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By Louie Stout
In case you haven’t heard, the Indiana DNR’s Division of Fish and Wildlife has a new look.
Division Director Amanda Wuestefeld not only has changed the organizational table but hopes to change the way the division deals with the public.
No longer is there a Chief of Fisheries or a Chief of Wildlife. Instead, she has reshaped the division with four assistant directors reporting to her.
Those new positions are Office of Public Land headed by Brad Feaster, who will oversee public land management, including public access sites; Office of Private Lands headed by Sam Whiteleather who will take stake of Indiana private land issues; Office of Science and Research led by Joe Caudill, who will govern fisheries and wildlife research and fish and wildlife health issues; and Office of Planning and Public Engagement, supervised by Angela Haywood, who will take on licensing and permits, federal aid programs, and steer the division toward more public outreach.
“When Mark (Reiter) retired as director, we talked about modernizing the fish and wildlife agency and working closer with the public and sharing our stories better,” said Wuestefeld. “We are great biologists, but not so good as social scientists.”
She added that the way the division was divided into sections prior to her changes, “things got clunky and there were a lot of duplicated efforts.”
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By Louie Stout
Technology Giving More People a Reason to Ice Fish
Ice hasn’t formed safely on Michiana waters but ice fishing sales remain brisk for local retailers who cater to the hard-water crowd.
Ice fishing participation has grown steadily over the past few years. That growth encompasses all age groups and now includes more women and families.
Technological advances in equipment, clothing and electronics have made the sport more tolerable if not enjoyable. Staying warm is no longer an issue if you’re willing to spend the bucks on cold weather clothing and insulated portable shanties.
And people are.
“I had a middle-aged guy in here the other day who decided to take up ice fishing,” said Darren Schaap of Clear H2o Tackle in Edwardsburg. “He walked out with a $500 cold-weather suit, a couple of rod and reel combos for $100, a $200 auger and another $100 in basic terminal tackle and accessories.”
Not long ago, $15 to $20 would buy you a bucket to sit on, a couple of cheap rods, tin of tiny maggots and a handful of terminal tackle. That’s all you needed to catch fish through the ice.
If you could tolerate the weather.
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By Louie Stout
Buck Harvest Up Across Indiana
Michiana is on track to record the best deer hunting harvest in recent years.
It’s not just antlerless deer that are filling kill tags. Much of the increase is due to a rising number of bucks that have been taken since the season opened Oct. 1.
That trend appears to be statewide as well. Through November, Hoosier hunters had killed more than 99,800 deer, eclipsing last year’s mark of 96,000 during the same time period. The buck harvest increased by more than 4,000 across the state this past year.
In St. Joseph County, the total harvest through the end of gun season was down slightly (1,025-993) but the antlered buck harvest increased from 407 to 479. The county’s antlered buck kill was the highest it’s been since 2015.
Elkhart County saw an even bigger increase. The total county-wide harvest through the gun season was 1,341 compared to 1,162 last year while the buck harvest jumped from 508 to 615. It also was the county’s highest buck kill in five years.
Marshall County’s total harvest rose from 1,496 to 1,706 while the buck kill rose from 732 to 832, also a five-year high.
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By Louie Stout
Ron Ryba with his big walleye
Five measly ounces.
That’s how close Ron Ryba came to breaking Indiana’s long-standing walleye record.
“If only that fish had eaten one more shad…” said the Michigan City angler.
Ryba caught the 13.96-pound monster walleye from Trail Creek harbor shoreline in Michigan City a week ago Friday. Had it eaten one more of the large shad schooling where Trail Creek empties into Lake Michigan, he’d have broken the record that has stood for 45 years.
The current 14-pound, 4-ounce record was set in 1974 on the Kankakee River and tied in 1977 on the Tippecanoe River.
All is not lost, however. After the official weighing and photos, the fish was released back into the creek mouth.
“I want another shot at her – when she’s bigger,” said Ryba.