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Mid-spring should be busy time for area birdfeeders
 
A lot of people miss out on some excellent bird-watching by not keeping their feeders filled during spring. Just because the winter snows are gone and there are leaves on the trees doesn’t mean our feathered friends no longer need a supply of protein. Actually, with the rigors of mating and nest-building, birds are in need of an easily obtained, high-protein diet.
 
Lately, the feeder attendee list has looked like a “Who’s Who” of the bird world. My neighbors, Jack and Linda Baker, and I have entertained some beautiful rose-breasted grosbeaks this spring. Jack and Linda get a thumbs-up, as they briefly had a stunning Baltimore Oriole drop by for a quick visit.

I also had a visit from a Whitecrowned Sparrow. The beautiful bird is getting ready to migrate to the sub-Arctic and Alaska to breed and nest. Also skittering beneath the feeder, I have a gorgeous Eastern Towhee picking through the crumbs and looking for an easy meal.

Over the past few years, the downy woodpeckers have grown more tolerant of me. Whenever I refill the suet holder and back up a couple steps, they will swoop in to start nibbling away. A few days ago, I had one almost land on my head as I put the suet cake in the feeder.
 
2016 Indiana deer summary ready

The 2016 Indiana White-tailed Deer Summary, a comprehensive report on deer management in the state, is now available on the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) website. The report contains information on deer hunting, use of depredation permits, deer-vehicle collisions and disease surveillance efforts.
 
In 2016, hunters harvested 119,477 whitetail deer in Indiana. This is a 4 percent decrease from the 2015 harvest of 124,769 deer. Harvest information by equipment type and sex is available in the report.

Also, harvest numbers, antlerless quotas and hunter attitude information are included for each of Indiana’s 92 counties.

Harvest numbers exceeded 1,000 deer in 58 counties and 2,000 deer in 14 counties. The 10 counties with the highest harvests were: Harrison, Noble, Franklin, Washington, Steuben, Parke, Dearborn, Lawrence, Switzerland and Greene.

The state issued 311 deer depredation permits in 2016, with an average of 13 deer authorized per permit and an average of five deer taken per permit. Average reported crop damage was just more than 25 percent. The number of deer taken with depredation permits represents around 1.3 percent of the total deer taken in Indiana, with 1,556 animals harvested.

Deer-vehicle collisions across Indiana were down nearly 9 percent from 2015, with 14,021 collisions in 2016. Disease surveillance for deer included monitoring for epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD), chronic wasting disease (CWD) and bovine tuberculosis (TB). Bovine TB monitoring and surveillance was conducted in Dearborn, Fayette and Franklin counties near an outbreak on a cattle farm.

The entire report is at www.deer.dnr.IN.gov under the “Deer Management” heading and “2016 Indiana Whitetailed Deer Summary” subheading.

Boy, 3, airlifted after ATV crash

A lot of young people get hurt on ATVs. Usually it is a situation or combination of too fast, driving dangerously, too young or lack of safety equipment.

Indiana conservation officers are investigating an ATV crash injuring a 3-year-old child. During the evening of April 30, Hudson Otter was operating a TAOTAO Boulder B1 110cc ATV on private property near the 13000 block of Seymour Road in Switzerland County. The ATV rolled and pinned Otter underneath.

Otter’s father, who was supervising his ATV operation at the time of the crash, quickly removed the ATV from him and called 911. Otter was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, which is believed to have significantly reduced further injury. He was airlifted by Air Methods to the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital for treatment. The boy suffered an apparent broken arm, but the extent of his injuries are unknown at this time and do not appear to be life-threatening.

Conservation officers, Switzerland County deputies, EMS/Fire Squad 9 and East Enterprise EMS/Fire arrived shortly after the crash and are investigating.

Officers strongly encourage riders to wear a helmet and necessary safety equipment, no matter the age or experience of the rider, at all times.

Appropriately-sized helmets, safety gear and ATV size should be considered for each individual rider and can greatly reduce the severity of injury in the event of a crash.

DNR properties firewood rule With the arrival of camping season, visitors to DNR properties should brush up on the DNR firewood rule. The rule helps protect Indiana’s trees from unknown pests and the 140 known pests and pathogens currently affecting forests.

Several pests and pathogens are transported through firewood movement. Under the rule, visitors to state parks, reservoirs, state forests and state Fish & Wildlife Areas may bring firewood from home, as long as the bark has been removed. Removing the bark minimizes the risk of accidental infestation through firewood movement, because insect larvae live in sapwood under the bark. Guests may also bring firewood into DNR properties, if it’s:
 
•Kiln-dried scrap lumber 
 
•Purchased outside the property and bears either a USDA compliance stamp or a state compliance stamp

•Purchased from the property campstore or on-site firewood vendor and has a state compliance stamp Regardless of where visitors get their firewood, they should burn it all at the campsite before they leave. In short, the firewood rule means: “Buy it with a stamp, bring it debarked, burn it all.”

For more about the rule, see www.firewood.dnr.IN.gov

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 may contact Jack Spaulding by email at jackspaulding@hughes. net or by writing to him in care of this publication. 
5/18/2017