About Outdoor Indiana
Outdoor Indiana, the state's premier magazine, delivers the wonders of the Hoosier outdoors to subscribers' homes and offices 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.
- DELAY
- Thank you for subscribing to Outdoor Indiana magazine. Due to unforeseen production delays in printing, you will receive the Winter 2025/2026 edition of Outdoor Indiana, which includes a 2026 calendar, after the new year. This also includes a stand-alone purchase of the 2026 calendar. We apologize for this delay.
Aurora borealis, commonly called the northern lights, shines on Indiana Dunes State Park. Photo by John Maxwell.
Featured Stories
- From the Director
20,000 MILES ACROSS INDIANA
DNR Director
Alan MorrisonNearly one year and more than 20,000 road miles later, I couldn’t be prouder to lead a DNR team that daily pulls off the seemingly impossible.
You see that passion reflected in each issue of this magazine, where staff, fascinating plants and wildlife, and impressive properties are colorfully highlighted.
In my first year as director, I’ve visited and met with folks working at all 37 state parks and state recreation areas, six nature preserves, six state forests, and a fish hatchery. I’ve participated in our walleye program and the restoration releases of state-endangered species like Franklin’s ground squirrel and hellbender, rode along with our conservation officers, celebrated as new K-9 officers graduated from training, witnessed the work of our Stream and Wetland Mitigation program, joined for trail and picnic shelter dedications, and so much more.
Of those experiences, I’ll never forget when Andrew Reuter of our Fish, Wildlife & Nature Preserves team pointed out Canada blueberry at Portland Arch Nature Preserve, the only place in Fountain County and one of few places in the state it occurs.
I’m also amazed by the hard work that Ted Bohman and his team at Pokagon State Park put in to keep the toboggan run thrilling riders every winter.
And the dedicated teams at Patoka, Salamonie, and Hardy lakes go the extra mile to take care of our majestic raptors.Magnificent places and just as impressive people await, ready to greet you, all across Indiana. Time to go exploring!
- Hoosier Profile
ANTHONY PADGETT
Brushing up to nature, with paint
By Scott Roberts, OI staff
Anthony Padgett works on a painting inside his studio, a renovated barn originally built in 1853, at his Hamilton County home.
As an artist interested in realism and accuracy, Anthony Padgett goes to great lengths to make sure his paintings achieve his standards.
He’s traveled to wetlands to research waterfowl. He’s crouched in forests watching deer move. He’s watched hunters and their dogs pursue gamebirds in upland areas, and he’s snorkeled with a special camera to watch fish swim. Once, when commissioned to do a painting of polar bears, he went to the Arctic to watch them interact with their environment.
He’s also found plenty of inspiration in Indiana for his art. He and his wife go “ducking,” his term for visiting lakes to see what ducks are migrating through, several times throughout the year. He says it’s amazing how many species they see.
“It’s great because it’s research, but it’s also so calming,” Padgett said. “We just grab our binoculars and see what comes by.”
To read the rest of this article subscribe to Outdoor Indiana or pick up a copy at one of our state park inns. To subscribe, click here or call (317) 233-3046.
- SOIL MOVERS
Native Americans created thousands of earthworks in Indiana
By Scott Roberts, OI staff
Photography by Brent Drinkut, OI staff
Angel Mounds State Historic Site sits on the banks of the Ohio River in Evansville. The 600-acre site built by the Mississippian culture, active from 800 A.D. through the 16th century, includes 11 earthen mounds.
At first glance some can look like ordinary hills on the landscape.
But don’t be fooled. Rich history lies hidden beneath the grassy surfaces of the numerous Native American earthworks in Indiana.
Many don’t even look like hills, which is why archaeologists prefer calling them earthworks rather than mounds, the other word usually used to describe them. “Earthworks” encompasses a variety of shapes and configurations other than a hill, and many times those shapes had a specific purpose.
Many earthworks were built in precise locations aligned with celestial events like solstices and equinoxes and can measure up to 100 feet high. Calculating the math needed for precise measurements and moving the tons of earth necessary to make them would be an architectural achievement even with today’s heavy equipment, but these earthworks were built with hand tools, which is part of the wonder surrounding them.
Logan York is a tribal historic preservation officer and citizen of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. The Miami tribe was forcibly removed from Indiana in the 19th century but still has a cultural presence and interest in Indiana, including an extension office in Fort Wayne. York says that judging from the information he’s seen, there are probably tens of thousands of mounds across the world.
To read the rest of this article subscribe to Outdoor Indiana or pick up a copy at one of our 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.
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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.
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