Wells County Extension calendar

• November 16: Indiana 4-H Congress, Indiana State Fairgrounds, Indianapolis, Registration 8:45-9:15 a.m., Program 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
• November 18: Wells County 4-H Association, Community Center, 4-H Park, Bluffton 7 p.m.
• November 19: Agriculture Outlook Breakfast, Wells County Community Center, 4-H Park, Bluffton, 7 a.m. Call 824-6412 for meal reservations (free)
• November 19: Private Applicator Recertification Program (PARP), Wells Co. Community Center, 4-H Park, Bluffton, 9:30 a.m., $10 fee for PARP credit. Bring applicator license number. Call 824-6412 to reserve a seat.
• November 19: Fall Program Fair, Wells County Community Center, 4-H Park, Bluffton. 3-4  p.m. Diabetic Cooking; 4:30-5:30 p.m. Slow Cooking at its Best. Each program has a $2 sampling fee. Call 824-6412 to register.
• November 20: Area 4-H Jr. Leader Planning Committee, Ossian Public Library, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
• November 20: Exhibitor set-up for Wells County Career Expo, Community Center, 4-H Park, Bluffton, 1:30-5 p.m.
• November 21: Wells County Career Expo, Community Center, 4-H Park, Bluffton, 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
• December 11: Manure Management Workshop (with Upper Wabash River Basin Commission), Wells Co. Public Library 6:30 p.m. PARP credits available.

Talk to an expert about firearms

From the Indiana Department of Natural Resources:

Facebook followers of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources can “talk” online with DNR biologists and conservation officers about firearms deer season rules on Wednesday, Nov. 13, from 2 to 3 p.m. EST on the DNR Facebook wall.

Lt. William Browne and wildlife information specialist Michelle Cain will answer questions about season dates, bag limits, license and equipment requirements, urban deer zones and all firearms deer season regulations. Participants are invited to join the conversation and ask questions.

Future topics, instructions on how to join a conversation on Facebook, and commenting guidelines are posted at dnr.IN.gov/7315.htm.

To join a chat, go to the DNR’s Facebook wall, facebook.com/INdnr, and click “like” (if you are not already a “friend”).

You may begin typing in questions during the time slot. The DNR experts will answer questions as time allows.

N-B Video: Norwell grad Klay Fiechter breaks UIndy rushing, touchdown records

Learn more in the Monday, Nov. 11, News-Banner. (Video by Paul Beitler)

21 state parks to close temporarily for deer reductions

From the Indiana Department of Natural Resources:

Select Indiana state parks will close temporarily to allow for controlled deer reductions in the coming weeks.

The dates for the temporary closings are Nov. 18 and 19, and Dec. 2 and 3.

The state parks affected are Brown County, Chain O’Lakes, Charlestown, Clifty Falls, Fort Harrison, Harmonie, Indiana Dunes, Lincoln, McCormick’s Creek, Ouabache, Pokagon, Potato Creek, Prophetstown, Shades, Shakamak, Spring Mill, Summit Lake, Tippecanoe, Turkey Run, Versailles, and Whitewater Memorial. These state parks will close to the general public the evening before each of the two efforts and reopen the morning after each two-day reduction.

Only individuals drawn last September and those listed on their applications may participate at Brown County, Chain O’Lakes, Charlestown, Clifty Falls, Harmonie, Lincoln, McCormick’s Creek, Ouabache, Pokagon, Potato Creek, Prophetstown, Shades, Shakamak, Summit Lake, Tippecanoe, Versailles and Whitewater Memorial. There will be no standby drawings at those parks.

For Fort Harrison (archery hunt) and Indiana Dunes, Spring Mill and Turkey Run (firearms hunts), a public standby drawing to fill spots left vacant will take place on property each morning of the reduction.

Indiana Dunes State Park will conduct daily standby drawings at 8 a.m. CST. Potential standby participants can apply on site between 7 and 7:45 a.m. CST but cannot enter the park before 7 a.m.

Turkey Run, Spring Mill, and Fort Harrison will conduct daily standby drawings at 8:30 a.m. EST. Potential standby participants can apply onsite between 7:30 a.m. and 8:15 a.m. EST but cannot enter the park before 7:30 a.m.

Eligibility for daily onsite standby drawings is limited to Indiana residents who are 18 years of age by Nov. 18, and have any valid license to take deer in Indiana. Indiana residents who possess an Indiana lifetime license to take deer are also eligible. Participants must wear a hunter orange hat or cap and vest, coat, jacket or coveralls at all times while on the property.

To participate in the standby drawings, individuals must present a photo ID and their valid filled or unfilled license to take deer. Applications can include up to three individuals. The number of participants drawn will be based on the number of unclaimed spots for each day; it is not a first-come, first-served process. The need for stand-in hunters tends to increase with each hunt day.

Questions about participating in the standby drawings should be directed to the property of interest.

DNR biologists evaluate which parks require a reduction each year based on habitat recovery and previous harvest rates at each park. The state parks are home to more than 32 state-endangered plants and numerous significant natural communities. The reductions help control browsing by deer to a level that helps maintain habitat throughout the state parks for all plants and animals.

Information on 2014 state park deer reductions, including online applications, will be available next summer at dnr.IN.gov/fishwild. The application deadline is usually the end of August.

A report on the 2012 reductions can be found at dnr.IN.gov/parklake/files/sp-DeerRMRR.pdf.

Fiechter rushing toward record

University of Indianapolis senior running back Klay Fiechter rushed for 144 yards and a touchdown to lift the No. 18-ranked NCAA Division II Greyhounds’ football team over the Saint Joseph’s Pumas 27-24 Saturday afternoon at Rennselaer.

The Bluffton native, who graduated from Norwell High School in 2010, also ended the day just four yards short of becoming the school’s all-time leading rusher.

UofI has created the following video to promote the next game, in which Fiechter is expected to break the record.