The IDNR Wants Your Input
See - http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/7373.htm
Indiana Division of Fish and Wildlife Issues:
WILDLIFE
1. River Otters: Establish a trapping season in designated counties with a bag limit per trapper per season with a mandatory check-in requirement
2. Wild Turkeys: Make firearm portion of fall turkey season up North (Dekalb, LaGrange, LaPorte, Marshall, St. Joseph, Starke, and Steuben counties) the same length as Southern counties;
- Require hunter orange for fall turkey hunting when it coincides with location and dates of special deer antlerless season (Dec. 26 through the first Sunday in January)
3. Deer (Urban Deer Zones): Rename urban deer zones to reduction zones,
- Modify boundaries for these zones,
- Allow baiting to be used in these zones after archery season closes,
- Increase bag limit of antlerless deer in these areas,
- Allow the director to establish these zones on an annual basis by temporary rule,
- Allow firearms in these areas (where authorized by local ordinances)
4. Deer (Shotguns): Allow the 28 gauge shotgun to be used for deer hunting during the firearms seasons.
5. Deer (Youth Season): Allow a youth hunter to take one antlerless deer in a county that is considered to be an “A” county (such as TiptonCounty) during the special youth deer season,
- Allow the adult that accompanies a youth hunter to carry a handgun in accordance with state law in
IC 35-47-2-1 (it authorizes a person to carry a handgun while engaged in a legal hunting activity)
4. Wild (Feral) Hogs: Clarify that Heritage or Heirloom breed hogs that are possessed, bred, and sold strictly for farming or medicinal purposes are exempt from restrictions on the possession, importation, and sale of wild hogs
- Prohibit the release of swine, wild or domestic, into the wild
- Prohibit the use of dogs to chase or take wild hogs
- Prohibit assisting in the release of a wild hog
5. Small Game Hunting Hours: Establish hunting hours for quail, rabbit, pheasant, dove and woodcock hunting on designated DNR properties from 9am to 4 pm EST/8am-3pm CST
6. Cottontail Rabbits: Close the rabbit season on designated DNR properties on January 31
7. Ring-necked Pheasants: Prohibit pheasant hunters in designated pheasant put-and-take areas from harvesting game animals except pheasants on days when pheasants are released and hunted;
- Limit birds to cocks only in put-and-take areas on PigeonRiver, Willow Slough, and Winamac fish and wildlife areas;
- Remove Crosley Fish and Wildlife Area from properties where put-and-take pheasant hunts take place
8. Bobwhite Quail: Change the daily bag limit for quail on Division of Fish and Wildlife administered lands and other designated DNR properties to 2 in the North Zone and 4 in the South Zone
9. Ruffed Grouse: Suspend the ruffed grouse season statewide
10. Endangered Species List: Add long-eared bat to the state’s list of endangered species of mammals once federally listed
FISHERIES
1. Define “Minnow”: Species of the minnow family Cyprinidae, except for exotic species identified at
312 IAC 9-6-7 and endangered species, plus Suckers, Brook stickleback, Gizzard shad, Threadfin shad;
and alewife. Live gizzard shad, threadfin shad and alewife may only be collected, used, possessed, and
disposed of in accordance with 312 IAC 9-6-8. State law changed in 2013 to require a definition in
administrative rule; a temporary rule is currently in place, but a permanent rule is needed.
2. Number of Hooks: Allow 3 hooks to be used on a sport fishing line instead of 2 and clarify that Alabama rigs and other similar devices can be used with no more than 3 hooks that have live bait or 3 artificial lures, or a combination of both. This is currently authorized by temporary rule and a permanent rule is needed.
3. DogwoodLake (DaviessCounty) largemouth bass size limit: Change the size limit for this lake back to the statewide 14 inch minimum size limit (it is 15 now)
4. KunkelLake (WellsCounty) largemouth bass limit: Allow only 2 largemouth bass to be taken per day and be at least 18 inches long
5. Crappie size limit at DogwoodLake (DaviessCounty) and HardyLake (ScottCounty): Add a new 9 inch minimum size requirement to harvest crappie at these two lakes
6. Commercial fishing on inland waters: Prohibit the use of wings or leads on a commercial fishing device within the WabashRiver and other inland waters (does not include the Ohio River)
7. Muskie size limit change on LakeWebster, BackwaterLake, and KiserLake in KosciuskoCounty: Change the size limit from 36 inch to 44 inches for muskellunge and tiger muskellunge on these 3 lakes
8. Fishing near Williams Dam: Establish a restriction on hooks used when fishing near Williams Dam (from the dam to the Huron and Williams Road bridge in LawrenceCounty) from March 15 through April 20 as follows: have no more than one (1) single hook per line or artificial lure per line. Single hooks, including those with artificial lures, would not be able to exceed one-half (1/2) inch from point to shank, and double and treble hooks with artificial lures would not be able to exceed three-eighths (3/8) inch from point to shank.
9. Walleye/Sauger/Saugeye: Establish a 16” size limit for walleye north of State Road 26 on all public waters (lakes, impoundments, rivers, and Lake Michigan) with the exception of these 5 lakes: Lake George (SteubenCounty), BassLake (StarkeCounty), SimontonLake (ElkhartCounty), WolfLake (LakeCounty), and WallLake (SteubenCounty)
- Eliminate the minimum size limit for saugeye on all waters statewide, except for HuntingburgLake (Dubois Co.) and SullivanLake (Sullivan Co.)
- Add sauger to the aggregate bag limit for walleye and saugeye (does not include the Ohio River)
10. Sunfish: Establish a statewide daily bag limit of 25 (in aggregate) for all species of sunfish (includes species such as bluegill, redear, warmouth, pumpkinseed, green sunfish, and others).
11. Exotic Fish: Require exotic fish that are possessed to either have their head removed, be eviscerated, or have gill arches removed from one side to ensure that they are not capable of living (since live possession is not allowed)
- Add the following species: stone moroko, zander, and Wels catfish
12. Catfish (both sport and commercial fishing): Increase the minimum size limit on channel catfish, flathead catfish, and blue catfish from 10 inches to 13 inches on rivers and streams statewide, except on the Ohio River;
- Allow not more than 1 channel catfish to be taken per day that is 28 inches in total length or longer in lakes and streams statewide;
- Allow not more than 1 flathead and 1 blue catfish to be taken per day that is 35 inches in total length or longer in lakes and streams statewide
REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS
1. Game Turtles (Eastern snapping turtle, spiny softshell turtle, and smooth softshell turtle): Establish a season (July-March),
- Change the daily bag limit to 5 per species
- Restrict the size of snapping turtles that can be taken to only those over 12” and softshells over 13”
2. Game Frogs (Bullfrogs and Green frogs): Allow the use of an air rifle to take game frogs, with a definition of legal air rifles that could be used.
3. License requirements for taking reptiles and amphibians: Specify that a hunting license is required if a firearm (or air rifle, if allowed) is going to be used to take game frogs and turtles
PERMITS
1. Wild Animal Rehabilitation Permit: Remove continuing education requirement,
- Remove limits on number of animals that can be released each year,
- Make other technical changes
2. Temporary Rehabilitation Permit: Create a new permit that would allow individuals to rescue orphaned wild animals and keep them for no more than 90 days, at which time the animal would have to be released, given to a regular licensed rehabilitator for further care, or the person becomes an assistant under a regular licensed rehabilitator or becomes license his/herself. The person would be required to obtain veterinary exam for the animal, maintain housing requirements, be subject to an inspection by a conservation officer, and must apply for permit within 7 days of acquisition of animal. One person would be eligible for only one permit and for no more than 2 animals.
3. Game Breeder License: Modify rule language to match identification and disease testing requirements already established in 345 IAC 2-7 under the Board of Animal Health;
- Allow the fence height to be less than 8 feet tall for exotic species of cervidae such as fallow deer that are not know to be able to jump over fences, which will match rule language in 345 IAC 2-7-3.
- Allow pheasants and quail and their eggs to be imported with either a certificate of veterinary inspection or National Poultry Improvement Plan certificate, which is consistent with BOAH’s rule in 345 IAC 1-3-25.
4. Aquatic Vegetation Control Permit: Require applicants to be certified pesticide applicators,
- Clarify authority,
- Define terms
5. Reptile captive breeding license: Add a requirement that the applicant be a resident of Indiana and remove the requirement that a veterinarian examine the snakes within 14 days of acquisition
6. Trapper Education Permit: Establish a new permit (free of charge) that would authorize the trapping of furbearing mammals outside the season for a trapper education class approved by the DNR
7. GoFishIN Education Permit: Establish a new permit (free of charge) that would authorize fishing in public waters without a fishing license for participants (registered students and crew captains) only during the time, date, and location of the GoFishIN workshop
8. Commercial Deer Processors: Require proper disposal of deer carcasses such as incineration, taken to a landfill, or taken to a rendering facility.
MISCELLANEOUS
1. Nuisance Raccoons, skunks, opossums, beavers, muskrats, red foxes, gray foxes, mink, long-tailed weasels, gray squirrels and fox squirrels:
- Allow resident landowners and tenants to designate other people in writing to take these animals for them outside the season and without a permit as long as there is no compensation of any kind;
- Allow these animals to be taken without a permit if the animal is causing or threatening to cause damage to property or posing health or safety threat to persons or domestic animals,
- Make other clarifications to define landowner and legal methods
2. Hunter Education Requirements: Remove the requirement that a license retailer note the date the hunter education program was successfully completed (just note the certification number
See - http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/7373.htm
Indiana Division of Fish and Wildlife Issues:
WILDLIFE
1. River Otters: Establish a trapping season in designated counties with a bag limit per trapper per season with a mandatory check-in requirement
2. Wild Turkeys: Make firearm portion of fall turkey season up North (Dekalb, LaGrange, LaPorte, Marshall, St. Joseph, Starke, and Steuben counties) the same length as Southern counties;
- Require hunter orange for fall turkey hunting when it coincides with location and dates of special deer antlerless season (Dec. 26 through the first Sunday in January)
3. Deer (Urban Deer Zones): Rename urban deer zones to reduction zones,
- Modify boundaries for these zones,
- Allow baiting to be used in these zones after archery season closes,
- Increase bag limit of antlerless deer in these areas,
- Allow the director to establish these zones on an annual basis by temporary rule,
- Allow firearms in these areas (where authorized by local ordinances)
4. Deer (Shotguns): Allow the 28 gauge shotgun to be used for deer hunting during the firearms seasons.
5. Deer (Youth Season): Allow a youth hunter to take one antlerless deer in a county that is considered to be an “A” county (such as TiptonCounty) during the special youth deer season,
- Allow the adult that accompanies a youth hunter to carry a handgun in accordance with state law in
IC 35-47-2-1 (it authorizes a person to carry a handgun while engaged in a legal hunting activity)
4. Wild (Feral) Hogs: Clarify that Heritage or Heirloom breed hogs that are possessed, bred, and sold strictly for farming or medicinal purposes are exempt from restrictions on the possession, importation, and sale of wild hogs
- Prohibit the release of swine, wild or domestic, into the wild
- Prohibit the use of dogs to chase or take wild hogs
- Prohibit assisting in the release of a wild hog
5. Small Game Hunting Hours: Establish hunting hours for quail, rabbit, pheasant, dove and woodcock hunting on designated DNR properties from 9am to 4 pm EST/8am-3pm CST
6. Cottontail Rabbits: Close the rabbit season on designated DNR properties on January 31
7. Ring-necked Pheasants: Prohibit pheasant hunters in designated pheasant put-and-take areas from harvesting game animals except pheasants on days when pheasants are released and hunted;
- Limit birds to cocks only in put-and-take areas on PigeonRiver, Willow Slough, and Winamac fish and wildlife areas;
- Remove Crosley Fish and Wildlife Area from properties where put-and-take pheasant hunts take place
8. Bobwhite Quail: Change the daily bag limit for quail on Division of Fish and Wildlife administered lands and other designated DNR properties to 2 in the North Zone and 4 in the South Zone
9. Ruffed Grouse: Suspend the ruffed grouse season statewide
10. Endangered Species List: Add long-eared bat to the state’s list of endangered species of mammals once federally listed
FISHERIES
1. Define “Minnow”: Species of the minnow family Cyprinidae, except for exotic species identified at
312 IAC 9-6-7 and endangered species, plus Suckers, Brook stickleback, Gizzard shad, Threadfin shad;
and alewife. Live gizzard shad, threadfin shad and alewife may only be collected, used, possessed, and
disposed of in accordance with 312 IAC 9-6-8. State law changed in 2013 to require a definition in
administrative rule; a temporary rule is currently in place, but a permanent rule is needed.
2. Number of Hooks: Allow 3 hooks to be used on a sport fishing line instead of 2 and clarify that Alabama rigs and other similar devices can be used with no more than 3 hooks that have live bait or 3 artificial lures, or a combination of both. This is currently authorized by temporary rule and a permanent rule is needed.
3. DogwoodLake (DaviessCounty) largemouth bass size limit: Change the size limit for this lake back to the statewide 14 inch minimum size limit (it is 15 now)
4. KunkelLake (WellsCounty) largemouth bass limit: Allow only 2 largemouth bass to be taken per day and be at least 18 inches long
5. Crappie size limit at DogwoodLake (DaviessCounty) and HardyLake (ScottCounty): Add a new 9 inch minimum size requirement to harvest crappie at these two lakes
6. Commercial fishing on inland waters: Prohibit the use of wings or leads on a commercial fishing device within the WabashRiver and other inland waters (does not include the Ohio River)
7. Muskie size limit change on LakeWebster, BackwaterLake, and KiserLake in KosciuskoCounty: Change the size limit from 36 inch to 44 inches for muskellunge and tiger muskellunge on these 3 lakes
8. Fishing near Williams Dam: Establish a restriction on hooks used when fishing near Williams Dam (from the dam to the Huron and Williams Road bridge in LawrenceCounty) from March 15 through April 20 as follows: have no more than one (1) single hook per line or artificial lure per line. Single hooks, including those with artificial lures, would not be able to exceed one-half (1/2) inch from point to shank, and double and treble hooks with artificial lures would not be able to exceed three-eighths (3/8) inch from point to shank.
9. Walleye/Sauger/Saugeye: Establish a 16” size limit for walleye north of State Road 26 on all public waters (lakes, impoundments, rivers, and Lake Michigan) with the exception of these 5 lakes: Lake George (SteubenCounty), BassLake (StarkeCounty), SimontonLake (ElkhartCounty), WolfLake (LakeCounty), and WallLake (SteubenCounty)
- Eliminate the minimum size limit for saugeye on all waters statewide, except for HuntingburgLake (Dubois Co.) and SullivanLake (Sullivan Co.)
- Add sauger to the aggregate bag limit for walleye and saugeye (does not include the Ohio River)
10. Sunfish: Establish a statewide daily bag limit of 25 (in aggregate) for all species of sunfish (includes species such as bluegill, redear, warmouth, pumpkinseed, green sunfish, and others).
11. Exotic Fish: Require exotic fish that are possessed to either have their head removed, be eviscerated, or have gill arches removed from one side to ensure that they are not capable of living (since live possession is not allowed)
- Add the following species: stone moroko, zander, and Wels catfish
12. Catfish (both sport and commercial fishing): Increase the minimum size limit on channel catfish, flathead catfish, and blue catfish from 10 inches to 13 inches on rivers and streams statewide, except on the Ohio River;
- Allow not more than 1 channel catfish to be taken per day that is 28 inches in total length or longer in lakes and streams statewide;
- Allow not more than 1 flathead and 1 blue catfish to be taken per day that is 35 inches in total length or longer in lakes and streams statewide
REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS
1. Game Turtles (Eastern snapping turtle, spiny softshell turtle, and smooth softshell turtle): Establish a season (July-March),
- Change the daily bag limit to 5 per species
- Restrict the size of snapping turtles that can be taken to only those over 12” and softshells over 13”
2. Game Frogs (Bullfrogs and Green frogs): Allow the use of an air rifle to take game frogs, with a definition of legal air rifles that could be used.
3. License requirements for taking reptiles and amphibians: Specify that a hunting license is required if a firearm (or air rifle, if allowed) is going to be used to take game frogs and turtles
PERMITS
1. Wild Animal Rehabilitation Permit: Remove continuing education requirement,
- Remove limits on number of animals that can be released each year,
- Make other technical changes
2. Temporary Rehabilitation Permit: Create a new permit that would allow individuals to rescue orphaned wild animals and keep them for no more than 90 days, at which time the animal would have to be released, given to a regular licensed rehabilitator for further care, or the person becomes an assistant under a regular licensed rehabilitator or becomes license his/herself. The person would be required to obtain veterinary exam for the animal, maintain housing requirements, be subject to an inspection by a conservation officer, and must apply for permit within 7 days of acquisition of animal. One person would be eligible for only one permit and for no more than 2 animals.
3. Game Breeder License: Modify rule language to match identification and disease testing requirements already established in 345 IAC 2-7 under the Board of Animal Health;
- Allow the fence height to be less than 8 feet tall for exotic species of cervidae such as fallow deer that are not know to be able to jump over fences, which will match rule language in 345 IAC 2-7-3.
- Allow pheasants and quail and their eggs to be imported with either a certificate of veterinary inspection or National Poultry Improvement Plan certificate, which is consistent with BOAH’s rule in 345 IAC 1-3-25.
4. Aquatic Vegetation Control Permit: Require applicants to be certified pesticide applicators,
- Clarify authority,
- Define terms
5. Reptile captive breeding license: Add a requirement that the applicant be a resident of Indiana and remove the requirement that a veterinarian examine the snakes within 14 days of acquisition
6. Trapper Education Permit: Establish a new permit (free of charge) that would authorize the trapping of furbearing mammals outside the season for a trapper education class approved by the DNR
7. GoFishIN Education Permit: Establish a new permit (free of charge) that would authorize fishing in public waters without a fishing license for participants (registered students and crew captains) only during the time, date, and location of the GoFishIN workshop
8. Commercial Deer Processors: Require proper disposal of deer carcasses such as incineration, taken to a landfill, or taken to a rendering facility.
MISCELLANEOUS
1. Nuisance Raccoons, skunks, opossums, beavers, muskrats, red foxes, gray foxes, mink, long-tailed weasels, gray squirrels and fox squirrels:
- Allow resident landowners and tenants to designate other people in writing to take these animals for them outside the season and without a permit as long as there is no compensation of any kind;
- Allow these animals to be taken without a permit if the animal is causing or threatening to cause damage to property or posing health or safety threat to persons or domestic animals,
- Make other clarifications to define landowner and legal methods
2. Hunter Education Requirements: Remove the requirement that a license retailer note the date the hunter education program was successfully completed (just note the certification number
