Indiana Adds Hunting Seasons For Kids
August 25, 2006
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources this year will provide kids under the age of 16 a chance at their own hunting seasons for deer, turkey and small game. Of course there are limitations but here’s the deal in a nutshell.
For small game hunting the season will run September 2 and 3. That’s the first weekend of the month. Small game will include mourning dove, squirrel, Canada goose and whatever else is in season at that time.
For the small game season the youth don’t require a hunting license nor are they required to take a hunter safety course. No stamps are needed and basically they must abide by all other hunting regulations. They must also be accompanied by a license-carrying person at least 18 years old. The adult cannot hold, carry or fire a gun or bow and arrow. They must be in close enough proximity to be able to communicate and keep track of the youth at all times. The adult can assist with calling game.
Later in September, the 23rd and 24th, the same age youth will have a deer hunting season. In this case the hunter must have a junior license, which means completing the necessary hunter safety course. The accompanying adult, who must be at least 18 does not need a hunting license. Both people must wear hunter orange.
The junior hunter must abide by all hunting regulations and is entitled to one antlerless deer. It should be noted that this deer would be in addition to any other deer taken during any other season. This is good because in many states, like Maine, if a youth bags a deer during youth hunt, they’re done for the season.
What I also find a bit odd with these two hunts is the fact that during the small game season, the accompanying adult needs a hunting license and the kid doesn’t. During the deer season, the kid does and the adult doesn’t – the same with the special youth turkey hunt. I guess I need someone smarter than I am to explain the reasoning for that.
There will also be a youth wild turkey season taking place in April – the 21st and 22nd. The hunter must be accompanied by an adult at least 18 and will be allowed one bearded or male turkey.
The youth must be properly licensed for the special spring turkey hunt but the accompanying adult does not need to be.
Please refer to the Indiana Hunting Guide for details on these regulations and all other season dates, bag limits, etc.
Tom Remington
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I think it’s a great idea to give kids the opportunity to be introduced to hunting with the special season. Hunting is an intrest that played an important roll in keeping me out of trouble groing up. It is our duty to offer kids alternative hobbies to drugs, gangs,and other such things that could lead them down the wrong road. I would like to see the youth season extnded a little. and would be happy to pay more for my license to pay for this program and others that may follow.
As long as it would get more kids in the woods and of the right frame of mind. We need the younger generations to love hunting and fishing if we ever want to keep it. Strength in numbers. Greg, Supposedly one of the teachers at our high school had to go to work early this week and what should he find roaming behind the school? He swears up and down it was a wolf. He’s quite a good outdoorsmen and has seen other wolves in areas where he elk hunts so I fins it hard not to believe him. Go figure.
I don’t doubt him, Wolves have been seen cruising Hailey at Night, Ketchum and Sun valley.. In New Mexico the Red Wolf has been seen hanging out near a school, it’s only a matter of time..some will lose their child one day. Frankly I expected it already and am surprised it apparently hasen’t happened, But a couple years ago a young man about 19-20 went missing in the Stanely Basin near the Sawtooth Wilderness, he had day hiked from a church camp and climbed a peak, and then poof…a few bones were found a year later..The official story is he fell.. I wonder. I doubt we would get the truth unless it is impossible for them to deny it, when it happens, like in a school yard..
Greg,
Drove by my property today on the way to work ad saw a bunch of gut birds flying over my main ridge. I imagine the moose finally went down, I’ll head up there this weekend to see what happened for sure. My place is only about three miles from the school on the same side of the mountain, souds like maybe those wolvesae just running tha main ridge between drainages looking for an easy meal. Feel sory for theelk and moose right now, the snows crusted over hard and the deer are staing on top of it but the elk and moose I saw last weekend were all punchin through. Make it pretty easy for the dogs to run em down since theirstaying on top of the snow.
Take pictures…Of another specialty tag animal wasted by wolves…
It took Idaho over 30+ years to rebuild our moose populations..now being wiped out by the wolves…