About Outdoor Indiana
Outdoor Indiana, the state's premier magazine, delivers the wonders of the Hoosier outdoors to subscribers' homes and offices six times a year in 48 pages of vibrant color. For the best of state parks, lakes, wildlife, forests, trails, hunting, fishing, wildflowers and outdoorsy people, plus inside information from DNR experts, subscribe for $15 per year or $28 for two years. Follow the magazine staff on Facebook.
Canaan fir trees await the holiday season at Dull’s Tree Farm in Thorntown.
Photo by Brent Drinkut.
Featured Stories
- From the director
CALENDAR WINS NATIONAL TITLE
DNR Director Dan Bortner
There’s something to celebrate 365 days of the year at DNR properties. That’s why it is so fitting that OI’s 2022 calendar, included in last November/December’s issue, won first place in the calendar category at the Association for Conservation Information (ACI) conference in Nashville, Tennessee.
ACI is a nonprofit of natural resources communicators. Members represent state, federal and Canadian wildlife conservation, parks and natural resource agencies, as well as private conservation organizations.
This is the first time the calendar has taken top prize at ACI and the 10th overall first place for the Indiana DNR. Additionally, former DNR videographer Brent Drinkut, now OI’s photo editor, won second place in the Video Feature/Outdoor Recreation category for his Goose Pond video, which you can view at youtu.be/L1-KxzxxNdg.
With the holidays upon us, remember that DNR Gift Packs are also a real winner. Whether your special someone enjoys camping or sleeping in one of seven Indiana State Park Inns, there’s an option in just their size. Each pack comes with a 2023 Annual Entrance Permit, a one-year OI subscription, and a gift card for our campgrounds or inns. With upgrade options available, there’s a gift pack to fit most budgets. Learn more at shopinstateparks.com.Happy Holidays!
- Creature Feature
AMERICAN RED SQUIRREL
(Tamiasciurus hudsonicus)
By Kayla Wilson
The calls of this red squirrel announced its presence near the photographer’s back door, allowing him to get this shot of the animal quietly eating.
Fearless, curious, noisy, and saucy.
All describe the red squirrel.
Their extensive vocal repertoire compensates for being smaller than the state’s more common fox squirrel and gray squirrel. Due to the dense coniferous forests they inhabit, noise is their best way to communicate.
The lengthy chattering and rattling call they make when intruders enter their territory is often punctuated by tail jerks and foot stamping. Neighboring red squirrels may respond with similar calls to advertise their occupied area. A slow, repeated “whuuk” alerts other red squirrels of predators.
To read the rest of this article subscribe to Outdoor Indiana or pick up a copy at most Barnes and Noble bookstores, and state park inns. To subscribe, click here or call (317) 233-3046.
- O CHRISTMAS TREE
O CHRISTMAS TREE
Hoosier growers & shoppers make merry memories
By Scott Roberts, OI staff
Photography by Brent Drinkut, OI staff
Chris and Caitlin Laurino of Indianapolis pick out a tree with their daughter Amelia at Dull’s Tree Farm.
‘Twas the day after Thanksgiving, 2021. A group of Hoosiers, some of them parents with small children, lined up to search for the perfect start to their Christmas holiday season. All tried to keep warm as opening hour approached.
When turned loose, these families compared candidates’ height, fullness and other qualities to find their perfect Christmas tree, or as close to it as possible. Their preferences varied, but they knew a worthy option when they saw it.
Garrett Simpson of Lafayette said he’s a picky consumer. His quest was for a 7-foot-tall tree without holes in it, because he likes a full, dense look.
“I also want one that has a nice top so it’s straight up,” he said.
Chris Laurino of Indianapolis likes Canaan firs because of the softness of their needles. He wanted a round shape a foot taller than Simpson’s preference, to fill out the space he’d reserved in his house.
Maria Petrone of Carmel had a short list of requirements for her family tree. Along with their 1-year-old daughter Tinsley, she and her husband Eric bought the first one that looked plump, without too many holes.The quests of the other two also were successful.
Tom Dull, the owner of Dull’s Tree Farm in Lebanon where these folks were shopping, calculates he sold a tree every 17 seconds that Black Friday, around 30% of his stock. Demand has increased as trees
become a part of new families’ customs, helping them create memories, and more-established households cling to their holiday traditions.Indiana ranks 11th nationally in Christmas tree production, with more than 200 tree farms producing almost 200,000 harvestable trees per year, according to the Indiana Christmas Tree Growers Association.
To read the rest of this article subscribe to Outdoor Indiana or pick up a copy at most Barnes and Noble bookstores, and state park inns. To subscribe, click here or call (317) 233-3046.
Reader Photos
Each issue, Outdoor Indiana staff will select reader submitted photos to feature in the magazine. If you would like the chance to be featured, please submit your photo, along with your name and phone number to:
Please, only submit original photography that you have taken. Do not send files over 9 MB in size. JPG format is preferred.
Reader photo 1
CHARLENE MALINOWSKI
Lake Village, Newton County
Charlene, an assistant library clerk, snapped this shot while standing in the parking lot of Jasper Pulaski Fish & Wildlife Area with her husband, watching the sandhill cranes fly in for the evening. Sandhills are one of the couple’s favorite birds, and they love hearing them overhead.
Reader photo 2
GLEN RICHARDSON
LaPorte, Porter County
Glen took this photo of a sweetgum ball from the second-floor bedroom window of his home. He said the temperature and snowfall were ideal for it, he just had to wait for the right time to get the shot right. A chemical engineer, he has subscribed to OI for two years.
Subscribe to Outdoor Indiana magazine
Visit the Indiana State Parks online store to subscribe. Cost is $15 for a one year subscription (6 issues) or $28 for two years (12 issues).
Donate
Printing and distribution costs for Outdoor Indiana magazine have increased. One way we’re offsetting these costs is through the Friends of Outdoor Indiana Group administered through the Indiana Natural Resources Foundation. Donations to our friends group helps keep our subscription price low and ensures we’ll be around to bring you the best of Indiana’s outdoors for years to come. Donate at the INRF website and include “Friends of Outdoor Indiana” in the “In Honor Of/In Memory Of” line.
Outdoor Indiana
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