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One never knows what treasure may be uncovered when rummaging through an attic, a closet, a basement, or in the case of Dave Ranard, a barn. When digging through boxes of memories one summer afternoon, Ranard came upon a treasure so powerful it not only changed his own life, but has impacted the childhood passions of countless kids across North America.

“I found an old box of childhood toys in my parents barn. There were these Geronimo and General Custer action figures. Cowboys and Indians, you know. Geronimo had a quiver with arrows you could take out. It got me thinking. ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if I could modernize these toys and create a hunter of today; a hunting action figure with the latest equipment, like camouflage, bows and firearms,’” Ranard said.

Today, Hunter Dan is a household name for hunting families across the country. An action figure based on the likeness of Ranard, Hunter Dan is trying hard to do all he can to help promote ethical hunting to the next generation of outdoor life enthusiasts. (more…)

One of the most interesting Hoosiers I have ever had the privilege of meeting is Father Damian Schmelz. Aside from being an ordained catholic priest and ecologically trained Doctor of Philosophy, he is also the person who chaired the committee to research whether or not state park deer hunts would be a good idea for controlling populations. Turns out they are.

Father Schmelz was a member of the Natural Resources Commission for years. When the very controversial topic of hunting in state parks arose, the commission figured there was no one better to appoint as the chairman of the committee to study the potential hunts than a man of the cloth, who also understood the ecosystems. Father Schmelz determined hunting would be a favorable means of population control, and steered the state to organizing such hunts.
Research collected during the State Park Deer Study was used to put in place the reduction deer hunts we now have at Indiana State Parks. As a scientist, Father Schmelz felt reducing deer herd populations in order to preserve the natural flora of the parks was necessary. He concluded the overall most effective means of managing deer populations was through utilizing controlled hunts. Father Schmelz said, “When deer were reintroduced to Indiana they sought shelter in state parks, reproduced nicely, and grew in population quickly. In many parks, by the time we conducted our study, you couldn’t extend your arm up and reach any vegetation. Ferns and wild flowers were gone. It looked as though you sent landscapers through.” (more…)

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…)