Patoka Sportsman 2-13-21
Patoka Sportsman 2-13 & 2-14-21
In 1981 charter member of the Dubois County Sportsmen’s Club, James Luegers served as Chairman of the “200 Woodduck Boxes” project. Fast forward 40 years later to 2021. James’s two sons Greg and Steve along with project Chairman John E. Toy spearheaded the next generation project. The project was funded by a generous donation by the James Luegers family. Duck nesting boxes are critical habitat resources for wood ducks. Ducks normally will nest in dead hollow trees along ponds, lakes and rivers. They have many nest predators including raccoons and coyotes. These boxes will increase survival of hatched duckling. It will benefit all outdoors enthusiasts including bird watchers, naturalist and sportsmen. Boxes will be distributed to public lands including Patoka Lake, Sugar Ridge and Glendale properties. Some boxes will be installed along waterways and lakes on private property. Patoka Lake Biologist Brian Finch will oversee the new boxes on Patoka Lake and Rob Sullender property manager from Glendale F&W Area will oversee the duck nesting boxes on Glendale Properties.
The Dubois County Sportsmen’s Club Gun Raffle scheduled for January 25 has been extended until May 17. It will still be held at the Jasper Moose Lodge. If you are a member who has sold tickets or has tickets you will not be selling please turn them in at The Great Outdoors. Tickets can also be purchased at the Great Outdoors. If you have antlers to be measured after the minimum 60 day drying period please contact Rick Pflanz at 812-639-9006 to make an appointment to get them measured. It will take approximately 45-60 minutes to get this done. You must bring the Pope and Young report to the meeting for the big buck contest. This will probably be at the August meeting at St. Anthony Conservation Club. All of this is subject to change due to Covid 19 restrictions.
February is when Canada geese begin scouting for nesting areas. If you want to keep geese off your property, now is the time to start preparing. Canada geese prefer to nest near water bodies surrounded by short, mowed grass and often return to where they have had previous nesting success. Well-kept lawns provide geese with food and a clear line-of-sight to see predators. Using harassment techniques, installing fencing, and stopping supplemental feeding can help to prevent unwanted nesting on your property. Efforts to deter Canada geese are not effective if supplemental foods such as bread or bird seed are provided.
The Perry County Coon Club will host a Hunter Ed. Class on Monday, Feb. 22 through Thursday, Feb. 25 from 5-7 PM each evening. Another class will be held on Saturday, March 20 and Sunday, March 21 at the Crawford County Community Park in Marengo. Indiana Hunter Education Courses will provide instruction in the areas of safe firearm use and handling while hunting, as well as in the home, hunter ethics and responsibility, game identification, and conservation management. Anyone born after December 31, 1986 is required to be certified in Hunter Education before they can purchase a hunting license.
The NWTF convention will look much different than previous years. The NWTF will host the 45th annual convention from Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium in Springfield, Missouri. Virtual attendees will be able to experience the many great things that make the Convention and Sport Show so special. Access to the convention is free with current NWTF membership and only $35 for non-members. Non-members will get an annual NWTF membership when registering for convention access and also receive a $25 Bass Pro promo card. The 45th Annual convention and sport show is February 15-21. Register here https://convention.nwtf.org/.
The St. Anthony Conservation Club will hold their 10th Annual 3D 30 target Archery Expo on Saturday, March 27. 3D registration is from 8AM – 1 PM. Raffle and activities will run from 8AM – 3:30 PM. The event will follow current CDC guidelines. There is a $10 entry fee. If shooters are 10 or younger they can shoot for free. Shooters will be entered for a chance to win a St. Anthony Mill mineral package. Prizes will be awarded including a prize target shooting for over $3,000 in prizes. An official scorer will also be there. Food and drinks will be available. Make sure to check out the on-site vendors, DNR, new truck & ATV displays. Bowhunter Magazine founder M.R. James will also be there to share stories. Tickets are available on site or from any club member. For more information follow St. Anthony Conservation Club on Facebook or call 812-630-1670.
Patoka Lake Bowhunters will host their first archery shoot of the season on Sunday, February 21. The club is moving to the ASA scoring format for 2021. Registration is from daylight to noon. Cost is $10 for non-members and active members pay $8. Youth are $5 and active military and cubs shoot for free. For more information call 812-309-9373.
Reserved spring turkey hunt applications will close Feb. 22. No late entries will be accepted. The online method is the only way to apply. Applicants must possess a hunting license that is valid for the hunt for which they are applying. Even though there is no fee to apply, you must still add the registration to the cart, “Proceed to Checkout,” and “Place Order”. Applicants must place an order to complete the application process. Non-hunting partners who plan to call in turkeys must be properly licensed. Draw result notifications will be emailed within two weeks after the application deadline. All regulations and bag limits apply. Click here to begin your application and have your Customer ID handy.
The Indiana State Trappers Association is sponsoring a habitat and Predator management Class March 20 starting at 9 AM EST at the Duff Conservation Club. Topics covered include: habitat management, benefits of predator management, predator calling and predator trapping. You will be outside so dress for the weather. For more information contact Matt Badger at 765-615-2394. Cost is $35 for adults. Kids 16 and under are $20. There will be a limit of 25 students. Lunch will be provided.
With the recent temperature drops across the state, Indiana Conservation Officers are advising Hoosiers across the state of the potential hazards of being on frozen lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams. Every winter, thousands of Hoosiers safely enjoy fishing, skating, hiking, or just sliding around on frozen ponds and lakes. And every year, people drown after falling through ice. Just like driving differently on snow versus on clear roads, it’s important to adjust your approach to safely have fun on ice. The best rule of thumb is to put safety first. When you are thinking about getting on the ice, believe it is thin ice unless proven otherwise.
The Ohio River Valley Chapter of Whitetails Unlimited will hold a banquet on Saturday, March 13 at the Harrison County Fairgrounds in Corydon. Games, raffles and social hour will begin at 5 PM with dinner served at 6:30. Tickets are $45 for a single and $25 for your spouse. Ticket deadline is March 12. A Whitetails Unlimited membership is included with a single ticket purchase. If you’re interested in becoming a corporate sponsor or other level sponsor you can do so. There will be several raffles that night plus a youth guided hunt will be given away. Anyone interested in going or for more information can call 812-968-5060.
In December of 2019 33 independent volunteers and members of the Indiana Bass Federation and the Bass Unlimited Foundation helped the DNR build 130 pallet fish habitat structures. Also in 2019 the Tri-County Bass Anglers Club built 40 fish habitat structures with a grant from the Friends of Reservoirs group. The club received the grant again in 2020 and plans to create even more fish fish habitat structures to help improve aquatic life in Patoka this year. In March of 2020 the DNR build 88 more pallet structures. All total in 2019 and 2020 243 fish habitat structures were placed. Additionally the DNR State Parks Staff felled 253 dead and hazardous trees into the water to increase fish habitat close to shore.
All pallets were donated by one or more of the following organizations: jasper Group, Dubois County Sportsmen[‘s Club, French Lick Resort, Bass Unlimited Foundation, Indiana Bass Federation’s Tri-County Bass Anglers Club, IBF’s River City Bassmasters Club, Patoka Hills Chapter of Quail and Upland Game Alliance, Kimball Electronics and Peak Toolworks. More than 1,500 cinderblocks were donated by Dubois County Block and Brick to sink the pallet structures. A big thanks to all who contributed. Once complete the project will have placed a total of more than 400 structures. If you’d like to navigate to a map with the location of felled-trees, structure location, information about the project and future work plans go to wildlife.in.gov.