There are no permanent blinds allowed at Blue Grass. Waterfowl hunters can hunt out of boats or bring their own blinds. Blinds can be constructed, but must be removed at the end of the hunt. For more information on Blue Grass FWA, call (812) 789-2724.

OHIO RIVER ZONE
Hovey Lake FWA
The Hovey Lake FWA contains some 7,000 acres, and it is considered an excellent public-land place for waterfowl hunting. This FWA waterfowl magnet is located in the southwest corner of Indiana in Posey County. The geese-attracting magnets at Hovey Lake are the Ohio River, the Wabash River, and the namesake of this FWA: Hovey Lake, which is a 1,400-acre oxbow lake.

Hovey Lake FWA is located in the Mississippi Flyway, and its proximity to large rivers gives it plenty of potential for attracting geese. The area surrounding Hovey Lake FWA has many swamps and lowlands, which also attract waterfowl.

In terms of a food source, 30 percent of this FWA is farmed, thereby making food sources (i.e., waste grain and corn stubble) readily available for geese.

Mark Pochon is the property manager at Hovey Lake. "We have about 2,500 acres in soybeans or corn."

A good deal of this acreage is used for field hunting, and this is good news for late-season geese hunters.

When you combine the overall habitat conditions at Hovey Lake, it is easy to see that this FWA has quite a bite of potential to score big on geese. Moreover, the Ohio and Wabash rivers seldom freeze all the way over. This means that waterfowl are almost guaranteed open water. And with the picked corn fields nearby, all of the ingredients for a good hunt are present.

In fact, hunters wishing to utilize this facility will have to decide whether or not to set up for field hunting or blind hunting. Field hunting has become very popular, because of the success hunters are having. Part of the success has to do with the many advances that have been made in field blinds, camouflage and decoys. Another nice aspect of field hunting is you don't have to put on waders and worry about getting wet in the dead of winter.

Hovey Lake FWA has about 30 sites to hunt at each day. Call (812) 838-2927 for draw and scheduling information on waterfowl hunting at Hovey Lake.

Harvest Information Program (HIP) The National Migratory Bird Harvest Information Program (HIP) is continuing to help wildlife managers from both the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the DFW set season dates and bag limits.

To legally hunt waterfowl -- or other migratory birds for that matter -- you have to register with HIP and get a HIP number. Getting a HIP number will only take a few minutes, and you can do so by calling toll-free at (866) 671-4499, or you can get it online at the DNR's Web site at www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild.