Patoka Sportsman 11-30-19

Patoka Sportsman 11-30 & 12-1-19

Don’t know what to buy for the person who has everything? Giving a holiday gift pack from the DNR may be your solution. It’s a gift the recipient can use the whole year, saving you $31 compared to what the items would sell for separately. Whether that person enjoys camping outdoors or sleeping in the comfort of one of seven Indiana State Park Inns, the gift pack is sure to please. The $99 gift pack includes a 2020 resident annual entrance permit, a one-year subscription to Outdoor Indiana magazine, and one of two $65 gift card options. There’s a $65 gift card that can be used at the campgrounds — or for those who like to enjoy nature from the comfort of the indoors, a $65 State Park Inns gift card. There’s also an option to upgrade the gift card to $100 for $35 more.

You can purchase a limited-edition tree shirt and help reforest Indiana. Each tree shirt sale = two trees planted. For each shirt sold, the Indiana Natural Resources Foundation will partner with the Division of Forestry to plant two trees in an Indiana state forest. Along with each shirt, you will receive an official tree certificate with a unique tree ID and the coordinates for the acre where the tree will be planted.

The Indiana Tree Project is a joint effort between the Indiana Natural Resources Foundation; the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry, and the citizens of Indiana. Your family and friends may also appreciate having a tree planted in their honor.

Indiana Project Learning Tree will begin accepting applications for the 2020 Natural Resources Teacher Institute on Dec. 1. This is a multi-day professional development workshop from June 22-26 that will bring up to 18 teachers from across the state to Morgan-Monroe State Forest to see firsthand how forestry works in Indiana.

Get two nights for the price of one at an Indiana State Park Inn this winter. Now through Feb. 27, 2020, stay two consecutive nights and your second night is free. Sunday - Thursday only. Blackout period Dec. 22 - Jan. 2, 2020. Certain restrictions apply. Visit IndianaInns.com or call 1-877-LODGES1 to make your reservation today.

Annual entrance permits, horse tags, off-road cycling permits and lake permits for 2020 are now on sale at DNR Division of State Parks property offices. These passes and permits make great holiday gifts for outdoor lovers and are a great gift to yourself, too.

If you weren't able to fill the freezer for Thanksgiving weekend, don’t worry – there’s still time. Deer firearms season ends Dec. 1 and muzzleloader season opens Dec. 7. The special antlerless season opens Dec. 26.

You can help the DNR improve fish habitat at Patoka Lake during a volunteer habitat structure build day. As reservoirs such as Patoka Lake age, the number and type of hiding places for prey fish decrease. Fish habitat structures built out of pallets are one option to improve habitat complexity at Patoka Lake. On December 7th, 2019, a pallet structure build will take place from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. ET in the parking lot of the Patoka Lake office. Orientation will take place at 12:30; it is not necessary to stay for the entire event. Pallets and other building materials will be provided. Please bring cordless drills, work gloves, and protective eyewear if you have them, but tools are not required to attend. We will be working outside so please dress accordingly (long pants and close-toed shoes). Bring snacks and plenty of drinking water. Register for this event by signing up as a volunteer with DFW. Visit on.IN.gov/dfwvolunteer and follow instructions under “Sign up to Volunteer.” Once you are signed up, please visit https://bit.ly/2NiJ6wB and click “Patoka Lake Habitat Build” to register for the event.

The hunters for the hungry is still underway until the end of deer season.  We will have the same four processors involved.  They include Sanders Processing, Ferdinand Processing, Ohio Valley Custom Deer Processing in English and Cannelburg Processing.  If you legally harvest a deer and would like to donate to our Hunters for the Hungry, administered by the Dubois County Sportsmen’s Club, you can take it to any of the processors mentioned.  You must donate the entire deer.  If you donate more than once each time you donate your name will be put into a drawing to win a firearm donated by Dr. Greg Gordon at Jasper Optical Lab.  So far we’ve had 82 deer donated to the Hunters for the Hungry.  If you’d still like to hunt and can’t use the deer meat do something nice for those less fortunate and donate it.  The meat will be processed by one of our four processors mentioned above and paid for through a grant from the Sportsmen’s Benevolence Fund.  It’s a great way to “give thanks” for the tremendous opportunity we have as sportsmen to do something we enjoy.