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(Provided by Indiana DNR)

New depth maps of 25 Indiana lakes now online.New depth maps of 25 Indiana lakes now online.Maps of 25 Indiana lakes, which show their depths in detail, are now available online for anglers and those who enjoy other water sports.

These new maps are at www.wildlife.IN.gov/5759.htm. In total, the website provides maps for 185 lakes.

"These maps will help anglers find selected depths, drop-offs, bottom contours and other promising fishing spots,î said Brian Schoenung, DNRís chief of fisheries.

Knowing lake depths can also be helpful to property owners, swimmers and boaters to avoid hazards.


(Provided by Indiana DNR)

With firearms deer season approaching in Indiana, hunters must understand the risks of hunting from an elevated platform and how to protect themselves from a fall.

Falls from elevated platforms are the leading cause of deer hunting accidents in Indiana, accounting for more than half of all accidents. In an average deer season, about 18 hunters will experience a fall.

Already this year, deer hunters have reported seven falls from elevated platforms during the early archery season. Firearms season, the most popular among the different deer seasons, starts Nov. 14 and last 16 days.

Lt. Larry Morrison of the DNR Division of Law Enforcement said falls are preventable if hunters follow basic tree-stand precautions.


(Provided by Indiana DNR)

Select Indiana state parks will close temporarily to allow for controlled deer reductions in the coming weeks.

The dates for the temporary closings are Nov. 16 and 17, and Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.

The state parks affected are Clifty Falls, Fort Harrison, Harmonie, Lincoln, McCormickís Creek, Ouabache, Pokagon, Potato Creek, Prophetstown, Shades, Shakamak, Tippecanoe, Turkey Run and Whitewater Memorial.

These state parks will close to the general public the evening before each of the two efforts and reopen the morning after each two-day reduction.

Only individual hunters drawn last September and those hunters they listed on their applications may participate in the hunts. There will be no standby drawings this year.


(Provided by Indiana DNR)

Wisconsin and Indiana fisheries biologists worked together earlier this month to save Indianaís plan for stocking Chinook salmon in Lake Michigan in 2016.

Indiana normally receives Chinook eggs each year from Michigan, but record-low numbers of fish returning to streams from Lake Michigan to spawn left Michigan unable to spare eggs for Indiana.

On short notice, the Wisconsin DNR offered to let Indiana use the Root River Steelhead Facility in Racine, Wisconsin, as a backup source for Chinook salmon eggs.

On Oct. 10, Indiana DNR biologists and hatchery staff worked alongside Wisconsin DNR staff to spawn more than 100 pairs of Chinooks. Approximately 539,000 viable eggs are now resting in incubation trays at Mixsawbah State Fish Hatchery near Walkerton. That is likely more than enough to meet the 2016 production goal of 200,000 fingerlings.

Had the Indiana DNR not taken advantage of Wisconsin DNR's offer, no Chinooks would be stocked in Indiana waters in 2016.

The Chinooks will be given a coded wire tag in March 2016, and stocked in late April 2016. These tagged fish will be identified by having a missing adipose fin, and be the fifth-year class of Chinook salmon marked under the lake-wide federal Great Lakes Mass Marking Program.


(Provided by Indiana DNR)

The Indiana DNR is looking for volunteers for a new study called "Snapshot IN" that will use trail cameras to gather information on Indiana wildlife.

Volunteers must have at least 10 acres and be willing to set up a trail camera provided by the DNR on their property this fall. The DNR hopes to find between 20 and 100 volunteers, according to wildlife biologist Shawn Rossler.

"Gathering accurate data on the distribution and relative abundance of wildlife species statewide can be extremely challenging for biologists," Rossler said. "Working with citizen scientists, the DNR hopes to understand how animals are using various land types in Indiana."

Snapshot IN will run during October and November, when many wildlife species are active.

The DNR will provide each landowner with the same camera model, with the same settings.