additionally, an outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease affected deer in nearly 60 counties. EHD is a viraldisease transmitted by biting flies that is often fatal to deer, though some deer will survive the illness.

“Whether this (population) decline is due to this year’s outbreak of EHD, recent efforts to strategically reducethe deer herd, or a combination of both factors remains to be seen, but probably varies from county to county,”Marcus said. “As we continue on the path to strategically reduce the deer herd, we will monitor the herd and har-vest each year and make adjustments to ensure that hunters will have the opportunity to be successful.”

Switzerland County had the highest reported harvest at 3,506 deer, leading the state for the first time since2004 and ending a seven-year run by Steuben as the top county. Steuben dropped to fifth with a reported harvestof 3,076 deer, the fewest for that county since 2003.

Of the total harvest, 82,151 deer were recorded at check stations, 53,389 online, and 708 by phone.To read the DNR’s complete report, go to wildlife.IN.gov and click on the Deer Harvest Summary link at the

bottom of the page.

told the woman about his plans ofsetting up the decoy where her hus-band had suggested. Equally excit-ed, the farmer’s young son helpedcarry the deer decoy out to thesetup. “He was about eight-yearsold and thought the decoy was justthe neatest thing!”

Once everything was com-plete, Ryan hid his vehicle behind

the farmer’sbarn where hecould watch forpoachers andbe ready to givechase. In min-utes Ryan wassettled in forthe sting opera-tion.

It was-n’t too longbefore Ryansaw the farmercoming downthe road in hisKubota RTV.Ryan got out ofhis vehicleanticipating the

farmer’s return, but as he watched,the farmer stopped about 150-yards down the road and appearedto be looking at the deer decoy.Ryan watched in disbelief as thefarmer pulled out a .22 magnumrifle, leveled it at the decoy and

fired. Ryan started yelling“STOP! STOP! as the manreloaded. Now seeing the ICO,the farmer put his rifle back on itsrack and drove into the farm yard.In frustration, Ryan sized the rifleand asked the farmer what he wasthinking. “He said he had notkilled a deer yet that season andcouldn’t pass it up,” Ryanexplained. “The farmer could tellI was upset with him and the cir-cumstance he put me in. He knewhe was in the wrong and told me todo what I had to do and not treathim any different than anyoneelse.”

To make matters worse, thefarmer’s young son ran out of thehouse and exclaimed, “Daddy youdidn’t shoot that deer did you?”

“This was one of the onlytimes I wished my decoy hadn’tbeen shot,” Ryan sighed.“Nonetheless my friend receivedtwo misdemeanor tickets. One forshooting from a roadway and onefor shooting an IDNR decoy. Hetook it like a champ.”

“He later told me if he hadknown it was a decoy he would nothave shot it. I told him I had heardthat before,” Ryan said. “We arestill friends, but things are a littledifferent now. And I’m not surethere is an open invitation to parkon his property anymore.”

MARCH BRINGS REVERSEWATERFOWL MIGRATION

The month of March is a great time for bird-watching, as all manner of species work their wayback from the southern wintering grounds to thebreeding grounds of the north.

Due to their size, ducks like the drake bluewingteal shown above, geese, and sandhill cranes like theone shown at left are among the most visible birdspassing back through Indiana this month. Some willstay and nest in the Hoosier state, while others willsimply visit as they continue north. If you plan to putup waterfowl nesting platforms or boxes, do it soon.

Watch the potholes, ponds, rivers, lakes andmarshes for returning waterfowl in their prime, breed-ing plumage.

iOutdoors Solutionsby Brian Smith

Outdoorsmen and women across the globe are becoming more reliantupon modern technology. Safety and knowledge lead the reasons. Knowingthe weather and being able to check things like barometric pressure come inhandy when predicting how the day will turn out. Sometimes, the only waysome of us can get out to the field is to be tethered to the office. While thesmart phone may be the most popular piece of equipment in every outdoorsgear bag, the list of new electronics we take with us is surely growing on adaily basis.

No matter the quarry, no matter afield or adrift;as we become gadgeteers for better or forworse, the chances of needing electronic repairis eminent. Introducing “iOutdoor Solutions” by Eric Vos.Brought to you and sponsored by Easy AppleRepair of Elkhart, IN, “iOutdoor Solutions”will be a monthly installment of what to dowhen the inevitable electronic breakdown hap-pens. Broken smart-phone screen, tan-gled fish findercord, boat lights,electronic scopeissues; it’s all here.The point? Don’tfret, it all can befixed! Most the time

by yourself and at lesscost than you probably think.

Case in point: my cell phone was droppedwhile on a recent outing. Result was a shatteredphone and as Murphy’s law dictates, my Appleprotection plan was no longer valid. I droveover to Easy Apple Repair and Aaron Vos fixedit the same day and at a cost that didn’t breakmy bank. WHEW! You can imagine my relief.


CCrree aa tt uu rr ee FFee aa tt uu rr ee :: RReedd--bb aa cc kk eedd SSaa ll aammaa nnddee rr ssOn late winter and early spring evenings, usually during a soft rain,

tiger and spotted salamanders emerge from hibernation and scramble to awoodland pond to lay eggs. Their parental duties are short lived. Within afew days of laying eggs, they leave the pool for higher ground to spend therest of the warm weather months.

One woodland salamander, however, uses a different strategy. Thesmall and slender red-backed salamander lays her eggs in protected spaces,such as inside logs, or under rocks, boards or leaves, instead of in the water.The cream-colored eggs are clustered on a stalk. Unlike her larger tiger andspotted salamander relatives, the female red-backed stays near her eggsuntil they hatch, often defending them from other salamanders, or other ani-mals, that may try to eat them. The eggs hatch in two months. When theyoung emerge, they stay close to their mother for a few days, sometimescrawling onto her head and back.

They get their name from the broad red stripe down their back. Some,however, lack the red, and are nick-named “lead-backs.”

According to herpetologists (scientists who study reptiles and amphib-ians) red-backed salamanders spend the winter up to three feet underground,moving upwards as the temperatures warm. Later in spring, red-backed

salamanders can be found under logsor rocks in the woods.

They hunt for food on dampnights, searching through the leaf lit-ter and occasionally climbing a footor so off the ground on shrubs ortrees to search for insects.

Did you know? Red-backed salamanders canbreak off their tails whenalarmed. The broken tail wig-gles, distracting predators,giving the salamander time toescape. The salamander willgrow a new tail.

Nature’s AlmanacMARCH

It's here! Spring arrives onMarch 20.

Try to determine the LAST dayyou see a dark-eyed junco atyour feeder. These “snow-birds” visit our feeders only inwinter, then head farther northto nest.

Eastern chipmunks emergefrom hibernation.

Although some Great BlueHerons spend the winter in theGreat Lakes region, many arereturning to our area after win-tering farther south.

As sap begins to flow from treeroots to tree buds, it can be col-lected and boiled into a sweettreat. Yellow-bellied sapsuck-ers hammer small holes in treebark to drink the sweet sap.

Evelyn Kirkwood is Director of St. Joseph County Parks inIndiana and host of Outdoor Elements which is broadcast

Sundays at 9:00 am on WNIT Public Television.

Hands On Nature:Salamander safari

Late winter and early springnights are a good time to searchfor salamanders. On a dampevening, when temperatures arearound 45 degrees, head to awoodland pool with a goodflashlight. If salamanders areemerging from hibernation, yourflashlight might glisten off theireyes or skin. Look in the shallowareas of the water for swimmingsalamanders or for golf-ballsized masses of eggs.

Later in the season, after arain, gently roll over logs orrocks in the woods. If the weath-er has been dry, salamanders willbe deeper underground and hard-er to find. Always remember to

check a log before you roll it over.Sometimes it may have yellowjackets underneath! If you roll overa log, you may not find a salaman-der, but you may see centipedes,millipedes or earthworms. Returnthe log gently when you are doneexploring.

Try not to touch or handlesalamanders if you find them.

Handling salamanders can causethem harm if you have anylotion, soap, bug spray, perfume,sunscreen or contaminants onyour hands. Their skin is veryabsorbent. Even the natural saltsin your skin can cause themharm. Some salamanders, such asthe Red-backed salamanders donot have gills or lungs.


MORE BS - From Page 5

those who do not. I will give seri-ous consideration to proposals thatwould keep guns out of the hands ofcriminals and the mentally ill with-out infringing on the rights of law-abiding gun owners.

So, what do you think thispress release means? Does it soundlike a firm stance in defense of yourSecond Amendment rights or thecrafty words of a fence-rider? Iwould like to hear you thoughtsabout it. Email me [email protected] and let meknow what you think. If you havequestions about the press release goto www.donelly.senate.gov or callhis office at 202-224-4814 and askhim. Contact him anyway and lethim know your position on theseissues.

Trust your hunting instincts

BABEWINKELMAN

I remember a successfulbowhunt many years ago that wentnothing like I had planned. TheNovember wind was coming out ofthe northwest that afternoon, whichmade it perfect for a particularstand site that I had set up about aweek in advance. As I drove towardmy hunting land, I completelyintended to hunt that spot.

I parked, got in my gear,sprayed down with Scent Killer,grabbed my bow and snuck off inthe direction of the tree - whichwas a solid 1/2 mile away. Myenthusiasm soared. After coveringabout 200 yards in the woods, wellshort of my destination, I stopped.

I routinely stop, look and lis-ten when I'm on my way to a stand- always trying to emulate thesound of something that "belongs"in the woods (like a deer or squir-rel). I think of it as still-hunting myway to a stand site.

But on this particular stop, Ididn't pause on purpose. Nope, Istopped on instinct. It was as if alittle voice went off inside my headsaying "whoa fella, hang on righthere for a second." I've come toobey that little voice when I'mhunting, so I froze.

While standing there, lookingaround and listening to my sur-roundings, something suddenlycaught my eye. A tree. It was astout, old white oak with massivehorizontal branches that shot inthree directions from its huge trunkabout 10 feet above the ground. Itwas a magnificent tree with big,knurled knobs that protruded fromthe bark like baseball-sized han-dles.

Although they had grown ran-domly and for whatever reason, theknobs were spaced and placed inthe perfect positions for climbing.It was like the way they place theplastic hand and foot holds onthose simulated, cliff-style climb-ing walls.

Instinct immediately told methat I wouldn't be hunting from myintended stand location thatevening. Nope, I'd hunt from thisinviting oak tree. Instinct demand-

ed it.Climbing up those knotty

knobs was a piece of cake. Onceup, I affixed my safety harness andhoisted my bow and gear up on mylift rope. I was set, and that widehorizontal limb proved to be a verycomfortable platform when Ileaned against the trunk of the tree.

Here's what I did next (again,by instinct) and something that Irecommend everyone does at thebeginning of a hunt. I surveyed mysurroundings; envisioned whereanticipated deer movement mightoccur; identified potential shootinglanes; then used my rangefinder topre-determine yardages to thoselocations for fast pin selection ifand when a buck stepped into alane. Next I drew back my bow inall potential shot directions to makesure there were no obstructions thatcould botch a shot (like an over-head branch getting in my way).

With all systems go, I settledin for the afternoon hunt. It would

prove to be a short one. After onlyfive minutes or so, I heard a deerapproaching from behind me, basi-cally coming from the same direc-tion I had come in from. It was theexact opposite travel direction thatdeer typically follow on my proper-ty in the afternoon. Oh well, I was-n't complaining.

I got a little tense when thebuck crossed directly downwind ofme at about 40 yards. He nevermissed a step, thanks to ScentKiller and good odor-controlpreparation. He was a mature 9-pointer with a lot of unique charac-ter in his rack, so when he veeredtoward me after crossing down-wind, I made a decision to take himif given a chance.

When he stopped to browse onsome acorns that had fallen fromthe same white oak tree that I stoodin, the buck presented a picture-perfect broadside shot only 12yards away. I took it, and after a50-yard sprint I watched the white-

tail pile up inthe dryautumn leaves- double-lunged and outof gas.

I oftenwonder howmy huntwould havegone thatafternoon if I'dstuck to theoriginal gameplan and hunt-ed the otherspot. I'll neverknow, becauseinstinct got in the way and made allthe difference. So when you hearthat little voice, I strongly encour-age you to listen and always trustyour hunting instincts.

Good hunting.

Babe Winkelman is a nationally-known outdoorsman who has

taught people to fish and hunt formore than 25 years. Watch hisaward-winning "Good Fishing"and "Outdoor Secrets" televisionshows on many national and localnetworks. Visitwww.winkelman.com for air timeswhere you live, and be sure tocheck us out on Facebook.


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ACROSS1 Indian name for elk6 Main fin on a fish9 The arrow receptacle10 Sounds made by the wildturkey11 A hunting quarry in Africa12 Type fishline with many hooks14 Install a drag on this to tire fish15 Venison20 A fish guiding organ21 The bowmaker22 A good bait for bear traps25 A wildfowl at bed havingyoung27 A fishing lure29 A good trap bait31 A young quail33 The dall is one34 A clay pigeon ejector station36 Usual routine of game or fowl37 The tip of a bullet39 The sunfish family41 Hunter's quarry in Florida44 Act of stringing a bow45 They are found above tree linein the Rockies46 A type of camp fireplace

DOWN1 Name for a certain bass2 The spread of a shot shell3 Of the strength of a fishline4 The rifle stock5 Lab name for fish eggs6 Arrow does this cause of wind7 Term for a crack in a bow stave8 Prepares for another shot13 Maybe an eagle's prey16 Female bighorns17 A graceful wildfowl18 Handy item to have in strangeareas19 A wildfowl night time perch20 Valued part of some game23 A good walleye bait24 Act of fish hitting a hook26 A breed of setter28 This controls a shot spread29 A type of sight30 A grouse species32 Name for salmon species inWyoming33 Name for a certain fishing lure35 Large on a muley38 A deer species. _____horn39 Buck domain marks on treetrunks40 Device on a reel to tire a fish42 The point of an arrow43 Best lure color to attract fish

Indiana Outdoor Calendar- March -

Dog Running (Raccoon, Opossum) Open All Month.Light Goose Conservation Hunting Season Open All Month.

Mar 1: Last day of Late Crow Hunting Season.Mar 1-2: Bassmaster University at the Clarksville Bass Pro Shops Store, featuring Kevin

VanDam, Mark Zona, Timmy Horton and more. Call 812-218-5500 for info.Mar 2-3: Captain’s Weekend at the Hammond Cabelas Store. Call 219-845-9040 for info.Mar 9: Roush FWA Youth Pheasant Hunt. Call 260-494-6831 to pre-register.Mar 9: River Ridge Longbeards Chapter NWTF Hunting Heritage Banquet. 4:30pm at St.

Joe Hill Catholic Church, 2605 St. Joe Road West, Sellersburg, IN. Call Jim at(812) 256-6881 for tickets or more info.

Mar 9, 23 & 30: Concealed Firearms Training Classes at the Hammond Cabelas Store.Call 219-845-9040 for info.

Mar 10: Wild Game Feast at don Quijote Restaurante in Valparaiso (see page 6).Mar 15: Last day of Coyote Hunting and Trapping Seasons.Mar 16: Go FishIN Family Learn To Fish Workshop at Eagle Creek Park in Indianapolis.

Call 317-234-8440 or email [email protected] for more info.Mar 16-17: Hunter Education Class at the Hammond Cabelas Store. Call 219-845-9040.

• A variety of Hunter Education courses are offered around the state this month. For details,visit www.in.gov/dnr/lawenfor/4812.htm.

• For a listing of Ducks Unlimited events throughout Indiana this month, go towww.ducks.org/indiana.

2013 A.M. A.M P. M. P.M.March Minor Major Minor Major Sunrise Sunset Fishing Quality / Notes01 Fri 8:05 2:33 10:09 3:07 7:18 6:37 Fair02 Sat 8:45 3:52 ----- 4:00 7:16 6:38 Fair03 Sun 9:30 4:23 ----- 4:55 7:15 6:39 Poor04 Mon 10:22 5:21 ----- 5:52 7:13 6:40 Poor05 Tue 11:20 6:21 ----- 6:49 7:12 6:41 Fair / Waning Half Moon06 Wed 2:18 7:21 12:42 7:45 7:10 6:42 Fair07 Thu 3:07 8:18 1:30 8:40 7:08 6:43 Fair08 Fri 3:50 9:14 2:39 9:34 7:07 6:44 Fair09 Sat 4:29 10:08 3:47 10:25 7:05 6:45 Fair10 Sun 5:03 10:58 4:54 ----- 7:04 6:47 Good11 Mon 6:36 ----- 6:59 12:47 8:02 7:48 Good / Time Change12 Tue 7:08 1:03 8:03 1:35 8:00 7:49 Good / New Moon13 Wed 7:39 1:51 9:06 2:22 7:59 7:50 Good14 Thu 8:12 2:39 10:06 3:09 7:57 7:51 Good15 Fri 8:47 3:26 ----- 3:56 7:56 7:52 Fair16 Sat 9:24 4:14 ----- 4:42 7:54 7:53 Fair17 Sun 10:06 5:03 ----- 5:29 7:53 7:54 Fair18 Mon 10:51 5:52 ----- 6:16 7:51 7:55 Poor19 Tue 11:40 6:41 ----- 7:03 7:49 7:56 Poor / Waxing Half Moon20 Wed 2:27 7:30 12:33 7:50 7:48 7:57 Fair21 Thu 3:07 8:17 1:28 8:36 7:46 7:58 Fair22 Fri 3:44 9:05 2:27 9:23 7:45 7:59 Poor23 Sat 4:19 9:53 3:27 10:09 7:43 8:00 Poor24 Sun 4:51 10:40 4:29 10:55 7:41 8:01 Poor25 Mon 5:22 11:27 5:32 ----- 7:40 8:02 Fair26 Tue 5:54 ----- 6:39 12:16 7:38 8:03 Fair27 Wed 6:27 12:33 7:46 1:06 7:37 8:04 Fair / Full Moon28 Thu 7:03 1:24 8:55 1:59 7:35 8:05 Fair29 Fri 7:42 2:18 10:05 2:53 7:33 8:06 Fair30 Sat 8:28 3:44 ----- 3:50 7:32 8:07 Fair31 Sun 9:18 4:15 ----- 4:47 7:30 8:08 Fair

My wife bought me one of

those funny hats shaped like

a fish! isn’t it great?

A Marketplace for the Outdoors Enthusiast!


In 1989 I had children aged 5and 7 years old. That’s the year theNational Rifle Association, in con-sultation with elementary schoolteachers, law enforcement officers,and child psychologists created theEddie Eagle GunSafer Program toteach youngsters precisely the ageof mine effective rules to followshould they encounter a firearm inan unsupervised setting: "If yousee a gun: STOP! Don't Touch.Leave the Area. Tell an Adult.”

I showed the kids the video -then on VHS tape. They loved it!More importantly, they remem-bered it. I called my daughter andasked if she still remembers it andshe instantly repeated the mantra:“STOP! Don't Touch. Leave theArea. Tell an Adult," even thoughshe’s now in her late 20s and ownsher own guns.

Across the country, in citiesand rural areas, men, women,young adults and grandparents are

Eddie Eagle still working

once again showing support andvoting with their dollars forAmerica’s Second Amendmentfreedom. When Barrack Obamawas first elected, millions of peoplestormed gun shops across the coun-try to purchase guns and ammo.Their fear was the liberal agenda ofthe new administration wouldinclude drastic curbs on firearmownership.

Fortunately for gun-ownersnew and old, other issues floated tothe surface. The gun and ammuni-tion manufacturing industry was allthat kept some regions of the coun-try afloat economically. When theadministration’s planned “bigbang” -- Operation Fast andFurious where the government sup-plied illegal guns to Mexican druggangs -- blew up in their face theelection was eminent. Gun controlwent on the back burner.

Once Obama was reelected,another bump in gun sales wasnoted, but not at a record breakingpace. That has changed and whatchanged it was the Connecticutschool shooting. Instantly, anti-gunpoliticians rallied to the cause withpent up furor.

Gun stores are again sellingout of guns and ammunition.Walmart now only allows a pur-chaser to buy 3 boxes of ammo per

visit. A friend of mine who happensto be a police officer went to a“cop-only” shop to purchase a newhandgun a week ago. They hadnone in stock and so many peopleon the waiting list, they were nolonger adding names to the list.

The point to all this is thereare now more guns than ever in thehands of private citizens. Many ofthese gun owners are new or rela-tively new. I don’t question theirmotive for choosing to own guns.We are a free country and an armedcitizenry will help keep us free.

Despite the massive increasein gun ownership, both gun crimesand gun accidents have dropped.We need to keep it that way and theNRA’s Eddie Eagle project nowhas a long standing track record. Infact, it recently achieved anothermilestone by reaching its 26 mil-lionth child.

"The Eddie Eagle GunSafeProgram has received thousands ofstories from parents and teachersdemonstrating how tragedies wereavoided thanks to our program,"said Kyle Weaver, NRA Executiveof General Operations. "Firearm-related accidents among youngchildren have been on a steadydecline since NRA launched theEddie Eagle program. It's a testa-ment to NRA's commitment to

The Last ThoughtMIKESCHOONVELD

child safety and Eddie's life savingmessage."

Volunteers for the Eddie Eagleprogram might come from diversebackgrounds, but they share a com-mitment to protecting childrenfrom gun accidents. Thoseinvolved include teachers, NRAmembers, law enforcement officersand community activists who teachthe program, as well as privatedonors and Friends of NRA volun-teers who raisefunds to pay for theprogram's educa-tional materials.

More than26,000 educators,law enforcementagencies, and civicorganizations havetaught the programsince 1988. Morethan 350 EddieEagle mascot cos-tumes are in use bylaw enforcementofficers across thecounty. NRA alsooffers free EddieEagle materials toany law enforce-ment agency, hos-pital, or educationalfacility across thenation. To receive

Eddie Eagle has taught gun safety to millions ofAmerican kids. Photo provided.

these free materials, or to purchasean Eddie Eagle costume, pleasecontact the Eddie EagleDepartment at (800) 231-0752.More information about the EddieEagle program is also availableonline athttp://www.aaof.com/ed.htm.

The message is simple, easy toremember and fun for kids to learn.STOP! Don't Touch. Leave theArea. Tell an Adult.

The New Speed Camo Stick From Hunter’sSpecialties Gives Hunters Three Colors InOne No-Mess Package

Hunter’s Specialties newSpeed Camo Stick giveshunters quick access to threecamo colors in a convenientpocket sized applicator.

The Speed CamoStick allows huntersto use the individualcamo sticks to createcustom patterns or by

using two or three sticks inthe Speed Camo applicator, up to two inches of coveragecan be applied with one swipe.

Speed Camo makeup can be easily removed with soapand water or Hunter’s Specialties handy Camo Off make-up remover pads. The Speed Camo applicator keeps themess off of your hands.

The Speed Camo Makeup Stick sells for a suggestedretail of $5.99.

For more information about other Hunter’s Specialtiesproducts, log onto the Hunter’s Specialties website atwww.hunterspec.com.

Winchester Supreme Elite Xtended RangeTurkey Ammunition 12 Gauge 3-1/2" 2 oz#4 Hi-Density Shot Box of 10

Winchester SupremeElite XtendedRange Turkey loadsare specificallydesigned to deliverextreme terminalperformance out tolonger ranges. Specially formulated shot is10% denser than lead, which translates to harder hits anddeeper penetration. The shot is uniform in roundness andsize yet soft enough to use your favorite turkey choke, giv-

ing superior patterning performance at longer range, deliver-ing 25% more pellets on target than standard lead loads. 10rounds per box. For use only with barrels approved for steelshot. Retail is around $40-$45 for a box of ten shells.

Tracer Tri-Star Pro Gun Light

The hoghunter or varminthunter’s dream.The Tri-Star ProGun Light byTracer is anonboard firearmslight kit providing3 x High Power LEDs pro-ducing an exceptionallybrilliant spot beam out to300 meters.

LED's do not burn outor fail like conventionaltorch bulbs and are far lessvulnerable to impact dam-age. Key features include:

3x high power LED array300m Beam / 1600 LumensHigh Performance Driver CircuitMounting hardware to a 1” or 30mm scope6 hours run time on full powerStock Mounted Variable Power Dimmer SwitchLi-Ion battery weighs just 360 grams

The Tri-Star Pro GunLight by Tracer retails foraround $380. For more informa-tion go to www.tracerpower.com.

Cabela's Comfort Max360-Degree Blind Chair

Set up this chair in your blindand you'll sit comfortably while wait-ing and instantly be in position when it'stime to take a shot. Because it silent-ly swivels a full 360°, you caneffortlessly turn to shoot outany side of your blind.

Strong Dura Mesh fabric provides

day-long back support and cool breathability. Swiveling,large "duck" feet on each leg provide added stability andkeep the chair from sinking into soft ground. Heavy-duty22mm and 16 mm steel tubing keeps it stable and ensuresseason after season of use.

Easily folds down for convenient transport or storage.

Weight: 17 lbs.Seat height: 15.4".Seat width: 16.5".Back height: 35.8".Weight capacity: 300 lbs.Color: Black.

The Cabela’s Comfort Max 360-Degree Blind Chairretails for about $100.

Pentax WG-III Ruggedized Camera

P e n t a xintensified'tough' withthe 15thgenerationof theirruggedizedc o m p a c tcamera to bringyou the best adventureproof camera yet. Capture outstanding images in any ele-ment with its brighter 4X optical zoom and new ShakeReduction system. Enjoy built-in digital pressure, altitudeand depth gauges, a compass and wireless charging in theupgraded GPS model. Dive deeper, climb higher, explorelonger, and capture even more of your journey with thePENTAX WG-3 GPS. Your adventure is now.

16 megapixel backlit CMOS sensor Waterproof to 45 feetCrushproof, Dustproof, Shockproof, ColdproofAdvanced GPS functions & Wireless Recharging Full 1080p30 HD video recordingSensor–Shift Shake Reduction systemFaster F 2.0 aperture with a 4X Optical ZoomSix LED Macro Lights3 inch High resolution LCD Screen

The Pentax WG-III retails for around $350. Learnmore at www.pentaximaging.com.

ion march '13

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