Beginning Feb. 19, hunters may apply for spring turkey reserved hunts by visiting on.IN.gov/reservedhunt. The online method is the only way to apply for the hunts listed below. No late entries will be accepted. Applicants must possess a hunting license that is valid for the hunt for which they are applying. Applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. March 17.

Hunters will be selected through a random computerized drawing. An email will be sent to all applicants when draws have been completed. Applicants will be able to view draw results online within two weeks after the application period closes March 17.

Spring turkey hunts on Fish & Wildlife areas (FWAs): Atterbury FWA; Aukiki Wetland Conservation Area; Crosley FWA; Deer Creek FWA; Fairbanks Landing FWA; Goose Pond FWA; Glendale FWA; Hillenbrand FWA; Hovey Lake FWA; J.E. Roush Lake FWA; Jasper-Pulaski FWA; Kingsbury FWA; LaSalle FWA; Pigeon River FWA; Sugar Ridge FWA; Tri-County FWA; Willow Slough FWA and Winamac FWA.

Spring turkey hunts on National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs): Big Oaks NWR; Muscatatuck NWR and Muscatatuck NWR: Youth Turkey.

Spring turkey hunts on State Parks and Lakes: Mississinewa Lake and Salamonie Lake.

Spring turkey hunts on Indiana Private Land Access (IPLA) sites in the following counties:

Bartholomew; Cass; Greene; Harrison; LaPorte; Ripley; Scott; Starke; Steuben and Sullivan.

Please note only one application per hunt is allowed. No changes can be made once an application is submitted.

The application process is now consolidated into the online services website along with licenses, CheckIN Game, and HIP registration. An online account is not required to apply, but a Customer ID number is needed.

In the online system, hunts without a registration fee will follow the same process as those with a fee. Applicants must add a hunt to their cart and place an order to submit their application. If the transaction total is $0, the applicant will not be asked to enter credit card information.

To view draw results, applicants can log into their online services account or click “View hunt draw results” at on.IN.gov/reservedhunt, which also includes more detailed information.

Barn owls nesting at Goose Pond Fish & Wildlife Area

A pair of barn owls apparently found love this Valentine’s Day at Goose Pond Fish & Wildlife Area. The owls have made a home in the property’s nest box, and individuals online can watch the couple via a live webcam by going to on.IN.gov/goosepondfwa, then scrolling to the middle of the page to the link saying “view live feed from the Visitors Center.”

Barn owls are an endangered species in Indiana due to grassland habitat loss. Fewer than 50 nests are found annually in Indiana. To provide barn owls with secure nesting sites that are protected from predators, the DNR has built more than 400 nest boxes and erected them in barns and other structures with suitable habitat over the last 30 years.

The barn owl nest box at Goose Pond FWA was completed in March 2022 and is located next to its Visitors Center. This is the first nesting pair calling the new nesting box home. The Friends of Goose Pond group helped provide funding for the camera and box, which has marine-grade plywood to keep the residents dry. It was painted the same color as the Visitors Center and looks like a house.

State ornithologist Allisyn Gillet said barn owls are typically beginning to look for a nest this time of year. The couple at Goose Pond FWA will probably spend the next few weeks getting used to their new home and creating a nest from regurgitated food they could not digest, like bones, fur, and teeth, called pellets. When they have enough pellets, the owls will create a depression in them in which to lay their eggs.

Barn owl laying season can begin as early as March, and the clutch usually contains four to seven eggs. They usually lay once every two to three days and start incubating their eggs right away. After 29-34 days, the eggs hatch. A male will bring in small mammals the female then tears into small pieces to feed the owlets.

Because the hatching doesn’t happen all at once, the older owlets which hatch first are usually stronger. If there are plenty of resources, all the owlets in a clutch have a good chance at survival, but if resources are scarce, only the stronger, older owlets may survive. The DNR does not interfere in such routine natural events.

Contact the author by writing to this publication, or by e-mail to jackspaulding1971@outlook.com.

Spaulding’s books, “The Best of Spaulding Outdoors,” and his latest, “The Coon Hunter And The Kid,” are available from Amazon.com in paperback or as a Kindle download.