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SJCP Report
St. Joseph County Parks will implement a deer management program at Spicer Lake Nature Preserve in New Carlisle this November.
The deer management hunt will take place November 16 and 17 and November 23 and 24. Spicer Lake Nature Preserve will be closed to the public. To emphasize deer population reduction, the management program will be an antlerless hunt.
Three hunters (one being an alternate) will be selected by lottery to participate. Hunters must possess a valid deer license bundle, bonus antlerless or lifetime comprehensive license.
Applications for the lottery will be available on the St. Joseph County Parks web site. The deadline for applications is October 11.
In addition to being a county park, Spicer Lake is also a state dedicated nature preserve, a classification given to high quality ecosystems. Review and approval for the deer management program was required by the Division of Nature Preserves of the IDNR.
More information and Hunter Application Forms are available at www.sjcparks.org.
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Indy Sport Show Report
The countdown to the end of Summer 2024 has begun, but that doesn’t mean the excitement of planning family adventures has to stop. Fall is the best time to purchase a new or used boat, RV, or travel trailer, and for snowbirds planning their escape from winter, this is the time to buy.
The 35th Annual Indianapolis Fall Boat & RV Show is set for September 20-22 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. It brings together, under one roof, the most extensive array of new and used boats and RVs in the Midwest. This year’s Show will be held in the Fairgrounds’ new, air conditioned, Indiana Farm Bureau Fall Creek Pavilion.
The Indianapolis Fall Boat & RV Show is the place to meet face-to-face with the experts who can answer your questions and help you get the unit of your dreams.
Trade-ins are welcomed, and on-the-spot financing is available.
Visit www.Indy SportShow.com for complete details.
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IDNR Report
An early-season outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) in deer, which started in the northern region of Indiana this year, has been detected by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
Humans are not at risk for contracting EHD.
EHD is a viral disease that commonly affects white-tailed deer and is transmitted by biting midges, aka sand gnats or “no-see-ums.” Cases typically occur during late summer and early fall, and there is evidence that outbreaks can be more severe in years in which there is a wet spring followed by a hot, dry fall. EHD is often fatal to deer, but some can recover and develop immunity.
A significant number of suspected EHD cases have been reported in deer in Wabash, Allen, Pike, Warrick, Miami, Huntington, and Porter counties along with additional reports typical for what is reported each year in 22 other counties. As of Aug. 28, DNR has tested deer and confirmed EHD in Wabash, Allen, Huntington, Wells, Porter, and Perry counties.
Deer infected with EHD may display unusual behaviors such as lethargy, excessive salivation, or disorientation. EHD also causes fever in deer, which can cause them to seek water. As a result, many deer that die from EHD are found in or near open water sources like ponds and rivers.
Anyone who finds a deer that is showing signs of EHD or finds one dead in water is asked to report it at on.IN.gov/sickwildlife.
DNR monitors for EHD annually; however, severe outbreaks don’t occur every year. The severity of EHD in a single year depends on a variety of factors including climate, immunity, and other ecological factors. DNR monitors the yearly impact of EHD on the deer population and makes changes to the allowable deer harvest to offset major effects.
Because of the early high level of deer mortality in Wabash County, DNR has started the process of lowering the county bonus antlerless quota for deer hunting in that county from two bonus antlerless deer to one bonus antlerless deer to offset the EHD outbreak. EHD detections can be continually monitored at on.IN.gov/EHD.
Not every deer in an affected area will contract EHD. One sign a deer has recovered from EHD is sloughing or breaking on their hooves. DNR asks that successful hunters use the Deer After Hunt Survey to report the condition of their deer’s hooves, including both normal hooves and hooves that show evidence of sloughing or damage.
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IDNR Report
Beginning Aug. 19, hunters can apply for reserved hunts at on.IN.gov/reservedhunt, the one-stop information spot for the hunts.
The online method is the only way to apply for the hunts listed below. No late entries will be accepted. Applicants must possess a hunting license that’s valid for the hunt for which they apply.
Applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 15. More specific hunt information for individual properties is available on the website.
Hunters will be selected through a random computerized drawing. An email will be sent to all applicants when draws have been completed. Applicants will be able to view draw results online within two weeks after the application period closes.
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By Louie Stout
If you want the latest fish population about an Indiana lake, the DNR is providing a real-time website that will give you the same statistics fish researchers use.
You can search by lake, by fish species and by fish size on the state’s Fish Community Survey Results Dashboard.
The site, www.in.gov/dnr/fish-and-wildlife/fishing/fisheries-status-and-trends/, is based upon fisheries division status and trends surveys it conducts on various lakes each year. Those surveys don’t count every fish in a given lake, but do give a perspective of what’s there and how the lake has changed.
For example, if a bluegill angler wants to know how many ‘gills over 7 inches were captured in a specific lake, you’ll know that by using the site’s slide bar for fish size.
If you plug in smallmouth bass on the drop-down menu, you can see which lakes turned up the biggest population during DNR surveys.
You can also select glacial lakes, such as we have in the north, or reservoirs that are located mostly in central and southern Indiana.
Results are posted on the website the minute the survey stats are finalized.
Biologist Matt Linn said that the program works faster on a desktop, but is designed for mobile phones as well.