It’s the “dog days” of winter. The hunting seasons are winding down, fishing is just a dream, and turkey season is too far off to comprehend. This is the last weekend for rabbit hunting and squirrel hunting for those of you south of U.S. 40. Thanks to the mild temperatures we are having, it might be a good idea to squeeze in that last hunt of the year. What’s worse, there’s not even enough ice on the lakes and ponds for ice fishing. That’s another year for my little poles and tackle to gather dust. This has been a freakish winter season; not that I’m complaining. This time of the year looks bleak, but not entirely.
Winter is the time for banquets and conventions. The 9th annual Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation big game banquet will be held on February 4th at the Zorah Shrine Temple in Terre Haute. Dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. with an auction at 7:30 p.m. Anyone interested in tickets should contact Chris Wrede at (812) 232-0107 or Bill Harris at (812) 240-6317. Tickets will not be available at the door.
The Indianapolis Boat, Sport, and Travel Show will begin on February 17th at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis. In conjunction with the show, the Indiana Deer and Turkey Expo will start the same date and run through the opening weekend. This is always a good day to spend listening to expert hunters and fishermen, buy new tackle, and pick up travel brochures to plan summer vacations. What a great way to cure the cabin fever (or make it worse).
I think this weekend I’ll have to get my beagle out one last time for the year. He’s a little lame right now, but he keeps on hunting. If that doesn’t work out, I guess I can shoot some crows. They’re in until March and there are plenty of them.
For hunters who are interested in turkey hunting public land, the IDNR is planning reserve hunts at 16 DNR properties, one military property and two national wildlife refuge areas during the 2006 spring turkey season.
To apply for these hunts, interested parties can apply online at www.wildlife.IN.gov. This year’s spring turkey season runs April 26 to May 14.
Mail-in turkey hunt reservation cards are in the 2005-2006 Indiana Hunting and Trapping Guide, available at most sport license vendors and DNR property offices. The DNR reserved turkey hunt reservation deadline is March 15. All applicants will be notified of the results by mail.
The hunter who is fortunate enough to be drawn will share the public acreage with only a handful of other hunters. Last year, I was fortunate to be drawn at Fairbanks Landing. I didn’t see a hunter in the field the entire three days of my reserve hunt. It is well worth applying.
Jasper-Pulaski, Kingsbury, LaSalle, Pigeon River, Tri-County, Willow Slough, Winamac, Crosley and Splinter Ridge Fish and Wildlife areas 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:
n April 26, 27, 28
n April 29, 30
n May 1, 2, 3
n May 4, 5, 6
n May 7, 8, 9
n May 10, 11, 12
n May 13, 14
Atterbury, Glendale, Hovey Lake, Hillenbrand, Fairbanks Landing and Minnehaha Fish and Wildlife areas and Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge, will hold two, three-day reserved hunts. The hunting dates for these areas are:
n April 26, 27, 28
n April 29, 30, May 1
After the reserved hunts, Atterbury, Fairbanks Landing, Glendale, Hovey Lake, Hillenbrand and Minnehaha Fish and Wildlife areas will be open for turkey hunting from May 2 to the end of the season, May 14.
A daily drawing may be conducted each morning at the property, 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 fish and wildlife areas.
Kankakee and Sugar Ridge Fish and Wildlife areas and several reservoirs will offer self-service check-in hunting for the entire spring wild turkey season, April 26 to May 14.
Atterbury Fish and Wildlife Area conducts five, two-day hunts at Atterbury Military Maneuver and Training Center. Atterbury Military Maneuver and Training Center reserved hunts take place on the following dates:
n April 26, 27
n May 1, 2
n May 3, 4
n May 8, 9
n May 10, 11
Hunter Education certification is required to hunt at Atterbury MMTC.
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.
Selected hunters must be checked in at the property check station by 4:30 each morning of their hunt. Hunting spots that are not claimed by 4:30 a.m. will be filled with stand-by hunters. Roush Lake, Fairbanks Landing, Hillenbrand, Splinter Ridge Fish and Wildlife areas, Mississinewa and Salamonie reservoirs 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.
Sports
Valley Outdoors: Mild temperatures make it ideal time to squeeze in hunting
- Sports
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Eye on the prize: Indiana State's #23, Taylor Whitley chases a loose ball and is fouled by the Northern Iowa defender as she attempts to get possession of the ball during game action Sunday.
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Time for a pick-me-up
Indiana State’s magnificent 3-point shooting duo of Brittany Schoen and Anna Munn connected at crucial times Sunday in Hulman Center.
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METRO ROUNDUP: Coleman sets 200-meter record for Rose-Hulman
Rose-Hulman’s track and field teams had 18 top-10 finishes Saturday at the Monmouth Invitational, which featured some NCAA Division I and Division II schools in addition to several Division III powers.
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Indiana State connects on all 12 of its 3-point shots vs. SIU and sets three NCAA records in process
When you’re a shooter and you’re in a slump, the boilerplate cure is to summon amnesia, forget about your struggles and keep on shooting.
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South’s Lough to wrestle for state title
The day didn’t start in a promising fashion for Wabash Valley high school wrestlers at the Evansville Semistate in Ford Center on Saturday — but it got better as it went along.
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TERRE HAUTE NORTH SECTIONAL: Mooresville tops South for fourth straight title
For Terre Haute South High School girls basketball fans, it might sound good that the Braves did not miss a shot in the first four minutes of their Class 4A Terre Haute North Sectional championship game Saturday.
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BLOOMFIELD SECTIONAL: Sullivan rebounds from tough start for title
It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.
Sullivan struggled mightily in the first half, eerily reminiscent of its eventual elimination in the final seconds of overtime by Edgewood in last year’s Class 3A girls basketball sectional. -
CLAY CITY SECTIONAL: Eels take third straight sectional crown
Clay City stood up to the pressure and to the Shakamak Lakers on Saturday night to win a third straight Class A sectional championship in the Eel Dome.
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NORTH VERMILLION SECTIONAL: Twenty years in the waiting
The Super Bowl came to a new city. A presidential election was ongoing. And Riverton Parke won a girls basketball sectional.
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PREP ROUNDUP: Rox clinch WRC
Class A No. 8-ranked Rockville knocked off Attica 50-35 in boys high school basketball Saturday afternoon, clinching the Wabash River Conference championship in the process.
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Perfect game: ISU shoots NCAA record 12-for-12 from 3-point range in win over SIU
Indiana State set an NCAA record for 3-point percentage and consecutive 3-pointers made Saturday afternoon in Hulman Center, connecting on all 12 attempts during a 78-68 win over Southern Illinois.
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Time for a pick-me-up
- Local Interest
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METRO ROUNDUP: ISU track athlete selected as MVC scholar-athlete of week
Indiana State senior Ernest Rollins has been selected the Prairie Farms/Missouri Valley Conference Male Scholar-Athlete of the Week it was announced Friday.
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Union season more fun with Talpas around
The Union boys basketball team has had its share of fun moments in the past, arguably the most fun being its Class A state runner-up in 2000.
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Injury bug follows girls into postseason
Who’s healthy is the question at least three of the four teams will be asking tonight when Class 4A girls high school basketball sectional play begins at Terre Haute North.
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A day later, Giants basking in win
A little more than nine hours after the New York Giants registered their second Super Bowl triumph in four years, coach Tom Coughlin and quarterback Eli Manning met with the media covering Super Bowl XLVI one last time Monday morning.
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METRO ROUNDUP: Evans, West receive track accolades
Two Rose-Hulman track and field athletes received weekly honors from the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference on Monday.
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METRO ROUNDUP: ISU track athlete selected as MVC scholar-athlete of week
- High School
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South’s Lough to wrestle for state title
The day didn’t start in a promising fashion for Wabash Valley high school wrestlers at the Evansville Semistate in Ford Center on Saturday — but it got better as it went along.
- TERRE HAUTE NORTH SECTIONAL: Mooresville tops South for fourth straight title
- BLOOMFIELD SECTIONAL: Sullivan rebounds from tough start for title
- CLAY CITY SECTIONAL: Eels take third straight sectional crown
- NORTH VERMILLION SECTIONAL: Twenty years in the waiting
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South’s Lough to wrestle for state title
- College
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Masked man: Indiana State's Justin Gant (5) passes to a cutting player Saturday at Hulman Center.
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Indiana State connects on all 12 of its 3-point shots vs. SIU and sets three NCAA records in process
When you’re a shooter and you’re in a slump, the boilerplate cure is to summon amnesia, forget about your struggles and keep on shooting.
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ISU's Webb wins heptathlon
Indiana State’s Robert Webb captured the heptathlon Saturday at the Grand Valley State Big Meet as he totaled the second most points in ISU history while dominating the event. Webb scored 5,140 points, which is second only to former Sycamore Anthony Bertoli’s 5,189 points in 2008.
Webb, a senior, established three more personal best efforts enroute to the overall victory as he ran 8.45 in the 60 meter hurdles and 2 minutes, 50.73 seconds in the 1,000 meters while also clearing 13-1 1/2 in the pole vault. Webb entered the second day of the event in the lead with 2,893 points after winning three of the four Friday events and setting personal bests in the long jump and shot put. -
Perfect game: ISU shoots NCAA record 12-for-12 from 3-point range in win over SIU
Indiana State set an NCAA record for 3-point percentage and consecutive 3-pointers made Saturday afternoon in Hulman Center, connecting on all 12 attempts during a 78-68 win over Southern Illinois.
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‘Frustrated’ Sycamores regroup to face Southern Illinois
Indiana State’s men’s basketball struggles have hit one Sycamore senior hard.
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Thomas nets double-double as ISU women end losing streak
The halftime speech is one of the most time-worn clichés in sports, but once in a while, it’s meaningful. It certainly was for the Indiana State women’s basketball team on Friday against Bradley.
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Indiana State connects on all 12 of its 3-point shots vs. SIU and sets three NCAA records in process
- Sports Columns
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RAMBLIN' RECK: And now, on to the next beloved winter sport
The final football game finally has been played, meaning folks in the Valley can concentrate on basketball this week.
- FROM THE PRESS BOX: Peyton’s place belongs to Eli
- COLLEGE REPORT: Vikings Waters, Barton excited about college basketball
- REDNECK QUAKER: Parke County young man keeps busy outdoors
- RAMBLIN' RECK: Indianapolis is looking mighty good this week
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RAMBLIN' RECK: And now, on to the next beloved winter sport
- Pro Sports
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A New York Giants fan, center, leads a cheer as he and his fellow fans walk to Lucas Oil Stadium for Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis, Sunday.
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A day later, Giants basking in win
A little more than nine hours after the New York Giants registered their second Super Bowl triumph in four years, coach Tom Coughlin and quarterback Eli Manning met with the media covering Super Bowl XLVI one last time Monday morning.
- PATRIOT KILLER: Eli’s heroics starting to look vintage
- What a kick for Weatherford
- FROM THE PRESS BOX: Peyton’s place belongs to Eli
- Mistakes cost Patriots fourth title
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A day later, Giants basking in win
- Terre Haute Rex
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Heftier home schedule awaits Rex fans
Terre Haute Rex fans will get to see their favorite baseball team play two additional home games this year — and it will be a championship team they’re watching.
- America’s (Class) Time: ISU students analyze Rex attendance data for class project
- No comeback this time for Rex
- Rex's pitching staff has big postseason potential
- Rex earn playoff spot with 8-3 win against Danville
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Heftier home schedule awaits Rex fans
- Colts
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Colts welcome Manusky aboard as defensive coordinator
On Thursday, Indianapolis Colts general manager Ryan Grigson, coach Chuck Pagano and potential No. 1 draft pick Andrew Luck led the parade.
Grigson and Pagano confirmed the hiring of several assistant coaches, including defensive coordinator Greg Manusky, Marwan Maalouf (special teams), Roy Anderson (safeties), Alfredo Roberts (tight ends) and Brandt Boyer (assistant special teams). - Mathis, Garcon at top of Colts’ wish list; Wayne isn’t
- Manning tiptoes around health questions
- Back home again in Indiana
- Patriots first to arrive in Indy
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Colts welcome Manusky aboard as defensive coordinator
- Auto Racing
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TRACKSIDE: Valley racing showed best, worst of times in 2011
A look back on the 2011 Wabash Valley auto racing season reveals the best and worst of times the sport has to offer.
- Action Track to play host to 4 USAC events
- ISU's Troxell, Crossroads Dragway in running for NHRA awards
- Memorial service for Wheldon attracts thousands
- Indy remembers Wheldon
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TRACKSIDE: Valley racing showed best, worst of times in 2011








