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by Jay Anglin
Deer hunting seasons extend from late-summer through midwinter around the country, but deer hunters talk deer year-round – and there certainly is plenty to talk about: Compound bow vs. crossbow, best rifle caliber/round, treestand vs. pop-up blind, etc.
Another topic that comes up regularly around the campfire is antler growth. In fact, there is an entire business built around the best supplements and types of forage to encourage maximum antler growth, and many regions of the country are heralded as possessing the exceptional whitetail genetics for producing huge racks.
But are genetics really that important? Is providing supplemental feeding necessary? Executive Director at Pope and Young, Justin Spring, has some great insights on the topic of antler growth every whitetail hunter should be interested in.
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IDNR Report
Public access to Hudson Lake may be disrupted beginning early July through the fall due to a dredging project aimed at improving boating access. The project, funded by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Lake and River Enhancement (LARE) program and Hudson Lake Conservation Association, will hydraulically pump sediment from the access channel and a navigation channel between the lake’s east and west basins to an upland area on the northwest end of the lake. This may result in temporary blockage or restrictions near these sites due to dredging equipment or piping on the lake. The DNR advises lake users to plan accordingly and boat responsibly near any obstacles until the completion of the project. For more information on the LARE program and its current projects, please see lare.dnr.IN.gov. More information on public access sites is at on.IN.gov/adopt-a-ramp.
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IDNR Report
Indiana Conservation Officers are investigating a hunting accident that occurred Saturday morning in Fulton County.
At 6:18 a.m., Fulton County Dispatch received a call reporting an individual being shot while turkey hunting near County Road 375 N and County Road 100 W in Rochester.
Brian Lehman, 41, of Nappanee, suffered a gunshot wound to the head and neck from shot fired from a 12-gauge shotgun. Lehman was airlifted to South Bend Memorial Hospital where he was treated and released.
Initial investigation reveals that Lehman and a juvenile hunter were walking a farm lane to gain access to a property when a hunter on the adjacent property mistook Lehman’s movement for a turkey and fired in his direction, striking Lehman. The juvenile was not injured.
The incident is still under investigation.
Indiana Conservation Officers remind hunters to always identify your target, what is in front of it, and what is behind it before shooting while in the field.
Indiana Conservation Officers were assisted by Fulton County Sheriff’s Department, Rochester Police Department, Rochester Fire Department, and Parkview Emergency Medical Services.
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SJRVFF Report
Are you or someone you know interested in fly fishing, but you or that special someone does not know how to cast a fly rod?
Are you not sure if you can make beautiful casts with a fly rod like world famous April Volkey, Paula Shearer, Johnny Law or Mark Bardusk, but you are intrigued to learn?
Well, now you can learn. The St. Joseph River Valley Fly Fishers is conducting its FREE fly fishing rod casting lessons. We have casting rods, if you don’t. But if you do have your own rod, bring it and we will get you casting like it is an extension of your arm!
Here are the details:
Free Fly Fishing Casting Lessons
Tuesday, May 6th (every first Tuesday of the month)
5:00pm - 7:00pm EST at Leeper Park, South Bend, IN
The field South of the Tennis Courts (we have rods to cast)
Contact Tim Scott, 574-538-1936, or email timelscott@gmail.com.
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By Louie Stout
The DNR’s annual muskie egg taking on Webster Lake produced good results and some interesting notes for Webster’s muskie anglers.
The DNR’s hatchery team got all the eggs they needed, but perhaps the biggest observation is the size of the fish the DNR was able to capture in their nets the first week of April.
“We caught the highest percentage we’ve ever caught of fish measuring between 40 and 46 inches,” says Indiana District Fisheries Biologist Tyler DeLauder. “It’s intriguing since we didn’t see those fish in previous years, so it could be an anomaly. We hope to see that continue into bigger fish. “
The majority of the fish captured were released alive after the egg-taking process that was conducted on the lake’s shoreline.
DeLauder went on to say that the increase could be due to a couple strong year classes, or the fish are growing better. He was seeing smaller fish, too.
“There are big ones out there, but you just have to find them,” he added. “The overall health of muskies is good.”
Interestingly, the team captured one 20-year-old female muskie that was first caught and tagged in 2010. It was 35 inches then, but this time only 40 inches. DeLauder found that baffling as the fish should have been in the upper 40s.
“Every time we’ve caught it, it’s been in the north end of the lake,” he says. “It seems to love up there, but there have been no reports of anglers catching it. “
Several Webster muskies are tagged.
Another added surprise is they captured a walleye for the second year in a row. The DNR doesn’t stock walleyes in Webster. Other fish found in the nets included a 5-pound bass and a 2 ¼-pound crappie.
The DNR set nets annually on the east and northeast side of the lake, but this year posted a net on the southwest corner and it also was productive.
If you want to learn more about the muskies that the DNR captured and other details, visit the DNR’s dashboard page for muskies at https://experience.arcgis.com.