Turkey Run State Park’s Trail 3 was recently named the Midwest’s Best Hike in Midwest Living’s annual Best of the Midwest list.

The 1.7-mile trail is a relatively rugged trek tracing a riverbed. Rock formations, waterfalls and glacial potholes provide scenic highlights before hikers climb out of the canyon via wooden ladders. Trail 3 hikers are advised to wear shoes they don’t mind getting wet.

Spring turkey season around the corner

As the weather has warmed, the turkeys have broken up from their wintertime mega-flocks, and it is a good time to start scouting.

The trees are filled with gobbles, and it means Indiana’s spring turkey season is less than a month away. As the birds begin their unique mating displays, males will gobble and strut to draw in hens, and the hens will crouch to let the males know they’ve been chosen.

The spring youth season is April 22-23, and the regular season is April 26-May 14.

2023 fishing and hunting licenses

Outdoor lovers, check your licenses as you have run out of time. The new Indiana fishing and hunting licenses are now available for purchase for the upcoming seasons. They are valid April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024.

DNR is hiring summer workers

Want a great summertime job doing something you love? Well look no further, as the

Indiana state parks and inns are hiring workers for the summer season. Most positions will be seasonal, but some are full or part-time year-round positions.

To apply for a position at a state park inn see: Indianainnsjobs.com. To apply for a position at one of the state parks see: on.IN.gov/dnrjobs.

Injured and orphaned wildlife

Wildlife parents rarely abandon their babies, although they will leave them unattended for hours at a time. You should contact a permitted wildlife rehabilitator only if you witness the parents becoming hurt, if the babies are injured or sick, or if you haven’t seen the parents in multiple days.

Remember… it is unlawful to possess a wild animal without a proper permit.

Division Of Nature Preserves provide two free guided hikes

The first hike is on the Moraine Nature Preserve on May 6 at 9:30 a.m. Moraine Nature Preserve contains a combination of rolling ridges, steep hills, pothole wetlands and a shallow pond. The property protects a mosaic of natural communities including ponds, shrub swamps, mesic upland forests and dry-mesic upland forests.

The second is on Olin Lake Nature Preserve on May 20 at 9:30 a.m.  At just over 100 acres, Olin Lake is the largest lake in Indiana with an undeveloped shoreline. Swamp forest along the shoreline includes tamarack, silver maple, red maple and green ash. Skunk cabbage abounds in low, mucky spots. Located on the upland portion of the southeast shore is the remnant of a once large woods. There are large specimens of sugar maple, beech, hackberry and red oak trees.

What kind of fish did I catch?

With around 200 different species of fish in Indiana waters, it’s not uncommon that Hoosier anglers might once in a while hook a species they’ve never seen before.

If you do have a mystery catch, send a picture with the location information and the date of your catch to fishid@dnr.IN.gov and a biologist will respond to you with an identification. Not only do you receive an identification, DNR biologists benefit by gaining new information on the distribution of some of our less common species.

New Visitors Center Trail at Goose Pond FWA

The accessible 0.5-mile gravel trail circles the Goose Pond Visitor’s Center. The trail’s surface and maximum 15 percent slope grades allow for virtually anyone of any ability to use it and appreciate the route’s wildflower plantings and interpretive signage.

Goose Pond serves as an inclusive space for birding and other outdoor recreational opportunities across 9,098 acres of prairie and marsh habitat. Built in 2016, the visitor’s center includes interpretive displays and scopes for viewing wildlife.

Celebrate National Volunteer Week with DNR

During National Volunteer Week, April 16-22, the DNR will thank and recognize its volunteers for caring for Indiana’s natural and cultural resources and salute their accomplishments on agency social media pages.

Hoosiers can connect with Indiana’s natural and cultural heritage and the DNR volunteer community by donating their time and talents at their favorite DNR property.

To find out how you can help DNR properties and become part of DNR’s volunteer family, explore on https://www.in.gov/dnr/about-us/volunteer-and-internship-opportunities/

or contact your local DNR property to learn more.

For complete list of programs for April 16-22, visit calendar.dnr.IN.gov.

2023 Recreation Guides

Indiana Recreation Guides are now available at Indiana State Park properties and online at https://www.in.gov/dnr/publications-and-maps/indiana-recreation-guide/. Grab the one-stop guide for all your recreation needs at a DNR property near you.

Beautify Mississinewa 

Meet at Mississinewa Lake’s property office, located in the Miami SRA, for the Trash Pick-Up on April 22 to help clean trash which has accumulated all winter. Volunteers will be directed to locations on the property from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Cleaning up the property makes for a great group project.

Readers can contact the author by writing to this publication, or e-mail to jackspaulding@hughes.net.

Spaulding’s books, “The Best of Spaulding Outdoors,” and his latest, “The Coon Hunter And The Kid,” are available from Amazon.com in paperback or as a Kindle download.