A free Indiana Hunter Education Course is scheduled for Jan. 20-21 at the Dubois County 4-H Fairgrounds, which is located at 4157 S. State Road 162, Huntingburg, Ind.

Classes will run from 6-9 p.m. Jan. 20 and 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Jan. 21. Participants must attend both days to complete the course. Completion is required for anyone born after Dec. 31, 1986, to purchase an Indiana hunting license.

All instruction will be by DNR conservation officers and certified Indiana volunteer hunters. The course will cover ethics, safety, laws, survival, and safe handling practices for archery, black powder and firearms.

Advance registration is required for the course and can be completed at passitonindiana.com. There is a 150-student limit. The course is being sponsored by the Dubois County Shooting Sports Instructor Council. For more information, call Patoka Lake at 812-685-2447.

Scottsburg man dies in tree stand accident

Indiana Conservation Officers are investigating a fatal tree stand fall occurring Nov. 22 in Scott County. Emergency personnel were dispatched to the area of Taylor Road outside of Scottsburg after an individual who had fallen from a tree stand was discovered by a fellow hunter.

Donald Cass, 94, of Scottsburg, was deer hunting from a homemade elevated stand when it collapsed for an unknown reason. Cass was not wearing a full body safety harness.

Cass was transported to Scott Memorial Hospital and then airlifted to University of Louisville Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Conservation Officers remind hunters using elevated platforms to always wear a full body harness, use a tree stand’s safety rope, never try to put up or remove a tree stand alone, and to always inspect their tree stand before climbing up into it.

Assisting agencies at the scene included Scott County EMS and the Vienna and Finley Township fire departments.

Patoka Lake hosts eagle watch

Patoka Lake will host its 35th annual eagle watch event on Jan. 7 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. The event will include both indoor and outdoor activities.

Indoors participants will see Patoka’s resident bald eagle and other raptors as interpretive naturalists Dana Reckelhoff and Wade LeHue share the birds’ stories. There will be children’s activities from 12:40 to 2:30 p.m.

Outdoors attendees can join wildlife specialist Brian Finch on a driving tour of sites bald eagles frequent. Finch will talk about the history of the bald eagle reintroduction program in the 1980s, and lunch will be provided.

The cost for the event is $25 per person. Advance registration is required by calling the Patoka Lake Nature Center at 812-685-2447. All reservations are final. No cancellations will be accepted. Dress for the weather and remember to bring binoculars, spotting scopes and cameras. Make sure your car’s gas tank is full for the driving tour. The event is limited to the first 65 registered participants. Patoka Lake (on.IN.gov.patokalake) is at 3084 N. Dillard Road, Birdseye, IN 47513.

Monroe Lake winter solstice walk

Monroe Lake will host a Winter Solstice Luminary Walk at Fairfax State Recreation Area on Dec. 21 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Walkers will walk a path lit by luminaries around a field to celebrate and reflect on the winter solstice. Stops along the half-mile path will invite people to decorate a tree with wildlife-friendly ornaments, learn about winter solstice traditions, make a candle lantern, stargaze if the weather permits, and complete a winter scavenger hunt, among other activities.

Dress for the weather and bring a flashlight. The walk is not recommended for individuals with mobility concerns, as the path is mostly on grass and has uneven areas.

The entrance to the luminary path will close at 7:30 p.m. to ensure all attendees are able to complete the walk by 8 p.m. The walk may be canceled if there are unsafe walking or travel conditions. Check the event page at bit.ly/wintersolsticewalk2022 for any updates.

Hot tea and cocoa will be available. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own travel mug.

The luminary walk and entrance to Fairfax SRA is free. There will be a donation box by the hot drinks station to support future activities at Monroe Lake. For more information contact the Paynetown Activity Center at 812-837-9967 or email Monroe Lake interpretive naturalist Jill Vance at jvance@dnr.IN.gov.

Firewood permits At Lieber SRA

The public is invited to cut up and remove certain downed trees at Lieber State Recreation Area for firewood. Trees eligible for firewood have fallen as a result of natural causes or have been dropped by property staff. They are along roadsides or in public areas such as campsites and picnic areas.

Permit sales and cutting are available now and go through Jan. 31. The cost of one pickup-truck load is $10. All proceeds will be used for resource management and restoration efforts, including replacement of trees in campgrounds and other public areas.

A firewood permit must be obtained for each load at the property’s office between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Permits are not available on observed state holidays or weekends.

Firewood may be cut up to 30 feet from roadsides in designated areas; however, vehicles are not allowed off roads. The use of tractors, UTVs, and ATVs is prohibited. Wood may be cut and removed between 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, call 765-276-0194.

All firewood cut at Lieber SRA is for personal use only and may not be sold. Lieber State Recreation Area (on.IN.gov/liebersra) is located at 1317 W. Lieber Road, Cloverdale, IN.

Readers can contact the author by writing to this publication, or e-mail to jackspaulding@hughes.net.

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.