Select Indiana State Parks Including Harmonie to Close for Deer Management Hunts

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) will be closing several state parks across the state, including a few within reasonable driving distance from Evansville, on two different occasions for "controlled deer management hunts" in November and December.

The reason for the hunts, according to the IDNR, is to protect the numerous other plant and animal species that call the parks home. Essentially, when there are too many deer they tend to take over an area, utilizing the space for food. And since they're animals, they don't tend to care about the damage they cause, or if they leave anything behind for the other creatures to eat. Meaning the most efficient way to keep them under control is to allow hunters to do the dirty work, so to speak.

The two-day hunts will take place Monday, November 18th and Tuesday, November 19th, then again on Monday, December 2nd, and Tuesday, December 3rd at the following parks:

• Chain O’Lakes
• Charlestown
• Clifty Falls
• Fort Harrison
• Harmonie
• Indiana Dunes
• McCormick’s Creek
• Ouabache
• Pokagon
• Prophetstown
• Shakamak
• Spring Mill
• Summit Lake
• Tippecanoe River
• Whitewater Memorial state parks
• Cave River Valley Natural Area
• Trine State Recreation Area.

All parks will close to the general public the night before the first scheduled day of each hunt (in these cases, November 17th and December 1st), and re-open to the public the morning following the final day (November 20th and December 4th). Only hunters who applied for and were drawn to participate in the hunts will be allowed within the parks to hunt on the scheduled days. If you applied earlier this year, you should have already been notified if your name was drawn. If not, then chances are you weren't selected. The IDNR does offer resources through their website where you can check your status and get answers to any questions you may have.

[Source: Indiana Department of Natural Resources]