The efforts done with those dollars are for nothing other than to promote hunting and shooting - there's no advertising or manufacturer involvement.

It's an asinine assumption, a red herring.

It's those dollars that get pumped back into the system that really drive the ability for us to put facilities like this into place.

Things like these don't come into existence easy, and they don't come into existence just because of the DNR. It takes a complete team effort. It's not just the state legislature and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Congress through the Pittman-Robertson Act.

What this would allow is a youth under age 17 accompanied by an adult would not need a license and not need a hunter education card. Prior to taking a hunter education course, a grandparent, an uncle, or maybe a Big Brother or Big Sister could take a young person out and show them hunting and see if they like it.

These open houses provide Hoosiers with a chance to receive firsthand information about how the state forests are working to provide diverse wildlife habitat, forest products and recreational opportunities. They also allow us to receive valuable feedback from our neighbors and users about state forest management issues.