The Indiana wild turkey hunting season started April 23 and will run through May 11. During the spring turkey season, wild food foragers hunting mushrooms on state or federal lands should check with that office before gathering mushrooms. In select locations, there are some regulations determining the proper “hunt times” for gathering mushrooms.

The Law Enforcement Division and Indiana Conservation officers would like to remind mushroom hunters at Pigeon River Fish & Wildlife Area in LaGrange County that during the wild turkey season from April 23-May 11, a person may not hunt for mushrooms until 1 p.m. Turkey hunters must leave the field at 1, and then mushroom hunters may enter the woods to hunt.

Signs are posted at all of the parking lots on the property to inform mushroom hunters of the important law, and Conservation officers will be enforcing the law for the safety of everyone involved.

Experimental goose season successful
An experimental late Canada goose hunting season in 30 Indiana counties got off to a flying start with hunters bagging almost 4,800 birds during the 15-day season beginning Feb. 1

“I’m really happy with how the first year went,” said Adam Phelps, waterfowl research biologist for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR). “I don’t think it could have been better.”

Phelps said 81.7 percent of the geese that hunters submitted to check stations were giant Canada geese, the primary target of the three-year experimental season aimed at reducing their populations in and around urban areas.

“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service mandates 80 percent, so we’re good,” Phelps said.

If Indiana stays above 80 percent for the three-year period, it can petition the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to allow a permanent late season.
“We’d be able to do those 30 counties every year, there’d be no special permits required, no mandatory check stations,” Phelps said. “All that stuff would go away.”

The DNR issued free special permits to 4,231 hunters, who were required to also have a valid Indiana hunting license, Indiana and federal waterfowl stamps and a Harvest Information Program (HIP) number to participate in the late season.

Hunters had a daily bag limit of five Canada geese and a possession limit of 10, and they were required to report every goose killed. At designated check stations, DNR staff determined the age and sex of each bird, removed the heads and submitted them to the Bloomington office for additional data collection. Skull measurements were used to determine the proportion of giant Canada geese in the overall harvest.

The 3,705 Canada geese checked in included 2,048 adults, 1,278 juveniles and 379 of unknown age. An estimated 1,122 additional geese not taken to check stations were reported in follow-up hunter surveys.

Forestry plan focuses on more public input
The DNR Division of Forestry recently released its Strategic Plan for 2008-13. The plan was based on considerable public input.

“This plan expanded on the public input process to include open houses, public meetings and opportunities to comment on draft plans” said State Forester John Seifert. “We addressed each and every comment received from the public to the extent possible.
“Those comments covered a wide range of topics, from timber harvesting and wildlife habitat to recreation, ecosystem protection, funding and organizational efficiency.”

Most comments were in reference to the state forest section of the plan. The newly released plan and a “Summary and Division Response to Public Comments” are at www.in.gov/dnr/forestry
A few of the proposed changes Hoosiers will see in the state forests section of the plan:

•Increased focus on providing information to the public and involving public participation in decision-making
•Increased emphasis on wildlife habitat management of state forests, including employment of a wildlife biologist
•Increased emphasis on land acquisition, including acquiring an additional state forest
•Increased emphasis on development and management of recreation areas
•Development of a state forest environmental assessment mechanism
•Designation and management of high conservation value forests
•Increased emphasis on control of exotic invasive species
•Development of a percentage of lands into “older forest” conditions - i.e., forests managed for a longer-than-usual rotation, producing a high number of large, old trees, working toward the appearance and wildlife habitat value of old, over-mature forests
•Reduction in the upper limit on the timber harvest level to 60 percent of forest growth, or about 14 million board feet annually; growth will be accurately determined with a continuous forest inventory system

The plan also addresses the division’s private forest land-assistance programs and the strategic direction for tree nursery operation and hardwood economic development.

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 e-mail at jackspaulding@hughes.net or by writing to him in care of this publication.