COLUMN: Outdoor Type: While hunting or fishing, always follow the law

When March finally arrives, we know warmer temps are right around the corner.

It may be possible to catch fish the usual way now (de-iced) since they’re hungry after the winter’s fast. The early season is the best time to catch the biggest bass in the lake or to get a nice bunch of crappies. But you must fish dead slow and be very patient. The afternoons are usually best.

Remember to renew your hunting/fishing licenses soon. You don’t want to be caught without proper documentation. It’s embarrassing and expensive. A couple of times I have nearly run afoul of the law, due to my ignorance or carelessness.

Once I was merrily fishing away at Turtle Creek Reservoir near Merom, south of Sullivan. My dad and I were in a cove which was near a county road. A couple of conservation officers stopped and asked us to read the numbers from our licenses. My dad complied, but as I frequently do, I had left my wallet locked up in the car. I always imagine I might fall in the lake and there goes the contents, and a wallet is uncomfortable to sit on all day. The officers were not pleased with my claim, and in hindsight, it sounded phony. They debated what to do. They played “good cop, bad cop,” a scenario in which one wanted to write me a ticket then and there and the other argued for meeting us at the ramp. Luckily the good cop won out, and we all had a semi-pleasant meeting back at my car, where I produced my license. I could’ve saved stress and fishing time by having my paperwork on my person.

The Indiana DNR launched the Activity Hub on Dec. 11. You can purchase your licenses, check in game, register with the HIP (Harvest Information Program) and perform other tasks. Call the DNR Customer Service Center at 317-232-4200 if you need assistance.

Another time my dad and I were not so fortunate. We were at Dogwood Lake (Glendale) in the late fall. It was duck season, and the entire eastern section of the lake was off limits to fishermen. This restricted area was our favorite, so we resigned ourselves to staying as close to the cutoff zone as we could. Fishing wasn’t good, and things got much worse when an official-looking boat approached. The fellow identified himself as the Glendale property manager and asked, “You boys know anything about an angler’s boat motoring through a decoy setup?”

We had not done this and thought anyone who did would be nuts, because somewhere close would lurk a guy with a shotgun. We vehemently denied any guilt, but he asked us to accompany him to his office. When we got there, a conservation officer was present. After quite a bit of discussion in which my dad, never one to anger that much, grew quite upset, the officer wrote us up. My dad, an upholder of all laws, was absolutely incensed—I had never seen him that mad. We weren’t guilty, but we paid the price for being at the wrong place at the wrong time. My upright father was concerned that since I was a Jasper teacher, my good name would be soiled forever. I’m pretty sure Dad, a retired teacher and community leader, had never gotten a ticket for anything in his life. I have forgotten what the penalty amounted to, but we paid it and moved on. We consoled ourselves by knowing the newspaper notice of the fine would be in the Washington papers and not Jasper’s. It was a difficult situation for everyone, so we put it in the past. Spilled milk. Lesson learned.

Conservation officers have a tough job. They have plenty on their hands without having to deal with us law-abiding folks who just neglect to know the rules. Those who intentionally flaunt the law, such as deer poachers and fishermen who keep more than the limit, deserve prosecution. A really difficult aspect of a CO’s job is assisting recovery of drowning victims. The next time you see one of these officers, thank them for their service. They deserve it.

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