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.
