District 8 Indiana Conservation Officer Mark Farmer dropped me a reminder about springtime wildlife: People who encounter offspring of wildlife may look, but should not touch.

According to Farmer, many well-meaning individuals find fawns hiding in tall grass and pick the deer up in hopes of rendering help. In fact, the fawn was probably placed there by a doe before she went off to feed nearby. The act of removing the deer from its hiding could actually lead to the demise of the animal.

Conservation officers always stress it is illegal to pick up or possess any wild animal during closed season. The only legal means of obtaining a wild animal is to purchase the animal from a licensed game breeder or take it during legal hunting season.

Newborn wild animals, while cute and cuddly as babies, do not make good pets. As they grow into adulthood, their wild instincts still remain, causing a possible safety issue, along with the possibility of health dangers from disease and parasites the animals may harbor.

Wildlife should remain wild. They are to be cherished as part of our natural heritage, not doomed to life in a small cage. If you should locate a truly orphaned wild animal, please contact an Indiana conservation officer before removing it from the wild.

Don’t mix water sports and alcohol

A sportsman I know was surprised to find he lost his driver’s license following a conviction on the charge of Boating While Intoxicated. It can happen.

Boaters on Indiana’s natural lakes, rivers and reservoirs can expect to see patrols by conservation officers of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, says Officer J.P. Salb, public information officer for the Syracuse Law Enforcement District.

“During the warm summer months, we want the boating public to know our officers will be out patrolling and enforcing Indiana’s boating laws and assisting them, should they have problems,” he said.

Salb went on to add that officers will be looking for the boat operator possibly impaired from drinking too much alcoholic beverage or using illegal drugs.

He cautions boat operators that Indiana laws concerning operating a motor vehicle and operating a motorboat while intoxicated nearly mirror each other. Boaters losing their operating privileges because of a Boating While Intoxicated conviction are often shocked to learn their motor vehicle privileges are also suspended.

“Indiana’s Boating While Intoxicated laws are some of the toughest in the country,” said Salb. “My advice would simply be to not get behind the wheel of a boat or a motor vehicle if you’ve had any alcoholic beverages, period.”

He offered these additional safety tips:

Wear your lifejacket. Indiana law requires each boat to have one wearable U.S. Coast Guard-approved lifejacket per person.
Additionally, if your boat is longer than 16 feet, you must carry one Type IV throwable device.

Don’t operate your motorboat at speeds of greater than 10 mph between sunset and sunrise.

Remember to operate at idle speed when less than 200 feet from shore.

Extend the same courtesies and considerations that you would want other boaters to show you.

Boaters looking for information concerning Indiana’s boating laws can find more online at www.boat-ed.com/in/ handbook

Wear a lifejacket

My good friend and retired conservation officer, Bruce Clear, made a profound statement about lifejackets: “In my entire career, I have never encountered a drowning victim wearing a lifejacket.”
That is a sobering statement, considering the many drownings Clear encountered in 30 years as an officer.

Many excuses have been made for not wearing lifejackets: “It’s too hot.” “It doesn’t look cool.” “I know how to swim.” “Nothing is going to happen to me.”

With approximately 700 people drowning each year from recreational boating accidents across the country, the reasons why it’s important to wear a lifejacket should be apparent.

Much like the helmet a biker or skateboarder might wear, a lifejacket should be an essential part of your boating safety equipment and should be worn at all times while on the water. Past statistics show in 2004, of the 676 recreational boating fatalities in the United States, 90 percent of the victims were not wearing lifejackets.

These days, lifejackets are no longer the orange, hot, bulky vests many once shunned. New innovations have produced a smaller, sleeker and more comfortable lifejacket, leaving boaters with no reason not to wear one. Lifejackets are now lighter, less restrictive and more attractive than ever before.

The new inflatable lifejackets, or Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs), allow the mobility needed when boating, fishing, paddling or hunting. They are also much cooler in warm weather.
The many varieties of inflatable jackets range from those which inflate instantly when the wearer hits the water, to those manually-inflated. All are designed to be more comfortable and wearable than the traditional lifejacket.

“Accidents can happen at any speed, at any place or at any time you are on the water,” said Conservation Officer J.P. Salb. “Although boaters often stow lifejackets on their boat, very few choose to wear one.

“In reality, during a boating emergency there just isn’t enough time to grab a lifejacket and put it on properly before you are in the water. If you are faced with a strong current or unfavorable weather conditions, you will not only have trouble making sure you are safe and secure in your lifejacket, but you will be unable to help young children or other passengers who are in your boat.
“Those reasons alone should be enough to make boaters want to wear their lifejackets,” he said.

Throughout the boating season, remember to practice safe and responsible boating. Safe boating saves lives. And remember the words of Bruce Clear: “A lifejacket works only if you wear it.”
 
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 can contact Jack Spaulding by e-mail at jackspaulding@hughes.net or by writing to him in care of this publication.