Photo by Ralph Hensley.

This article takes a detailed look at how well Indiana's wild game animals are doing. Wayne Bivans is the chief of wildlife for Indiana's Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW). Bivans and his staff of professionals were asked about the wildlife species that they are responsible for managing from the perspective of outdoorsmen and women.

To begin with, Bivans was asked to comment on the overall health of the wildlife in Indiana. His response was one that should get our attention.

"We're losing more and more habitat to human development," Bivans said; he noted that the recruitment of new people into the sport of hunting isn't gaining much ground. Bivans summed it up very well when he said that habitat and hunter involvement is crucial for the overall well-being of wildlife in Indiana.

What follows is a question and answer session that will give you a front-row seat into a very informative wildlife update. The questions are categorized by species.

WHITE-TAILED DEER
Questions on deer management and harvest were directed to Dr. Jim Mitchell, a top deer biologist with the DFW.

Game & Fish: What a lot of deer hunters want to know is: Has the one-buck rule helped to grow trophy-class bucks in Indiana? Will it take more time? And if so, how long will the one-buck rule be kept in place?

Mitchell: The average age of antlered bucks in Indiana has been increasing for approximately 10 years, both before and after the start of the one-buck rule (OBR). As a result, the percent of antlered bucks in the harvest that are yearlings has been declining going from the mid-'60s percentile in the early 1990s to an all-time low of 46 percent during this past fall's deer season.

The OBR would appear to have slightly accelerated the increase in older bucks, but we will not know whether such is the case without a trial return to the two-buck rule. We do not plan to test the effect at this time and have recommended a continuance of the OBR for five more years. We expect that the commission will approve a five-year extension of the OBR rule that would run through the 2011 deer season.

G&F: Overall, how is the deer herd in Indiana doing? Is it growing, shrinking, or maintaining a healthy and stable size?

Mitchell: The herd is either stable or nearly stable. It has been slowly growing in recent years. We liberalized the bonus quotas in '05 and further in '06 to slightly reduce the herd.

G&F: What is the latest on chronic wasting disease (CWD)? Were there any cases reported in Indiana this last season? What kinds of protective measures has the Department of Natural Resources put in place to stop CWD or to at least minimize it?

Mitchell: This past fall, we had 1,287 samples from hunter-killed deer analyzed; none were positive, which brings our total since we started in 2002 to 8,999 non-positives.

We are cooperating with the Board of Animal Health to limit importation of live animals to those states that have never had CWD, and even there, the animal must come from a herd that has been tested for CWD for five years. For dead animals, we require that the spinal column not be brought into the state unless the animal is taken to a commercial processor for processing (2006 Hunting Guide, page 19).

G&F: Will the hunts conducted at state parks continue in the 2007-2008 season? Can you please elaborate on the biological need for the state park hunts? Are they necessary? How have they helped?

Mitchell: Yes, the park hunts are needed to prevent the park deer herds from growing to the point where they damage each park's native plants. Any deer herd in Indiana that is not hunted will increase in number until it is limited by a lack of food. A growing herd will eat all vegetation within reach and may be limited by deer being killed in deer/vehicle accidents (if they are not hunted).

The reduction in the number of deer on our parks has resulted in increases in vegetation health on the park, and then increases in the health of the deer herd that is living off the vegetation.

UPLAND GAME BIRDS
Wildlife biologist Mitch Marcus is a key person with the management of Hoosierland ring-necked pheasants and bobwhite quail. Here's what he has to say about our state's upland bird hunting.

G&F: How are the pheasant and quail populations doing in Indiana? Are they recovering any?