Help us reach our goal for the 2025 Turkey Brood Count
Have you seen any turkeys recently? If you have, we’d love to know about it. As the halfway point of the Turkey Brood survey arrives, we have reached exactly 1,000 observations. With a target of 3,500 submissions by Aug. 31, we need your help to finish strong.
If you have already contributed this year, thank you and please continue to send us your observations. If you haven’t submitted yet, please consider doing so soon. Sharing your observations of turkey hens with and without poults (young turkeys) doesn’t take much time and provides meaningful data for DNR to track and manage populations around the state. We depend on these observations and are grateful for the reports.
Any turkey brood observations should be submitted online through the Turkey Brood Reporting Tool.
Sign in, look around, and buy your licenses early
Fall licenses are now on sale, and the new license system (the Activity Hub) is a bit different from the previous system. We encourage you to log in and make sure your account is ready to go for your fall license purchases. Acting now leaves plenty of time to contact us or visit a retailer if you encounter issues. Help us help you get into the field – don’t wait until the last minute!
To log in, click the login button on the home page of the Hub at GoOutdoorsIN.com. From there, you will be taken to Access Indiana, where you will be required to log in or create an account. Once logged in through Access Indiana, you will automatically be directed back to the Hub. From there, you will be able to verify your personal information, purchase a license, and apply for reserved hunts.
For questions about checking in game, your online account, or license-purchasing errors, call 317-232-4200 or 877-463-6367, or email INHuntFish@dnr.IN.gov. To receive emails throughout the fall with helpful tips on using the new license system, be sure to sign up to receive emails in your account at GoOutdoorsIN.com.
Plan your fishing trip with the click of a button
The new Fishing Trip Planner, an interactive tool you can use for planning your next Indianapolis-area fishing trip, has launched. After answering a few questions about your trip preferences, the planner charts your course and does the work for you. It provides a downloadable list of fishing locations, a checklist for what to pack, fishing tips, nearby attractions, and more. Use it, and you’ll feel prepared to plan to make new memories out on the water!
August is National Shooting Sports Month
Celebrate National Shooting Sports Month by inviting someone new to join you at the range. There are many people who want to try shooting sports but aren’t sure where to start. Because going to the range can be a bit intimidating for newcomers, especially if they have never handled a firearm or archery equipment, asking them to join you could be the first step of their shooting sports journey. Even if their first visit is simply tagging along and watching others shoot, it gives them a chance to be comfortable in the space, gets them used to the sounds, and allows them to learn range rules and etiquette.
Visit the DNR Shooting Range Map to find a firearm range, archery range, or trap/skeet fields near you.
A new start for one of Indiana’s oldest lakes
DNR has begun the process of repairing the dam at Lake Lincoln, located within Lincoln State Park in Spencer County. The dam was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. Inspections by the Division of Water found multiple issues with the dam, resulting in this renovation. The project will also address the aging control structure that is used to lower the water level in the lake.
On July 7, the lake was drained so that the repairs could take place. In preparation for the draining, DNR fisheries biologists collected adult bluegill, redear sunfish, largemouth bass, and channel catfish from the lake and moved them to Weber Lake, also located within the park. Once an acidic strip mine pit that could not sustain fish or other wildlife, Weber Lake was restored during the early 2000s through the Division of Reclamation’s Abandoned Mine Lands program and is now a healthy aquatic feature in the park. After Lake Lincoln refills, fish from Weber Lake will be brought back to Lake Lincoln to jumpstart the fishery. Lake Lincoln will also be restocked with 3- to 4-inch largemouth bass, and 2- to 3-inch bluegill and redear sunfish in fall 2026. Channel catfish will be added in 2027.
Additionally, this project allows DNR to address the gizzard shad population in Lake Lincoln and should result in the removal of that species. The lake was once a prime spot for bluegill and redear sunfish in southern Indiana, but the fishery declined over the years due to an infestation of gizzard shad. Gizzard shad compete with bluegill and small largemouth bass for food. In lakes with gizzard shad populations, bluegill growth is stunted, and bass numbers decline. Needless to say, this project will have many positive outcomes once completed.
Hop into frog hunting season
Indiana’s frog hunting season opened on June 15 and runs through April 30, 2026. During this 10 ½ month harvest season, bullfrogs and green frogs may be collected using a variety of techniques, such as gig, long bow and arrow, club, and other methods. The daily bag limit is 25 frogs in combination, with a possession limit of 50.
Bullfrogs and green frogs inhabit a variety of aquatic environments, including lakes, ponds, wetlands, and riverbanks. They can be collected during the day but are most often hunted at night with the aid of a flashlight. When approaching a frog, try to avoid sudden movements or splashing and keep the beam of the light fixed on the frog as you move closer. Bullfrogs and green frogs often occur along vegetated banks and may be found resting among cattails and other shoreline vegetation. Even when frogs are hidden, the shine of a flashlight can illuminate their eyes and reveal their location.
Check out the hunting/trapping or fishing guides for more details and regulations on frog harvest in Indiana.
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Upcoming events
- Multiple Dates: Fishin' for Kids ages 5-17, DNR Complex, Indiana State Fair
- Multiple Dates: Ask a Fisheries Biologist, DNR Building, Indiana State Fair
- Multiple Dates: Planting Native in your Community, DNR Building, Indiana State Fair
- Multiple Dates: Learn to Plant Native Tour, DNR Building, Indiana State Fair
- Multiple Dates: Fish, Wildlife, and One Health, DNR Building, Indiana State Fair
- Aug. 05 & 12: Accessing Fish & Wildlife Areas, DNR Building, Indiana State Fair
- Aug. 05 & 12: Deer Hunting and Regulations Q&A, DNR Building, Indiana State Fair
- Aug. 07: Choose Your Volunteer Adventure, DNR Building, Indiana State Fair
- Aug. 08 & 15: Fishing Basics, DNR Complex, Indiana State Fair
- Aug. 09: Introduction to Waterfowling: Featuring Indiana Ducks Unlimited, DNR Complex, Indiana State Fair
- Aug. 16: Flocking Together at the Indianapolis Zoo!, Indianapolis
- Aug. 21: Guided Hike, Clark and Pine Nature Preserve
Recent news releases
- Visit the DNR at the State Fair
- Natural Resources Commission approves carbon sequestration rules
- Walleye and saugeye successfully stocked across state this spring
- Natural Resources Commission to meet July 15 at Spring Mill State Park
- DNR stocks 12 Indiana lakes with striped and hybrid striped bass
- Four teams graduate Indiana Conservation Officer K-9 School
- Conservation officers offer water safety tips
More
- Buy a license
- Hunting information
- Where to Hunt
- Fishing information
- Where to Fish
- Fish & Wildlife properties
About Fish and Wildlife Management in Indiana
Fish and wildlife management and public access are funded by fishing and hunting license revenue and also through the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs administered by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. These programs collect excise taxes on sporting arms and ammunition, archery equipment, fishing equipment, and motorboat fuels. The money is distributed among state fish and wildlife agencies based on land size and the number of licensed anglers and hunters in each state. Find out more information about fish and wildlife management in Indiana at wildlife.IN.gov.