2019-2020 annual licenses extended until end of June
All 2019-20 basic hunting, basic fishing, hunt/fish combo, youth licenses, and stamps set to expire March 31, 2020 are now valid until the end of June. After that, you will need a 2020-21 license and/or stamp to hunt, fish, or trap.
Keep a printed or electronic copy with you while hunting or fishing. If you do not have a 2019-20 annual license or stamp, a 2020-21 annual license is required. One hundred percent of your purchase goes directly toward the conservation of Indiana’s fish, wildlife, and their habitats. Purchase online at on.IN.gov/INhuntfish.
2020-21 migratory bird hunting seasons
Indiana’s migratory bird hunting seasons for 2020-21 have been submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. These seasons include those for mourning doves, waterfowl (ducks, coots, mergansers, and geese), woodcock, snipe, and sora rails.
For information on bag limits, shooting hours, other regulations, falconry dates, and youth and veteran hunt dates, please visit hunting.IN.gov.
Photo courtesy of Take Me Fishing.
Cast a line on Free Fishing Weekend, June 6-7
Indiana residents do not need a fishing license or a trout/salmon stamp to fish the state's public waters during Free Fishing Weekend, June 6-7.
Free Fishing Weekend coincides with the start of National Boating and Fishing Week. Fishing and boating are excellent ways to get outside and connect with family and friends while practicing social distancing. Free Fishing Days give people the chance to give fishing a try or to introduce someone else to the sport. Learn more about Free Fishing Days and upcoming events, by visiting dnr.IN.gov/fishfree.
Check out fishing tips and videos at wildlife.IN.gov/3600.htm. Find public places to fish on the Where to Fish map at on.IN.gov/where2fish. For the water trails guide, canoe/kayak rentals (for lakes and streams), current water flow data, safety tips, and more, check out on.IN.gov/watertrails.
Resources available for managing private ponds
Do you have a private pond or lake? Pond owners can now find resources about pond construction, where to purchase fish to stock, nuisance wildlife concerns, fish kills, and more on our website. DNR’s updated website also includes new information about constructing artificial habitat.
Biologists work to make fishing better for you
DFW fisheries biologists conduct surveys to monitor fish populations and inform management recommendations. To collect fish, biologists use a variety of methods, depending on survey objectives. Fish surveys are conducted from when ice is gone in March, through November.
By using multiple methods to catch fish, biologists can obtain a snapshot of the entire fish community. The most common survey type in May and June uses three methods. The first collects the majority of near-shore fish with electrofishing during which fish are temporarily stunned and netted by using a measured electrical current in the water. For the second, biologists use trap nets extending from the shore to a basket. Nets are set perpendicular to the shore, collecting fish moving overnight nearby. Trap nets often collect more and larger panfish than electrofishing does. The third method uses gill nets, which are set off shore, often near drop-offs. These nets entangle fish that typically do not come close to shore such as shad, suckers, and bullheads. All fish are placed in a livewell, where they are sorted, counted and measured before being released back into the water.
Survey reports are available for different lakes on the Where to Fish map or you can contact your district fisheries biologist for more information.
Photo courtesy of Dustin Whitehead.
Landowners can provide public hunting access opportunities
DNR is seeking private landowners to allow limited turkey, Northern bobwhite, ring-necked pheasant, and American woodcock public hunting opportunities on their properties. Landowners receive financial incentives and habitat management assistance through the Indiana Private Lands Access Program (IPLA). Participating landowners are eligible for incentives up to $25 an acre for fall Northern bobwhite, pheasant, and woodcock hunting opportunities, and up to $16 an acre for spring turkey hunting opportunities.
DNR biologists work closely with each landowner to develop a wildlife habitat management plan and to schedule hunting opportunities on their land. Additional financial incentives and habitat management assistance are available for improving habitat on land enrolled in the program. Habitat teams are also available to assist landowners with implementation of habitat work on enrolled properties.
Landowners located within the program’s five focal regions across the state are strongly encouraged to apply.
Love wildlife? Go native.
Did you know that habitat loss is the biggest threat to wildlife? You can help by planting native or supporting organizations that create native wildlife habitat. Besides providing seed resources, native plants also attract a wide variety of native insects. Insects are nutritious food for many of Indiana’s young wildlife growing up this time of year. Young birds can’t survive on seed alone – if you enjoy watching your birdfeeder, consider enhancing it with some native plants to provide protein for your favorite visitors.
Incorporating at least three different colors of flowers that bloom in the spring, summer, and fall can greatly expand the insect species attracted to your homemade habitat. This may diversify the wildlife you spot in your backyard. The plants won’t just provide food, but nesting material too. By creating healthy habitat, you may find that native blooms enrich the beauty of your yard while also cutting down on the time and resources you spend on maintaining turf grass alone.
For more information on creating backyard habitat, visit our website or contact your district wildlife biologist.
Pictured: An Eastern box turtle attempts to cross a road.
Watch for turtles on roadways
Nesting season is underway for many of Indiana’s native turtles, which means Hoosiers may encounter them crossing roadways this time of year. A turtle found crossing roads may be moved off the roadway in the direction it was traveling, as along as conditions are safe to do so. The turtle should not be moved to a new area – some turtles, like Eastern box turtles, have a strong homing instinct and, if moved, may spend most of their life trying to find their original home.
Living with Wildlife: Canada Geese
Have you noticed geese and their young walking across the road during the summer? That’s because adult Canada geese molt every summer. While new flight feathers grow in, Canada geese are essentially grounded for a month. New goslings also grow their first set of flight feathers during this time. In Indiana, peak molting for Canada geese are the last two weeks of June through the first two weeks of July.
While gently harassing geese where they may be causing conflict is encouraged, harassing them during their molt is not effective or ethical because the geese have limited physical mobility. Instead, install fencing or a vegetation barrier that is at least 30 inches tall prior to goose nesting. Fencing can be made from a wide range of materials, but any gaps should be no wider than 3 inches. Although fencing does not prevent flying geese, adult geese know goslings need to be able to walk to food and water. Vegetation barriers can be created from native plants, including grasses, wildflowers, and shrubs. These barriers should be 20-30 feet wide around the edge of water sources. The vegetation creates a living barrier while providing habitat for many other species of wildlife.
For more information about living with Canada geese, visit wildlife.IN.gov/2996.htm or contact your district wildlife biologist.
Indiana Nongame Wildlife Fund at Work: Birds
Through a partnership between the Indiana Division of Fish & Wildlife, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Partners for Fish and Wildlife, and the Indiana Audubon Society, 46 Eastern red cedar 8-foot tall bushes were planted on private lands that are home to loggerhead shrikes. With there being just five nesting pairs of shrikes left in Indiana, these partners are working to conserve this state endangered species before it is too late.
Loggerhead shrikes need widely spaced large bushes in short grassland areas for nesting and cover to escape from predators like hawks. The bushes planted this spring will help the birds by giving them more places to nest and hide. You can help loggerhead shrikes by donating to the Indiana Nongame Wildlife Fund or by adopting a shrike.
Upcoming events
June 13 – Women’s Learn to Fish, Potato Creek State Park
June 18 – (Virtual) Master Naturalist Pond Management Talk
June 20 – Women’s Learn to Fish with Lures, Potato Creek State Park
June 27 – Grassland Songbird Walk, Goose Pond Fish & Wildlife Area
June 27 – Women’s Learn to Kayak Fish, Potato Creek State Park
July 11 – 2020 CHAP Hunt Coordinator Training, Bloomington
July 11 – Project WILD Educator Workshop, Fort Wayne
July 15 – Women’s Evening at the Range, Kingsbury Fish & Wildlife Area
July 18 – Learn to Hunt: Deer, Bloomington
July 18 – Project WET & Project WILD Educator Workshop, Greenwood
July 25 – Family Range Day, Winamac Fish & Wildlife Area
July 25 – After the Shot: Tips for Tracking and Recovering Deer, Danville