......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......

http://www.wane.com/news/indiana/21-state-parks-to-close-for-deer-hunts

Seems like a late time to set the drawing, considering you HAVE to stop hunting at 3pm and be gone by 4.........I believe this is for safety reasons, does anyone know for sure ? ....seem's ignorant to stop hunting right at peak movement time........

would you want to be the one to go looking for the lost hunters who got turned around after dark??

They have to account for everyone at the end of the day, if you are late they come looking for you. I think another part of it is, they are paying people to staff these hunts, if they went longer it would mean paying overtime.

The drawing is an excellent addition to these deer reductions. I believe that everyone in the standby draw at TR got to hunt last year.

These hunts are so weird, more like big deer drives... I just try to find escape routes and sit as long as I can.

True...Ive done Shades and Clifty and Ft. Harrison before.... Clifty and Ft. Harrison wasnt bad getting in and out, but Shades, whew buddy ! I of course went WAAAAY in, had to float my deer in the river to get it back cause there was no way I was getting my cart back there.....