What's new with fish, guided birding and reserved hunts in Indiana

Joseph Dits, South Bend Tribune
·2 min read

And now, here are ways to help you in your pursuit of fish, migrating birds and reserved hunts in Indiana ― all culled from this week’s Outdoor Adventures column.

∎ Hike and fish: LaPorte County Parks naturalist Niki Schmutte will lead a 2-mile hike for the Harbor Country Hikers at 9 a.m. CDT Sept. 10 on trails at Luhr County Park in LaPorte, many of which are paved, including a three-quarter-mile ADA-accessible path. Afterwards, gear will be loaned for hikers to fish in a stocked pond; no fishing license is required. The park is at 3178 S. County Road 150 W., LaPorte. From LaPorte, go south on U.S. 35, west on West County Road 250 South and south on South County Road 150 West.

∎ Audubon gathering: Indiana Audubon will host its annual gathering Sept. 24 in the South Bend area. Participants can choose from various multi-hour bird watching tours in local parks and preserves, which include birding yoga, a van tour of Indiana Birding Trail spots and a fall migration tour of Potato Creek State Park, each costing $49-$38. The day finishes with a dinner presentation about John James Audubon at Ferrettie-Baugo Creek County Park in Osceola ($39). Find details and registration at indianaaudubon.org/events.

∎ Striped bass: The Indiana Department of Natural Resources recently did its annual stocking of striped bass and hybrid striped bass in 12 public lakes across the state, including 3,270 hybrids in Worster Lake at Potato Creek State Park in North Liberty. Fish were stocked as fingerlings, averaging 1.5 inches in length, and should reach a catchable size of 14 inches in 2024.

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∎ Reserved hunts: Sept. 23 is the deadline to apply for several reserved hunts across Indiana, including deer hunts at select state parks in November. Also, registration for Indiana’s 2022 put/take pheasant hunts opens at 7 a.m. Sept. 14. The hunts will be Nov. 19-27. Cost is $30. It’s first come first served until the daily hunter quota is reached. It’s only for seven state fish and wildlife areas, including Winamac, Pigeon River near LaGrange, Tri County near Syracuse and Willow Slough in northwest Indiana. Find details at on.IN.gov/reservedhunt. Click on “Apply for a reserved hunt” toward the top of the page.

Find columnist Joseph Dits on Facebook at SBTOutdoorAdventures or 574-235-6158 or jdits@sbtinfo.com.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Hike fish birdwatch with Indiana Audubon or do reserved hunt