WAYNEDALE OUTDOORS Q & A

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Q – How come hunting licenses don’t classify deer as Buck or Doe?

A – Because it’s easier to say antlered or anterless deer mainly because a button buck and a doe are both anterless deer and are legal to hunt with an anterless license. There have been instances where a doe has developed antlers and are therefore legal to hunt with an antlered deer tag. Killing a doe with antlers would be illegal if it were referred to as buck or doe season and when hunting deer it’s impossible to tell what sex the deer is unless the deer walk over you as you are lying on the ground. See what I mean?

Q – What is ‘baiting’?

A – Baiting is placing a food product in the field to attract wildlife to an area being hunted. Examples are salt blocks, mineral blocks, grains, and liquids or powders spread on the ground to draw animals in making it easier to kill them. It’s what they call unfair chase.

Q – What are furbearers?

A – In Indiana a list of furbearers (animals legal to trap during a certain season and with a proper license) includes beaver, coyote, gray fox, long-tailed weasel, mink, muskrat, ‘opossum, raccoon, red fox, and skunk.

Q – What are game birds?

A – A list of Indiana game birds (birds legal to hunt during a certain season and with the proper license, permits, and stamps) include ring-necked pheasant, bobwhite quail, ruffed grouse, wild turkey, and mourning dove.

Q – What is meant by ‘hunt’?

A – To take any wild animal except by trapping.

Q – What is meant by ‘take’?

A – To pursue, shoot, kill, trap, capture collect catch, or otherwise take or attempt to take.

Q – If I shoot an animal and it runs onto someone else’s property, may I retrieve it?

A – It is illegal to hunt, trap, chase, or retrieve game on private land without the consent of the landowner or tenant. Always ask permission before entering private property.

Q – I’ve witnessed so-called hunters (they were all wearing the same orange vests and hats) getting out of cars and walking up and down fields on state owned property randomly shooting shotguns up in the air and down in the ground without taking aim at anything. Why do they do this?

A – It’s called hunter/trapper harassment and it’s illegal. It’s usually carried out by do-gooder groups that think they are protecting the animal wildlife in the area by scaring them away from legal hunters in the area. Please report these illegal occurrences to the nearest Conservation Officer ASAP.

P.S. – We had a group of these so-called do-gooders play their silly, dangerous game with my nephew and me one deer season at the Huntington Reservoir. Doing so they jumped a 6-point buck from its bed and ran it toward my nephew. The steaks were delicious so now we jokingly refer to these stupid people as deer drivers but they are still breaking the law.

We suggest that everyone get a copy of Indiana’s hunting and fishing regulations from most any place that sells hunting/fishing license for more detailed rules and regulations. Please e-mail all questions reguarding Waynedale outdoors to: News@waynedalenews.com.