WAYNEDALE WOODS AND WATERS—OUR GREAT OUTDOORS
FUTURE HUNTERS
FUTURE FISHERMEN
FUTURE OUTDOORSMEN
When I was growing up everyone in our small town hunted, fished, or otherwise was connected to the outdoors. Our high school biology teacher made us go out into the woods, collect leaves, paste them in a notebook, and identify them. “Piece of cake,” we used to say because we were from a small town, the outdoors was at the edge of town, and most of our mothers and grandmothers were edible wild plant collectors and consumers. Most of us knew at least 50 plants and trees and what were edible and what were poisonous. Our notebooks usually contained 75 – 100 plus kinds of leaves, seeds, bark, flowers, and roots. No one failed the plant collecting book assignment unless someone tried to pass off an older sister’s or brother’s book that had been done a few years earlier.
The point that I’m getting too? Our moms, dads, uncles, and older brothers taught us how to hunt, fish, shoot, and enjoy the outdoors. Who is teaching our children? Are you doing your part? Are you teaching your children what you learned about the outdoors? Fishing? Hunting? Guns? Camping? How to survive outdoors? Why not? Who’s going to teach their children? It’s something to think about, isn’t it?
NOTE: It is the opinion of this columnist that all high schools and colleges should have shooting ranges. Beside teaching a much needed firearm safety program, this sport gives less talented, wannabe, and handicapped athletes in our public schools a chance to participate in a sporting program and the opportunity to ‘Letter’ in a sport besides football, baseball, basketball, track, etc, where only a limited number of persons can ‘suit up’ and play. Anyone can be on a shooting team.)
INDIANA DEER HUNTING – SAFE OR NOT SAFE?
Indiana’s deer hunting season gets underway soon with the launch of archery season on Oct. 1st.‑ While deer biologists are predicting that the number of deer taken by hunters will be similar to previous years, Indiana hunting safety experts are anticipating a significant drop in the number of hunting accidents. “Hunting doesn’t have a reputation as a safe sport, but it actually is,” said Capt. Michael Crider, Department of Natural Resources hunter education director. Indiana has around 215,000 hunters collectively spending 2.5 million days pursuing deer each year. “We have a handful of accidents annually, and rarely a fatality.
Statistically, hunting is safer than riding in a car,” said Crider. Despite statistically small numbers of hunting accidents, Crider was concerned when he saw an unusual spike in the number of fatal firearms related accidents during last fall’s deer hunting season.‑ Indiana averages one fatal firearms related hunting accident a year.‑ Last year, there were three fatal accidents.
Though there didn’t seem to be any specific cause for the spike in fatalities, Crider and hundreds of volunteer hunter education instructors worked with renewed vigor this year to prevent hunting related accidents. DNR officials and volunteer instructors conducted 103 hunter education courses for nearly 20,000 attendees across the state this year. Their 10-hour courses covered standard firearm safety rules and tips on avoiding hypothermia, but they focused more instruction time on a major cause of hunting injuries and fatalities – falls from tree stands. “When we looked at the stats, we knew we needed to spend more time on tree stand safety.‑ Gravity is one of our primary killers,” said Terry Hatfield, a volunteer hunter education instructor from North Salem, Ind. Tree stand-related accidents continue to be a big problem. Indiana averages 14 non-fatal tree stand falls and 1.25 tree stand fatalities each year. There were 17 tree stand related accidents in Indiana last year. One of those was fatal. This means that tree stand related accidents accounted for over 50 percent of all hunting accidents reported.
Hatfield and his fellow instructors hang students from trees to demonstrate the effectiveness of tree stand safety harnesses.‑ Participants are first lifted off the ground in a single belt-type harness and told to signal when the discomfort becomes unbearable.‑ The demonstration lasts just a few seconds.‑ Those lifted in a chest harness last slightly longer. Participants lifted in a full-body harness have little discomfort and can maneuver quickly to lower themselves to the ground.
“No one who sees this presentation will ever use anything but a full-body harness again,” said Hatfield. Hatfield also demonstrates climbing safety (always stay attached to a safety line, whether climbing up, down or sitting in a stand), how to safely lift bows and firearms into a stand (always unloaded, muzzle down), and tree stand selection. “Never buy a stand that is not TMA approved (Treestand Manufacturer’s
Association).‑ If you have a stand that is not TMA approved, throw it away. Is your life worth the cost of a new tree stand?” said Hatfield. Crider urges hunters to focus first on safety this hunting season and then on the game they are pursuing. “I hope to look back on last year’s safety record as an unfortunate anomaly. I think we’ll have a much safer season this year,” said Crider.
DEER HARVEST FORECAST
Indiana deer biologist Jim Mitchell predicts this year’s deer harvest will be similar to last year.‑There are no changes in statewide bag limits or season lengths this year. Last year, hunters took 104,428 deer, which was 1 percent more than the previous year, just as Mitchell had predicted.‑ What was slightly unusual, however, was that the number of bucks taken dropped 2 percent while the doe take increased 4 percent. “This may be the result of the trial one buck bag that went into effect last season, though there may have been other factors involved such as the increased license cost and hunter concerns about CWD and West Nile Virus,” said Mitchell.‑ “We have seen a trend toward more bucks and a higher percentage of older bucks versus young bucks in the harvest over the past few years.”
FALL HAYRIDES AT FOX ISLAND
When: October 4, 2003 and October 25, 2003
Experience Fox Island a different way by taking a hayride through prairie and woodland areas. The hayride is open to the public and is a great way to spend the afternoon with the family and friends. Fall is nearing and this would be a great way to enjoy the changing colors. The cost is $3 per person and hayrides will be given between 2pm and 4pm. Don’t forget to dress for the weather and bring mosquito spray. For more information call Fox Island at 449-3180.
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