Tri-State Outdoor News

I know its winter, but good open water angling opportunities exist for cold water spawning species of fish like walleyes during the winter months. And, while most of the readers of Tri-State Outdoor News likely don’t have many ice fishing opportunities, they can still get a jump start on their fishing season.

The key to catching walleyes during the winter is to find them, and the best places to find them are in the rivers and spillways below the dams of any reservoirs with fishable walleye populations. For Tri-State Outdoor News reader, that means heading to places such as Lake Monroe, Harden Reservoir, Cagles Mill and Williams Dam in Indiana or Olney Lake in Illinois.

Walleyes migrate below spillways for a variety of reasons: For one, they spawn in water temperatures between forty and fifty-two degrees Fahrenheit, so the movement is simply preparation for the upcoming spawning season. Water below spillways also offers highly oxygenated water with consistent water flows and temperatures, and lastly the areas offer the fish a place to rest and feed before the spawning cycle begins. More »

FROM THE INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES

Indiana Conservation Officers are encouraging the safe and responsible use of Off Road Vehicles (ORV) through a free on-line safety course. “Today’s ORV Rider” promotes safe and responsible riding through a friendly, self directed on-line course. The course is designed so that the student can work at his or her own pace and at a time they choose.

“For a number of years we have seen a steady increase in our ORV accidents” said Colonel Michael Crider, Director for the DNR’S Law Enforcement Division. “We made a decision a number of months ago to address the problem by offering this course. With Christmas just around the corner, we find it a perfect time for families, who have just purchased a new ORV, to be aware that ORV riding is much more than just starting the machine and punching the throttle” Crider said. More »

I’ve got just four words for great cold-weather eating: Big Al’s Meat Pies. I first met Big Al when he came to meeting of the Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers with a delivery of what turned out to be the best pot pies I’ve ever tasted. But to call Big Al’s meat pies, “pot pies” is really an understatement.

Big Al’s 9-inch diameter pies weigh a whopping 37 ounces and will satisfy two to four people, depending on the size of their appetites! The products are perfect to serve at home, at the club or anywhere hungry people gather. They are especially good with large groups so people can try the different flavors. These stick-to-your-ribs meals contain bite size pieces of juicy pheasant or lean bison, with peas, carrots, potatoes and just enough onion, all held together with a thick, flavorful gravy and covered, top and bottom with a light, flaky, just-like-grandma made crust. More »

Winter is a beautiful time of the year in our Backyard Habitat. When the snow collects on the ground and drapes on the trees the beauty of nature shines. The evergreen trees stand out in the woods against the gray hues of winter. The leaves are gone from the crowns of the broad-leaved trees exposing an extensive network of branches.

The peeling tan and gray bark of the sycamore tree reveals a bright white trunk that can be seen from a good distance through the winter woods. Coming across even a small grove of sycamores is a powerful sight. Reaching heights up to 100 feet the trees are great sculptures towering in the woods.

The winter landscape gives us a chance to see woodland in a new way. A walk in the woods is a simple way to involve children in a nature experience that will keep them active and learning all year – nature activates all the senses and the imagination. More »

SPRINGFIELD – Reservations for the 2009 camping season at Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) campsites, cabins, group campsites and picnic shelters can be made by mail beginning January 2 and in person or over the phone beginning February 1, announced IDNR Acting Director Sam Flood.

“Campgrounds at our state parks, recreation areas and state fish and wildlife areas are popular destinations for families, hikers, hunters and anglers,” said Flood. “By taking reservations at the beginning of the year, we ensure there is a campsite waiting for our visitors when they’re ready for a vacation.” More »

Spring Mill State Park is accepting entries for its Third Annual Nature Poetry Contest. Spring Mill is looking for poems about the natural world in Southern Indiana or your experiences in it. Poems will be accepted from Jan. 5 to March 13, 2009 with winners announced May 2.

Contest rules are available at Spring Mill State Park, or upon request at 812-849-4129. Put pen to paper and create the poem that will win this year’s poetry contest.

First place prize for adults is a 2009 Annual Entrance Pass along with a $25 gift certificate to Spring Mill Inn’s Millstone Dining Room, second prize is a 2009 Entrance Pass. First prize in the Children’s category is a 2009 Swimming Pool Pass and second prize consists of 4 vouchers for the boat tour at Twin Caves and 4 hayride vouchers. (Both valid only at Spring Mill).

“If you have ever thought about writing but never composed a poem now is the time to start, the prizes for this contest are excellent,” states Program Coordinator Coletta Prewitt.

A complete program schedule for the Park is available at www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/12066.htm.

For more information on upcoming events call 812-849- 4129 or cprewitt@dnr.in.gov.

Plan your new year around the 2009 Special Events Calendar, now posted at dnr.IN.gov and interpretiveservices.IN.gov. You’ll find information about upcoming hikes, fossil digs, holiday fireworks, reenactments, historic home tours, music in the outdoors, special autumn family weekends and more.

You don’t have to wait for spring to participate; there are events to enjoy all year, even some still left this month. On Dec. 27, Spring Mill State Park hosts a Winter Bonfire and hike, and Clifty Falls State Park hosts the National Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count. More »

Volunteer hunters took 13 percent more deer this year than they did in 2007 during two two-day reduction hunts at 17 state parks.

A total of 1,468 deer were taken from the state parks during the special controlled hunts Nov. 17-18 and Dec. 1-2, according to Mike Mycroft, natural resource coordinator for the DNR Division of State Parks and Reservoirs, who oversees the program. More »

Hey folks, we’ve gone dot com and www.tristateoutdoornews.com is where you’ll find us.

This worldwide web thing has been around for a while now and many of our readers probably think we’ve been a little slow to establish a presence on the world wide web, and that’s true. The idea of the Tri-State Outdoor News on the web has been kicked around for sometime but limitations with the web provider for Tri-State Media, the parent company of this publication, offered us a limited presence at best. We wanted our web site to be something more than just a place to go read our monthly publication. We wanted tristateoutdoornews.com to be a place where our readers would come back to on regular basis. I think we’re off to a good start. More »