2007 Deer Reduction Hunts Drawings

[Woody Williams]

2007 DNR reserved hunt opportunities
-------------------------------------

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources offers hunters reserved hunts for mourning dove, military/refuge deer, Goose Pond FWA upland game, and game bird habitat area pheasants. Hunters can also apply for state park deer reduction hunts.

Hunters can apply online after July 1 for late-summer and fall 2007 reserved hunts at:
www.in.gov/dnr/indianaoutdoor/

Hunters can also mail application cards from the 2007-08 Indiana Hunting and Trapping Guide, which will be available in late July at most sporting goods shops, outdoor stores and DNR properties throughout the state. A copy of the mail-in applications will also be available after July 1 at www.wildlife.IN.gov.

Hunters may use a single mail-in application to apply for any or all of the dove, pheasant, state park deer reduction, Goose Pond FWA upland game or military/refuge deer hunts, as well as the spring 2008 spring wild turkey reserved hunts. A person can apply for each type of hunt only once.

All applicants will be notified of drawing results by mail.


2007 reserved hunt application deadlines
--------------------------------
First date listed is mail-in application due date
Second date is online application deadline

- DNR Property Dove Hunts (July 20; Aug. 3)
- Military/Refuge Deer Hunts (Aug. 17; Aug. 31)
- State Park Deer Reduction Hunts (Aug. 17; Aug. 31)
- Goose Pond Upland Game Hunts (Sept. 21; Oct. 5)
- DNR Reserved Pheasant Hunts (Sept. 21; Oct. 5)

Mail-in applications for each hunt must be received at the DNR Customer Service Center in Indianapolis by the due date to be eligible for the drawing. Late applications and/or incorrectly filled-out applications will be disqualified. If more than one application is received for the same hunter, all applications for that hunter will be disqualified.

No faxed or over-the-phone applications will be accepted. Overnight mailed applications are acceptable, but must be received at the DNR Customer Service Center by the due date, not merely postmarked by that date. Walk-in applications will be accepted at the DNR Customer Service Center until 4:30 p.m. on the due date.

The DNR Customer Service Center is located in the Indiana Government Center South, 402 W. Washington St., Room W160, Indianapolis. Service Center hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

If you have any questions regarding the application process, contact DNR Customer Service Center at [phone].

--------------------------
2007 Deer Reduction Hunts-

-------------------------
Mail-in application due Aug. 17
Online application deadline, Aug. 31

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources will hold controlled deer herd reduction hunts at 18 state parks and one nature preserve.

Deer herd reductions are sometimes required at state parks and nature preserves to maintain a deer herd size that is compatible with the ecosystem of each state park.

Hunters can apply for the deer reduction hunts by completing the 2007 state park deer reduction application in the 2007-08 Indiana Hunting and Trapping Guide, or they may apply online after July 1 at www.IndianaOutdoor.IN.gov.

Mail-in applications should also be available at the park properties after July 1. The mail-in application deadline is Aug. 17. Reductions will take place Nov. 26-27 and Dec. 10-11. Hunters will be selected using a random drawing. Deer taken in these hunts are in addition to all other deer bag limits. You may bring up to two buddies for this hunt. You must enter buddy information on the application.

To be eligible for this hunt, you must be an Indiana resident, 18 years of age by Nov. 26, 2007, and possess an Indiana license to take deer.

Each person may apply only once for each state park deer reduction event. Parks where firearms are used will draw first from the pool of hunters who have a valid Hunter Education Certificate. Parks designated for archery require an International Bowhunter or Hunter Education Certificate to apply.

If you claim the hunter education preference and are drawn, you will be required to present your hunter education card at the property

Deer Reduction Locations
--------------------------

Firearm hunts
--------------
-Chain O'Lakes State Park
-Charlestown State Park
-Harmonie State Park
-Indiana Dunes State Park
-Lincoln State Park
-McCormick's Creek State Park
-Ouabache State Park
-Pokagon State Park
-Potato Creek State Park
-Shades State Park
-Shakamak State Park
-Spring Mill State Park
-Tippecanoe River State Park
-Turkey Run State Park
-Versailles State Park
-Whitewater Memorial State Park
-Twin Swamps Nature Preserve

Archery hunts
--------------
-Clifty Falls State Park
-Fort Harrison State Park

[dbd870]

Not much centrally located this year on the deer reduction hunts.

[mullis56]

Thanks, Woody! Is the link correct I didn't find anything on there, maybe because of the fact that you can't apply yet...

[Old Ironsights]

dbd870 said:

Not much centrally located this year on the deer reduction hunts.

Or Northern. We only get Dunes State Park every other year or so.

[dbd870]

Or Northern. We only get Dunes State Park every other year or so.

Ft Wayne area has one, other than that it looks like being down by the river would be convenient.

[Hoosier Hunter]

A lot later too. The 1st hunt is two weeks later than last year. What's the reasoning for that?

[deerman]

Im glad to see they are hunting Harmonie park again this year. I had heard that they were not going to hold it this year.

[tmarsh83]

grr said:

A lot later too. The 1st hunt is two weeks later than last year. What's the reasoning for that?

I dont know about other properties, but Chain O lakes has always filled up with deer after the guns went off, i wonder if they are trying to get a few more deer taken by having it after the regular gun season, when more deer have pushed into the area. Just a thought...

[Brian]

I know you have to put in your License# on app when are they going on sale?

[duff]

bpotratz said:

dbd870 said:

Not much centrally located this year on the deer reduction hunts.

Or Northern. We only get Dunes State Park every other year or so.

Maybe a geography refresher is in order. By my count 6 of them are in the northern half

Firearm hunts
--------------
-Chain O'Lakes State Park (northern IN)
-Charlestown State Park
-Harmonie State Park
-Indiana Dunes State Park (Northern IN)
-Lincoln State Park
-McCormick's Creek State Park
-Ouabache State Park(Northern IN)
-Pokagon State Park(Northern IN)
-Potato Creek State Park (Northern IN)
-Shades State Park
-Shakamak State Park
-Spring Mill State Park
-Tippecanoe River State Park(Northern IN)
-Turkey Run State Park
-Versailles State Park
-Whitewater Memorial State Park
-Twin Swamps Nature Preserve

[dbd870]

A few of those are farther north than I thought. You're right they're not in bad shape.

[bsutravis]

Think I'll go for the hunt @ Ft. Harrison.... everything else is too far away.

[mullis56]

bsutravis said:

Think I'll go for the hunt @ Ft. Harrison.... everything else is too far away.

I'll send you a PM on this....

[dbd870]

McCormick's Creek is closest for me. I'll try that.

[Brian]

I would like Ft Harrison also.

[indianaboy]

I am not going to comment on this "deer reduction" topic. OK I changed my mind. Any of you that live close to the parks and visit them all the time probably know what I am talking about. I dont know why they think the reduction needs to happen. Why on earth would there be a browse line in a park were all they have to do is go out to the agricultural fields and eat something worth eating. I live basically in the Turkey Run State park. I hunt property next to it. I know what its like around there. The hunts screw things up bad. I dont agree with them. I am not saying some places dont need it but I am sure I am not alone when saying most are a mistake.

[dbd870]

They need to happen to keep the parks ecosystem balanced. We have state biologists that hopefully understand what is needed far better than we do. I'll defer to their expertese, that's why the state hired them in the first place.

[Woody Williams]

I think if I hunted next to a park I wouldn't like the park hunts either. That many people in a short period of time can screw things up royally for anyone around the park.

I haven't looked at the date yet, but someone said they were a couple weeks later. Maye that is in response to complaints of hunters on the outside of the park?

I'm sure that the parks are not in as much need now as when they first started, but hunting them is stil needed from time to time.

[freedomhunter]

Big bucks come out of Shades and Turkey Run state parks every year they have a hunt.

[hornharvester]

The park manager at Chain O Lakes told me at one of the hunts that originally the first park hunts happened the Thursday and Friday before the opening of gun season on Saturday.

He said the locals that hunted around the park raised hell so much they changed the reduction hunts to the Mon & Tue after the opening Saturday so the locals had first chance at the bigger bucks. Its been that way the last several years until last year and for some reason they moved it to the Mon & Tue the week before opening Sat of gun season. Maybe they did this because they wanted the hunt in the rut when deer would be moving more.

The second park hunt is always the Mon & Tue after the closing Sunday of gun season.

Any one who hunts deer and lives next to or hunts ground next to the park hates the deer reduction hunts.

I know a man who owns property boarding one of the parks and he told me before they started the reduction hunts he would see over 100 deer every evening with 50 - 60 bucks and some real nice trophy's. The parks hunts changed all that and now he sees 10-15 a night.

Some of the parks that have major hi-ways running next to them had deer/car accidents almost nightly and some of them two - three a night. The park hunt changed that too.

I personally saw the browse line at Pokagan State Park in the early 90's. There were so many deer it was unreal. They had eaten everything they could reach. Nothing green from the ground to about 5 ft high, everything gone.

The park hunts are good for the park eco-system but bad for the local hunter who lives next door. h.h.