Patoka Sportsman 4-2-22

Patoka Sportsman 4-2 & 4-3-22

The Dubois County Sportsmen’s Club announces their youth turkey seminar for kids 17 and under on April 9 at the Ireland Sportsmen’s Club. The first 20 kids to register will participate in group and breakout sessions with local hunting gurus. The seminar will focus on enjoying the outdoors, gun safety, successful tips to increase your odds of harvesting a gobbler. Registration is from 8-8:20 and speakers will talk from 8:20-9:30. Hands on learning will be from 9:45-11. Lunch and drawings will take place from 11-12. For more info or to register call Shawn at 812-482-4162. Parents are encouraged to attend with their kids.

The 2022 spring turkey season runs April 27 - May 15, with the youth-only season April 23-24. Predictions for this season call for between 12,000 and 13,000 birds to be harvested including an increase in the number of juvenile (jakes) taken due to high summer brood success (survival of poults/young turkeys).

.410 and 28-gauge shotguns are now legal for turkey hunting in addition to already legal 10, 12, 16 and 20 gauge shotguns. Tungsten Super Shot #9 and #10 are also now legal for wild turkey hunting. Youth season is April 23 & 24.The regular season opens on April 27 through May 15.

This season’s resident Spring Turkey License fee is $32 plus the annual gamebird stamp ($11) for a total of $43. The Resident Youth Consolidated Hunt/Trap license fee is $12 (no stamp required). This license is also available to nonresident youth who have a parent, grandparent, or legal guardian who is an Indiana resident. See the nonresident fees and other seasonal fees.

Learn outdoor skills in a relaxed environment at Patoka Lake’s Women’s Wilderness Weekend April 22-24. Participants will camp overnight Friday and Saturday nights in the modern electric campground and learn skills such as archery, kayaking, fishing, Dutch oven cooking, wild edibles, wilderness first aid, rifle and trap shooting, operating a boat, self-defense, and other topics. All Saturday meals will be provided as will breakfast on Sunday. Cost is $65 per person for the weekend, and registration is required by April 10. Register by calling the Patoka Lake Nature Center at 812-685-2447 or emailing interpretive naturalist Dana Reckelhoff at [email protected].

The annual Becoming an Outdoors Woman workshop is April 29 to May 1 at Ross Camp in West Lafayette. The workshop is open to women ages 18 and older and limited to 85 participants. The program is designed for women to learn outdoor skills in a relaxed, low-pressure environment. Participants will choose four activities from more than two dozen offerings, including fishing, archery, geocaching, wilderness survival, natural gardening, wild edibles, wildlife tracking, shooting firearms, and outdoor cooking. The workshop is for women who have never tried these activities, but have hoped for an opportunity to learn; who have tried them but are beginners hoping to improve; or who know how to do some of the activities, but would like to try new ones. Women who enjoy the camaraderie of like-minded individuals and who seek time away to reconnect with nature are also prime candidates for BOW. Registration is now open and runs until there are 85 registrants, can be done online at Indianabow.com. The cost for the workshop is $250 and includes all equipment, meals, and lodging.

The Patoka Lake Watershed Steering Committee is hosting the 16^th annual Patoka Lake Clean Up on Saturday, Sept. 24, at the Patoka Lake Corps of Engineers Office at Patoka Lake Dam at 4512 Cuzco Road in Dubois. The event will begin at 8 a.m. Participants of all ages and abilities can participate and will be assigned an area in which to pick up trash and recycling. At 11 a.m. all volunteers can return to the dam for a fish fry, music, door prizes, goody bags, and a free event T-shirt. Each year volunteers pick up more than 2,000 pounds of trash during the event. All supplies are provided. Volunteers should wear sturdy closed-toe shoes, long pants, and consider carpooling to the site. Service and youth groups are asked to register in advance. For more information or register, call the Patoka Lake Nature Center at 812-685-2447 or email Dana Recklehoff at [email protected]. Check the Patoka Lake Watershed Steering Committee Facebook page for event updates.

The DNR wants you to give feedback and help improve Indiana’s fisheries? They would like to hear about your 2021-2022 fishing experiences via a new electronic angler survey. Anglers with a current email address within DNR’s electronic license system will receive an email containing a personalized link to the survey the week of April 11. The survey is your chance to provide input on Indiana’s fisheries management statewide and around where you live and fish. Survey responses will help DNR gather information about Indiana anglers and their opinions on fisheries management. This information will provide valuable feedback in developing programs to better serve you. Make sure to add or update your email address to receive a link to the survey. The survey link you receive is a unique link that cannot be used for multiple surveys. DNR asks that you do not share this link with others, as it allows only one survey completion. If you do not receive an email with your licensed angler survey by April 15, email [email protected] to receive your unique survey link.

The Indiana DNR Division of Law Enforcement is looking for highly motivated, outdoor-centered individuals to fill Indiana Conservation Officer (ICO) positions across the state. Anyone interested should first read “Become a Conservation Officer” at on.IN.gov/dnrlaw and complete the pre-screening test under the “Apply” link. Successful completion of the pre-screening test by midnight June 3 is required to receive an application for the hiring process. To be qualified to pass the pre-screening test, you must be a United States citizen and be 21 years old by Oct. 28. You also must be able to pass minimum Indiana Law Enforcement Academy physical fitness requirements as listed at IN.gov/ilea/physical-fitness-standards. Conservation officers comprise Indiana’s oldest state law enforcement agency. ICOs are fully recognized Indiana police officers who enforce and uphold all DNR rules and regulations as well as all other Indiana state laws. ICOs spend most of their time on the job enforcing fishing and hunting regulations, conducting marine boat patrol on Indiana’s waterways, and patrolling DNR properties to keep them safe and family friendly. In addition to traditional law enforcement work, ICOs also engage in specialty areas, including scuba, K-9, search and rescue, swift water rescue, and many more.