By Jack Spaulding

 It’s what Indiana’s deer hunters have been waiting for as the deer firearms season opened Nov. 13 and runs through Nov. 28. The deer firearms license allows a hunter to take one buck. Hunters may harvest an antlerless deer with a firearm during this season if they possess a deer bundle license, bonus antlerless license, deer reduction zone license (in a deer reduction zone), resident youth consolidated hunting and trapping license or comprehensive lifetime hunting license. Antlerless deer taken with a firearm during firearms season would count toward the bonus antlerless quota, unless you are hunting in a deer reduction zone with the appropriate license and count the deer toward the deer reduction zone bag limit. Bonus antlerless deer may not be taken on all DNR properties; find information about restrictions. Bonus antlerless deer cannot be taken in Benton or Tipton counties until Nov. 25. Firearms regulations differ from public land to private land, so be sure to read through the regulations before venturing out.

Questions about Indiana’s deer seasons and regulations can be directed to the Indiana Deer Hotline at INDeerHotline@dnr.IN.gov or 812-334-3795, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday.

Free CWD test for deer

Firearms season has begun, and the rut is taking off. Indiana’s DNR is interested in obtaining samples from hunter-harvested deer to test for chronic wasting disease (CWD). Hunters may voluntarily submit samples for free testing at select Fish & Wildlife areas (FWAs) and state fish hatcheries (SFHs) throughout the hunting season. Check online for locations. Deer heads may be dropped into designated coolers at select FWAs and SFHs, or hunters may make an appointment to have their harvested deer sampled by a biologist during office hours. Tongue tags will also be available for hunters who wish to have their deer’s head mounted and sampled for CWD – just follow the guidance provided at designated coolers or given by DNR staff. Testing results will available online.

Indiana DNR stocks Coho salmon

80,896 Coho salmon were recently stocked in northern Indiana’s Lake Michigan tributaries.

Bodine State Fish Hatchery released 29,457 Coho salmon fingerlings measuring approximately 7.2 inches into Trail Creek. An additional 51,439 Coho salmon fingerlings measuring approximately 6.6 inches were released into the East Branch of the Little Calumet River by Mixsawbah State Fish Hatchery.

Coho salmon stocked this fall will stay in the streams until next spring, when they will migrate to Lake Michigan. They will spend one to two years there feeding and maturing until they return to the streams where they were stocked for spawning.

Anglers should take care when fishing the areas. The fingerlings are currently under the legal size limit and are sensitive to being caught. If you are catching undersize Coho, consider moving to a different area of the stream or try switching your method of fishing. The new fish are crucial to the continued existence of the northwest Indiana trout and salmon fishery.

Goose Pond FWA visitor center

Goose Pond Fish & Wildlife Area (FWA) has completed installation of additional displays at its visitor center. They include information about wetland habitats and migratory birds, as well as interactive features highlighting other wildlife found on the property such as furbearing mammals and macroinvertebrates. There’s also a display on how managers control water levels in the wetlands.

Development and installation of the displays was made possible through a partnership with the Friends of Goose Pond, who donated mounted birds for the flyway exhibit. The flyway display includes a Sandhill crane, American pelican and snow goose. Additional partners who made the displays possible include Duke Energy and the Indiana Wildlife Federation.

Visitors to Goose Pond FWA’s visitor center can see the new displays Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m-5 p.m., and Sunday, noon-5 p.m. The center is located at 13540 W 400 S., Linton, Ind.

Online CheckIN Game

The Indiana CheckIN Game system allows hunters and trappers to check in their harvested game from any device connected to the internet. You will receive a confirmation number to write down on a temporary transportation tag for the harvested game species (turkey, deer). Be sure to check your information is accurate before submitting.

Deer and wild turkeys must be checked in within 48 hours of harvest; river otters must be checked in within 24 hours of harvest. Have your Customer ID and harvest information ready. Remember, you don’t need to log in to your account to check in game for this fall – you can do so by clicking CheckIN Game and entering your Customer ID number and date of birth.

Hunters still have the option of visiting traditional check stations, where a confirmation number will be provided for you to place on your temporary transportation tag. There is also a phone-in option at 800-419-1326; however, there is a $3 charge for the service (payable by Visa or MasterCard only).

CheckIN Game data filters into real-time harvest tables available on the DNR website. Check harvest numbers for white-tailed deer, wild turkey, and river otter, updated daily during open seasons.

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.