Indiana conservation officers, in coordination with Brookville Complex personnel, located and removed 21 tree stands from Brookville Complex State Property in Union and Franklin counties on March 27. In an effort to protect our natural resources and serve our community, the officers teamed up with Brookville Complex personnel to remove several tree stands failing to adhere to property regulations. Indiana Administrative Code (IAC) 312 IAC 9-3-3 (g) states an individual must not erect, place or hunt from a permanent tree or ground blind on stateowned lands. Any tree or ground blind placed on Department of Natural Resources (DNR) property must be portable and may be left overnight only, between noon on Sept. 15 and Jan. 10 (see page 24 of the 2016/2017 Hunting & Trapping Guide booklet). The IAC further indicates any fastener used in conjunction with a tree blind and a tree or pole climber penetrating a tree more than 1/2-inch is prohibited. Equipment and fasteners left on or within a tree causes unnatural growth which can lead to death of the tree. Each blind placed on DNR property must be legibly marked with the name, address and telephone number of the owner of the blind, or marked with the individual’s customer identification number issued by the DNR. All the tree stands seized failed to be removed by the owners by Jan. 10. The majority of stands removed were not marked with owner identification. All were seized and documented with location information for owner identification. The tree stands will be stored for a period of 90 days to allow the owner to claim their property. New fishing license needed as of April 1 The DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife reminds Indiana anglers that last year’s fishing licenses have expired. Indiana fishing licenses are valid from April 1 through March 31 the following year, so a 2017 license was required as of April 1. With a few exceptions, a valid fishing license issued by the DNR is needed to fish in public lakes, streams, rivers or tributaries in Indiana or its boundary waters. Children younger than 18 and adults born before April 1, 1943, are not required to have a license to fish. An annual fishing license costs $17 for Indiana residents and $35 for non-residents. Indiana residents who are at least 64 years old and born after March 31, 1943, are eligible to buy a Senior Annual ($3) or Senior Fish for Life ($17) license. Licenses may be purchased online at www.INHuntFish.com or in person at more than 525 retailers statewide or by calling the DNR Customer Service Center at 317-232-4200 during normal business hours. Indiana Fish of the Year Twenty-five Hoosier anglers were honored in 2016, including Jeff Armstrong of Wheatfield, who submitted five winning catches. Close to half of the 2016 winners were the only entry for the species – so don’t hold back if you catch a nice fish in 2017. Listed are the 2016 Fish of the Year winners, the size of the fish and where the fish was caught (including county): •Blue catfish: 50 inches, Shawn M. Harris, Ohio River (Ohio County) •Bluegill: 11 inches, Jeff Armstrong, Lake Maxinkuckee (Marshall), and Dennis Thompson, Krueger Lake (Jefferson) •Bowfin: 32.5 inches, Mark Holbrook, Tippecanoe River (Pulaski) •Buffalo: 38.3 inches, Brian Waldman, Cagles Mill Lake (Owen, Putnam) •Bullhead: 16 inches, Paul Weber, private pond (Lake) •Channel catfish: 42 inches, Nicholas R. Staigl, Lake McCoy (Decatur) •Cisco: 15.3 inches, Robert Ecenbarger, Little Crooked Lake, (Whitley) •Common carp: 32.5 inches, Jeff Armstrong, Bass Lake (Starke) •Crappie: 18.3 inches, Mike Pasini, private lake (Johnson) •Flathead catfish: 50 inches, Jason Metz, Eel River (Clay) •Freshwater drum: 26.5 inches, Sheena Donald, Ohio River (Switzerland) •Green sunfish: 11 inches, Luke Tincher, private pond (Orange) •Hybrid striped bass: 30 inches, Hao Wu, Tippecanoe River (Carroll) •Largemouth bass: 29 inches, Greg Burchett, private lake (Ripley) •Longnose gar: 43.3 inches, Tristan Mobley, Wabash River (Gibson) •Northern pike: 42.5 inches, Robert L. Kelley, Marsh Lake (Steuben) •Rainbow trout: 20 inches, Larry A. Sheets, Olin Lake (LaGrange) •Redear sunfish: 12 inches, William Endorf, Midland Lake (Greene) •Rock bass: 11.8 inches, Jeff Armstrong, Lake Maxinkuckee (Marshall) •Sauger: 23.5 inches, Jeff Armstrong, Tippecanoe River (Marshall) •Shortnose gar: 28.3 inches, Johnathon Marshall, Wabash River (Parke) •Smallmouth bass: 20.5 inches, Steven O. Williams, Tippecanoe River (White) •Spotted gar: 24.3 inches, Mark Losee, Simonton Lake (Elkhart) •Steelhead: 38.1 inches, Tristan Weaver, Trail Creek (LaPorte) •Striped bass: 40.3 inches, Kody Neece, Hardy Lake (Scott) •Sucker: 25 inches, Joseph Bickel, Wabash River (Huntington) •Walleye: 27.5 inches, Mark Holbrook, Tippecanoe River (Pulaski) •Warmouth: 9.5 inches, Mark Losee, Simonton Lake (Elkhart) •White bass: 19.5 inches, Jeff Armstrong, Lake Maxinkuckee (Marshall) •White catfish: 28 inches, Shawn M. Harris, Bischoff Reservoir (Ripley) •Yellow bass: 11 inches, Kody Neece, Hardy Lake (Scott) •Yellow perch: 14.5 inches, Sullivan Hubert, Lake of the Woods (Marshall) In the coming months of 2017, if you think you’ve caught a possible winner, measure the length of the fish; have at least one person who is not a relative witness the measurement; take one or more photos of the fish, preferably a photo of you holding the fish; then visit www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/3577.htm for an entry form. Complete the form, including the witnesses’ names and contact information and a copy of your fishing license (if required), and send it to: Record Fish Program, Division of Fish & Wildlife, 402 W. Washington St., Room W273, Indianapolis, IN 46204 – or submit by email to recordfish@dnr.IN.gov The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments may contact Jack Spaulding by e-mail at jackspaulding@hughes.net or by writing to him in care of this publication. |
