Visit DNR at the Indiana State Fair
The DNR Building is the place to be during the Indiana State Fair. The fair runs July 28 to Aug. 20, excluding Mondays and Tuesdays.
Located in the northwest area of the fairgrounds, the DNR Building is not only one of the few with air conditioning at the fair, but also has the best information, wild animals, and fun. Stop by the adjacent Fishin' Pond, where children ages 5-17 can fish for free.
While you are cooling off inside, pick up the latest Recreation Guide, Fishing Guide, and Hunting & Trapping Guide, along with the guides for boating, off-road vehicles, and much more.
Connect with DNR staff at the State Fair
Multiple programs will be offered each day at the DNR Building. Check out the daily schedule for the day or days you will be visiting.
2023-24 Indiana Hunting & Trapping Guide now available
Are you ready to read about the latest tales of life as a Hoosier hunter? The new 2023-24 Hunting & Trapping Guide is out now and covers everything you need to know.
Learn all the tips and tricks of hunting small game and find the best new recipe to cook your harvest.
GoBikeIN continues creating outdoor adventures
In 2020, the Indiana Natural Resources Foundation (INRF) awarded Brown County State Park $10,000 through the INRF’s Give Adventure grant. The grant allowed property staff to launch the GoBikeIN program.
GoBikeIN was designed to break down barriers and give people a chance to experience mountain biking through free beginner-level workshops. Now, three years later, that grant and GoBikeIN are still giving property guests new outdoor adventures.
Next Level Trails celebrates Griffin Bike Park trail openings
The DNR and the Shepherds of Griffin Bike Park recently celebrated the opening of several new mountain bike trails at Griffin Bike Park in Vigo County.
The 5.75 miles of new trail were constructed by the Shepherds of Griffin Bike Park, Inc. with help from a $554,241 Next Level Trails (NLT) grant. The three new mountain bike trails, including the Buffaloes, Lake Loop, and the Foxtrot trails, add to the 8.75 miles of trail at the park that opened last year.
The most recent trail openings include a connection to camping facilities at nearby Fowler Park and 4.5 miles of adaptive mountain bike trail designed to accommodate individuals with disabilities. The project also includes several miles of single-track mountain bike trails for intermediate to expert riders, as well as trailhead facilities with drinking water and restrooms.
Clifty Inn
Still time to take advantage of Indiana State Park Inns Summer Lodging Savings
Stay two nights and receive 25% off your stay now through Aug. 31, 2023. Valid Sunday through Thursday only. Must stay two consecutive nights. Certain property specific restrictions may apply.
Reserve today by calling 1.877.LODGES1 or reserve online at IndianaInns.com.
Walleye and saugeye successfully stocked across Indiana waterways
This year, the Indiana DNR has stocked Indiana waterways with walleye and saugeye – fish that are known for being excellent table fare and for the skill it takes to catch them.
Because there is no natural reproduction of walleye and saugeye in most of Indiana, the DNR runs a program to spawn and stock these fish every spring across multiple waterways for anglers to catch.
Squirrel hunting season opens Aug. 15
Whether you’re an experienced or novice hunter, squirrel hunting season is a sport you can enjoy. The season opens statewide on Aug. 15 and runs through Jan. 31, 2024. When in the woods, locate oak, hickory, and walnut trees, and you will likely find squirrels in the area.
Hoosier Prairie Nature Preserve
Two upcoming guided hikes
August 12 – Limberlost Swamp Nature Preserve – Adams County
Join the DNR Division of Nature Preserves for a guided hike at Limberlost Swamp Nature Preserve. The hike is free, but registration is required and limited to 12 people.
Limberlost Swamp is an 800-plus-acre wetland restoration straddling the Adams and Jay county line. It encompasses portions of Loblolly Creek and contains early successional emergent marsh with upland and floodplain forest. Also present are tree plantings and shrublands that provide midsuccessional habitat.
August 26 – Hoosier Prairie Nature Preserve – Lake County
Led by the DNR Division of Nature Preserves and the Indiana Native Plant Society, this is another free, guided hike. Registration is free, but limited to 20 hikers.
Hoosier Prairie is a large remnant of the prairie landscape that was once common in northwest Indiana. Plant diversity is exceptionally high here due to a wide range of moisture conditions. Sand rises support dry black oak savannas. Mesic sand prairie openings can be found on slopes between the rises and swales. Wet prairies, sedge meadows, and marshes are scattered throughout the preserve in depressions and flats.
Report your turkey brood observations until Aug. 31
If you’ve already contributed a turkey brood observation this year, thank you, and please keep reporting. Haven’t submitted yet? Sharing observations of turkey hens with and without poults (young turkeys) can be done quickly and provides meaningful data for DNR to track and manage populations around the state. DNR appreciates your help supporting wild turkey populations in Indiana.
Total Solar Eclipse is coming
On Monday April 8, 2024, the zone of totality, in which it will become almost completely dark during the day, runs through numerous DNR properties. The eclipse will first be visible in Indiana in the Mount Vernon area, and through the afternoon it will progress across the state through regions that include Linton, Bloomington, Indianapolis, Shelbyville, Muncie, New Castle, Connersville, and Portland.
Along the center line of the zone of totality, darkness will last for approximately four minutes, and as you move farther away from the center line of that arc across the state, the timeframe and amount of darkness will drop.
We look forward to providing you with outdoor places to gather to watch the eclipse, great programs in the days before and during the event, and options for lodging so you can be ready and in place to enjoy it.
Reserved hunt applications open
DNR is currently taking applications for a variety of reserved hunts for dove, deer, squirrel, and waterfowl, as well as youth hunts. To enter the public drawings, you must have a valid hunting license and email address.
Applications close Aug. 6. New hunts will be open Aug. 20.
Hunts closing soon:
- Dove (FWA hunts)
- Deer Archery (NWR and IPLA hunts)
- Deer Firearms (NWR hunts)
- Deer Primitive Muzzleloader (NWR hunts)
- Youth Deer (NWR and IPLA hunts)
- Squirrel (IPLA hunts)
- Teal & Early Goose (IPLA hunts)
Hunts opening Aug. 20:
- Waterfowl (FWA and IPLA hunts)
- Deer (FWA, IPLA and State Park hunts)
- Pheasant (GBA and IPLA hunts)
- Youth Pheasant (GBA hunts)
State Fair deal on Outdoor Indiana magazine
Subscribe to Outdoor Indiana magazine at Mother Nature’s Mercantile in the DNR Building at the State Fair, and you will be handed the July/August issue, while supplies last. Your one- or two-year subscription ($15 or $28, respectively) will start with the September/October issue. That means you’ll be getting one issue of the state’s best outdoors magazine free.
The Foundation celebrates and preserves Indiana’s natural legacy by raising funds to support the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and its programs.
