indiana

The 2012-2013 Indiana Rules Changes

As you might have read in an earlier post I made back last September, you probably already know that new rules for the 2012-2013 deer hunting season in Indiana were in the works. They have now been posted by the Indiana DNR so hunters can start to plan out their hunting trips.

We will go over the most drastic changes that will affect most hunters. You might agree with all or some of them but Indiana DNR makes the rules and we have to deal with them.

After reading the rules below, please chime in by leaving a comment below about what you think of the changes. Good, bad or a mixture? If we do not start the conversation in public forum where the Indiana DNR can see it, they do not know what hunters like or want from them. Have a voice and let them know what you like and what you would like to see changed.

First off, here is the Indiana deer hunting seasons:

(click to enlarge)

2012-2013 Indiana Deer Hunting Seasons

2012-2013 Indiana Deer Hunting Seasons

Overview for rule changes for 2012-2013

The major rule changes are as followed:

Deer Hunter License Bundle

Indiana has created a new license bundle for deer hunters. The price of the Indiana deer license hunting bundle is $65. With that price you will be able to bag one buck or antlered deer and two antleress deer. The bundle covers archery, gun and muzzleloader seasons. This license is not accepted in urban zones.

This new rule addresses one of my biggest complaints about hunting in Indiana though I still do not believe it goes far enough. I have always thought that Indiana requiring hunters to purchase a hunting license for every season (unless you had a bonus tag) was a crock. Though this rule is in the right direction I do not think Indiana should make you buy 3 tags knowing that most hunters only bag one, maybe two deer per year. I will not complain to much though 🙂

Added Firearm Season

In counties with a bonus antlerles option of 4 or more, you will have an extra week of antlerless deer hunting. The added dates are from December 26th through the first Sunday in January.

Archery Season Extended

You will now be able to archery hunt with no break in the season from October 1st through the first Sunday in January.

New Rifle Cartridge Length

Another regulation that I’m in favor of is the new cartridge sizes allowed. The new maximum length allowed is 1.8 inches allowing the .460 Smith & Wesson, .450 Bushmaster, and .50 Beowulf.

Crossbow Season Extended

You may now use a cross bow through the whole archery season from October 1st through the first Sunday in January. If you are looking for a buck you will of course need to get a cross bow license as it is not covered under the new license bundle which I think is crap. You may crossbow hunt with a bonus antlerless tag.

Hunter Orange on Deer Blinds

Any deer blind in the state of Indiana that is less than 4 feet off the ground and made of any man-made materials must be marked with hunter orange. The space requirements are at least 144 square inches on each side so that it is visible from any direction while deer hunting. A hunter orange flag on the top of your deer blind does not satisfy these requirements. This new rule must be followed on all land, public or private during any season where hunters are required to wear safety colors.

Deer CheckIN online

Hunters may now check in deer along with turkey online at checkINgame.dnr.in.gov. You will need your Customer ID when doing it. You can find your number on the top left hand corner of your license. You can still tag your kills in person at any authorized check-in station.

There are other rules that you might want to look over. The above 2012-2013 Indiana deer hunting rule changes are only the biggest changes.

Camping Clifty Falls State Park Indiana Review

This trip took me and the family to Clifty Falls Indiana on our before school camping trip. Clifty Falls Indiana is located in the town of Madison Indiana, Madison is a small town located in South East Indiana. Madison is known for its historic sites, wineries and of course Clifty Falls State park.

Clifty Falls State park is home to camping, hiking and the Clifty Inn along with much more. If you like to hike then Clifty falls is for you. In this review I will go over what the park has to offer in camping and entrainment.

Camp Ground:

The campground offers 59 primitive, 106 electric, and youth group camp sites. I hate to say but they do not offer water or full hook up at this park. Water is supplied from a hose at the bath houses, the water is regularly tested and is marked as “safe to drink”. The sewage tanks are located at the front of the park and has an easy access to pull in and out on both sides of the tanks.

The camping ground also has some small play areas with slides and swings in good shape.

The roads are paved and in good shape, kids can ride bikes, skateboards, etc with no issues. The sites include a gravel pad at all electrical sites. many of the sites are backed against woods but some are in the open. Sites in the open has very little shade with the sites backed against the woods having some.

The camp ground does have a theater with seating but they did not show any movies while we where there. They did have church service on Sunday morning which is always nice. They also have crafts or another activity almost every day for the kids.

Bath houses are nice, I would suggest the new bath house in the primitive section if you do not mind the trip. It looks brand new.

Check in is an easy pull up window and since you already have a reservation it goes quickly. The guard at the front gate was very nice, in fact everyone was very nice. A lot of families were camping while we were there and everyone seemed nice. We ended up camping next to about 20 modern Amish. I don’t know if this is a large Amish community but it was nice.

The Clifty Falls camp ground does not have a pool but a quick hike through a trail takes you to one. You can always drive like we did because we had a small guy with us and between the drinks and towels it makes better sense.

The pool cost $2 per person per day and is open to non-campers. This kind of caught us off guard, we thought campers swam free. In any case the $2 is well worth it. The Clifty Falls pool includes a beach style pool with two slides a diving board and baby pool. My older son and friend spent most of the time on the large water park type slide that ends in 3ft of water. My younger son liked the big pool in the shallow beach style part with a park supplied life jacket. I should also say that you can not bring in any floating devices for young swimmers. The life guards will supply you with a free life jacket. Okay, so the pool was awesome and well worth the $2 but the life guards are another story. They are all younger kids (17-19) and they seemed kind of snooty and irritated at all the kids. I should not say all but 2-3 were. Not mean but kind of snooty. I wrote this off to kids summer job. So over all you will want to visit the pool.

Camping can be reserved online along with any other state park by visiting the Indiana reservation site.

The Park:

The park also has a lot to offer. 1300 acres, miles and miles of hiking ranging from moderate to rugged trails, private picnic areas, nature center and play areas. Besides the pool you will find a the nature center small but fun. Live snakes in house along with some other wildlife from around the park. They do have nature shows, we went to a snake show while there and the boys got to hold a black snake.

There are a lot of trails. One rated easy but you do not see much. The others are rated moderate to rugged. You will have no trouble taking a 3+ year old on the moderate. I would leave the rugged to 7+ but we did take our 3 year old on a rugged because we made a wrong turn, he did well! I will say that you must be careful as you will be along some pretty big cliffs. Always keep children in front of you and make sure they are not running. Always hold the hand of any small children at all times!

Clifty Falls State park is known for hiking, the other stuff is an added bonus. I highly recommend visiting Clifty Falls Indiana State Park for your next camping trip. It is family oriented and you will not be bored.  It is just a great park.