An upcoming survey will ask dove hunters in Indiana and across the United States to share their experiences and opinions about dove hunting. Topics will include time spent hunting, demographics, constraints to hunting and thoughts about potential effects of lead from spent ammunition on mourning doves and other wildlife.

The National Dove Hunter Survey is scheduled to begin in late June and be completed by the end of the year. The survey will be mailed to a random sample of dove hunters.

“We really hope each dove hunter who receives a survey takes the time to complete and return it in the postage-paid envelope provided,” said Ken Richkus, of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) Population and Habitat Assessment Branch. “Their answers are very important, and we appreciate their efforts to tell us what they think.”

The National Dove Hunter Survey will give the FWS an excellent picture of mourning dove hunter thoughts and needs by state, region and nationwide, Richkus said. Hoosier hunters harvest more doves than any other hunted species in Indiana, typically around 200,000 annually. The birds are hunted in Indiana by more than 10,000 hunters.

“Dove hunting is enjoyed by many hunters here in Indiana, and I am glad they will have the opportunity to voice their opinions about this very important game bird,” said Budd Veverka, a Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Division of Fish & Wildlife’s farmland game research biologist.

DNR Fish & Wildlife also works with the FWS to conduct a statewide mourning dove calling survey each spring to determine population trends, and a mourning dove banding program for a long-term harvest management strategy.

A DNR effort to improve bass fishing at two Noble County lakes continues to show progress.

A temporary rule put in place last summer reduced the number of small, overabundant largemouth bass at Big and Crane lakes, according to state fisheries biologists. The rule set aside a 14-inch minimum size limit and temporarily allowed anglers to take home bass 10-14 inches long.

Earlier surveys revealed both lakes were dominated by small, slow-growing bass, with few larger than 14 inches.

A spring fish sampling survey indicated anglers took out about one-third of the small bass at Big Lake and two-thirds of the small bass at Crane Lake.

At Big Lake, estimated numbers of 10- to 14-inch bass dropped from 4,426 last year to 2,878 this year. Numbers at Crane Lake declined from 1,162 to 374. By reducing the number of small bass, biologists say the remaining fish should grow faster and larger. To protect the remaining bass, the 14-inch minimum size limit is now back in effect at both lakes.

“Ideally we wanted anglers to take home half of the number of small bass in each lake, but we’re happy with the outcome,” said Jed Pearson, DNR biologist. “We’ll now see if too many bass were taken from Crane Lake and not enough were taken from Big Lake.”

The DNR will continue to monitor the number of bass in both lakes to study the long-term effects of the temporary rule. If successful, similar regulations may be imposed at other lakes with too many small bass. The key, Pearson said, is to get numbers of bass in line with the productivity of a lake and its food supply.

Since 1998, when the 14-inch size limit was imposed at all northern Indiana lakes, some lakes have developed dense populations of small bass. The majority of lakes, however, now have both higher overall numbers of bass and larger bass.

Biologists aren’t sure why some lakes produce too many bass. “If we can restore balance to the bass populations in Big and Crane lakes, we hope that maybe they will stay that way,” Pearson said.

Hoosiers interested in preserving Indiana’s bow-hunting heritage may attend a July 26 workshop at Atterbury Fish & Wildlife Area, to teach them how to plant the necessary seeds.

The target audience is adults who work with children, ages 11-17. Included are schoolteachers, after-school teachers, outdoor educators, parks and recreation program leaders, scout leaders and camp counselors.

The workshop, called Explore Bow-hunting, is designed not only to help adults teach bow-hunting skills to preteens and teenagers, but also to instill a respect for and comfort with the outdoors in them. It is being offered for the first time in Indiana and is being run by the DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife’s Hoosier Outdoor Heritage Program.

Participants do not need prior experience with bow-hunting. Explore Bow-hunting is free and is funded through a partnership between the Archery Trade Assoc. and DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife.

The program is July 26 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. For more information and to register, contact Amanda Wuestefeld at 317-547-2075 or awuestefeld@dnr.IN.gov

Additional information is also available at www.indiananasp.com/forms/2012/ EB/Announcement.pdf

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.