04-15-2008, 12:09 AM
The DNR offers hunters reserved turkey hunts during youth and regular wild turkey hunting seasons.
Reserved youth spring turkey hunts
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Reserved youth turkey season hunts will be offered for both youth season days, April 19 and 20, at 27 DNR properties.
The hunts will be offered at Atterbury, Crosley, Glendale, Goose Pond, Hovey Lake, Jasper-Pulaski, Sugar Ridge, Kankakee, Kingsbury, LaSalle, Pigeon River, Tri-County, Minnehaha, Fairbanks Landing, Hillenbrand, Chinook, Winamac and Willow Slough FWAs, as well as Cagles Mill, Hardy, Monroe, Patoka, Salamonie, Brookville, Roush and Mississinewa lakes.
Each property will hold local early registrations and drawings at the property for the half-day hunts. Hunts will run one-half hour before sunrise until noon at properties in the Central Time Zone, and one-half hour before sunrise until 1 p.m. on properties in the Eastern Time Zone. Hunters should sign up for Fairbanks Landing, Chinook and Hillenbrand hunts at Minnehaha FWA.
A youth hunter may be drawn for either or both hunt days, depending on the number of applicants. Youth hunters, or an adult representing them, can register in person at the property they wish to hunt from March 10 - 21, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The drawing will be held March 24. All applicants will be notified of drawing results by mail.
Youth hunters that are selected for the hunt may check in at any time each day during legal hunting hours for that property. Properties that do not fill their quotas during the early registration may fill remaining spots through a drawing each morning on a first-come, first-serve basis. Properties will not have a daily no-show drawing because selected youth hunters can show up at any time during the morning hunts. Hunters interested in possible unfilled quotas at a property should contact individual properties for more information prior to showing up on the opening morning of the youth season.
During youth wild turkey season, hunters 15 years old or younger can take a bearded or male wild turkey. The youth must be accompanied by an adult of at least 18 years of age.
The youth hunter may use any legal shotgun, bow and arrow, or crossbow. The adult accompanying the youth hunter must not possess a firearm, bow and arrow, or crossbow while in the field, and does not need to possess a turkey hunting license. A youth hunter may take only one bearded or male wild turkey during all spring seasons. The youth must be properly licensed to take a wild turkey and comply with all tagging and check-in requirements.
Reserved regular spring turkey season hunts<br />
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Reserved turkey hunts for the regular spring season are offered at 18 DNR properties and two national wildlife refuge areas during the 2008 spring turkey season. The regular spring season runs April 23 to May 11, 2008.
This spring's reserved turkey hunts at Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Area in Johnson and Bartholomew counties have been cancelled because of conflicts with military training exercises.
Hunters who have already applied for a reserved hunt at Atterbury JMTA will be able to reapply for an alternate reserved hunt.
Hunters can apply for DNR regular-season turkey hunt reservations at wildlife.IN.gov. Mail-in turkey hunt reservation applications are also in the 2007-2008 Indiana Hunting and Trapping Guide, available at most sport license vendors and DNR property offices.
The DNR reserved turkey hunt reservation deadline is March 14, 2008. All applicants will be notified of the results by mail.
Jasper-Pulaski, Kingsbury, LaSalle, Pigeon River, Tri-County, Willow Slough, and Winamac FWAs and Roush, Mississinewa and Salamonie lakes will conduct five, three-day reserved hunts and two, two-day reserved hunts. Hunting dates for these areas are:
-April 23, 24, 25<br />
-April 26, 27<br />
-April 28, 29, 30<br />
-May 1, 2, 3<br />
-May 4, 5, 6<br />
-May 7, 8, 9<br />
-May 10, 11
Atterbury, Chinook, Crosley, Glendale, Hovey Lake, Hillenbrand, Fairbanks Landing and Minnehaha FWAs and Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge will hold two, three-day reserved hunts. The hunting dates for these areas are:<br />
-April 23, 24, 25<br />
-April 26, 27, 28
After the reserved hunts, Atterbury, Chinook, Crosley, Fairbanks Landing, Glendale, Hovey Lake, Hillenbrand and Minnehaha FWAs will be open for turkey hunting from April 29 to the end of the season, May 11.
A daily drawing may be held each morning at these six properties, if necessary, to allocate hunting locations. A hunter must obtain a daily hunting permit at the property's check station to legally hunt on these FWAs.
Goose Pond, Kankakee and Sugar Ridge FWAs and several reservoirs will offer self-service check-in hunting for the entire spring wild turkey season.
Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge<br />
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Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge will be open to special permit turkey hunting for 13 days during the 2008 regular spring turkey season. Ten permits per day will be issued for the refuge hunting area. Hunting will be permitted on weekdays from 1/2 hour before sunrise to noon.
Successful hunters are required to check their turkeys at the refuge office. Hunters selected in the random drawing will be randomly assigned only one day. There is no choice of hunting dates.
Only selected individuals will be permitted to hunt on most properties. Selected hunters will not be allowed to bring a partner; however, hunters drawn to hunt Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge will still be required to bring a partner to hunt.
Check-in time for DNR regular season reserved turkey hunts<br />
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Selected hunters at Indiana properties in the Central Time Zone must be checked in at the property check station by 4:30 a.m. each day of their hunt. Hunting spots that are not claimed by 4:30 a.m. will be filled with standby hunters. Turkey hunters drawn for reserved hunts at properties in the Eastern Time Zone will need to register at the property by 5:30 a.m.
Fairbanks Landing, Hillenbrand, and Chinook fish and wildlife areas, and Roush, Mississinewa and Salamonie lakes will not conduct no-show drawings.
Reservation hunts are non-transferable, except when a selected hunter wishes to transfer his/her reservation to a hunter 16 years old or younger and takes that hunter hunting on the reserved days. If the selected hunter harvests a turkey prior to his/her reserved hunt, or on one of his/her reserved hunt dates, the selected hunter forfeits the remainder of the reserved hunt dates.
For additional information, call the property office where you wish to hunt.
Reserve a regular turkey season hunt or purchase a sport license:<br />
dnr.IN.gov/fishwild
DNR property information:<br />
dnr.IN.gov/dnr/destinations/list.html
Wild turkey hunting regulations:<br />
dnr.IN.gov/fishwild/huntguide1/hunting1.htm
Turkey hunting safety tips:<br />
dnr.IN.gov/fishwild/hunt/turkey/turkeysafe.html
Reserved youth spring turkey hunts
--------------------------------------------------
Reserved youth turkey season hunts will be offered for both youth season days, April 19 and 20, at 27 DNR properties.
The hunts will be offered at Atterbury, Crosley, Glendale, Goose Pond, Hovey Lake, Jasper-Pulaski, Sugar Ridge, Kankakee, Kingsbury, LaSalle, Pigeon River, Tri-County, Minnehaha, Fairbanks Landing, Hillenbrand, Chinook, Winamac and Willow Slough FWAs, as well as Cagles Mill, Hardy, Monroe, Patoka, Salamonie, Brookville, Roush and Mississinewa lakes.
Each property will hold local early registrations and drawings at the property for the half-day hunts. Hunts will run one-half hour before sunrise until noon at properties in the Central Time Zone, and one-half hour before sunrise until 1 p.m. on properties in the Eastern Time Zone. Hunters should sign up for Fairbanks Landing, Chinook and Hillenbrand hunts at Minnehaha FWA.
A youth hunter may be drawn for either or both hunt days, depending on the number of applicants. Youth hunters, or an adult representing them, can register in person at the property they wish to hunt from March 10 - 21, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The drawing will be held March 24. All applicants will be notified of drawing results by mail.
Youth hunters that are selected for the hunt may check in at any time each day during legal hunting hours for that property. Properties that do not fill their quotas during the early registration may fill remaining spots through a drawing each morning on a first-come, first-serve basis. Properties will not have a daily no-show drawing because selected youth hunters can show up at any time during the morning hunts. Hunters interested in possible unfilled quotas at a property should contact individual properties for more information prior to showing up on the opening morning of the youth season.
During youth wild turkey season, hunters 15 years old or younger can take a bearded or male wild turkey. The youth must be accompanied by an adult of at least 18 years of age.
The youth hunter may use any legal shotgun, bow and arrow, or crossbow. The adult accompanying the youth hunter must not possess a firearm, bow and arrow, or crossbow while in the field, and does not need to possess a turkey hunting license. A youth hunter may take only one bearded or male wild turkey during all spring seasons. The youth must be properly licensed to take a wild turkey and comply with all tagging and check-in requirements.
Reserved regular spring turkey season hunts<br />
-----------------------------------------------------
Reserved turkey hunts for the regular spring season are offered at 18 DNR properties and two national wildlife refuge areas during the 2008 spring turkey season. The regular spring season runs April 23 to May 11, 2008.
This spring's reserved turkey hunts at Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Area in Johnson and Bartholomew counties have been cancelled because of conflicts with military training exercises.
Hunters who have already applied for a reserved hunt at Atterbury JMTA will be able to reapply for an alternate reserved hunt.
Hunters can apply for DNR regular-season turkey hunt reservations at wildlife.IN.gov. Mail-in turkey hunt reservation applications are also in the 2007-2008 Indiana Hunting and Trapping Guide, available at most sport license vendors and DNR property offices.
The DNR reserved turkey hunt reservation deadline is March 14, 2008. All applicants will be notified of the results by mail.
Jasper-Pulaski, Kingsbury, LaSalle, Pigeon River, Tri-County, Willow Slough, and Winamac FWAs and Roush, Mississinewa and Salamonie lakes will conduct five, three-day reserved hunts and two, two-day reserved hunts. Hunting dates for these areas are:
-April 23, 24, 25<br />
-April 26, 27<br />
-April 28, 29, 30<br />
-May 1, 2, 3<br />
-May 4, 5, 6<br />
-May 7, 8, 9<br />
-May 10, 11
Atterbury, Chinook, Crosley, Glendale, Hovey Lake, Hillenbrand, Fairbanks Landing and Minnehaha FWAs and Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge will hold two, three-day reserved hunts. The hunting dates for these areas are:<br />
-April 23, 24, 25<br />
-April 26, 27, 28
After the reserved hunts, Atterbury, Chinook, Crosley, Fairbanks Landing, Glendale, Hovey Lake, Hillenbrand and Minnehaha FWAs will be open for turkey hunting from April 29 to the end of the season, May 11.
A daily drawing may be held each morning at these six properties, if necessary, to allocate hunting locations. A hunter must obtain a daily hunting permit at the property's check station to legally hunt on these FWAs.
Goose Pond, Kankakee and Sugar Ridge FWAs and several reservoirs will offer self-service check-in hunting for the entire spring wild turkey season.
Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge<br />
----------------------------------------------------<br />
Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge will be open to special permit turkey hunting for 13 days during the 2008 regular spring turkey season. Ten permits per day will be issued for the refuge hunting area. Hunting will be permitted on weekdays from 1/2 hour before sunrise to noon.
Successful hunters are required to check their turkeys at the refuge office. Hunters selected in the random drawing will be randomly assigned only one day. There is no choice of hunting dates.
Only selected individuals will be permitted to hunt on most properties. Selected hunters will not be allowed to bring a partner; however, hunters drawn to hunt Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge will still be required to bring a partner to hunt.
Check-in time for DNR regular season reserved turkey hunts<br />
----------------------------------------------------------------<br />
Selected hunters at Indiana properties in the Central Time Zone must be checked in at the property check station by 4:30 a.m. each day of their hunt. Hunting spots that are not claimed by 4:30 a.m. will be filled with standby hunters. Turkey hunters drawn for reserved hunts at properties in the Eastern Time Zone will need to register at the property by 5:30 a.m.
Fairbanks Landing, Hillenbrand, and Chinook fish and wildlife areas, and Roush, Mississinewa and Salamonie lakes will not conduct no-show drawings.
Reservation hunts are non-transferable, except when a selected hunter wishes to transfer his/her reservation to a hunter 16 years old or younger and takes that hunter hunting on the reserved days. If the selected hunter harvests a turkey prior to his/her reserved hunt, or on one of his/her reserved hunt dates, the selected hunter forfeits the remainder of the reserved hunt dates.
For additional information, call the property office where you wish to hunt.
Reserve a regular turkey season hunt or purchase a sport license:<br />
dnr.IN.gov/fishwild
DNR property information:<br />
dnr.IN.gov/dnr/destinations/list.html
Wild turkey hunting regulations:<br />
dnr.IN.gov/fishwild/huntguide1/hunting1.htm
Turkey hunting safety tips:<br />
dnr.IN.gov/fishwild/hunt/turkey/turkeysafe.html