Future of hunting & shooting in Indiana is evolving in the wrong direction?

[BigBoxaJunk]

Future of hunting & shooting in Indiana is evolving in the wrong direction? IMHO which makes me sad & mad

Like Mgderf said, you must be young.

For those my age and older, we remember when there were no deer in most Indiana Counties. I still remember being thrilled just to see deer tracks in the mud when I was 13.

And we didn't complain about when you could hunt turkeys because there weren't any of those either. If not for the actions of IDNR, you would have less to complain about.

Although one thing I also remember is that you couldn't walk the field edges very far without busting up a covey of quail back then, but the reason that the quail have gone has more to do with farming methods and housing development than hunting.

 

[Leadeye]

Like Mgderf said, you must be young.

For those my age and older, we remember when there were no deer in most Indiana Counties. I still remember being thrilled just to see deer tracks in the mud when I was 13.

And we didn't complain about when you could hunt turkeys because there weren't any of those either. If not for the actions of IDNR, you would have less to complain about.

Although one thing I also remember is that you couldn't walk the field edges very far without busting up a covey of quail back then, but the reason that the quail have gone has more to do with farming methods and housing development than hunting.

I remember quail hunting back in the 70s, never see or hear them anymore. I think the population started down hill starting 77-78 with the back to back bad winters.

 

[phylodog]

Although one thing I also remember is that you couldn't walk the field edges very far without busting up a covey of quail back then, but the reason that the quail have gone has more to do with farming methods [STRIKE]and housing development[/STRIKE] than hunting.

Indeed. I don't begrudge the farmers for attempting to gain as much use from their property as possible but it has most definitely taken it's toll. I vividly remember being a kid in the 80's and reading about the hunting in MI, IL, OH & KY and almost nothing about IN. When you drive through those states, if you pay attention you'll notice a considerable amount of wooded land interspersed with the crop fields. When driving through IN you notice the implement scars on the fence posts from farming every square inch of ground possible. We don't have near the habitat other states have.

The whitetail, turkey, otter & bobcat populations we have here in IN are no doubt due to the policies of the IDNR. I don't consider the agency inept but I most certainly recognize that there are things which could be done better and I'd like to see improvements. Hiring a turkey biologist who actually wants to see hunters succeed would be a good start. To me, a sportsman, I could not care less if we have three wild turkey for every square foot of land if they can't be hunted effectively. As suggested here, hunters paid for the reintroduction efforts and those dollars should be rewarded with reasonable seasons and bag limits.

My biggest complaint is how cheap it is for non residents to come to IN and partake of our resources. An IL resident should have to pay the same amount to hunt a whitetail in IN as I have to pay to hunt whitetail in IL. If other states have a lottery for non resident tags then IN should have a lottery for those hunters as well. It's difficult enough for people to find private land to hunt in IN, we don't need the added expense of competing with out of state hunters who don't pay crap for a license and can afford to lease up land here.

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

We saw the same thing with the quail, really taking a hit after the blizzards of 77 & 78. I had included housing developments in my post only because we lived in a subdivision platted out in a rural area, surrounded by old fields and farmland. I don't know how many house cats were in that subdivision, but if they all killed as many baby quail as ours did, they took a bit of a toll.

I also know that the land that I grew up hunting has changed a lot. Like Phylodog said, No more brushy fence rows, no more dairy/beef cattle pasture, and no more pastured hogs. A couple of fairly big woodlots have been bull-dozed down in recent years so that they could grow more corn (yay ethanol). I've read that quail could have withstood hunting pressure and dog/cat predation if there was enough cover, and that's probably right, at least in many areas.

I would say that, it might be too harsh to say that IDNR hasn't helped outdoorsman (and it only occurred to me after my first post that those a lot younger than me couldn't know really how much better some things are now). But, I have to admit that I'm not as much in touch with what they do now as I used to be. I did some biological study work for Non-game some years ago. And, I realize that just saying that there's more deer and turkeys now doesn't mean that all is going well and that some concerns aren't valid.

Think I'll go shake my fist at some kids now, and tell them to get off my lawn.

 

[Expat]

I remember quail hunting back in the 70s, never see or hear them anymore. I think the population started down hill starting 77-78 with the back to back bad winters.

Even up in rural Howard County , I remember hearing the quail calling in the field behind our house.

 

[Sniper 79]

I gave up hunting. It's fun but doesn't seem worth pursuing anymore. I'll resort to taking trips out of state.

 

[openwell]

Like Mgderf said, you must be young.

For those my age and older, we remember when there were no deer in most Indiana Counties. I still remember being thrilled just to see deer tracks in the mud when I was 13.

And we didn't complain about when you could hunt turkeys because there weren't any of those either. If not for the actions of IDNR, you would have less to complain about.

Although one thing I also remember is that you couldn't walk the field edges very far without busting up a covey of quail back then, but the reason that the quail have gone has more to do with farming methods and housing development than hunting.

Yep. real young. I could draw social security. I remember exercising my birds on the farm lands that St. Vincent hospital sits today and dogs pointing birds and busting quail too. Blizzard of 1978 did quail in and the IDNR has had no response to fixing it. That's how our DNR has evolved. and I'm sad they are rolling in the dough today and spending on privatization of everything. too old to organize a group to complain and still sad to see IMHO.

 

[openwell]

I have lived in states with no public ranges, so I know pain. It costs $7 an hour to shoot which is a bargain anywhere but your own land. And the ranges are great. I am very happy our governor supports shooting sports.
I like buying reloading supplies at the range which helps me replenish my stock. Atterbury and Deer Creek have great staff. I treat them like friends and get to know them. They always treat me the same, and have helped me be a better safer shooter. I always support my local businesses and hope others do too.

Turkey hunting in Indiana public land is tough. I am 0 after two hard years of hunting and lots of time off from work. I see em but they donÂ’t respond, and there are a lot of people hunting.

As facts go, free and open 7 days a week is better than closed Mondays & Tuesdays and $7 and hour or whatever. If you know about and have used Indiana F&W area shooting ranges you can see it. you know things are evolving in the wrong direction, privatization.

If you know anything about taxation and Pittman-Roberston money you would get sick to your stomach how our Gov. is spending to support a private business to run things. Good for said private business ;however, I don't go to the range to buy my ammo or reloading stuff. Shop online or support Cabelas or Gander (now back, I understand).

I do know my facts when it comes to turkeys. Some of the BEST grounds are public in Indiana and many many states. They were "thick in numbers" - Missouri. Even guides in Mo. use Mark Twain Nat'l forest lands. Pennsylvania has "game lands" that are all over the state, again public lands. Ohio too has wonderful public lands, once coal mines reclaimed now. Good luck hunting turkeys as you learn how to hunt public or private lands.

 

[Hookeye]

Still see quail when hunting Cass and Fulton counties for deer.
Wild.
Landowners said they've been there for 40 yrs.
Of course. they're off limits (pheasant too).

See more pheasant closer to US 30.......we yote hunt up there.

Mississinewa Res has some Quail Reclamation deal going on............no hunting those spots.
Funny.............it looked like better habitat before they brought in the bulldozers.

You want game birds?

Kill every freakin' cat you see.



Turkeys out of state............guys went on some $$$ pheasant hunt, said the dogs pointed quite a few hiding turkeys.
Enough it was a PITA.

can't make anybody happy LOL

 

[JettaKnight]

Anyone concerned about Indiana DNR direction in the future right now?

With gun, ammo and sporting equip. sales at all-time highs, federal funds from 11% Pittman-Robertson taxes should be (are) flooding the coffers. Then...

• Why is the IDNR is turning free F&W area shooting ranges in to PRIVATE operations (e.g. Deer Creek, Rodebush, Atterbury) and closing ranges Mondays & Tues. (similar to BMV closing Sun. & Mon.)?
• Why are they allowing Turkey hunting on PRIVATE grounds all day, but F&W areas only until 1 pm. like it was since 1980's?
• Why are they allowing popular-caliber rifle Deer hunting on PRIVATE ground, but limiting even Federal public lands to so-called pistol calibers?
• Why are they charging license fees for stamps, such as state duck stamps and the infamous state game-bird stamps, without even printing stamps anymore? Sure, they made you deface them with signatures, but at least they were keepers for scrap books.
• Why are they charging for both Spring & Fall Turkey licenses? When a Spring hunter can't find time to hunt or is unsuccessful, they should be able try again in the Fall without paying another fee.

Do we have any organizations in Indiana that are asking these questions of the IDNR?

When I tried to learn more about the deer rifle seasons, it was the NRA that was helping and that's great, but where are concerned Indiana hunters to turn? Does anyone know of a group to address such issues? Does anyone care?


The future of hunting & shooting in Indiana is evolving in the wrong direction, IMHO; which makes me sad and mad.

I'm a bit late, but, FIFY.

 

[Hkindiana]

When I first purchased my farm (162 acres) I could find no quail in the fields. I spoke with an IDNR officer about reintroducing them. He said not to bother since it would not work. He said that they outfitted quail with battery backpacks and antennas and released them, and within 30 days they were all dead. Personally, I think wild quail have a hard enough time surviving without the added strain & weight of batteries and antennae. I decided to pen raise some quail just for the fun of it, and they were doing well until something got into the pen and killed about a hundred of them. The other hundred escaped, and they have repopulated the farm nicely. That was about ten years ago, and I have coveys of quail all over the place.

 

[openwell]

I'm a bit late, but, FIFY.

Have no clue?

 

[JettaKnight]

Have no clue?

Fixed It For You, i.e. made it readable.

It's my thing, I hunt dangling participles.

 

[openwell]

Fixed It For You, i.e. made it readable.

It's my thing, I hunt dangling participles.

Yep. Thanks. I see it now. Wondered how you got so many post in such short amount of time.

"No man's opinion is better than his background, his experience, and his general common sense." Jack O'Connor

 

[JettaKnight]

Yep. Thanks. I see it now. Wondered how you got so many post in such short amount of time.

"No man's opinion is better than his background, his experience, and his general common sense." Jack O'Connor

You're welcome.

 

[openwell]

I'm a bit late, but, FIFY.

Yes, reminds me of punks that used to say "talk to the hand" a few years back and that was quite helpful. It's always refreshing to see someone with so many opinions and so little to say. welcome to ingo.;

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

You want game birds?

Kill every freakin' cat you see.

True.

 

[Leadeye]

When I first purchased my farm (162 acres) I could find no quail in the fields. I spoke with an IDNR officer about reintroducing them. He said not to bother since it would not work. He said that they outfitted quail with battery backpacks and antennas and released them, and within 30 days they were all dead. Personally, I think wild quail have a hard enough time surviving without the added strain & weight of batteries and antennae. I decided to pen raise some quail just for the fun of it, and they were doing well until something got into the pen and killed about a hundred of them. The other hundred escaped, and they have repopulated the farm nicely. That was about ten years ago, and I have coveys of quail all over the place.

What is your ground like?

 

[Hkindiana]

What is your ground like?

Twenty acres of Native American prairie grass and wildflowers, 100 acres of woods and 42 acres of fields. I purposely left lots of fencerows.

 

[Leadeye]

Sounds like perfect land. Mine is much more wooded and hilly, although I do have scrub clearings.