Spaulding Outdoors
By Jack Spaulding

The Indiana Natural Resources Commission (NRC) gave preliminary approval last week to a comprehensive package of proposed changes to deer-hunting rules in Indiana.

The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) developed the rules proposal to focus deer-herd reduction in a strategically targeted manner to more adequately balance the ecological, recreational and economic needs of the state’s citizens. Key points of the proposal include:

•Changing the deer firearms season to nine days beginning the Saturday before Thanksgiving

•Adding a two-day antlerless-only firearms season in October in designated counties

•Adding a statewide antlerless-only firearms season from Dec. 25-Jan. 1

•Shortening the muzzleloader season to nine days

•Extending the urban zone season through Jan. 31

•Expanding the use of crossbows

•Requiring hunters to take at least one antlerless deer prior to taking an antlered deer in an urban deer zone

“For the last several years, Indiana deer management and associated deer rules were designed to stabilize or slightly grow the deer herd,” said Mitch Marcus, wildlife section chief for the DFW. “We are now experiencing record-setting harvests, record numbers of deer damage complaints, constituent complaints to legislators and record numbers of deer-vehicle collisions.

“The intent of the deer rule proposal is to move Indiana toward a focused, strategically targeted deer-herd reduction.”

Hunters have harvested more than 100,000 deer in the state in 15 of the last 17 years, topping 125,000 in four of the last five years, including a record 132,752 in 2009.

Further changes would add a new non-resident youth deer license, add license requirements for the new special antlerless seasons, add requirements to the use of ground blinds, allow a rifle cartridge to have a maximum case length of 1.8 instead of l.625 inches and require youth hunters to wear hunter orange during the youth special season.

The NRC’s preliminary approval moves the proposed changes into the public input phase of the rulemaking process. Comments on the proposal may be submitted online at www.IN.gov/nrc or by mail to: Division of Hearings, Indiana Government Center North, 100 North Senate Ave., Indianapolis, IN, 46204, or at public hearings. Dates and locations for a minimum two hearings will be announced at a later date.

After the public input process is complete, the NRC will consider final adoption of the rule package. A complete summary of the proposed changes is at www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/2362.htm

If adopted, the new rules would take effect in 2011 and would be evaluated over a five-year period to determine if the intended result of reducing the deer herd is being achieved. Success will be measured through maintaining an annual deer harvest sex ratio of 60/40 females/males, landowner and deer-hunter survey responses, reduction in county antlerless quotas and reduction in deer-vehicle accident rates.

The proposed changes to deer-hunting rules are a result of the NRC Advisory Council’s Comprehensive Fish and Wildlife Rules Enhancement Project and a DNR review of Indiana deer management.

The project drew more than 1,000 suggestions from the public, and the DNR review included discussions with representatives from several stakeholder groups—Indiana Sportsman’s Roundtable, Indiana Wildlife Federation, Indiana Deer Hunters Assoc., Indiana Bowhunters Assoc., Quality Deer Management Assoc., The Nature Conservancy, Indiana Farm Bureau, Bloomington City Council, Indiana Forestry and Woodland Owners Assoc. and a sporting goods retailer.

Leaders or representatives of all but the last four spoke in support of the proposed rule changes at the NRC meeting.

“We are pleased with the amount of public input given through the Comprehensive Fish and Wildlife Rule Enhancement Project and the agency review of deer management with stakeholder groups,” Marcus said. “We look forward to additional public input as part of the rulemaking process.”

Of interest to Indiana wild turkey hunters, the DNR has also proposed the following changes to the wild turkey rule:

•Add 16 new counties in Indiana for the fall firearms season, including seven in northern Indiana

•Open all counties (statewide) for fall turkey archery season

•Add seven days to the early archery portion of the fall turkey season

•Add a second (late) archery turkey season to coincide with the late deer archery season (they would run at the same time and have a hunter orange requirement)

•Expand the fall turkey firearm season in the south for seven more days (12 days total – includes two weekends)

Anglers could also see changes, as the DNR has proposed changes allowing the use of live gizzard shad and threadfin shad as bait on eight bodies of water in Indiana where the species are known to exist.

Both live gizzard shad and threadfin shad, a related species, would be able to be collected, possessed and used on the named waters but not transported away from the waters. Any unused shad would have to be killed and not released back into the water. Similar language is proposed for live alewives used as bait on Lake Michigan, in order to prevent their spread.

Live gizzard shad or threadfin shad collected at other water bodies would need to be killed upon capture and could not be possessed live. Restricting shad use to the named waters and prohibiting transportation would not only prevent unintended shad introductions, but would also reduce the risk of bringing unwanted species into the named waters.

In response to angler requests, the DNR has also proposed the maximum cast net diameter be increased to 20 feet for both the Ohio River and the rest of the state. Mesh size would remain at 3/4-inch stretch mesh for normal minnow/crayfish collection.

However, the DNR is proposing the cast nets used at the eight named live shad water bodies have a maximum mesh size of two inches stretch mesh to allow for more practical use in collecting live gizzard shad, threadfin shad or alewives which school in open water.

Individuals interested in submitting a comment on the deer, catfish or furbearer possession rule proposals receiving preliminary adoption from the NRC can do so at www.in.gov/nrc/2377.htm and click on “Comment on Proposed Rule.” The only other means by which comments will be accepted is by regular mail to: NRC Division of Hearings, Indiana Government Center North, 100 North Senate Ave. – Room N501, Indianapolis, IN 46204-2200.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments for Jack Spaulding may contact him by e-mail at jackspaulding@hughes.net or by writing to him in care of this publication.