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IDNR Report
Indiana’s National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) has surpassed the mark of having more than 500 participating schools in its 15 years of existence.
Administrated through the DNR Division of Law Enforcement, NASP was introduced to Hoosier state schools in 2005.
Currently, there are 529 participating schools. Statistics reported to the DNR by participating schools show that more than 70,000 students in grades 4 through 12 participated in NASP® during the 2018-2019 school year. In addition, more than 2,300 of those students were recognized by the NASP® Academic Archer program, which started during the 2018-2019 school year. That program honors NASP® participants for their academic achievements, as well as their archery skills.
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IDNR Report
Indiana Conservation Officers arrested Donald Latulip, 71, of Cedar Lake on Sunday evening after receiving a complaint he was interfering with a group of waterfowl hunters on Cedar Lake at 2 p.m.
Indiana CO Alex Neel responded and observed Latulip in a pontoon boat near the hunters, waving a white towel when ducks flew in the area of the hunters. The hunters also gave Neel a video showing Latulip discharging a shotgun toward a residential area on the lake.
Latulip left the area in his boat and entered North Point Marina, which he owns. Neel and officers from the Cedar Lake Police Department attempted to make contact with the suspect at the marina but encountered a locked gate. While at the gate, officers heard what sounded like additional gunfire coming from the marinaís docks.
Latulip refused to open the locked gate. Officers forced the gate open, and the suspect was placed in a police vehicle at 5 p.m. for transport to Lake County Jail.
Latulip faces charges of criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon, a level 6 felony; hunter harassment, a class C misdemeanor, and hindering a conservation officer, also a class C misdemeanor.
All charges are merely accusations and all suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in court.
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IDNR Report
All shooting ranges operated by the DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife will adjust their hours of operation during the months of January and February.
The ranges at the following fish & wildlife areas will be open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET or 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. CT, depending on their location: Crosley, Deer Creek, J.E. Roush Lake, Jasper-Pulaski, Kingsbury, Pigeon River, Sugar Ridge, Tri-County, Wilbur Wright, and Winamac.
This will not affect the hours of operation for archery ranges, which are open daily, sunrise to sunset at these properties.
Regular range hours will resume March 1 (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET or 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. CT depending on location, Wednesday through Sunday.)
The Division of Fish & Wildlife strives to provide clean, safe ranges. The ranges are staffed by trained range safety officers and most charge no free. These ranges are great places to shoot the new gun you may have received over the holidays or to sight in your firearm for your next hunting outing.
For more information on shooting range hours, visit www.wildlife.IN.gov/3648.htm.
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Mark your calendar for Jan. 24-26 – dates of the 2020 Michiana Boat and Sport Show.
The show is held at the South Bend Century Center.
Promoter Dale Brindley says several exhibitors have signed on but there are still some booth spaces available, especially for small vendors. Small table displays are available to any club or small tackle manufacturer looking for more public exposure.
For prices and details, email dalebrindley@comcast.net.
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Columnist’s Book Chronicles Life as a Hoosier Outdoorsman
Moscow, Ind. native Jack Spaulding has just released his first full length book showcasing the best, funniest and most heartwarming stories spanning his lengthy career as an outdoor journalist.
Follow Jack into the field and experience firsthand his trials and tribulations as he hunts for wild game and faces down (and sometimes gets bested by) any number of woodland and domestic creatures such as drunken doves, skunks, snakes, cows, bats and bears, to name just a few. Join Jack on the water where he shares tips and tricks for angling success as well as some humbling (and often comical) lessons learned from his fishing, canoeing and boating adventures. Throughout the book Jack also shares his tried-and-true recipes for fish and game, guaranteed to be a hit at your next family gathering or camp cookout. And the culinary adventurous will find harvesting and cooking tips for a wide variety of Indiana’s wild edibles, including ones you can find right in your backyard.
Jack wraps the book up with a series of fictional accounts of his childhood growing up on the banks of the Flatrock River in southeastern Indiana. The “Life on the South Side of the County” collection is a whimsical blend of Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Fin, and the movie Stand By Me. Get to know young Jack (also known as “Mooch” by his friends in his early years) and his wild and rambunctious pals – Huckster, Lemecee, Feltie, and Stom; and get a glimpse of some of the local sages such as Uncle Nard and old “Toad”, often found whittling and waxing philosophically on the “Liar’s Bench” at the general store. Find yourself transported back to a simpler time as you tag along with the gang on their imaginative and ambitious boyhood quests and exploits in the small river town of Moscow, Indiana, in the late 1950’s.
The book is available in paperback ($14.95) and as an e-book ($3.99) at amazon.com.