Making the kids a part of what we do at DNR

DNR Director Kyle Hupfer helps 10-year-old P.J. Felton of Huntington
County shoot the first official shot at the J. Edward Roush Lake shooting
range opening ceremony in August.

 In the September/October issue of Outdoor Indiana, I enjoyed reading the stories from several DNR employees telling about some of their early hunting experiences.

I can still remember one of mine — getting all bundled up and walking along with my father on my first rabbit hunt. I carried a stick as a weapon, and “we” were lucky enough to take “our” limit that day.

Hunting is a real passion for me. As such, leading the DNR provides me an opportunity to have a direct impact on an endeavor that I love. While I enjoy much about hunting, I have become passionate about one aspect of it: introducing youth to hunting, fishing, shooting sports and all other outdoor pursuits.

There are a lot of talented folks helping to lead the way on this issue. In September, the DNR was part of the first “Take a Kid Hunting Day” in Indiana. And that was just the tip of the iceberg.

This year we concentrated mostly on promoting hunting. Next year, with the help of the legislature, I hope to have the first free youth hunting weekend. This event would allow kids under age 15 to hunt without a license during that weekend, if accompanied by a licensed adult.

The free hunting weekend would be similar to the free fishing weekend, which encourages adults to take kids fishing. We anticipate that it would become a big annual success.

We are also seeking to establish a youth deer season for next year. A license will be required, but the kids will get the first shot at deer hunting, as the hunt would occur the last weekend before bow season.

We are also looking to establish a youth turkey season. These steps will help promote hunting with kids and get them in the field.

A big thrill is for me to get to talk to kids about the outdoors. I recently helped with a fishing clinic and assisted as we opened the new Roush Lake shooting range.

These innovations will take their place alongside the things we have done for years. For example, in August, the State Fair draws thousands of kids to the Natural Resources building. We look forward to even bigger crowds next year as we celebrate our 60th anniversary at the fair.

And finally, as you reach the end of this issue of Outdoor Indiana, you will find a new feature — our kids’ page. We call it Exploring Your Environment (EYE), and in each issue we will provide some project or activity to bring kids closer to our natural, historical or cultural heritage.

So whether you’re a parent, grandparent, neighbor, aunt or uncle, you can get your favorite kids involved with DNR through hunting, fishing and especially Outdoor Indiana.