Attended the meeting at Muscatatuk last night. Thought you might want a head's up.

There were four proposals presented. IMO, there was actually just one propsal .....and three others on the list intended to make the target proposal appear more inviting.

Proposal A - Leave things the way they are now. This isn't going to happen. They have been tweaking the regs in there annually. The goal is to get away from that. This year, there will be no draw for archery deer hunting at all. They will announce the archery dates...and the refuge will be open to walk in bowhunting during those dates.

Proposals B, C, and D......remove 270 acres of currently huntable ground behind the maintenance buildings (south of the old HWY 31 entrance) and add those acres to the existing waterfowl sanctuary. All three proposals establish an 850 acre bowhunting only zone in the previously restricted NE quadrant of the refuge. There will still be a restricted area in that quadrant around the office and the hiking trails. All three proposals also increase the small game hunting zone...which is currently only available in the SE quadrant....to all huntable acres in the refuge. Small game hunting in the bowhunting only zone will be restricted to archery equipment.

Proposal B offers no expansion of huntable species. Not their goal.

Proposal C expands the huntable species to everything listed in the Indiana hunting guide. Again, not their goal.

Proposal D has been recommended by "the state"...whoever that is....and is likely the direction they are headed. It adds woodcock, coyote, limited racoon and limited waterfowl opportunity (waterfowl on the river only).

They intend to do away with all draw hunts except for ML deer. Archery deer hunting and all turkey hunting will be walk in....and will run concurrent with state seasons.

Target date for implementation is spring 2014.

Again, for 2013, the archery deer draw has already been cancelled. They will announce archery deer dates....and the entire hunt will be walk in.

Paul

Received from an IBA member who attended the meeting.

The Best Idea I hear coming from the place is doing away with the "ONE" Deer a day limit!!!

The Buck to Doe ratio is all screwed up in there ....IMO

Hard to believe they want to do away with the Draw Hunts. That's always been extra money for the state ...IMO

But then Muscatatuck is a National Wildlife Refuge not a state one.

Jack

I thought you were dead or deported jack...
Nice to see tou back.......

Btw... he is correct!!!