Driftwood Outdoors

First of all, let’s be clear; whoever shot the whooping crane in Jackson County is not a hunter. They are a poacher. Maybe they hunt legally during other times of the year, but the moment they crossed the line and pulled the trigger on a protected animal, they went from being a hunter to a poacher. So if you hear anyone say the endangered crane was killed by a hunter, please correct them.

Indiana’s Turn In a Poacher program, which is a joint collaboration between the DNR and the general public used to report and ultimately limit game law violations, has established a special reward fund for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for killing the whooping crane, “Bird 605,” found dead Dec. 30 in southeastern Jackson County near Crothersville.

Whooping cranes are protected by the Endangered Species Act, the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act and state laws. In the 1940s, there were only a few dozen left. Today, we have an estimated population of about 500 in the wild. Obviously, with so few whooping cranes alive, each one is a valuable piece of the repopulation puzzle.

TIP launched the Whooping Crane Fund with a $2,500 commitment, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service immediately matched it with a $2,500 donation. The Humane Society of the United States and its Humane Society Wildlife Trust Fund also added $2,500. Turning in a poacher is something you should be proud to do for free, but hey we all have bills, and $7,500 would sure help. (more…)

Most amateur athletes dream of making the professional ranks. Twelve year old basketball players have NBA aspirations, and there probably isn’t a high school quarterback alive who doesn’t want to make it to the NFL. The same goes for bass fishermen.

Name any of the major reservoirs in Missouri – Lake of the Ozarks, Truman, Table Rock, Mark Twain, Stockton – and on any given Saturday during the spring and summer there’s a good chance a bass fishing tournament is taking place. These tournaments are rarely of the caliber you’ll see on ESPN. Mostly, they’re local or regional events playing host to a handful of weekend warriors unwilling to let go of the dream, that maybe, just maybe, someday fishing will pay their bills.

A good friend of mine, Steve Hanson, loves to bass fish as much as anyone I’ve ever met. Surely you know someone obsessed with a sport. There has to be a golf addict in your network of family and friends, right? Bass fishing can be just as addictive, and Hanson has it bad.

Small in stature but huge in heart, the kind of guy to give the shirt off his back, Hanson is a maintenance technician at a community college in southern Indiana. He keeps food on the table and a roof over his family’s head, all the while treating his daughter as a princess, but he’s far from wealthy. And bass fishing isn’t cheap.

“Fishing tournaments is expensive, man,” Hanson said, “but it’s like organized gambling. You think if you play your cards right, and catch a few breaks, you can win. You just have to believe in yourself and be in the game.” (more…)

Another year has come and gone, leaving us to revel in our successes and shake our heads at failures. Perhaps 2011was kind to you and your taxidermist is happy man. Or maybe, you blew it on the buck of a lifetime. Either way, it’s time to wipe the year off the books and start with a clean slate. Here are a few recommendations for 2012 resolutions, most of which should also help to stomp out cabin fever.

1. Clean your guns
When is the last time you really cleaned you guns? I don’t mean just running a patch down the barrel. I mean, took them apart and cleaned all the cracks and crevices, oiled the action and wiped down all the wood and metal.

2. Tune your bow
Here’s one I’m guilty of neglecting. Today’s compound bows are engineered machines. Machines require maintenance. If you haven’t had your bow in the hands of a trained professional for a tune-up, take the time to have it done this winter.

3. Touch up your decoys
I hear a lot of people talking about replacing decoys every year or two. I wish I had that kind of money, but for my socio-economic situation, black, green and brown paint is the answer. Parting with a 10 dollar bill at an arts and craft store will get you all you need to rehab your duck decoys. (more…)

Another year has come and gone, leaving us to revel in our successes and shake our heads at failures. Perhaps 2011was kind to you and your taxidermist is happy man. Or maybe, you blew it on the buck of a lifetime. Either way, it’s time to wipe the year off the books and start with a clean slate. Here are a few recommendations for 2012 resolutions, most of which should also help to stomp out cabin fever.

1. Clean your guns
When is the last time you really cleaned you guns? I don’t mean just running a patch down the barrel. I mean, took them apart and cleaned all the cracks and crevices, oiled the action and wiped down all the wood and metal.
2. Tune your bow
Here’s one I’m guilty of neglecting. Today’s compound bows are engineered machines. Machines require maintenance. If you haven’t had your bow in the hands of a trained professional for a tune-up, take the time to have it done this winter.
3. Touch up your decoys
I hear a lot of people talking about replacing decoys every year or two. I wish I had that kind of money, but for my socio-economic situation, black, green and brown paint is the answer. Parting with a 10 dollar bill at an arts and craft store will get you all you need to rehab your duck decoys. (more…)

Merry Christmas. I want to thank you for reading my column. Becoming an outdoor writer was beyond my wildest dreams when I was a just boy tagging along with grandpa to the river. There were many fishing poles, tackle boxes and BB guns beneath the Christmas trees of my youth that aided in the molding of my outdoor passions. Now, thanks to the newspapers that run Driftwood Outdoors, and thanks to you, my dream continues to come true. It’s the greatest gift I could ever ask for. Thank you so much.

I’m a holiday person. I love gathering with my family and friends. Many of those who were so influential in my young life are now gone, but new additions continue to grace our clan. I can’t wait to meet my cousin’s baby girl, Katy, for the first time on Christmas Eve. She’ll be almost a month old. Our family, like yours, has lost and gained over the years, yet traditions continue.

One tradition I personally overindulge in during the holidays is eating. I love to eat good home cooked meals, and appetizers, and deserts, and, well you get the picture. What I really love is sharing some of my bounties from the previous fall. My family enjoys hearing of my adventures, as I’m sure your family enjoys hearing of yours. One way to help them connect with your experiences is to prepare and share your game and fish. Here are few simple recipes you can use to serve wild game and fish at your Christmas parties. (more…)

There is plenty of time to fill your freezer with Canada Geese this winter. In addition to the regular season, which has been open in parts of Indiana since October 15 and doesn’t close in the Ohio River Zone until January 31, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources has again decided to offer a late season for hunting Canada Geese.

The late season runs Feb. 1-15 in the following 30 counties: Steuben, LaGrange, Elkhart, St. Joseph, La Porte, Starke, Marshall, Kosciusko, Noble, DeKalb, Allen, Whitley, Huntington, Wells, Adams, Boone, Hamilton, Madison, Hendricks, Marion, Hancock, Morgan, Johnson, Shelby, Vermillion, Parke, Vigo, Clay, Sullivan, and Greene.

Few things, calculus included, are more confusing than trying to understand Canada Geese seasons in Indiana. First of all, the state is divided into three waterfowl zones: North Zone, South Zone and Ohio River Zone. Secondly, all three zones have multiple seasons. Early seasons have come and gone, and we are now in the regular seasons. Late season in select counties is still coming.
The North Zone is defined as, “That part of Indiana north of a line extending east from the Illinois border along State Road 18 to U.S. 31; north along U.S. 31 to U.S. 24; east on U.S. 24 to Huntington; and southeast on U.S. 224 to the Ohio border.” The Canada Geese season in the North Zone is currently open until Jan. 8, 2012. It reopens Jan. 14, 2012 – Jan. 17, 2012. (more…)

Iowa is known for whitetail deer hunting. That’s not all our neighbors to the north have going on, though. On a recent trip to Honey Creek Resort on beautiful Rathbun Lake. I found out the fishing in Iowa isn’t too bad, and Dunn Deal Hunting Lodge provides excellent upland wingshooting.

Honey Creek Resort is hands down one of the finest sporting destinations I have ever visited. Located right on the shore of Rathbun Lake, the resort offers hunting, fishing, hiking, golfing, wildlife watching and more in a spectacular setting. The facilities are top notch, and a pork chop dinner I had in the restaurant is undoubtedly the best I’ve ever ate.

While a number of my friends decided to focus on filling their freezers with cold water crappie and walleye filets, I turned my attention to hammering a few pheasants at Dunn Deal Hunting Lodge. I’m glad I did. Because even though I didn’t help catch the fish, my friends still let me indulge in the fish fry. Perhaps it’s because they like me, but I’m more inclined to guess it was because they wanted to taste the delight of my slow roasted birds. (more…)

Waking up at 2 a.m. is a struggle. But that’s only the first hurdle in the process of drawing a “poor-line” duck hunting spot at Grand Pass Conservation Area. Driving an hour (for me), standing in line to draw, praying for a low pill and waiting to see if you make the cut all takes place before you find out if you’re going hunting or going home. Draw low, and you’re in. Draw high, and head home. Can all this possibly be worth it? You bet it is.

Grand Pass Conservation Area is located just northwest of Marshall. The property, which adjoins the Missouri River, consists of 5,296 acres. Of which 4,800 are flooded wetlands. Grand Pass is located smack in the middle of one of the country’s foremost waterfowl migration corridors. It truly is one of the Midwest’s premier public waterfowl hunting properties. Which is why so many desire to hunt there.

Grand Pass is one of three properties currently under the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) quick draw pilot program. Instituted in 2010, the pilot program includes Grand Pass, Eagle Bluffs and Otter Slough. The goal of the quick draw is to help streamline the process of obtaining a spot on the conservation areas, while limiting the number of people turned away each morning after the draw. (more…)

Most people realize Indiana’s State Parks, Reservoirs and Historic Sites offer means of enjoyment in the summer months. Many fail to realize though, that these same public properties continue to offer events throughout the rest of the year.

The following examples are just a sampling of the sort of events you may participate in at Indiana public properties during the doldrums of winter. To stay aware of such events, be sure to regularly check the Indiana Department of Natural Resources web site (www.in.gov/dnr).

Spring Mill State Park
Spring Mill State Park has numerous venues and the property’s personnel stay busy hosting events all the time. Depending on the time of year, events are held both outdoors in the old village, or indoors in the beautiful inn.

On Dec. 13, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., there is a Christmas ornament workshop in the Elm Room at Spring Mill Inn. This is an excellent opportunity to visit a state park to participate in a fun and productive activity.
Participants will craft five festive and unique Christmas ornaments. All supplies will be provided. Lunch at the Millstone dining room is included in the cost of the workshop. The cost is $30 per person.

Registration is required by Dec. 6. To register, call the Spring Mill Inn at (812) 849-4081. Space is limited to 15 people. Spring Mill State Park is located at 3333 State Road 60 East just outside Mitchell, Indiana.

Mansfield Roller Mill State Historic Site
If you have never been to the Covered Bridge Festival, you have yet to experience one of the great events held in Indiana each year. One highlight of the festival for many participants is seeing the Mansfield Roller Mill State Historic Site. (more…)

An hour or so before the sun rose on another Missouri opening morning, I found myself standing in front of my gun safe, forced to make a decision. Should I hunt with my new synthetic stock, stainless steel, weather resistant, ultra-light .300 Winchester Magnum, or should I once again shoulder my grandfather’s trusty old battered and beaten .30-06? It wasn’t hard to decide.
As I ran my fingers over the old wooden stock, tracing long deep scratches time has turned a darker shade of brown, I dreamed of the journeys this rifle made out west. What was it like riding along with the old man and his crew as they traversed a two-track to the top of some distant Rocky Mountain in a rusted out old jeep? I’ll never know, but I imagine them laughing and carrying on. Talking about life back home, while reveling in their momentary escape. I picture my grandfather smiling, wearing a tattered flannel shirt and worn-out blue jeans. His rifle, my rifle, gripped tight in his hands. I chose the .30-06 because it’s an extension of a man who meant the world to me, and when I hunt with his rifle my fondest memories of him come alive.

A quality firearm is sure to outlive it’s owner if properly cared for. Therefore, many of us are blessed to own heirlooms passed down through generations. I actually have a number of firearms that once belonged to my father and my grandfathers. In fact, I actually have a rifle that originally belonged to my great-great-grandfather. I wish I knew more about this particular rifle. Understanding its history would surely add to the ambiance of ownership, but I never asked my Grandpa for the details. One morning, as a child, I went to his closet to grab a .22 and instead returned to the kitchen of his small Lake Station home with the old rifle. He sternly told me to put it back, and leave it alone. It was his grandfather’s, he said. I never touched it again until months after his death when grandma told me to come and get “my guns.”

It’s common to take possession of a firearm you know little or nothing about. Whether you inherit a rifle or pickup a shotgun at a random auction, you must approach the firearm cautiously. Since you don’t know about the firearm’s history, you must learn all you can about it to ensure safety in the present and use in the future. (more…)