STATEWIDE — Versailles, Clifty Falls near Madison, and Whitewater Memorial in Union County are among the select Indiana State Park properties that will close temporarily for controlled deer management hunts in the coming weeks.
Each hunt runs for two days. The first hunt is on Monday, November 15, and Tuesday, November 16. The second is on Monday, November 29, and Tuesday, November 30. The participating state park properties will be closed to the general public on the evening before each of the two hunts.
Other participating state park properties are Chain O’Lakes, Fort Harrison, Indiana Dunes, Lincoln, Ouabache, Pokagon, Potato Creek, Shakamak, Spring Mill, Summit Lake, Tippecanoe River, and Turkey Run state parks, as well as Cave River Valley Natural Area and Trine State Recreation Area.
These state park properties will re-open the morning after each two-day hunt. All other Indiana state park properties will be open and operate under normal hours.
Indiana DNR biologists evaluate which state park properties require a deer management hunt each year based on habitat recovery and previous harvest rates at each park. The state parks are home to numerous natural communities that serve as significant habitats. The deer management hunts help control browsing by deer to a level that ensures habitat for native plants and animals.
Only individuals selected from the draw may participate at any site.
A full report on the 2020 deer management hunts is available at stateparks.IN.gov/files/sp-DeerRMRR.pdf. The 2021 report will be available in March 2022.
Information regarding 2022 state park deer management hunts, including online applications, will be available next summer at on.IN.gov/reservedhunt. The application deadline is usually in mid-August of the year in which the hunts are to take place.
(Indiana Department of Natural Resources press release)
