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IDNR Report

An Indiana Conservation Officer investigation has resulted in multiple charges, fines, and the first lifetime hunting suspension of its kind in state history for a West Lafayette man.

Hanson Pusey, 25, was sentenced Thursday in Warren County Court to a lifetime hunting suspension along with home detention, probation, and payment of replacement fees stemming from an investigation by DNR Law Enforcement involving the illegal hunting of wild turkeys in Indiana and six other states.  

In spring 2020, conservation officers in District 3 received information that Pusey, whose hunting privileges had been suspended since March 2019, was still hunting and taking multiple turkeys illegally in Indiana and other states.

Using advanced surveillance techniques, investigators monitored Pusey, gathering evidence of poaching in North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, as well as in Indiana, where they documented him taking four spring turkeys in Indiana in 2020, two after the season closed. Officers also documented Pusey helping family and friends poach turkeys. Search warrants were served on the man’s residence, and in cooperation with the other states’ fish and wildlife law enforcement agencies, filed charges in all them.

IDNR Report

The DNR Division of Law Enforcement held graduation ceremonies today at the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis. Fifteen new Indiana Conservation Officers officially joined the division during the event.

Conservation Officer Matt Landis, the 2020 James D. Pitzer Officer of the Year, administered the oath of office to the recruits, who will fill positions in various locations around the state.

The new officers represent the 40th recruit class of conservation officers, the oldest state law enforcement agency in Indiana.

IDNR Report

Indiana Conservation Officers encourage citizens to partner with the Turn In a Poacher, Inc. (TIP) program and help put an end to poaching.

TIP is a nonprofit conservation organization that protects fish and wildlife resources by increasing public support and involvement in bringing violators to justice.

A poacher is a thief who illegally steals wildlife that belongs to each Indiana citizen. Indiana DNR manages wildlife for everyone, and every person can help TIP support DNR efforts by reporting potential violations at 1-800-TIP-IDNR (800-847-4367) or tip.IN.gov. Doing so will help conserve wildlife for future generations.

Call TIP if you see, hear, or learn about poaching or another violation regarding fish and wildlife. If your “TIP” leads to an arrest, you may receive as much as a $500 reward, and you can remain anonymous. Since 2017 TIP has received 1,788 tips and paid thousands of dollars in rewards for tips that have led to the arrest of a suspect. 

“Concerned citizens are the main reason why Indiana TIP has been successful in fighting against poaching and bringing justice to those who violate fish and wildlife laws,” said Joe Cales, TIP citizens advisory board president. “Poaching affects us all.”

IDNR Report

(Griffith) Indiana Conservation Officers and the Griffith Police Department are investigating after partial skeletal remains were discovered by a waterfowl hunter this morning near the area of Cline Avenue and River Drive.

At approximately 7 a.m., the hunter discovered what appeared to be bone protruding from a piece of clothing in a marsh area while searching for a downed duck. A 911 call was immediately made, and Indiana Conservation Officers as well as officers from the Griffith Police Department and Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The remains were confirmed to be human and were recovered by Indiana Conservation Officers and members of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team.

The identity of the remains is currently unknown, and the investigation is ongoing.

Other assisting agencies include Lake County 911 Center, Coroner’s Office, and the Griffith Fire Department.

IDNR Report

Nearly 70,000 fingerling walleyes are planned to be stocked by DNR during the next few weeks in 14 northern Indiana lakes.

The fingerlings being stocked average 4 to 7 inches long. Adult walleye typically reach 14 inches in length after two years of growth and 16 inches by their third year.

These walleye were purchased from Gollon Bait and Fish Farm and grown at Fawn River State Fish Hatchery.

Lakes and (county) to be stocked include:

  • Adams (LaGrange)
  • Pretty Lake (LaGrange)
  • Big Turkey (Steuben)
  • Simonton (Elkhart)
  • Crooked Lake (Steuben)
  • Sylvan Lake (Noble)
  • Clear Lake (Steuben)
  • Shriner Lake (Whitley)
  • Dewart (Kosciusko)
  • Winona Lake (Kosciusko)
  • Maxinkuckee (Marshall)
  • Wall Lake (LaGrange)
  • Pine/Stone Lakes (LaPorte)
  • Wolf Lake (Lake)