ion feb '12

“WE CAN DO THIS”PAGE 9

BIRDINGPAGE 10

SHOOTINGPAGE 8

FISHING REPORTPAGE 6

GONE AFIELDPAGE 13

Like ION in print?Like us on Facebook. ®

POSEY COUNTY HUNTER TAKES GIANT WHITETAIL

By Alan J. GarbersION Correspondent

POSEY COUNTY --The adages patience is a virtue and good things

come to those who wait are mantras that many have ahard time following. Not huntress Audrey Sharp. Shefollowed them to a tee last November and took a mas-sive buck on opening day of Indiana’s firearms season.

Audrey had patiently waited years for a nice buckand passed on many other deer. “I could have shotsomething every year,” she says, “but I'm picky.”

However, as this past season approached she alsothought how a deer, any deer, would help put food onthe table. Still, she heard rumors of a monster roam-ing the area, but the trail cameras never gave any hintsto its size, much less its existence.

Audrey had done everything right to prepare,from good camouflage clothing to total scent control.She had practiced and was familiar with her firearm ofchoice, an H&R Handi Rifle in .44 magnum toppedwith a red dot style scope.

On opening morning of firearms season 2011,dawn's first light found Audrey sitting in her stand.Next to her was her father and hunting mentor, TimOstrander.

As the sun came up Audrey heard somethingcoming through the woods. “My dad doesn't hear verywell so I nudged him and whispered that I heard some-thing moving,” Audrey said. Tim looked over and sawthe deer coming in and hissed back, “That's a niceone!”

Audrey readied her .44 rifle and turned on the reddot scope, but the intensity was too high. “The glarewas too bright in the low light and made it hard to seethe deer in the brush”, she says. Audrey quicklyadjusted the intensity down but for Tim, it wasn't fastenough. The trophy buck could bolt at any moment.“Shoot him, Audrey!” he hissed.

“My heart was pounding like crazy and I thoughtit was going to burst through my chest!” Audrey said.“But the buck seemed to wait for me as I adjusted thescope.”

In seconds, Audrey leveled the rifle at the buckand centered the red dot on his kill zone. The report

of the rifle rang loud in the morning air as the buckkicked up his heels and took off. “We could hear himrunning through the woods,” Audrey said, “then it wassilent.”

Audrey was excited and confident in the hot shehad made. She wanted to go look for her trophy rightaway, but Tim urged her to sit tight. “He didn't wantto scare the buck onto someone else's property,” shesaid.

As they sat and waited, Tim spotted something.He quietly motioned to Audrey. “Do you see thatwhite thing?” Audrey got out her binoculars but therewas too much brush in the way to get a clear picture of

NRC GIVES FINAL ADOPTION TO URBAN DEER ZONE REG CHANGES

DNR Report

INDIANAPOLIS --New deer rule changes that the

Natural Resources Commission(NRC) gave final adoption to thisfall took effect last month andextended Indiana’s Urban DeerZone seaon until Jan. 31, 2012.

The final, approved changessummarized below are now ineffect.

• The urban deer zone season nowlasts from Sept. 15 through Jan. 31.Previously, the urban deer zoneended the first Sunday in January.

• A new urban deer zone license isrequired and replaces the oldrequirements of needing an extraarchery license, bonus antlerless, orregular archery license. The resi-dent urban deer zone license is $24

Plenty of hunting opportunitiesremain across Indiana this month.Red and gray fox season is openuntil Feb. 28 and coyote seasonremains open through March 15.

Audrey Sharp and her father, Tim Ostrander, posewith the monster non-typical buck she harvested inPosey County during opening morning of Indiana’s2011 firearms deer season. Photo provided.

COMPLIMENTS OF:

Continued on 0

Continued on Page 16

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

www.ION4U.net

Inside:

VOL. 2012 • NO. 2 FEBRUARY, 2012

has WINTERf i n a l l y ARRIVED?

has WINTERf i n a l l yARRIVED?

There is no such thing as safe ice,but fishable ice has finally cometo much of Indiana. Get out andenjoy it while it lasts. Read moreon pages 6 & 12. Josh Lantzphoto.

and the nonresident urban deerzone license is $150. Residentyouth hunt/trap, lifetime compre-hensive hunting, or lifetime com-prehensive hunting and fishinglicense or those exempt from need-ing a license, do not need to pur-chase urban deer zone licenses.

• The urban deer zone in Lake andPorter counties now includes theseentire counties.

• Hunters that are using an urbandeer zone license must harvest atleast one antlerless deer before har-vesting an antlered deer with an

urban deer zone license; a.k.a,“earn-a-buck.” The earn-a-buckprogram only applies to the urbandeer zone season.

• Crossbows can now be used dur-ing the urban deer zone season.

The bag limit for the urbandeer zone remains the same at 4antlerless deer (one per license), orwith the new “earn-a-buck,” 3

antlerless deer and 1 antlered deer(one per license). Urban deer zoneswere established to provide huntersopportunities to harvest deer inspecified areas in addition to regu-lar bag limits. Urban deer zones arefor archery and crossbow huntingonly. This provision does not over-ride any local ordinances restrictingbow and arrow or crossbow use.

POSTMASTER: Please deliverby Feb. 6.

Joe Boisvert’s 2011 firearms seasonbuck had an inside spread of 21”and weighed a whopping 260 lbs.

www.HowardCommunications.com

INDIANA OUTDOOR NEWS ® 2012© February, 2012 Edition

February, 2012 Edition INDIANA OUTDOOR NEWS ® 2012©

JOSHLANTZ

Most hunters and trappersknow exactly who and what theHumane Society of the UnitedStates (HSUS) is. The highlyorganized group is the largest andmost well-funded anti-huntinggroup in the nation. Yet due to theorganization’s clever and highlymisleading advertising campaign,much of mainstream Americawrongly believes HSUS gives it’spriority in funding and other signif-icant resources to help stray, aban-doned or abused cats and dogs.

Wayne Pacelle, the Presidentand CEO of HSUS has quoted thegroup’s agenda perfectly, tellingmembers of the Associated Press,“If we could shut down all sporthunting in a moment, we would.”And, indeed, they have been trying,filing multiple lawsuits against var-ious wildlife management agenciesin an unrelenting and almost surgi-cal attack on various forms of legalhunting, trapping and other formsof proven and beneficial wildlifemanagement practices in courtsaround the nation. Yet at the sametime, the organization continues tobombard mainstream America withits campaign of emotionallycharged and misleading ads intend-ed to increase their monetarywarchest.

The United StatesSportsman’s Alliance (USSA), oneof our nation’s premier sportsmen’srights organizations, announced it’sannual “Dirty Dozen” list of the topanti-hunting organizations inJanuary. Once again, the HSUStopped the list, with USSA callingHSUS onto the carpet for -- amongother things -- “sharing only onepercent of the total $187,515,301HSUS raked in during 2010 withactual animal shelters”. Details ofthe USSA’s 2011 report on HSUS

can be found online at www.uss-portsmen.org/page.aspx?pid=2954

Enough background. Like Isaid, most hunters, trappers andanglers know the truth behind whoand what the HSUS really is. So ifwe know, why would our IndianaDNR send out a press release lastmonth suggesting a partnershipbetween their Division of LawEnforcement (DLE) and the num-ber-one anti-hunting organizationin the nation?

Yes, you read correctly.Myself and other outdoor writerswho received the press release onJanuary 5 from DNR Director ofCommunications, Phil Bloom,couldn’t believe it either.

Here’s the context.A federally endangered

whooping crane was found shot andkilled in Jackson County in lateDecember. The critically endan-gered whooping crane doesn’tresemble any legal game bird herein Indiana, so it is safe to say thatthis horrible, inexplicable act wasdeliberate and criminal -- not thecase of waterfowl misidentificationor any other plausible scenarioinvolving a hunter.

Almost immediately, the DLE,working with Indiana’s Turn-In-A-Poacher/Polluter (TIP) Citizen’sAdvisory Board, created what theycalled the Whooping Crane Fundand committed a $2,500 reward “tomotivate citizens to come forwardwith any information that will leadto the quick arrest and expeditiousprosecution of the perpetrator”.The DNR-issued January 5 pressrelease also stated that the U.S. Fishand Wildlife Service (USFWS)immediately matched the amountwith another $2,500 donation.

Great. That’s $5 grand to any-one who turns in the bad guy.

All of this makes wonderfulsense to sportsmen, most of whomcare as much about the welfare ofnon-game species as they do gameanimals -- especially since the over-whelming funding source forwildlife management programsbenefitting both game and non-game species alike comes from thepurchase of hunting and fishinglicenses and the special taxes

sportsmen pay on firearms, ammu-nition and other sporting equip-ment. That is, it made sense until Iread the entire paragraph in thepress release. Here it is as releasedby the DNR:

TIP launched the Whooping CraneFund with a $2,500 commitment,and the U.S. Fish and WildlifeService immediately matched itwith a $2,500 donation. TheHumane Society of the UnitedStates and its Humane SocietyWildlife Trust Fund also added$2,500.

What? Really?Now, killing a federally

endangered crane is a deplorableact and an insult to anyone callinghim or herself a conservationist, butnobody has been able to convinceme of any legitimate reason whyour DNR should enter into any rela-tionship --real or implied -- with theHSUS or any group like it.Unfortunately, instead of admittingthey had made a PR blunder at best,the DNR CommunicationsDepartment chose to attempt todefend and justify their action. Butwhen the scope of their misstepescalated, they began back ped-dling.

Other outdoor writers and Icontacted the DNR’s Director ofCommunications within a day ofreceiving the press release. Initialreplies out of that office firmlyfocused on the criminal nature ofthe act itself, not the requestedexplanation of how and why ourDNR would possibly take moneyfrom or align itself in any way withthe HSUS. In a January 5 emailresponse to a handful of outdoorwriters who had expressed con-cerns and requested that the DNRclarify its position on the HSUS,DNR Director of CommunicationsPhil Bloom stated:

With all due respect, this situationis not about hunting or DNR hunt-ing programs, or even illegal hunt-ing for that matter. Instead, it haseverything to do with the senseless

DNR steps in HSUS trap

Volume 2012 • Number 2

Publisher: Brian E. SmithAssistant Publisher: Mark C. Smith

Editor-in-Chief: Joshua D. LantzSportsmen’s Rights Editor: Rick Story

Field Editor: John Martino, Central IndianaField Photographer: Bill Konway

Graphic Design: [email protected] & Editing: Sand Creek MediaOffice Manager: Shannon E. SmithAdvertising Sales: (877) 251-2112

E-Mail: [email protected] Info: [email protected]

Web Site: www.IndianaOutdoorNews.netBusiness & Publication Office:

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 69, Granger, Indiana 46530Phone: (877) 251-2112 • Fax: (800) 496-8075

INDIANA OUTDOOR NEWS® is the official publication of Raghorn Incorporated, and is pub-lished monthly at the address listed above. For home delivery and subscription rates, look for thesubscription card in this publication. Editorial contributions may be submitted to the aboveaddress. No material can be returned unless accompanied by a stamped, self addressed envelope.Photographs are accepted and greatly appreciated. All materials submitted become the propertyof Raghorn Incorporated and are subject to editing to meet the objectives of this publication. Theviews and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the individual authors, not the edi-tors, staff or any other representative of RAGHORN’S INDIANA OUTDOOR NEWS orRaghorn, Inc. “Raghorn’s Indiana Outdoor News” is a registered Trademark of RaghornIncorporated. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this publication may be used or copiedwithout prior written consent of Raghorn Inc. Violation of copyright laws will be prosecuted.POSTMASTER: Send address changes to RAGHORN’S INDIANA OUTDOOR NEWS, P.O.Box 69, Granger, Indiana 46530.

Copyright© 2012

®

Like ION in print? Like us on Facebook


®

For subscriptions requests, questions about subscriptions, and any and all thingsto do regarding subscriptions, email: [email protected]

DON’T MISS ANOTHER ISSUE!SUBSCRIBE TODAY!


Owl Prowls offered at Paynetown SRA, Feb. 13 and 16DNR REPORT --

Owl lovers will have two days to join in the fun with an owl prowlat Paynetown State Recreation Area on Feb. 13 and 16. Both programsbegin at 6 p.m.

During an owl prowl, recorded or imitated calls are used in anattempt to attract a real owl. When successful, owls may swoop over-head, perch in a nearby tree, or respond with their own call.

Mid-February is mating season for native owls. “Mating season isa great time to call for owls,” said Jill Vance, interpretive naturalist whowill be leading the owl prowls. “Owls are generally quick to respond tothe call of a potential mate.”

Each owl prowl is limited to just 15 people. Registration isrequired by Feb. 9. To register, contact Vance at (812) 837-9546 [email protected].

Participants should meet in front of the Paynetown SRA officebuilding, located at 4850 S. SR 446 in Bloomington. There is noentrance fee charged at Monroe Lake during the winter months.

House Bill 1265 revisits high-fence hunting in Indiana

ION STAFF REPORT --At press time, HB 1265, authored by Representatives Matt Ubelhor

(Linton), Bob Heaton (Terre Haute), and Bob Morris (Fort Wayne), haspassed committee and is awaiting second reading in the Indiana House. Ifpassed into law, the proposed bill would legitimize at least four existinghigh-fenced hunting operations in the state of Indiana and open the prac-tice to additional, new operations as long as certain conditions are met.The bill seeks to reverse Indiana’s 2005 legislative action which shut downall hunting and shooting of privately-raised cirvids (deer, elk and similaranimals) inside fenced enclosures and spurred ongoing legal action.

Several sportsmen’s organizations oppose the bill, primarilly citingconcerns over the possibility of privately raised cervids contaminatingIndiana’s wild deer herd with Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) and otherforms of disease. The Indiana Bowhunters’Association has posted the fol-lowing statement on its website: “After more that a year of exhaustiveresearch and objective fact-finding, we have came to the conclusion thatCaptive Cervid Shooting Preserves are not a wise thing for our state, andshould be eliminated at the earliest opportunity”. The Indiana WildlifeFederation is also urging it’s diverse membership of hunting and non-hunt-ing interests to actively oppose HB 1265.

Proponents of HB 1265 argue that the bill affords wild deer adequateprotection due to proposed licensing and inspection requirements. Theyalso point out that the proposed bill specifies a minimum permitted size of200-acres for any proposed, new fenced hunting operation, as well as lan-guage requiring that any fenced game animals have adequate area andcover to elude hunters. For these reasons, they object to the term “cannedhunting” as used by many of the bill’s opponents and claim the facilitiesallowable under the new bill meet the definition of fair chase.

Upland gamebird hunting preserves, which have long operated on afirm, legal basis in the State of Indiana, are also included for additional reg-ulation under the proposed bill - a move opponents say is a calculatedattempt on the part of high-fence cervid hunting operators to attempt tolegitimize their operations by comparing themselves to operations thathave apparent similarities to the public, but offer none of the same environ-mental threats to wildlife.

Indiana Outdoor News will continue to keep readers informed on thestatus of HB 1265. We welcome your coments and opinions on the matteron our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Indiana-Outdoor-News/103176674707, or via email at [email protected].

NSSF files appeal in multiple sales reporting case

NEWTOWN, CT --The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for the firearms industry, has filed a

notice of appeal in response to a federal court's denial of its lawsuit challenging ATF's demand for firearm retail-ers to report multiple sales of certain semiautomatic rifles.

The lawsuit, NSSF v. Jones, was filed last August in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia afterthe Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) had sent demand letters to nearly 8,700 federalfirearms licensees and pawnshops, including law-abiding NSSF members, located in Arizona, California, NewMexico, and Texas requiring them to report multiple rifle sales information.

NRA-backed plaintiffs, the firearm retailers J&G Sales Ltd. and Foothills Firearms LLC, also filed a noticeof appeal.

NSSF disagrees with the district court's reasoning that ATF did not overstep the authority granted it byCongress by issuing demand letters and mandating that retailers provide the rifle sales records.

"The decision places our industry on a 'slippery slope,'" said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF senior vice presi-dent and general counsel. "The district court's ruling will allow the ATF to demand whatever information it wantsfrom any law-abiding retailer anywhere in the country for any reason ATF wants simply by sending a letterdemanding information.

"Though NSSF understands ATF's motivation is to try to curtail violence in Mexico, Congress simply has notgranted ATF regulatory carte blanche."

Keane stressed that the firearms industry abhors the criminal misuse of firearms, whether on the streets of ElPaso, Texas, or in Juarez, Mexico. "Notwithstanding our appeal, NSSF is continuing to encourage all retailers --not just those along the border -- to cooperate with law enforcement and report any suspicious activity to theATF," said Keane. "Members of the firearms industry take great pride in their longstanding cooperative relation-ship with ATF. Retailers have long been considered by ATF to be a vital source of information for law enforce-ment in combating illegal firearms trafficking."

NSSF's notice is the first step toward having its appeal heard in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District ofColumbia Circuit. "NSSF looks forward to having the appellate court review the district court's flawed decision,"said Keane.

Cabela’s Outdoor Fund awards grant to national youth programCOLUMBUS, OH --

The Cabela’s Outdoor Fund, with a mission to promote conservation and hunting, fishing, camping, boat-ing and other outdoor sporting and recreational activities, has awarded a $225,000 grant to the TrailblazerAdventure Program.

Trailblazer, a program of the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation, introduces youth and their familiesto shooting, fishing, and other conservation programs through an annual series of events held coast to coast.A check presentation of the Cabela’s Outdoor Fund award was made at the Shooting, Hunting, and OutdoorTrade (SHOT) show during a meeting of the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA).

“The Cabela’s Outdoor Fund was established to support programs such as USSAF’s TrailblazerAdventure which helps ensure the youth of today will carry on the traditions and legacies of our forefathers,”said Tommy Millner, Cabela’s Chief Executive Officer. “This program makes a difference in communitiesacross the nation. And, the Trailblazer Adventure Program’s purpose aligns with the goal of The Cabela’sOutdoor Fund of protecting and promoting our outdoor heritage.”

The Trailblazer Adventure Program began in 2001 with a single event near Atlanta. Since then, nearly600 events have been held in 46 states with 1.3 million participants making it the largest program of its kindin the United States.

At each Trailblazer event, youth and their families shoot bows, air and other rifles, shotguns, and fish forvarious species. There are also other outdoor oriented activities, such as game calling, wildlife identification,and demonstrations, such as retriever dog and fox hunting. Trailblazer also partners with numerous statewildlife agencies, other conservation organizations, and youth serving agencies such as the Boy Scouts ofAmerica, Boys and Girls Clubs, Big Brother Big Sisters, and many other organizations.

“We are thrilled that the Cabela’s Outdoor Fund is supporting Trailblazer with this vital grant,” said BudPidgeon, USSAF president and CEO. “These funds allow us to continue to reach hundreds of thousands ofyouth and families each year and also expand the program into new and different areas. We cannot thank theCabela’s Outdoor Fund enough for their generosity.”

About The Cabela’s Outdoor FundThe Cabela’s Outdoor Fund is a tax-exempt organization dedicated to the promotion of conservation and

hunting, fishing, camping, boating and other outdoor sporting and recreational activities. The Fund engagesprimarily in lobbying and advocacy for these activities. The Fund is tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(4) ofthe Internal Revenue Code, and contributions to the Fund are not deductible as charitable contributions underSection 170 of the Internal Revenue Code.

Bill to align motorboat, vehicle intoxication statutes passes full Senate

STATEHOUSE -- State Sen. Brent Steele’s pro-

posal to align motorboat and vehi-cle intoxication statutes passed thefull Senate late last month with a50-0 vote.

Steele (R-Bedford) said SenateBill 154 now moves to the IndianaHouse of Representatives for fur-ther action. His legislation wouldcreate a Class C misdemeanorpenalty for operating a motorboatwhile using a controlled substance,punishable by a sentence of up to60 days in prison and a maximumfine of $500. He added that the billsets a Class A misdemeanor penaltyif this intoxication leads toimpaired operation of the motor-boat.

“Regrettably, it took a fatal2010 boat crash on Lake Monroe to

ION is saddened to announcethe passing of our friend, EricCorey.

Hunter, conservationist andfounder of the Eric CoreyFoundation with parents Doug andCarol, Eric lost his long battle withALS last month at 25 years of age,but not before sharing his passionfor hunting and the outdoors withhundreds of other disabled huntersthrough his innovative TurkeyTracks Program.

Contributions to The TurkeyTracks Eric Corey Foundation maybe made c/o the CommunityFoundation, PO Box 807,Rochester, IN 46975.

bring an inconsistency in motor-boat and vehicle offense laws tolegislators’ attention,” Steele said.“While operating a motor vehicle,like a car, under the influence ofdrugs is prohibited in our state,operating a motorboat whileimpaired by these controlled sub-stances is not. It’s unfortunate that atragic incident had to bring this gapin our state statute to light, but thisis unacceptable and must be fixed. Ilook forward to working with mycolleagues in the House and mov-ing this bill to the governor’s desk.”

SB 154 targets intoxication bySchedule I and II drugs, like mari-juana, methamphetamine and hero-in. Operating a motorboat with ablood-alcohol level of 0.08 orgreater is already a Class C misde-meanor offense.


It's that time of year when Ilike to look back at last year's out-doors issues and look ahead to whatmay lie ahead.

The past season had its highsand lows for Michiana sportsmen,much of which was predicated byweather, DNR management prac-tices and public attitude.

So, as we look ahead, here aresome seasonal leftovers to ponderas we head into 2012:

Will we pay for the late iceseason by getting stuck with frozenlakes through March and earlyApril?

Now that South Bend andMishawaka is full of steelhead, willthis spring's fishery produce thekind of results St. Joseph Riveranglers have dreamed about?

Is there a finer launch facilityin northern Indiana than the onethat opened last year at the 6 SpanPublic Access site near Elkhart onthe St. Joseph River?

Can we expect to see morekeeper-size walleyes caught atLake of the Woods (Bremen) as aresult of changes the Indiana DNRmade in stocking programs?

Will the Michigan DNR tight-en its liberal deer bag limits insouthwest Michigan to give huntersreason to smile again?

Is it likely that Indiana hunterswill begin to see a downward trendof fewer deer as the result of heavyhunting pressure on antlerless deerthe past few years?

Did we see that trend begin-ning last fall, or was the fewer deersightings hunters reported the resultof weather, too many crops in thefield or some other matter of con-cern?

How long will it be before westart seeing wolves in Michigan'sLower Peninsula?

Now that Michigan acknowl-edges the presence of cougars in thenorthern part of the state, willrumored sightings in northernIndiana and southern Michigan bevalidated?

Could we see changes inIndiana bass size limits on some ofthe lakes where there appears to bean over-population of smaller fish?

What happened to the bur-geoning northern pike populationthat showed up on the St. JosephRiver a few years ago?

Was last fall's high number ofcoho that returned to South Bend afluke or a sign of the future?

Is Lake Michigan's forage basestill dwindling or is it stabilizing?Does anyone really know?

Have we seen the last of theEHD disease that has killed south-

So, what will 2012 bring us?

LOUIESTOUT

ern Michigan deer, or will it returnthis year and spread into northernIndiana?

Will Michiana trappers contin-ue to see the rise in internationaldemand for fur that has resulted inimproved pelt prices?

Does the Michigan DNR reallycare what area anglers think aboutthe mess its engineers created at theJuno Lake boat launch? Why hasn'tit responded to petitions submittedby local businesses?

Have we lost Eagle Lakeaccess/parking for good?

Will native aquatic vegetationreturn at Lake Manitou and bringback gamefish populations to whatthey were prior to the DNR's lake-wide nuking of exotic hydrillaplants?

Is there a better bass andbluegill fishing lake in Indiana thanwhat we have at lakes Syracuse andWawasee?

Will we ever see a sufficientpublic parking area for LakeMaxinkuckee boaters?

Will Hoosier deer huntersembrace this fall's crossbow sea-son, the first full year of legalizedcrossbow hunting?

Could it be that the generalpublic has wised up to the scam ofthe anti-hunting movement andrealized that hunting and trappingare valuable to wildlife manage-ment practices?

Will the DNR decide to go for-ward with its proposal to initiate a

www.zolmantire.com

slot limit on river smallmouth bass?Will we see bigger bass? What willthe anglers say?

Can Indiana's walleye fisheryon the St. Joe continue to subsist onevery-other-year stockings of10,000 fingerlings?

Is the hot new bass fishingtrend of “Alabama Rigging” capa-ble of producing phenomenal basscatches in Michiana as it has insouthern waters? Will it be declaredlegal in Indiana?

Are we going to see more tro-phy-size muskies caught from theSt. Joe even though they haven't

been stocked there?How cool is it that Indiana is

converting old prison grounds intomanageable game bird habitat areasopen to public hunting?

Will the conspiracy theoristswho believe the Michigan DNR isintentionally poisoning deer fromhelicopters ever give up that sillynotion?

Are Michiana fly fishermen upto the task of tying more than13,030 flies during the St. JosephRiver Valley Fly Fishers' annualTie-A-Thon benefit in early Marchand beat last year's record?

Efforts to stock larger walleye appear to be paying off, but are the num-bers being stocked enough to sustain a good fishery? (Photo provided)


JIMBIDDLE

says they have been taking somewhitefish around the MichiganCity area. Willow Slough is still agood bet for bluegill and crappie.Wolf Lake is a good spot to go fora pike or a walleye with a sucker orgolden roach. Things have beenextremely slow on Pine and ClearLakes in LaPorte. The DNRreports that an angler went throughon Clear in late January, so usegood judgement wherever you’refishing.

Saint Joseph RiverDick Parker from Parker’s

Central Bait & Tackle inMishawaka says you can get asteelhead with a Wiggle Wart orHot-n-Tot by trolling about 100feet behind the boat anchored inthe current or moving slowlyupstream.

East Central IndianaEd Gipson at Peacepipe Bait

& Tackle at Andrews expects goodcrappie and bluegill action if theycould only get some ice. If theydo get ice you should be able totake some nice slabs with jigs andbee moths.

Southern IndianaRick Shedd at the Fishin

Shedd in Bloomington echoesother contacts - we need ice!Folks in the area are taking somebluegill and crappies from localsmall ponds. Rick, like every-

from area lakes like Flint, Loomis,Spectacle and Mink.

Like I said in the beginning,the outlook is not great. I dowant to stress that with this up anddown weather, please be cautiousand stay safe. As my editor says,“if in doubt don’t go out.”Believe me, there isn’t a fish outthere worth a plunge into an icylake. So kick back and relax.Things will pick up. In the mean-time re-read you sports magazines,attend all the spots shows, cleanout your tackle box and be ready

when things get better. I read insome of the mags that the trend inlures is for more realism. I guesswe are going back to trying to imi-tate nature more closely. Ofcourse the fish might be so used tosome of these weird looking luresthat they won’t recognize some-thing that looks like the real thing.Hey, have faith and rememberwhat Ol’ JB always says, “ if peo-ple concentrated on the importantthings in life, there would be ashortage of fishing poles.”

Good luck and I’ll see younext month.

body else expects thing to pick upif the ice arrives. Of course fishneed to eat so, throw something atthem and hope for the best.

North Central IndianaJim Housman from Ye Old

Tackle Box at North Webster saysthey do have some ice and thefishing is pretty good. Jim saysthey’re fishing the north channelson Lake Wawasee and taking somenice bluegills and crappies onspikes and minnows. Maxie wasa real hotspot for slab bluegill a lit-tle over a week ago. You knowthere are more there, so have it.They are in the weeds.

West Central IndianaJohn Raines at Twin Lake Fish

& Game at Monticello had thesame lament. John is hoping whatlittle ice they have melts and coldconditions produce some good ice.If it freezes over now it is going tobe some real rough ice and notreally trustworthy. On the brighterside John says, “spring is coming.”

Northwest IndianaKathy Valentin at Country

Bait in Valparaiso tells me that thefishermen haven’t been telling hermuch lately regarding their catch,but she says the shop has beenselling a lot of bee moths, spikesand crappie minnows. I think wecan assume those folks are catch-ing some bluegills and crappies

This could be one of myshortest columns yet! The onlyconsistent information my con-tacts give me is, we have bait butthe fishing is pretty slow.Everyone is wanting good ice. Alot of areas still don’t have ice andthose that have it want more.

So far this has been the winterthat wasn’t. It seems we justbounce around between the teensand the upper forties. A lot offolks are happy with the lack ofcold weather but ice fishermenaren’t in this category. All I cansay is, if you can’t go fishing go toone the sports shows and keepyour spirits up. As the old sayinggoes, this to will pass.

Of course, I’m writing this thelast week in January, so the waythe weather has been it could be 5below by the time you read this. Ifthat be the case, get out there andnail those fish.

Lake MichiganMark Starcevich at Mik-Lurch

Tackle in Hammond expects somegood steelhead action in the creeksas the water levels drop. Mark

Trip Kelleher caught and released this 22” brown trout on a black woolybugger at the Whitewater River tailwater below Brookville Reservoir onJanuary 5th. The next time someone catches this bruiser it will be evenlarger! Nice fish, Trip!


D.L.SMITHCurves in Camo

Hogging in the Lone Star State

I was fortunate to garner myshare of firsts in 2011; my first bigboss tom, my first 10 (11 if youcount the kicker) point buck andmy first hog.

Chilly weather and high windswere not what I imagined when Ipacked my bags for south centralTexas. We were headed down tofilm the devastating effects ofLightfield Shotgun Ammunition onferal hogs.

Upon landing in San Antonio,we collected our gear and headedfor the ranch. It was good to beback in Texas where the people arealways welcoming and hospitable.

Due to the unique nature ofhog hunting in Texas, it is impor-tant to choose an ammunition thatstands up to the task. I choseLightfield Lites for several reasons.First, I needed an accurate slug todeliver a clean kill. Second, I didn'twant the slug to pass through. In aTexas ranch hunting situation,many other animals are often in thearea of your target. The last thing Iwanted to do was wound anotheranimal with a pass through. Third,we had to limit the number offirearms we traveled with, so I’d

share a gun with my husband,Mark.

I am 5'4 and petite. Mark is6'5” and not petite. We shared a 12gauge Tarhunt Designated SlugGun (DSG). Mark opted to huntwith the Lightfield Hybred Elite 3-inch rounds. Personally, I have nomacho need to prove I can take abattering from my gun. All I needto prove is the fact that I can hit mytarget accurately. Lightfield Lites,with their reduced recoil, and samesight accuracy, fit the bill -- withouttearing up my shoulder. Both of uswere able to use the same slug gunwith deadly accuracy and no needto re-sight between users.

Texas, by far, has the densestpopulation of feral hogs of any ofthe 36 states in which they are nowfound. When Spanish settlers firstbegan inhabiting the Americas,they brought swine with them.Through the years, the highly-adaptable hogs have adjusted andthrived. Feral hogs are a non-native species with few naturalpredators and the ability to inhabitwidely differing climates. To thehunter, this adds up to an excitingopportunity to reduce an invasiveand destructive species by harvest-ing an animal that is also quitetasty.

I immediately found Texashunting to be a completely differentexperience, and I learned how chal-lenging feral hogs can be duringour very first night out. They arefast and unpredictable. Most of thesmaller hogs travel in groups, whilethe mature males tend to travelalone. High winds and cold tem-peratures had them moving and for-

aging. We were set up in a blindnext to a water hole and a feeder.

As the sun began to descend inthe sky, a rustling came from thebrush to the left of the feeder. Agroup of hogs came in to feed.They moved rapidly around the baitstation, intimidating some of thelarger animals with their aggressiveposturing. The excitement of see-ing the hogs got my blood pump-ing. I found myself getting moreexcited than when I killed my bigbuck this year. I didn't expect that.

As I stated earlier, with somany animals around it is impor-tant to wait until a single hog pro-vides a clear opportunity to shoot.A cinnamon colored hog stepped tothe outside of the group. I zeroedin, but several others stepped intothe line of fire in the blink of aneye. I waited. A black mediumsized hog fed to the left side of thegroup. I quickly signaled to Markthat I would take him. I dialed inthe Hawke scope on the DSG and,calming my breath, I squeezed thetrigger evenly. The Lightfield Litefound its home and took the hog outat 88 yards. It flipped onto its back,legs straight out.

When I agreed to go on the tripmy plan was to take a small-to-medium-sized hog to cook forChristmas dinner. I had achievedthat goal in less than 6 hours on theground in Texas.

The next morning broughtmore uncharacteristic weather, anda heavy frost covered the ground.Mark, Host of Lightfield WildAdventures TV, was hunting and Iwas running the camera.

The sun rose and the animals

began moving. Snorting andrustling came from the brush as ithad the night before, signaling thearrival of a group of hogs. A largegroup moved into and around thebait station.

A cinnamon colored hog waslarger than the rest. Mark signalledhis intentions and we waited for theopportunity. It stepped to the out-side and Mark quickly fired. Thehog went straight down where itstood while the other hogs scat-tered. We sat patiently in our raisedblind and watched as the boldnessof the remaining hogs overrodetheir sense of survival. They cameback in to feed. Mark signaled hewould take a large, black one on theoutside of the group and againraised his DSG. He sent anotherLightfield Hybred Elite on its wayand took his second hog just min-utes after the first.

An estimated 4-6 million hogsnow reside in the U.S., and thedamage they inflict on personalproperty and crops is estimated ataround $1.5 billion annually. Manystates don't even require permits tohunt them. States like Missourieven ask that you shoot them onsight. Hunting how-ever, is not enough tocurb growing hogpopulations. Feralhogs can breed up toone-and-a-half timesper year, and littersaverage between 4-6piglets. Given idealconditions, they canproduce litters of upto 12.

Feral hog hunt-

ing was exciting, and I enjoyed itfar more than I expected. They arenothing like their barnyard cousins.Their build and demeanor makethem exciting game. Of course,taking the hogs with the LightfieldSlugs made for some dramatic andconvincing kills. But best of all,my hog made a delicious ChristmasEve dinner for my family. I can'twait to get back out and go hoggingagain soon.


I just flew in from Las Vegasand boy, are my arms tired(Rimshot!). Bad but obligatoryjokes aside, I just returned from ourannual visit to the Shooting,Hunting and Outdoors Trades(SHOT) Show in Sin City, U.S.A.

SHOT is one of the largesttrade expositions in North America,a combination Super Bowl, ParisFashion Show, Indianapolis 500,Easter and Christmas for thefirearms and hunting enthusiast.Sponsored by the NationalShooting Sports Federation (NSSF)and open only to business andmedia, the event packs 60,000 peo-ple shoulder-to-shoulder to browse1500 booths offering the latest,greatest and occasionally not-so-hot products the shooting world hasto offer.

This columnist, along withIndiana Outdoor News publisherBrian Smith, was among the over2000 accredited media personnel tocover the show. While spacemakes it impossible to give an in-depth account of SHOT, we'll hit a

2012 SHOT Show Review

The Straight ShooterBRENTWHEAT

few of our noteworthy finds.Somewhat surprisingly, there

were fewer new productsannounced at the show. Thoughthere were media events and pressconferences galore, the NewProduct showcase was visiblysmaller than in past years. Despitethe fact that the firearms industry isin the middle of a noteworthy boomcycle, it would appear that compa-nies are either unable to finance thelaunch of new products or simplywon't take the chance in these oth-erwise economically troubledtimes.

One very hot trend is theZombie craze. Around every cor-ner there were weapons and acces-sories outfitted in various shades offlorescent green, ready to do battlewith the mythical undead. Cruisingthe aisles we found rifles, hand-guns, handgun grips, ammunition,knives, choke tubes, targets andcleaning kits for the zombie-hunt-ing shooter. Personally, we're notsure why someone would reallyneed an Otis Technologies ZombieGun Cleaning System but they areavailable if you are in the market.

Perhaps the weapon that drewthe most comment was the Caracalpistol. This 9mm polymer handgunlooks like the illegitimate offspringresulting from a one-night-standbetween a Glock and an HK pistolbut according to many sources, itsfit and function are second to none.

The gun is the first ever madein the United Arab Emirates

(UAE), which was enough to givethis correspondent pause as webelieve it highly questionable tosend our hard currency into aregion that traditionally isn't stableand generally unfriendly toward theUnited States. While UAE is cer-tainly one of the more benignregimes in the Persian Gulf, I stillwonder if our dollars might some-day be returned as a car bomb. Theopposing viewpoint was represent-ed by a friend who mentioned, “Ifthat bothers you, then you shouldn'town any H&K weapons either,because they were shooting at us 70years ago.” A reasonable point,though I haven't come down off thefence yet.

The guns are certainly interest-ing. One unusual feature is theoptional combat rear sight which islocated in front of the ejection port.Those who shot the gun duringMedia Day said the configuration iscertainly fast during close-rangeshooting but the shorter sight radiusmight prove to be a hindrance atlonger distances.

Current U.S. availability is vir-tually nonexistent but based uponthe huge marketing effort Caracalput forth in Las Vegas, it seemslikely that the pistols will startshowing up at your local retailer

sometime soon. Price range iscomparable to other brand-namepolymer-frame defensive pistols.

One gun that also created a stirwas the XDs subcompact .45 ACPby Springfield Armory. The gun isa single-stack magazine downsizedversion of their XD models thatcarries 5+1 rounds and offers seri-ous fight-stopping power in a pistolthat isn't much bigger than many.380 compacts.

We fired the gun on the rangeand found it functioned reliably inour limited test. Fit, trigger andhandling were fine though theaggressive polymer grips tend todig into your hand after repeatedrapid fire. This isn't necessarily afun gun to shoot but it more thanmakes up for robust recoil withlight weight and ease of conceal-ment. With an integral grip safety

that offers a little more piece ofmind than other striker-based pis-tols, we would love to carry one of

The subcompact .45 ACPSpringfield Armory XDs: much fire-power in a small package!

The author shoots a DoublestarFirearms AR-15 rifle during the2012 SHOT Show media day nearBoulder City, Nevada.



The author (left) and Elkhorn Outfitters’ Dick Dodd display the reward ofcourage, trust and determination. Photo provided.

Some of my fondest memoriesgrowing up in Missouri's OzarkMountains are of deer camps, gunranges and being in the woods withmy Grandpa Simmerman, mom,dad and brother. But when I was 10years old I knew there was a prob-lem with my vision. My dad and Iwere coon hunting one night andhad just turned the coon houndsloose. I waited by the truck and lis-tened to the hounds make theirbeautiful music in the crisp nightair, but realized I couldn't see athing. That week began the horri-ble task of doctor visits and tests tofind out what was happening to mysight. I was diagnosed withRetinitis Pigmentosa (RP); adegenerative eye disease. From1984 to 1990 I lost 80% of myvision. My night vision loss wasthe most noticeable and my periph-eral vision gave way to tunnelvision. I always compare it to look-ing through two straws. While thiswas certainly traumatic to a youngchild, I cannot recall a time I wastold to stay home because I couldn'tsee good enough. In fact, I wassimply told to hold on tight so Iwouldn't be left behind.

By the time I was sixteen, Ihad lost enough vision to keep mefrom obtaining a driver's license.This didn't stop me from ridingATVs all over the country near myparents' home. I can still tell youthe location of a few trees I becameall too familiar with.

As my teenage years wereswiftly passing, my appreciationgrew for the outdoors and all thecritters that call it home. I stillrecall the words of a family friend,Sam Wilson, telling us boys to“turn that light out so I can hear

tunity before me, I asked my broth-er, Joe, to come with me. Joe and Ihad not been in the woods togetherin over 20 years. We arrivedSunday night, October 2, and gotsettled into the lodge. I would besurprised if I slept one hour inanticipation of 4 a.m. and what layin store for the first day.

Dick set up a ThompsonCenter 7mm mag with a red dotscope for our hunt. While I shoul-der the gun, Dick would standbehind me, look through the scopeand line up the target.

Once we arrived at our desti-nation, I placed my hands on Dick'sshoulders and followed step forstep. It felt so great movingthrough the sage, scrub oak andaspens. The elk were bugling hardand we soon found ourselves close

to a mad, screaming bull doing allhe could to protect his harem ofcows. Of all the hunting shows Ihave watched over the years, noneof them did justice to the actualexperience. As we maneuveredthrough the rugged terrain, Dickand I developed a rhythm. I couldfeel his shoulders when he was lift-ing or holding branches at headlevel so I could raise my elbow toblock them from hitting my face.With each step he took, I knew ifwe were going up or down. Dickwould simply hesitate slightly andlightly tap his left leg on a down logas he stepped over to let me knowwhat I was about to find with myfeet. Without a word we moved aswe stalked my first potential bull.

something.” Even in the middle ofthe day I am able to hear the dis-tinct prance, step and turn of awhitetail as its hooves dig into themud; or hear the scurry and quick,sudden movements of a squirrel inthe fall leaves and its small nailsgrabbing the bark of an oak tree asit played with another squirrel.There is a beauty to the song ofleaves gently falling as the acornscreate a rhythm and beat as they hitsoft layers of moss, blankets ofleaves and downed logs. Even thesmell of damp, rotting wood andthe heavy musk of a skunk becamepleasant and comforting. There isso much that fully sighted folks aremissing out on.

Now I am grown, married andhave three wonderful kids.Although I have never laid handson the antlers of a buck I harvestedmyself, I never once thought ofmyself as unsuccessful. All I thinkabout is doing what I can to sharethe outdoors with my family. I hopethey will grow to have the samelove and appreciation I do for God'screation. I only hope their fondestchildhood memories will be sittingwith me in tree stands, groundblinds and trekking through thehigh country sharing our timetogether.

I thought I would never huntagain myself. I had accepted thisperceived reality, but it would notstop me from doing what I couldfor my kids. All hunters will tellyou how huge a thrill it is whenyour child harvests their first ani-mal. Every hunter would gladly laydown their bow or gun for a seasonto take their child on an outdooradventure. I am thrilled to do thesame for my children permanently.

I was also blessed to have friendslike Dale Price, Mark Alexander,Virgil Gooselaw and Robert Adkinswho invite me to tag along andshare in their hunting experiences.

Then, in December 2010, I metDick Dodds.

Dick is the owner of ElkhornOutfitters in Craig, Colorado. Afterasking Dick about youth hunts, hespoke briefly with my son, Jacob,and then turned his attention to me.By this time I had lost all the visionin my left eye and had minimallight perception in my right eye. Inother words, I really am blind inone eye and can't see out of theother. Dick asked me if I wouldlike to hunt. It seemed like timestood still; a deafening silence inmy mind like a moment of dramat-ic emphasis in a critical moviescene. The next part of the conver-sation I remember is Dick saying,“We can do this.”

These words rang through myhead over and over. FromDecember of 2010 to October of2011 I was like a five-year-old boywaiting for Christmas. Not onlywas I going to be the hunter, I wasgoing to hunt something I hadnever hunted before, elk.

Let's pause for just a momentso I can explain exactly what tookplace. This was not just an outfitterletting some blind guy kill an elk.My family and I were made a partof the Elkhorn family. It is not pos-sible to express within one articleevery aspect of our adventuretogether or the development of ourrelationship without gross under-statement, but I will do my best toget across just how successful thisseason has been.

With such an awesome oppor-

“We Can Do This”: A Blind Man Really Can Hunt By Chris Peltz



What is a birder's best friend?Their binocular, of course!

Whether you're a beginningbirder or a seasoned expert, yourbinocular is the crucial tool neededto bring in the details of birds forcloser inspection. Since part of thefun of birding is to study and iden-tify birds, a high-quality binocularallows us to see and appreciatewhat we can't see with the nakedeye.

When recommending binocu-lars for the beginning birder, wefirst consider size and specifica-tions. With a wide variety of shapesand sizes available, the choices canseem daunting. Beginning birdersmay be tempted to get a compactbinocular, something small andinexpensive, or think they're notworthy of a large binocular yet.Before you buy, it's good to educateyourself about the basic concepts ofoptics.

MagnificationLet's start with the numbers on

a binocular. What do the numbersmean? The power and size of abinocular is defined by numbers. Afull-sized 8x42 binocular is by farthe most popular choice for birders,for several reasons. The first num-ber, 8, refers to the magnification,which in this case enables you toview something 8 times closer thanyou would with the naked eye.While some birders may prefer a10-power (10x) magnification formore detail, there are tradeoffs. The10x is harder to hold steady and isless bright than the 8x42 of thesame model. That's why we givethe nod to 8x42 for those new tobirdwatching.

BIRDING

Magnification also greatlyaffects the field of view, the dis-tance seen from side to side throughthe binocular. Field of view is builtinto the optics of the binocular, butgenerally speaking, the higher themagnification, the more narrow thefield of view will be. A wide fieldof view is beneficial when trying tolocate a bird or follow its move-ment.

Objective Lens SizeThe second number, in this

case 42, is the size of the objective(front) lens, measured in millime-ters. The objective lens is the lightgathering lens; the bigger the lens,the brighter the image. That bringsme back to the newcomer with thelow-quality compact: the small lensof a compact binocular gathers lesslight, making it difficult to seedetails, especially in low light con-ditions. Remember, birds are moreactive during dawn and dusk. Also,birding often takes place in thewoods or under a canopy of treeswhere sunlight is diffused.

FeaturesEyeglass wearers, take note: If

you want to use your binocular with

eyeglasses or sunglasses, look forone that offers 15mm or more ofeye relief. Eye relief refers to thedistance images are projected fromthe ocular lens to their focal point,and the measurement can vary from10mm to 23mm.

Close focus is another featureto consider when buying a binocu-lar. Many prefer a close focus (3'-6') in order to observe butterflies,dragonflies, and wildflowers. Forbirdwatching, consider a binocularwith a close focus of 10 feet or less.

Also, waterproofing and fog-proofing are fairly standard intoday's optics. We recommend buy-ing a waterproof and fogproofbinocular; you won't have to worryabout using your binocular aroundwater and in any type of weather.

While it isn't necessary tospend a lot of money on binoculars,be aware that the more you spend,the better the quality of the glass.High-quality glass, lens coatings,and prism coatings afford a viewwith better resolution, allowing youto see more vivid colors, contrast,and a crisper, cleaner image. Itmakes sense to spend as much asyou can afford.

Binos for Beginning Birders Giant Whitetail -- Continued from Cover

the white object. The anticipa-tion was too much and theyagreed that they would quietlycheck out the white object andif it wasn't her buck, they wouldclimb back up in the stand andwait.

As luck would have it, theydidn't need to get back into thestand.

The white object wasAudrey's first buck -- an incred-ible buck. Audrey wasawestruck. “I knew he was abig buck, but I didn't know hewas that big!”

The non-typical buckweighed in excess of 200pounds dressed and had anamazing 24 score-able points, green-scoring an astonishing 247 7/8(Boone & Crocket).

Audrey and her buck became an instant sensation locally in PoseyCounty and nationally on the Internet. Pictures leaked out and made theirway onto hunting websites. Audrey would overhear others talking aboutthe mystery huntress, not realizing it was her. On the Internet huntingforums, rumors flew that the hunter had been a sixteen-year old girl.Others claimed that hunting superstores Cabela's and Bass Pro had offeredAudrey tens of thousands of dollars for the rack.

The rumors proved to be false. Audrey isn't sixteen, she is the moth-er of two, and is happily married to her other hunting mentor, Jerry Sharp.And, she tells Indiana Outdoor News that she will never, ever part with heronce-in-a-lifetime trophy.

So what is next for Audrey? Audrey entered her trophy into a contestsponsored by local radio station WRAY 98.1. Her buck easily won thecontest with the runner up having a measly 17 points.

Turkey season is just around the corner and Audrey thinks wild turkeywould make great table fare, and a fan and beard would look great on thewall next to her buck. Audrey also has enjoyed archery since she was ayoung girl and now has a Matthew's Pink Passion bow that she plans onusing for her next whitetail trophy.

Audrey and Jerry have two beautiful young daughters, Aurora andKeara, who want to hunt just like mom (and dad). No surprise, there.Upon looking at Audrey’s accomplishment last season, who wouldn’t?

Alan Garbers is a freelance outdoor writer and ION Columnist fromMartinsville, IN. Contact him at [email protected].

IDNR/Outdoor Indiana magazine photo.


Hands On Nature: Winter water for Birds

Birds need water in winter for drinking and bathing. Abird bath with open water will also encourage birds to come toyour feeders. Some birds, such as bluebirds, do not eat seeds,but will visit a heated or thawed bird bath in winter. Here arethree ways to provide water in winter.

o Set out shallow plastic plant saucer each day. Bring it inwhen it freezes.

o Purchase a bird bath with a built-in thermostatically con-trolled heater.

o Purchase a shallow plastic plant saucer, and place animmersion heater in the water. Most new models shut off if thewater evaporates.

Be sure to clean out your bird bath about once a week andreplace the water.

Creature Feature - Cooper's Hawk

Not every birdthat comes to dineat your feeders isthere to eat seed orsuet. Cooper'sHawks come to

stalk smaller birds as prey. Smaller than our common Red-tailed Hawk, theyoften visit bird feeders for an easy meal, especially when snow cover makeshunting in the wild more difficult.

You can age Cooper's Hawks by their coloration. Young birds have verticalrusty streaks on their breast with blotchy brown backs; adults have cross-wiseorange hatching on their breast with slate gray backs. Even the eye color changesfrom yellow to red as the bird ages. The tail is long with wide bars.

Cooper's are a mastery of stealthy flight. They are skillful at flying throughthe woods, or skimming close to the ground, then up and over and obstacle tosurprise their prey. But this style of hunting is not without risk. Cooper's Hawksoften suffer wing or chest bone fractures.

Cooper's Hawks capture small birds with their feet and kill them by squeez-ing them. While medium sized birds are their most likely fare, they also capturemice, and other small rodents.

If a Cooper's Hawk begins to get conditioned to visiting your bird feeder,take your feeders down or leave them empty for a few days and the hawk willmove on. Be sure to provide cover for small birds in the form of evergreens anddense shrubs, but keep your feeders several feet away from the shrubs, so visit-ing songbirds can see predators coming.

Nature’s Almanac

FEBRUARYTime to tap the maple trees!On average, a tap hole drilledinto a Sugar Maple tree willyield enough sap to produceabout one quart of maplesyrup.

A sign of the end of winter!Migrating Killdeer begin tomove north through our area.During migration they oftenstop in farm fields to searchfor insects.

There is a Full Moon onFebruary 7 and New Moon onFebruary 21. According to TheOld Farmer's Almanac, snowcoming two or three days afterthe New Moon will remain onthe ground for some time; thatfalling just after the FullMoon will soon go off.

Cardinals are more abundantat feeders this month andbegin to sing as they strength-en their pair bonds betweenmates.

Pass go and gain an extra day!As with years divisible byfour, 2012 is a Leap Year,with 29 days this month.

Did you know?

Sharp-shinned Hawks(right) look almost identicalto Cooper's Hawks (left)and identification is trickyfor even the best birders.Cooper's have stockier feetand a blocky head, whileSharp-shinned Hawks haveslender feet and a rounderhead.

www.duncraft.com

Craig Koppie / USFWS Photo

Photos courtesy of the U.S. Forest Service

New e-book CelebratesTurkey Hunting

“Turkey Camp… and otherturkey hunting stories,” is a newe-book that celebrates why welove the sport of turkey hunting.At just $3.99, it will load your e-reader, smart phone or computerscreen with a dozen stories aboutthis addicting sport.

Written and illustrated byMark Strand, lifelong hunter andangler, longtime outdoor writer,photographer and filmmaker, whohas embraced the new technologyof digital publishing.

Wild turkeys cast a spell onthose who love to hunt them, and this book celebrates these magnifi-cent birds as well as any work of turkey hunting literature. It takes youon a cross-country adventure to many corners of wild turkey country,with creative, vivid descriptions and impressionistic images that meshperfectly for a memorable read. If you love turkey hunting, and lovereading about it, get a good dose for about the cost of one gallon ofgas. And you can read it on your smartphone when you're out there inthe woods and nothing's happening.

“Turkey Camp” is available directly from the author atwww.markstrandoutdoors.com, as well as from all major e-retailers.Search for it in the Amazon Kindle store, Barnes and Noble Nookstore, iTunes book store, or Sony Reader store.

Lightfield Zombie Blaster Ammo TM

Lightfield Ammunition Corporation, the industry leader in big gamehunting slug munitions, has announced the launch of a new line ofZombie ammunition. The new line is a non-projectile mega blank roundthus called Zombie Blaster Ammo™. The Zombie Blaster is intended forclose encounter combat with a Zombie (or several when the apocalypsehappens). Don’t let the non projectile mega blank fool you, the newammo packs a huge muzzle flash along with such an intense concussionpunch it will deafen, blind and then knock the brains right out of aZombie… guaranteed! Go to www.LITFLD.com and watch the video!

These rounds have also been tested by the Lightfield Law Enforcement division and we have found thatthe concussion is great enough to breach doors and knock out windows from automobiles” added NeilKeegstra, Director of Less Lethal Research (LLR) at Lightfield. “The muzzle flash and subsequent blaststands above and exceeds anything else we’ve ever seen on the market.” So, not only will you be able tokill a zombie, you will also be able to flush them out of hiding – all with one round.

No Zombie “bug out bag” should be with out it. Get ready for the apocalypse by purchasing some ofthese shells and practicing on Zombie targets at the shooting range. The Zombie Blaster comes in blisterpacks of 5 rounds in 12 gauge, 20 gauge and 410 and is available right now at www.LITFLD.com for imme-diate shipping (soon to be available in retailers everywhere).

The Ducks Unlimited StoryIf you think you know everything about Ducks Unlimited, you're in for a surprise. DU's brand-new 75th

anniversary book, “The Ducks Unlimited Story” offers a fresh look at DU's proud history and conservation lega-cy. The 208-page coffee table book by author Michael Furtman features never-before-seen photographs and doc-uments unearthed from the DU archives, as well as information you won't find anywhere else such as firsthandaccounts, the DU lineage of dedicated volunteers and everything you need to know about DU's more recent his-tory. There's also a special full-color catalog of everysingle DU dinner gun and Artist of the Year print—perfect for the avid DU collector. From the birth ofthe organization in 1937 to its 75th year, from thefirst conservation work in Canada to rescuing theDuck Factory on the prairies, this book chroniclesDU's proud history. But the theme of the entire storyis passion: the passion of those who founded DU, aswell as the passion of DU's volunteers today.

“The Ducks Unlimited Story” is availableon the DU website for a donation of just $39. Orderyour copy at www.ducks.org.

Lindy River RockerLindy’s River

Rocker runs andtracks true andhas a curvedprofile andstreamlinedshape that produces a widerocking wobble at a variety ofspeeds. Whether it is cast,trolled, or dropped back in the current when anchored, the exaggeratedaction of the River Rocker will draw strikes from a variety of species.

Designed and built for performance right out of the box, theextremely versatile River Rocker can be cast, flat-line trolled or usedwith downriggers, but it truly shines when utilized in fast-runningwaters.The River Rocker comes in two sizes. The #3 series is a 3/16oz (2-3/8inches) and the #5 series is a 5/16oz (3-1/8 inches).

We like the Orangeade, Pink Shiner, Tullibee and Purple Smelt col-ors for St. Joseph River steelhead. Learn more at www.lindyfishingtack-le.com.


There are numerous baits and presenta-tions that catch sunfish and crappies throughthe ice. Whether you're floating a jig & wax-worm under a slip bobber or quivering a jig-ging spoon on a straight line, you'll typicallymanage to catch fish if they're beneath yourhole.

But there are certain times when, forwhatever reason, the fish are there but arevery tight-lipped and difficult to catch.When that situation presents itself, it's a per-fect time to try a drop shot rig.

What is a drop shot rig?Summer bass fishermen have long

known the effectiveness of a drop shot pres-entation, because it keeps the bait in the"strike zone" so well. That same reasoningmakes it a smart choice for ice fishing too.From the rod tip to the end of your line, adrop shot rig goes like this: the line goesdown to a bait tied with a palomar knot.Beneath the bait, the tag end of your linegoes down to a splitshot sinker. So, whilefishing with a drop shot, the sinker is on thelake bottom while the bait is above it at achosen distance (typically 1-3 feet).

No spinWhy is drop shotting so effective on

panfish that are in a negative mood? One ofthe main reasons is that a drop shot rig elim-inates a spinning bait. When you dangle a jigunder a straight line, it will almost alwaysspin round and round because of line twist. Ifa panfish is in a non-aggressive mood, hewill react negatively to a jig that's spinningin circles. He's much more apt to hit a non-spinning bait that's either barely moving ornot moving at all.

Because a drop shot rig allows you topresent the bait on a taut line (with the sinkeron the bottom), it eliminates the spinningand helps you catch more fish.

AdjustabilityThere is routinely a "sweet spot" in the

water column where fish are most likely tofeed. By using a split shot sinker with yourdrop shot rig, it's quick and easy to adjust thedistance between your sinker and your bait. Imentioned earlier that the distance is gener-ally between 1-3 feet. Sometimes the magicdistance is more. For that reason, leave agenerous amount of line beyond your bait soyou can either have your bait way down deepor suspended wherever it needs to be in thewater column.

Why a palomar knot?With any drop shot rig, you want your

bait exactly perpendicular to the line andsticking straight out. A palomar is the bestknot to achieve this. If you don't know howto tie one, NetKnots.com has an easy-to-fol-low diagram to teach you.

Proven equipmentFor winter drop shot panfishing, begin

with monofilament line in 2-4 pound test.Since we're discussing fish in a negativemood, smaller baits will outperform largerones. So try really small hooks like #12s or#14s. These are hooks fly fishermen use totie tiny nymphs and emergers.

On your hook, I recommend threading amicro plastic body with a dangling, quiver-ing tail. Many tackle manufacturers likeNorthland, Lindy and Berkley make excel-lent mini grubs. Live bait like waxworms orEurolarvae (colored maggots) work greattoo. Crappie minnows perform wonderfullytoo. Lip hook the minnow, keep your dropshot line taut and that minnow will constant-ly fight to get away - and attract the attentionof crappies and sunfish.

Multiple depthsIndiana and many other states allow up

to two hooks or baits on a single line (excepton Lake Michigan tributaries). You can rigmultiple baits at different depths on yourdrop shot rig. Having not one but two bigcrappies or bluegills battling you simultane-ously is a real thrill, and a fast way to fill thepail for dinner.

When panfish are active and aggressive,it's fun to pluck them from the school withjigs and spoons. But when the going getstough and it just doesn't seem like they'll eat,give drop shotting a try. It can make the dif-ference between going home happy insteadof empty handed.

Good Fishing!

BABEWINKELMAN

Drop Shot Winter Panfish

Babe Winkelman is a nationally-known out-doorsman who has taught people to fish andhunt for more than 25 years. Watch theaward-winning "Good Fishing" and"Outdoor Secrets" television shows onVersus, Fox Sports, Texas Channel and manylocal networks. Visit www.winkelman.comfor air times where you live and be sure tocheck us out on Facebook.


Gone Afield monthly photo contest. . .It’s EASY! It’s FUN! Fill out this form and send it in with your favorite outdoor photograph.

A winner will be randomly selected each month to win a great outdoor prize!

Entry Information:

Person submitting the photo:

Name(s) of person(s) pictured:

Other information describing the photo:

If I’m selected as this month’s random winner, please send my prize to:

Send your photos to:Gone AfieldP.O. Box 69

Granger, IN 46530E-mail submissions welcome at: [email protected].

If mailing photos, please include a SASE if you’d like us to return them to you

CONTEST RULES: Raghorn, Inc. shall retain the right to publish or not publish any images submitted in anyof it’s media outlets. Winners chosen at random. Prizes are subject to change and contest may cease withoutnotice.

This months answers From

Puzzle on Page 17

THIS MONTH’S WINNER!THIS MONTH’S WINNER!

1

23

4

5

6

Clockwise from below. . . 1) Bill Konway of LeRoy, INtook a nice buck this past season with his Knight muzzleloader;2) iphone app developer and owner of HuntGeek, Jeff Hughes ofWarsaw, IL took this monster buck last season with his slug gun;3) ION Publisher Brian Smith with a super Texas Dahl Sheeptaken with his DSG while filming an upcoming episode ofLightfield Wild Adventures; 4) Ron Guappone of Indianapolis-based Evernham-Anderson & Associates took this black buckwith a Savage DSG and a Lightfield Hybred Elite slug; 5) KalebBrady shot this buck on opening morning of firearms season inMarshall County at 125 yards with his Remington 20 gauge; 6)Ford Indianapolis Boat, Sport and Travel Show organizer KevinRenfro took this super buck last season. Be sure to come out tothe show at the Indiana State Fairgrounds the 17th-26th of thismonth.


most respected muskie fishingguides, this show has more muskiemagic than you can shake a stickat... make mine an 8-foot, heavypower, fast action stick, please.

Plenty for KidsThe Outdoor Sports, Lake and

Cabin Show offers a variety of fea-tures and attractions that appeal tokids and adults alike, but goes theextra mile by providing severalexciting attractions especially forkids. But don’t worry, parents.Nobody will care if you want to trytoo!

The JAKES Take Aim Programgives kids the opportunity to enjoya free indoor inflatable shootingrange and gun safety course provid-ed by the National Wild TurkeyFederation. How cool is that?

Allow your kids to burn off a

little of that extra energy while test-ing their skills on the giant ClimbThe Coliseum climbing wall, cour-tesy of the US Army. It’s free!

Tired of waiting on the weath-er to go fishing again? Don’t!Bring your own rod or try one oftheirs. Wet a line in the speciallyconstructed fishing pond and landyourself a real, live lunker! They’llhave the bait, too. Awesome.

Listen to this, race fans. Putyourself in the “driver’s seat” asyou race a 1/10th scale NASCARreplica racecar around the JAM RCSpeedway at scale speeds of up to200 mph. You can’t do that athome on the couch!

There is no better walleye fishingdestination in the world and it isonly a short drive from anywhere inNorthern Indiana. The OutdoorSports, Lake and Cabin Show hasthe best Lake Erie captains offeringspecial deals on walleye fishingcharters for up to 6 people at a time-- perfect for families, groups offriends or entertaining clients orbusiness associates.

Muskie MagicIndiana’s Kosciusko County

muskie fishery is incredibly uniquein terms of the high densities of fishavailable to anglers. It is a treas-ured outdoor resource enjoyed byhundreds of do-it-yourself anglerseach year along with many morewho choose to experience the worldclass fishery with a knowledgeableguide. Most of these waters arelocated less than an hour from FortWayne, and the Outdoor Sports,Lake and Cabin Show offers visi-tors literally anything and every-thing they need to catch the Indianamuskie of their dreams. Fromexhibitors offering the latest cus-tom muskie rods, lures, tackle andaccessories to Indiana’s best and

EVENTS Meet Me in Fort Wayne for Unique Outdoor Adventure! By Josh Lantz

During the time of year whenwe’ve had all we can stand ofweekends spent indoors, outdoorTV shows, magazines and organiz-ing the tackle boxes, the outdoorshows return to reignite our outdoorpassions and give us something totruly get excited about. Whetherit’s fishing, paddling, turkey hunt-ing, backpacking, boating, campingor outdoor travel, the very best out-door shows give us more than asimple excuse to get out of thehouse -- they deliver everything weneed for the coming outdoor seasonwhile offering enticing features andattractions the rest of the familywill enjoy as well.

One of Indiana’s best outdoorshows is Coliseum Productions’Outdoor Sports, Lake and CabinShow, held at Fort Wayne’s AllenCounty Memorial Coliseum. Thisyear’s show is scheduled for March16-18, and promises to be wellworth the drive, so mark it on yourcalendars now.

Those of us who attend a num-ber of outdoor shows each late win-ter season know that we often see alot of the same features from venueto venue. Some of these featuresand attractions are simply too pop-ular to keep out, and show-goersreturn to see them year after year.But we also expect to see plenty ofthe new and unique, and this is theprimary reason I enjoy the OutdoorSports, Lake and Cabin Show.Here are a few of the show’s fea-tures I consider unique among theoutdoor shows in our area.

Walleye CaptainsNorthern Indiana loves its

walleye fishing -- the world classwalleye fishing in neighboringLake Erie’s Western Basin, that is.

And as if that’s not enough, theOutdoor Sports, Lake and CabinShow invites kids of all ages to tryan awesome display of FreeHunting & Fishing Video Gamesand more in a 40-foot long videoarcade, right on the show floor.

Free Prizes and GiveawaysAnother unique aspect of the

Outdoor Sports, Lake and CabinShow is their extensive list of doorprizes and giveaways. These give-aways aren’t raffles that take placeonce or twice or at the conclusionof the show. They take place everyhour. From all manner of guidedfishing trips to gear and equipmentlike a Hobie Mirage Drive Kayak,attendees at the Outdoor Sports,Lake and Cabin Show stand a greatchance at winning some greatprizes.

I’m a fan of most all outdoorshows, but for truly unique outdooradventure, it’s hard to beat theOutdoor Sports, Lake and CabinShow. I’ll see you there!

The Outdoor Sports, Lakeand Cabin Show will offer visi-tors more than a hundred uniqueexhibitors plus a full range ofexciting attractions, seminarsand clinics -- a lot more than wecan fit into this single article.The show will thoroughly coverthe following areas...

• Outdoor Vacation and Travel• Hunting and Fishing Gear,

Guides & Outfitters• Log Cabin, Timber Home and

Cottage Living• RVs and Motor Sports• Camping & Hiking Gear• Boating and Water Sports• Biking and Fitness

... and much more! Visitwww.sportsandcabinshow.comfor the very latest informationon exhibitors, features, attrac-tions and show hours.

From Small Boat Fishing on Lake Michigan to How to Train andSelect a Hunting Retriever, to How to Design and Build a Timber Frameor Log Home, the Outdoor Sports, Lake and Cabin Show will offerattendees a full slate of informative daily seminar options. No matterwhat your particular interests, you’ll find something new and excitingon one of three seminar stages.

Attend one of my seminars onSaturday or Sunday and learn justabout everything you need to knowabout Fly Fishing for Steelhead onIndiana’s Lake Michigan tributaries,then stop by my booth and say hello.Let’s talk fishing! For updated semi-nar schedules, go to www.sportsand-cabinshow.com.

Show Features...

Seminars...

World Class Fly Fishingwith Josh Lantz

219-728-8996WWW.GOFISHN.COM/JOSHLANTZ

Less than 3 hours fromIndianapolis, 2 hours from FortWayne & Chicago, 30 minutesfrom South Bend.All equipment provided. Catch &release only, please. Fly fishingspecialist, but all forms of lighttackle welcome. I have twelveyears experience as a profes-sional, licensed fishing guide toensure you enjoy your day!

Multi-Boat Trips Available

CallToday!

Licensed, Insured & Inspected

Come out and talk with Josh atthe Outdoor Sports, Lake & Cabin ShowMarch 16-18 at the Allen County Memorial

Coliseum in Fort Wayne

Trophy LargemouthPrivate water / All tackle

April - October

SalmonSt. Joseph River System

October

TroutSt. Joseph River System

April - November

SteelheadSt. Joseph River System

August - April / Book now forbest spring dates!

Northern Indiana &Southwest Michigan

MuskieNorth-Central Indiana

April - November

Smallmouth BassApril - October / All tackle

SHOT -- Continued From Page 10

“We Can Do This” -- Continued From Page 9


these little beauties. The only problem is that as of this writing, no oneknows the suggested retail price. According to Springfield representatives,the gun was so secret that only three people knew of its development andnone of the representatives knew the final price point. However, unlessSpringfield does something outrageous on the price tag, the XDs looks likea major winner.

Our surprise find of the show was Doublestar Firearms, based inWinchester, Kentucky. We fired several of their AR platforms along withfull-size 1911 pistols and found them to be solid, accurate, well-perform-ing weapons. The interesting part is the fact that most of their guns are lessexpensive than comparable “mid-range” firearms. If you were consideringa Colt or Rock River AR rifle, a Doublestar rifle would save you severalhundred dollars without sacrificing quality.

Finally, one of the coolest products we saw was the archery trap-throwing machine from Laporte Archery Company. This

launcher is similar to the clay-target-throw-ing machines we all know on the

skeet range but instead launcheslarge reusable foam disks. If

archery skeet shootingbecomes a popular newsport, the command “Pull!”might take on a whole new

meaning.

Caracal Firearmswww.caracalusa.com

Doublestar Corporationwww.star15.com

Laporte Archerywww. Laporteamerica.com

NSSF Shot Showwww.shotshow.org

Otis Technologywww.otisgun.com

Springfield Armorywww.springfield-armory.com

More Information

killing of a federally endangeredanimal that people from all walksof life care about. The IndianaDepartment of Natural Resources,as well as our federal partnerswith the U.S. Fish & WildlifeService, believe this reprehensibleact was as wrong today as it waswith a similar occurrence twoyears ago. As a result, DNR LawEnforcement worked with the TurnIn A Poacher/Polluter board toestablish the reward fund outlinedin the news release and is encour-aging any interested group, familyor individual to contribute to thisfund with the singular goal of find-ing the criminal(s) who are respon-sible. TIP kicked it off with a gen-erous donation, and the U.S. Fish& Wildlife Service followed suit.HSUS's willingness to contributefinancially to the effort says noth-ing more than it agrees with us thatthis behavior is wrong. It does notdiminish the DNR's mission nordoes it represent any sort of"merger." It simply shows that peo-ple who in many ways have oppos-ing philosophies can, on occasion,see things in the same light.

Despite the fact that nobodyhad disputed the fact that shootingthe crane was“senseless”,”wrong”,or “criminal”, this is what the first2/3 of the DNR response chose tofocus on -- not the question of whythey were apparently acceptingdonations from HSUS, and whoinside the DNR organization hadgiven the green light on the matteras they had been asked. It wasn’tuntil several days later and a call toIDNR Director, Robert Carter --who told ION staff that he vehe-mently opposes the HSUS -- thatthe DNR actually denied it hadaccepted HSUS money in the actu-al Whooping Crane Fund..

A follow-up response wasreceived from the DNR’sCommunications Department onJanuary 10. Again, 90% of theresponse focused on informationthat was not in dispute. It did,however, finally indicate that whileHSUS did contribute $2,500 inreward funds, the HSUS fundswere never donated to the DNR’sIndiana Whooping Crane Fund. Itwas finally clarified that HSUSwould be “managing its rewardthrough its established program”.It read as follows:

First, thank you for the emails withrespect to reward money beingoffered in the case of the whoopingcrane that was killed in JacksonCounty, Indiana. The topic and theconcerns you expressed deservesome amplification and clarifica-

tion. One thing that can’t be statedoften enough is that the killing ofthis crane was a criminal act. DNRLaw Enforcement and the U.S. Fish& Wildlife Service have one goal –identify, capture and prosecute theperson(s) responsible for the sense-less killing of a federally endan-gered animal. Offering rewards forinformation in criminal cases has along and productive tradition.Indiana’s Turn In APoacher/Polluter program hasbeen a potent tool in helping DNRLaw Enforcement perform itsduties. In this particular case, DNRLaw Enforcement established theIndiana Whooping Crane Fundthat was referenced in last week’snews release. The purpose of thefund is to provide groups or indi-viduals who wish to add to thereward payoff with their financialsupport. As you know from thenews release, TIP kick started theeffort with a $2,500 donation andthe U.S. Fish & Wildlife Servicematched it. Additional donationshave been received from privateindividuals. (By the way, you oryour organization is welcome todonate to the effort by sending acheck payable to IndianaWhooping Crane Fund, c/o Lt.William Browne, DNR LawEnforcement, 402 W. WashingtonSt., Room W255-D, Indianapolis,IN, 46204.) At the same time, theHumane Society of the UnitedStates notified DNR it planned tooffer a $2,500 reward, just as it hasfor poaching cases in other states.However, HSUS did not donate itsmoney to the DNR’s IndianaWhooping Crane Fund but insteadis managing its reward through itsestablished program. The intent ofthe initial news release was tomake known the overall rewardpossibility in hopes it will promptsomeone to come forward withinformation that helps solve thiscriminal case. If/when informationis received through TIP that leadsto an arrest, DNR LawEnforcement will pay the informantfrom our Indiana Whooping CraneFund and also let the informantknow how to contact HSUS sohe/she can collect that group’soffer. Whether it’s $5,000 from ourfund or $2,500 from someone else’sfund, helping solve this case stillcarries a potential reward of$7,500 … or more. Sorry if itcaused any confusion.

Okay, so despite the languagefrom the January 5 press releasesuggesting the contrary, the DNRnever actually took money fromHSUS and the HSUS funds werenever actually co-mingled with

those of the DNR or TIP Citizens’Advisory Board. This is the simpleanswer sportsmen were looking for-- not additional spin doctoring andcertainly not the sarcastic sugges-tion that hunters should just gettheir checkbooks out contributemore money to the WhoopingCrane Fund than they already have.But why did it take the DNR’sCommunications folks three busi-ness days and a weekend to simplysay so?

Most sportsmen I‘ve spoken toare amazed that the DNR wouldeven afford a group like HSUS theperceived credibility that comesfrom being mentioned in one oftheir press releases. After all, this isan organization that indirectlysteals sportsmen’s dollars intendedfor wildlife conservation by filinglawsuits against our wildlife man-agement agencies -- agencies likeour very own Indiana DNR --intended to stop, limit or otherwiseinterfere with lawful hunting andfunctional wildlife managementpolicies and programs.

A call to Mike Faw,Communications Director with theU. S. Sportsmen’s Alliancerevealed some possible insight intohow this may have happened.

“The Humane Society of theUnited States will try anything itcan to increase their group’s per-ceived legitimacy as an animal wel-fare organization as opposed to thelobbying group they really are”,says Faw, who’s organization hasseen a recent trend of the HSUSattempting to make relatively smalldonations of cash rewards or equip-ment to various law enforcementagencies. “They (HSUS) know thatmany of our wildlife law enforce-ment agencies are strapped forcash, so they step in with smalldonations like robo deer and otherneeded equipment”, he says.“Remember, this is an organizationthat raised $187 million last year,so a couple thousand dollars hereand there is a great PR investmentfor them”, he continues. “As longas the law enforcement agencydoesn’t mind making a deal withthe enemy, HSUS gets to alignthemselves with the good guys”, hecontinues.

So, given this backgroundinformation, perhaps someone fromour Indiana DNR simply stepped ina well placed trap. I hope that’s thecase, and I hope they have learnedthat Indiana’s nearly one millionsportsmen and women who paymost of their salaries won’t standfor any such alignments or misstepsin the future. Of course, I also hopethat they catch the creep who shotthe whooping crane.

DNR -- Continued From Page 3

After about 2 hours we set up for a shot. The gun was shoulderedand on shooting sticks, Dick stood behind me and called as the bullcharged in to within 15 yards. The bull stepped forward exposing hisneck within a small window of opportunity in the brush. Dick lined meup and told me to shoot. It was a moment I never imagined myself inagain. My heart was racing as I squeezed the trigger and the gun fired.I immediately turned to Dick to find out if I just harvested my first elk.For the first time in my life I was not disappointed to hear that I hadmissed my target. It may sound strange, but I had just been given thetime of my life. We began our hike back to the Bobcat and discussedwhat we just accomplished together. The adventure was truly justbeginning.

We returned to the lodge for lunch and shared stories with theother hunters in camp. It was fun to compare experiences and jokearound as we built friendships. We were even able to raz one hunterabout how I had missed at 15 yards and can't see, but he had missed at12 yards and can see. This is what hunting is all about.

My favorite story to hear Dick tell is how I could hear the elkwalking. After bedding down a bull one morning, we decided to goback that evening and bugle him in.

It was cold and raining hard. I never knew misery could be so fun.Dick worked his magic and set us up perfectly just beyond a small riseand began calling. The bull bugled and headed our way as if on a rope.Joe and Dick saw the bull coming and I was already set up on the shoot-ing sticks patiently waiting. The bugling got louder and the hair on mywet neck began to tingle. I soon heard hooves on loose rock and slid-ing in mud; as though the bull slid on the hill in front of us and stopped.Minutes later he bugled again. It was obvious he turned and walkedaway from us. My brother Joe spotted the bull at 80 yards and he didnot appear interested in Dick's attempts to call him back. Dick wasready to move to another spot when I told him I heard footfalls. Heassured me they saw our bull going away. But just then I heard anoth-er step and told Dick there was another elk just to our right. Sureenough, a bull was standing there looking at us no more than 30 yardsaway. We tried to adjust our angle, but he took off. Wow, what a hunt!

All week long we are making memories and becoming closerfriends. One of my favorite memories is of crossing a creek and crawl-ing on our bellies uphill. All the time I was grabbing Dick's ankle aswe inched our way to the crest and set up for a shot, only to find adozen cows and only one small spike. The week had ended, but not ouradventure.

The following month, my family and I were back at ElkhornOutfitters for Thanksgiving. My wife, two girls and son all made thetrip. The memories we made at hunting camp will last a lifetime.

Dick and I took my son Jacob out for a mule deer hunt. What aday it was. Within a short period of time, Jacob spotted three bucks anda doe. I stayed put while they worked their way up to within 20 yards.Jacob shouldered his .270 and took his shot offhand. One shot. Onekill. I heard them jumping and hollering. Within a few minutes theydrug a nice 5x4 muley down the hill. I was nearly knocked over by aboy who could not stop grinning from ear-to-ear.

Dick and I went out early on Thanksgiving Day. We were joinedby Jen from Wildlife Pursuit TV, Billy, a guide for Elkhorn Outfitters,and Brad, another hunter in for the week. Dick spotted a large herd andwe make our way toward them. As we get closer, Dick instructedeveryone on the game plan. We were going to split the herd. It all hap-pened so fast.

We set up with half the herd on our left and the other half on ourright. The shooting sticks were up and I shouldered the gun. Dick andI had a difficult time getting the red dot on the target while Billy wascow calling in an attempt to stop the herd from running. Finally, abeautiful spike bull stood broadside at 150 yards. Dick told me to shootand I squeeze the trigger. Instantly, I heard Dick scream, “Hammerdown, he's down!”.

We screamed, hugged and even cried. I remember calling my wifeto tell her. She asked what I got and I had no idea other than what I hadshot at was down. When I finally laid my hands on this bull, it wastruly amazing. This wasn't just a spike, it was a trophy bull in the truestsense.

I will never forgot Dick’s words the first time we spoke. “We cando this.” Well, we did it. I've never been one to say, “I can't”, andthanks to Dick Dodds and Elkhorn Outfitters I can say “I have” and “Iwill”.

National Shooting SportsFoundationwww.nssf.org

Deer Rule Changes --Continued From Cover

Urban Deer Zones are Lake County, Porter County, VanderburghCounty, Fort Wayne (the portion of Allen County within the bounds ofInterstate 69 and Indiana 469), Indianapolis (all of Marion County,Hendricks County east of Indiana 267; southeast portion of Boone Countybounded by Indiana 267, Interstate 65, Indiana 32; and the portion ofHamilton County south of Indiana 32), Lafayette (the portion ofTippecanoe County north of Indiana 28, Michigan City (the portion ofLaPorte County north of Interstate 94, and Warsaw (the portion ofKosciusko County within the corporate limits of Warsaw).

A variety of other approved changes will also affect deer hunters nextfall. Some of these these new laws are summarized below.

• At least 144 square inches of hunter orange material that is visible fromany direction is now required on a ground blind used while deer huntingduring a season when a hunter is already required to wear hunter orange.

• A variety of new, deer hunting license “bundles” will now be sold.

• Changes the archery season to a single season that runs from October 1through the first Sunday in January.

• Allows a crossbow to be used by any hunter during the archery seasonwith a special crossbow license.

The full language of all approved and adopted deer hunting rulechanges can be found at http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/2362.htm. TheDNR will summarize this information and include it in the new HuntingGuide that will be released in June or July.


Answers on page

13!

A Marketplace for the Outdoor Enthusiast!

GET RESULTS!Place your ad in the ION

Outdoor Directory.2”x2” ad just $30 per run!

574-273-5160

World Class Fly Fishingwith Josh Lantz

BASS • STEELHEAD • SALMON • MUSKIE

WWW.GOFISHN.COM/JOSHLANTZ 219-728-8996

Fly fishing and light tackle angling for trophybass, steelhead & muskie close to home inSouthwest Michigan & Northwest Indiana.Just an hour-and-a-half from Chicago, twohours from Fort Wayne and three hours fromIndianapolis. Drift boat/wade fishing forsteelhead, salmon and smallmouth bass.Trophy largemouth bass & muskie trips aredone from a well-equipped 19’ center console.All forms of light tackle are welcome. Full orhalf-day trips. Equipment provided! Booknow for March-April steelhead.

ACROSS1 Valuable to the fur industry5 A change in bottom where weedsend9 A deer scouting method10 A Canadian wildfowl14 A top breed of retriever16 A deer food source18 Large on the muley19 Estimating the freshness oftracks23 Used on a reel to tire a fish24 An outdoorsman's home25 A grouping of fish in one spot26 The snow____ rabbit28 Launches thr arrows29 The _____ Walton League30 A very large bass31 The bowstring fits in here33 A species of duck36 The trapper's quest38 Brings a catch into the boat40 The hunting area41 Game having young43 The grommet on a fishing rod44 A game bird45 Trapper's gear

DOWN1 Wildlife's travel to a new region2 To migrate to lay eggs3 Oxidation on gun parts4 To treat a hide6 Said to be best lure color forfishing7 The rugged type fishing8 Very keen on the wild turkey11 Deer have many of these forsensing12 An antelope13 Game runways15 Trapped for the fur17 Code for a type bullet20 Letters for grain measurement21 Where you find fly fishermen22 A game search for food25 A shore bird27 Name for the whitetail of theNorth30 To dress out a game32 A type of gunsight34 To herd game toward thehunters35 Laws and ethics of the outdoors37 Indian name for deer39 A part of an antler40 Hunter trys to read this ofgame tracks41 A Gun Organization42 Hunters give this TLC

Indiana Outdoor Calendar- February -

Coyotye Hunting Season Open All Month.Upland Preserve Hunting Season Open All Month.Crow Hunting Season Open All Month.Dog Running (Raccoon and Opossum) Season Open All Month.Beaver, Coyote and Skunk Trapping Season Open All Month.More info at http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/2711.htm

Feb. 1-15: Special Late Goose Hunting Season in Select Counties - Permit Required(more info at: http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/3570.htm)

Feb. 3: DU Noble and LaGrange County Gun Bash (more info at www.ducks.org/indiana)Feb. 10-12: Tri-State Great Outdoors Sportsman Show

(more info at www.tristatesportsmanshow.com)Feb. 11-12: Kokomo Outdoor Expo (more info at www.feathercastrods.com)Feb. 15: Last Day of Rabbit Hunting SeasonFeb. 17-19: 15th Annual Indiana Deer, Turkey and Waterfowl Expo

(more info at www.indianadeerandturkeyexpo.com)Feb. 17-19: Michigan Deer and Turkey Spectacular (more info at www.deerinfo.com)Feb. 17-26: 58th Annual Ford Indianapolis Boat, Sport and Travel Show

(more info at www.indysportshow.com)Feb. 18: NWTF River Ridge Longbeards Chapted Hunting Heritage Banquet in Sellersburg,

IN. Call Jim Warren at (812) 256-6881 or (502) 298-7231 for more info.Feb. 18-19: Upper Wabash’s Eagle Watch Field Trip (more info at www.dnr.IN.gov/uwis)Feb. 25: Tipton County DU Banquet (more info at www.ducks.org/indiana)Feb. 28: Last Day of Red and Gray Fox Hunting Seasons

• A variety of Hunter Education courses are offered around the state this month. For details,visit www.in.gov/dnr/lawenfor/4812.htm.• For current information about Ducks Unlimited banquets and events throughout Indiana thismonth, visit www.ducks.org/indiana.• For a list of National Wild Turkey Federation events in Indiana this month, go towww.nwtf.org/in_your_state/banquet.php.

2012 A.M. A.M P. M. P.M.Feb Minor Major Minor Major Sunrise Sunset Notes01 Wed 12:10 6:22 12:34 6:46 07:53 06:01 Fair02 Thu 12:55 7:08 1:20 7:33 07:52 06:02 Fair03 Fri 1:41 7:54 2:06 8:19 07:51 06:04 Poor04 Sat 2:27 8:40 2:53 9:06 07:50 06:05 Poor05 Sun 3:14 9:27 3:40 9:53 07:49 06:06 Fair06 Mon 4:02 10:15 4:28 10:41 07:48 06:07 Fair07 Tue 4:51 11:04 5:16 11:29 07:47 06:09 Poor 08 Wed 5:42 11:54 6:07 ----- 07:46 06:10 Fair / Full Moon09 Thu 6:35 12:22 7:00 12:47 07:45 06:11 Fair10 Fri 7:30 1:17 7:55 1:42 07:44 06:12 Fair11 Sat 8:27 2:14 8:53 2:40 07:43 06:14 Fair12 Sun 9:26 3:12 9:53 3:39 07:41 06:15 Fair13 Mon 10:26 4:12 10:54 4:40 07:40 06:16 Poor14 Tue 11:25 5:10 11:54 5:39 07:39 06:17 Fair15 Wed ----- 6:08 12:23 6:37 07:38 06:18 Fair / Waning Half Moon16 Thu 12:49 7:03 1:18 7:32 07:37 06:20 Fair17 Fri 1:41 7:56 2:10 8:24 07:35 06:21 Fair18 Sat 2:32 8:45 2:59 9:12 07:34 06:22 Fair19 Sun 3:19 9:32 3:45 9:58 07:33 06:23 Fair20 Mon 4:06 10:18 4:30 10:42 07:31 06:24 Good21 Tue 4:51 11:02 5:14 11:25 07:30 06:25 Good22 Wed 5:36 11:21 5:58 ----- 07:29 06:27 Good / New Moon23 Thu 6:22 12:11 6:44 12:33 07:27 06:28 Good24 Fri 7:09 12:58 7:31 1:20 07:26 06:29 Good25 Sat 7:57 1:46 8:19 2:08 07:24 06:30 Fair26 Sun 8:46 2:35 9:09 2:57 07:23 06:31 Fair27 Mon 9:36 3:25 9:59 3:48 07:22 06:32 Fair28 Tue 10:26 4:15 10:50 4:38 07:20 06:33 Poor29 Wed 11:16 5:04 11:41 5:29 07:19 06:34 Poor / Waxing Half Moon

BEFORE I GIVE YOU THE FREE

ESTIMATE, DO YOU SUFFER FROM

HEART TROUBLE, HIGH BLOOD

PRESSURE OR SUDDEN SHOCK

SYNDROME?


Animal lovers are evil. Atleast that’s what PETA (People forthe Ethical Treatment of Animals)would like us to believe. Why?Because so many of us are slaveholders.

Strangely, I first heard of theconcept on the TV show, Star Trek.One of the characters was explain-ing the Enterprise’s food machinefrom which you could order any-thing from rice to roast beef and thesynthesizer would create a perfectartificial version of the product. Inhis explanation he proclaimed,“Humans stopped enslaving ani-mals more than a century ago.”

I found that comment quiteunnerving. I’d never consideredowning animals as evil or in thesame context as owning slaves.Evidently, some of the PETA peo-ple are “Trekkies” and are taking acue from that episode.

The radical animal rightsgroup recently sued SeaWorldclaiming that killer whales kept bythe company in Florida andCalifornia are “slaves.” PETA’s

Animal Lovers Are Evil

attorneys argue that the 13thAmendment, which abolished slav-ery, applies to animals as well aspeople because the language doesnot specify that it only applies topeople. The lawsuit is on “behalf”of the killer whales kept atSeaWorld’s San Diego and Orlandolocations. Essentially, PETA isalso claiming that the killer whalesthemselves can go to court and sueSeaWorld. I’m not sure how PETAfeels about the dolphins and othercreatures at SeaWorld.

We’re used to seeing thesetypes of publicity stunts out ofPETA, and common sense makesmost people scorn them for theirdistastefulness or simply get a goodchuckle from their outrageousness.We dismiss stunts like these ascrazy because no judge in theirright mind would ever agree withthem.

Right?Certainly, we all hope that is

the case. But what if it’s not?This lawsuit highlights just

how dangerous these well-fundedand radical animal rights organiza-tions can be. Animal rights organ-izations, like PETA and HSUS(Humane Society of the UnitedStates) spend huge amounts ofmoney hiring attorneys to pourthrough federal and state laws look-ing for loopholes or vaguely word-ed laws they can use to file lawsuits

like this one.We’ve all heard of rogue

judges handing down unthinkablerulings. A couple of bad court deci-sions could mean that your dog, oryour daughter’s guinea pig, couldbe filing a lawsuit against you.

Win or lose, these groups oftenwin! They regularly bring lawsuitsagainst the Fish and WildlifeService and other state and federalagencies. Since the groups are reg-istered as non-profit organizationswith the feds, even if they lose thelawsuit, taxpayers are required tocompensate the plaintiff for legalfees and costs of bringing the suit.

The lawsuit against SeaWorldmay not directly affect you, butwhat if the same lawsuit was filedagainst the egg farm that supplieseggs to your supermarket - or adairy, or livestock production hogfarm? Even if the foodproducers win in court,they will still have tospend their ownmoney hiring an attor-ney to fight the suit.After a few ofthese lawsuits,the cost of yourbreakfast willgo through theroof to offsetthe legal feesneeded keep thefarm “slaves”

The Last ThoughtMIKESCHOONVELD

producing the milk, eggs and baconfor your breakfast.

The main reason these groupsfile lawsuits is to make news head-lines and bring in money. Whatwe call a publicity stunt, the animalrights groups call fund raising.Though I disagree with their statedgoals, I respect their right to pursuetheir radical agenda. Of course, ifthe funds they raise truly went toanimal welfare it would be easier tostomach. According to documentsthey are required to file to maintaintheir tax exempt status, most of thefunds they raise go to pay theirexecutive staff 6-digit salaries. Therest goes to attorneys, fund raisingprojects and advertising and theanimals get zilch. After all, theanimals areonly slaves.

Is this puppy a pet, friend, slave or potential plaintiff?

Come visit with us in booth C-62 at the Ford, Indianapolis Boat, Sport and Travel Show Wed. Feb. 22nd through Sunday the 26th.We look forward to speaking with you and sharing firsthand all that Daviess County has to offer!

ion feb '12

Documents

huntress audrey sharp

sawthe deer

new urban deer zone

new deer rule

trophy buck

final adoption

kill zone

past season