Tri-State Outdoor News

      As The Crow Flies

It’s easy to see as you read through this issue of the Tri-State Outdoor News that spring is not too far off.

From turkey hunting to crappie fishing, Hoosier outdoor writers are turning their pens from fall pursuits to those of warmer weather. I’m all for that.

Those around me can attest that I’m a news and weather junkie. I constantly hop from channel to channel in the evenings trying to catch what weathermen to north of Vincennes are predicting compared to those to the south. One thing that they all agree on – based on what is called “the meteorological winter” (measured Dec. 1 -Feb. 28), this past winter was the third coldest in the last 30 years.

Now, in my own defense, I have no influence on the weather, no one does, but I was accused of being a jinx by a fellow duck hunter because I wrote a column last fall about what was then an upcoming duck season, one that looked to be promising. But as it turned out, the ducks were late in coming because the weather had been so mild, and when winter did begin to show its face, it did so in full force. There was no “easing it into it.” Any place a duck would want to be was frozen solid almost before the season began. And it stayed that way the entire duck season, but the ice fishermen went into overtime mode.

Ice fishermen haven’t seen a winter like this in years. I remember when they were

common, pretty much an annual event to some degree – and I’m not all that old. I tried to explain to my eleven-year daughter Evelyn that “back when I was a kid, we ice skated nearly every winter,” much like our fathers told us of trudging to school through 12 inches of snow. Just try to find a pair of ice skates these days. In my day, there was always a supply at local department stores of the time.

But as I said in the beginning, spring isn’t too far off. Already one can see the effects of the thaw. One exciting example was the more than 1,000 sandhill cranes that spent a couple of weeks just north of Vincennes on the Illinois side of the Wabash River in Lawrence County. Local birders can’t recall there ever being so many sandhills in the area at one time. These are the types of numbers one generally finds at Goose Pond FWA or down in the Patoka River National

Many feel that birds are the harbinger of spring, matter of fact, on page 12 you’ll find a piece on the upcoming Southwest Indiana Bird Festival timed perfectly for a spring migration of birds returning north.

Of course spring wouldn’t be spring without a little crappie fishing and on page 8 you’ll find a few tips from Ken McBroom for locating this member of the perch family. And take note of the picture, a young girl holding up a nice-sized crappie. This spring would also be a great time to take a kid fishing. I’ll be taking mine.

And of course turkey season is also on the minds of a great deal of sportsmen. As turkey hunting continues to grow in popularity, many hunters are hunting these sly birds with a bow, or at least thinking about it. Writer Joe Martino passes a long a few tips on bow hunting a gobbler on page 6.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention perhaps the number one springtime activity

– mushroom hunting.

Now if we are to believe what the old timers say -that a good mushroom season requires a heavy snow cover in the winter -well then, we should have lots to look forward to this year.

Oh yes, one more thing; that’s all fine and dandy that the weather pundits have “meteorological winter” by which to compare things, but we all know that March can be quite the lion and still capable of dishing out one or two more

Wildlife Refuge. It was impressive to say the least.

The email was stinging and contained some harsh criticism of Indiana’s deer management. It’s clear this group of Indiana hunters is quite disgruntled with current DNR management and is now organizing a grass-roots effort to “take on the DNR.”

The issue of antlerless permits be it too many, too few, or just the right amount, is one discussed throughout the state. Casual observation, however, indicates that a great deal of hunters feel that Indiana is simply too liberal with bonus-county permits.

When we read the email from Pike County resident Alan Nelson, it really contained nothing this magazine hasn’t heard before; hunters are seeing far fewer deer these days. Many blame the state’s excessive use of bonus-county permits, others blame two summers of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) that took a heavy toll on southern Indiana deer herds. Astute critics blame both plus the state for not responding to EHD die-offs by reducing the number of bonus-county permits.

But the message that came through more than anything was the letter writer’s disgust at how he and others in a coalition (that included two state representatives) were treated by the DNR staff that  included its Director, Rob Carter and eight others.

“They were arrogant, paid little attention to us. They were rude and already had their minds made up to ignore any and all suggestions made by us,” said Alan Nelson of Winslow.

Nelson is part of a group of nearly 30 hunters from Pike, Gibson, Knox, Warrick and Vanderburgh counties who have come together to discuss Indiana’s deer management, and other areas of DNR management as well.

Nelson said the group came together a couple of months ago and have met twice to discuss DNR management, primarily deer management, but other issues have been raised as well, such as supplemental fish stocking on DNR properties.

Three representatives, that included Nelson and two others along with state representative Mark Messmer and state senator Lindel Hume, sat down with the DNR in Indianapolis to air the groups concerns.

“It was clear by the DNR’s reaction that they weren’t going to listen to us and at one point simply told us ‘we’re not going to change a thing,’” Nelson said.

Nelson added even the two state representatives commented that they too were dismayed at how the DNR treated them and indicated that maybe it’s time for an overhaul of the Indiana DNR.

“Lindel Hume wasn’t happy at all with how the DNR conducted themselves,” Nelson said.

The core of the current unhappiness lies with what many see has a deer population in trouble simply because the DNR wants to sell deer tags. While the DNR touts record population levels, deer hunters and deer processors disagree.

“I know there are areas of Indiana that still have high numbers of deer, but from what I’m hearing from other deer hunters throughout the state, the numbers aren’t as high as the DNR wants us to think,” Nelson said.

Nelson cites his own experience on several hundred acres of prime deer habitat that he alone hunts and the fact he only saw two deer in 27 outings this year. Others tell him the same type of stories.

“We were hit hard by EHD two years in a row down here (Pike County). It really slammed us,” Nelson said.

Nelson went on to add that he also consulted with a friend in the insurance business that researched car-deer collisions and found these to be down 43 percent. When Nelson called 10 area deer check stations they all said their check-ins were way down and area deer processors also indicated fewer deer. But Nelson said it was the deer processors who really opened his eyes when these folks reported that the average weight of deer being processed was only 60 pounds.

“Where are the big does?” Nelson asked. In his mind, two years worth of EHD claimed these.

But deer hunting isn’t the only issue the group is taking to task. Nelson said they also asked about the state doing supplemental fish stockings because a lot of the guys are fishermen and have seen the quality of fishing decline on several of the public lakes. He said the DNR’s reception to this idea was also one of arrogance and rudeness.

Nelson said the Pike County group isn’t alone in their thinking. “I was talking to Rep. Messmer following our meeting with the DNR and he told me a group of sportsmen from Dubois County have also gathered and signed a petition to send to the state.”

“Indiana has really started to whack the sportsman with fees,” Nelson said citing the cost of deer tags and other fees such as boat registration, trailer tags, launch fees and lake enhancement fees just to list a few. “It’s cheaper to go to Kentucky to fish than it is here,” he said. “Plus they have a lot more to offer.”

Nelson said that it’s becoming clear that the Indiana DNR is more about making money on deer tags than it is in preserving the quality of hunting, and they do this by way of bonus-county permits.

“We’re just rallying the hunters right now,” Nelson said. “We’re taking on the state and this group is going to take off and we’re going to have to use politics to do it,” Nelson said in reference to the DNR’s administration that is based on the politics of the sitting Governor.

“We’re beginning our petition process and we’re focusing our efforts on the Governor. We’ve already got two state representatives behind us,” Nelson said.

Nelson is inviting anyone who concerned about deer hunting and other DNR matters to attend a meeting on Feb. 16, 2010 at the Trading Post located south of Winslow on St. Rd. 61. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

Those who can’t attend the meeting can get involved by contacting on of the following: Alan Nelson, 812-789-2860 or by email at alannelson28@ msn.com; Ron Beadles, 812-789-3054 or by email at truearchery@aol.com or Todd Harker, 812-766-9050 or by email at trappertodd@psci.net.

Call it reckless and senseless! Call it outrageous and despicable! Just how do you describe the irresponsible shooting of a whooping crane? Even more revolting is the fact that it happened here in Indiana.

News of the shooting first hit Operation Migration’s web site (www.operationmigration.org) on Dec. 3, 2009, the day whooping crane #217 was found dead in Vermillion County near the town of Cayuga by tracker Eva Szyskoski. Eva is Tracking Field Manager for the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCRP) and the International Crane Foundation (ICF). Vermillion County is a traditional migration stop for this crane and its mate, #211.

News of the death was quite saddening to say the least. When I was first alerted to the death and the fact that it had occurred in our neck of the woods, my first thought was, ‘Please let it be natural or a coyote kill.’ On Dec. 9 the dreaded news release came from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Whooping crane #217 died of a gunshot wound.

“This is likely the most important bird in the entire Eastern Migratory Population,” said Operation Migration CEO Joe Duff. “We are all saddened by the loss and troubled by the motive behind the act.” This particular crane and her mate were the only whooping cranes in the eastern Migratory Population who thus far have successfully reared young.

The shooting occurred sometime between Nov. 28, when trackers last recorded her, and Dec. 1, when her carcass was found. During an aerial search the male whooper was spotted but #217 was not visible. Her transmitter signal was tracked to a location a few miles away.

Was this most dreadful act committed by someone calling himself a hunter? It is not yet known, but soon after I heard the news, I telephoned a journalism colleague of mine, Dave Staver, who is also a birdwatcher and golfer extraordinaire, and this is what he had to say; “Crow, we have a saying in golf. ‘There are people who are golfers and people who play golf.’ Likewise, there are hunters and people who hunt. People who hunt are generally idiots with guns who like to shoot things, whereas hunters are people who respect the ethics and nuances of hunting. You’re a hunter and I’m a golfer.”

All whooping cranes are special, but #217 was really special. She and her mate were the parents of #W601, the first whooping crane born in the wild in more than a century. The three of them were dubbed The First Family. A second chick, W602, was also born to the pair, but was unfortunately predated in the late summer of 2006. At least predation is a more respectable death than being shot out of the sky by some idiot with a gun.

Maybe the killing was just an act of cruel, juvenile vandalism or perhaps a hunting mistake. But even if she had been mistaken for a mute swan (legal game in Indiana) and shot by someone hunting (I would suspect a duck or goose hunter), a mistake of this magnitude should never occur. I am outraged and ashamed that shooter might consider himself a hunter.

The odds of ever finding out what really happened are slim. Perhaps the $10,000 reward will entice someone to speak.  Indiana Department of Natural Resources conservation officers and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service special agents are conducting a joint investigation into the shooting. In addition to the Endangered Species Act, whooping cranes are protected by state laws and

The initial reward of $2,500, leading to information, arrest and conviction of the perpetrator, has grown to $10,000 and includes contributions from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Defenders of Wildlife (a national non-profit conservation organization), and the Indiana Turn in a Poacher or a Polluter Program, plus one anonymous contributor.

“To kill and abandon one of 500 remaining members of a species shows a lack of reverence for life and an absence of simple common sense,” said John Christian, FWS Assistant Regional Director for Migratory Birds. “It is inconceivable that someone would have such little regard for conservation.”

Sadly, this isn’t the only senseless and reckless setback the whooping crane reintroduction crew experienced last fall. On Nov. 20, 2009, unknown individuals broke into the airplane hanger at the Necedah, Wisconsin airport and did more than $30,000 damage to ultra-light aircraft and other equipment used to lead first year whooping cranes south for their first migration. Operation Migration is based out of the nearby Necedah National Wildlife Refuge. Since then, whooping crane lovers (also called ‘craniacs’) and various other groups have come together to make up for that loss through generous donations.

Some readers may not fully understand my appreciation for whooping cranes. Many of you will remember the large photo spread in April 2009 as seven of these birds made a stopover at the Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area. Indiana is in a rather unique position, geographically, when it comes to migrating whooping cranes – we’re in the heart of their migration route.

At the time this issue of the Tri-State Outdoor News went to press, there were still 28 whooping cranes in the Hoosier state including the counties of Knox, Greene, Vermillion and Vigo counties, the heart of this magazine’s circulation area. The Vermillion County bird is the widower of the crane that was shot. Gibson County is also a favorite area although no birds have been sighted there this fall. Many of the birds are repeat visitors.

Folks in eastern Illinois are also fortunate as Operation Migration is now leading birds south using an Illinois route. There were two cranes listed in Wayne County also as of this printing.

Bringing back endangered species such as the whooping crane, whose numbers had dwindled to as few as 15 in the 1940s, takes time and money, with most of the tab being picked up by generous corporate and individual donors. Each year, like so many other conservation projects, Operation Migration never knows if it will have the needed funds to cover their expenses. But thanks to these generous donors who sponsor migration miles, and more recently began contributing to the “Give a Whoop!” Fund for as little as $10 per whoop (see web site for more information), another year’s class of whooping cranes find their wings causing the population to grow.

Anyone with information of the shooting should call the Indiana DNR’s 24-hour hotline at 1-800-TIP IDNR (800-847-4367), or the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service at 317346-7016. Callers can remain anonymous.

(The class of 2009 has 20 first year flyers, and at the time of this writing is in Franklin County Alabama, halfway through their journey south to Florida.)

I guess it just goes to show you never know whom, or rather what, will show up at the Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area. Take for instance the odd-looking pink bird that showed up in May. No, it wasn’t a flamingo, but pink it was. I saw it with my own eyes. I even took Evelyn, my daughter, simply because seeing this creature in the wilds of Indiana may be a once-in-a lifetime opportunity.

While not a flamingo – although flamingos would be quite at home with it – what showed up was a Roseate Spoonbill – plus a couple of other tropical goodies as well.
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Just add money – that’s a pretty bold statement given our nation’s recession, but that’s all it will take for the Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge to grow.

A little more support from you, the reader, wouldn’t hurt either. If all goes according to expectations, it appears as though the Patoka Refuge might under go a 1,1150-acre growth spurt by the end of this year. For the first time since fiscal year 2005, the Patoka Refuge received a $500,000 appropriation from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the primary funding mechanism for land acquisition for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Money for this fund comes primarily from offshore oil leases. Getting a piece of that pie depends greatly upon legislative support in Washington D.C. More »

“Take a good look at that bird,” were the words of Mrs. William Hart, “there are only 23 of them left in the wild today.”

Mrs. Hart was the head of the Maffitt Bird Course, a program sponsored by the Linton Civic Garden Club many years ago. The participants in the course were provided with pictures of birds to color and then were marched across the road to view several other more common species of wild birds. On this particular day, they were coloring a large, beautiful white bird with a scarlet head and black-tipped wings. Mrs. Hart went on to explain to the class: “It won’t be long before that species will be extinct!”

That was over 45 years ago, but Barbara Simpson, now of Indianapolis and one of the kids participating in the class on that day, never forgot those words. And on the day I met her, she was back in Greene County looking at a bird she thought she would never see as an adult. More »

It was a sunny, but still very cold, Sunday afternoon, while sitting in a Chinese restaurant in Mt. Carmel, Illinois, that this thought came over me. “Do you realize the significance of this meal?” I asked my birding companions.

“We were hungry,” one of them answered with a laugh.

“No, I mean what brought us to this restaurant?”

Again, with a quirky response, “Your truck?”

Just as I realized that they were missing the point, one of them said, “Cane Ridge.”

“Sort of,” I said. “But what about this meal?” More »

It was a year of watching, listening, and counting. From birds to frogs to current events, 2008 was full of wonderful sights…and sounds.

In regards to current events, Indiana saw a new senior citizens fishing license, a much-needed boost for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Fish and Wildlife. Prior to the creation of this special license, those over the age of 65 didn’t need a fishing license, which was great for senior citizens, but very costly for Indiana. By not having a fishing license, this older generation simply was not counted, translating into tens of thousands of dollars not coming our way from proceeds derived from Dingell-Johnson funds – the excise taxes paid on fishing and equipment and returned to states based on the number of fishing licenses sold. Now, with the creation of the $3 license (or the $17 fish for life), thousands of dollars are now being returned to the Hoosier state for fishing programs. 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 »

Like every kid, I have a Christmas Wish List too. Unfortunately, these aren’t the type of things the Jolly ol’ Elf can’t bring. But you sure could.

I guess the first thing on my Christmas list would be funding for the Patoka National Wildlife Refuge in Pike and Gibson counties. The Patoka Refuge has been the neglected step-child of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife for far too long. While other refuges have found bundles of cheer to brighten their days (read regular funding for land acquisition), the Patoka Refuge has seen little.

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