Wonder what my fellow Hoosiers are seeing afield.
I've hunted a few evenings so far and have seen very few deer. We've had another rough outbreak of EHD around here (SW part of the state).
I hope that many of you will post here as the season rolls along.
PS, I think that the White Oaks around here have zero acorns this year, though many red oaks are dropping acorns pretty well.
Best regards, Skychief.
Have been out six times and have not seen one damn deer! Mind you I have hunted these woods for years and normally see ten a sit.. Who knows, getting cool tonight so I will sit again in the morning. I am in the NW and no news of any EHD.
I didn't see a lot on trail cams, but just an average number, doe and yearlings, young and old bucks, but not a lot.
I have hopes of hunting the Pigeon River area but haven't had a chance to scout yet. I live about 20 miles away in Michigan.
Not much here in the Peru area state lands. Saw 2 doe with a set of yearlings on opening day. Nothing the other 2 times I was out.
I see a few doe and yearlings every time I'm out at Kingsbury, seems everyone I chat with thinks numbers are down there though..no EHD from what I've heard up here... I'll be going out again in the morning before work... Will keep updated as I can! I still have to post my first tale from the second day of season! Lol
Here in East-Central Indiana, haven't been seeing much. I still have standing corn on my farm. Seems like they stay in that until it is harvested.
Overall, I do believe our herd has decreased a lot over the last few years. At least in my county, numbers seem to be down.
We have been doing pretty well here in Noble County. October 2nd had deer within 15 yards, but I hunt a corn field and keep spooking them out when I go in. This last week was a but rough due to the heat, but I believe it is going to be a good year for us. My trail camera is showing several more does this yea as opposed to last.
Drove through Indiana last week and saw a few nice ones in the fields.
Numbers are down due to EHD but mostly due to the very liberal antlerless license quotas. I haven't seen a deer afield yet.
Sightings have been slow but I have seen a handful. Had a shot on one but right when I decided to let go the doe turned around and it hit the rump on the opposite side. Too bad because if it had stood still it would have been a good hit.
I haven't seen much at all in SE IN
Western Putnam county here.... things extremely slow. Deer numbers here probably 20% of what they were in 2010. Mainly due to INDNR's EXTREMELY liberal antlerless quotas, all the additional seasons and methods, and the DNR's "kill em all" attitude. EHD just polished them off in 2012 and pushed it past the tipping point.
A few still around, maybe will luck into a decent buck, but there is NO way I'll shoot a doe here in the next several years.
I've watched the steady decline here since I moved here in '98....its very sad.
R
Another uneventful morning for deer, I was however covered up in turkey. I have a feeder in our pasture and do see deer there but still striking out in the woods. Guess that's why its called hunting. I agree with you Ryan, the DNR here does lack common sense in deer management. They should call Illinois DNR and find out what a real plan looks like.
I've only got to hunt three or four times. Had a couple good doe's come in on me the other evening, but the ole doe had its eye on me so I couldn't get a shot. My son and I have jumped deer going in and coming out, but just haven't had any shot opportunity's yet.
Have a good season guys and gals
Hunted Parke once and saw several. Good population there still. Hunted Monroe last weekend and saw a couple, no shots. Hunting this Saturday and it should be perfect. Found a deer highway that I'm going to hunt with the ghillie as there is only one scraggly tree for a stand. Will be down in Jackson-Washington SF for the 9th annual Southern Indiana Bowhunt Oct 23-25. Come on down.
http://sticknstring.webs.com/2015southerninbowhunt.htm
Ugh, another day of seeing zero. Others have said they are seeing bucks chasing does up here near Peru.
Seen 6 does come to cut bean field right at dark. This cooler weather headed our way should make for good weekend hunt.
ZIP!! This is getting irritating. Before I walked to the woods this afternoon there was a yearling in the backyard just eating and watching me walk by, thought it was a good sign, but once in the woods just a couple of turkey and a few tree rats. I will be back out Sunday morning. Good luck my fellow Hoosiers!
Lots and lots of rain! Any of my fellow Hoosiers having any luck?
I've been seeing some fresh scrapes. Not many deer though.
I am about to start collecting stamps!
Found two scrapes yesterday afternoon...first I've found this season. Had a very nice 8 point eating clover for about 20 minutes 40 yards away. He moved into about 30 yards and made a scrape. He was facing me the entire time he was on the scrape, then turned 90 degrees and walked into the creek bottom to the south. First deer and only deer I have seen while hunting this season. Back at it Friday morning!
G'luck Mike. Keep us posted.
Hunted Jackson County last weekend. Warm in the evenings and no deer movement. Bumped one Saturday morning and got rained out in the evening. This weekend should be good. Hunting Monroe County.
I've been hunting in Vigo and Clay counties. I have actually had a great year, so far, with seeing and getting close to many deer. I've recorded a few and posted them to my Facebook page.My favorite was a 6 point that spent almost 10 minutes within 20 yards of me. At times he was a close as 5 yards. I was just sitting on a dead fall log when he walked up. I took almost 7 minutes of video of him. Maybe it's just the spots I am hunting. I'm not sure. But I have seen and been close to more deer, this year, than I have in a lot of years. I even managed to take one with my late Grandfathers old Bear T/D a couple weeks ago.
I hunted some early in the season and harvested in a young one to eat a few weeks back. Haven't gone much in a few weeks. Starting tonight until gun season, I'll be in the woods every chance I can get. It's about to get exciting!
I've had some close encounters, even had a bobcat within 5 yards of me on the ground couple weekends back. Passed up a small fork horn last Sunday evening. My job decided to get extremely busy so I've been working a lot of overtime. The money is nice, but it's cutting into prime hunting time. I'm hopeing to get in the woods this weekend.
Good luck guys and gals
I watched 2 small bucks pushing 5 does around a cut cornfield this evening. Things are warming a little.
Have not seen much here in the Bunker Hill area. Hopefully the woods will heat up and they will start movin soon before the orange army invades.
Haven't made it out in a bit over a week, work got crazy on me too. I took tomorrow off and will be heading back to Kingsbury
Wish I could be out there this morning!
Cloudy and calm, should be some blood on the ground, today!
Good shootin to ya all!
Did any of you hear me wailing and moaning at 6 o'clock tonight???
I had just climbed into my hang on and strapped in when I discovered a 150" eight pointer, ten or twelve yards from my tree working a scrape line on the edge of a cornfield!!!
Dumbfounded, I slowly hoisted my bow up to me and somehow nocked an arrow without detection. But, it wasn't to be as he had moved through my last shooting lane by the time I was ready.
I killed a 153" eight last year from the same farm and this buck was his equal but with longer eyeguards. Just a beautiful buck.
I'm guessing that he heard my approach through the ten yards of sycamores leaves bordering the cornfield, then a few minutes of silence as I settled into my stand and became curious. Perhaps it was just a case of almost perfect timing and he was going to work the scrapeline anyway.
Great encounter, and, oh so close!!!!
Glad to see such a buck on his feet in the daylight.
Good luck all, it's about to get real interesting!
Best regards, Skychief.
Have only seen a few year and a half old bucks since the above hunt.
Had vacation scheduled fir this week. Called in to let work know that it's too hot for deer movement. Will be taking days off after this week instead. Glad they are accommodating.
Anyone else been hunting?
Skychief
I saw 3 bucks through the day yesterday pushing does around. Two little guys and a fairly good 10 point. I have the next two weeks off with nothing else to do but hunt. Should be fun. I know it's going to be a little warm for a couple days but it's November. A guy just shouldn't work in November.
I couldn't agree more meathead. Good luck!!!
We saw a bunch of does over the weekend but the bucks are just not showing up.
After a slow disappointing start to the season I tagged out on my best Buck yet on Nov 1st! Wish I knew how to post a picture. I will say it was the third deer I had even seen since October 1st and the first that walked by my stand. Big 8 with a Drop Tine just a great Indiana buck, could not be happier. Guess I will hold off on stamp collecting for now and keep on bow hunting..
Congrats I'm hoping after this warm spell the cooler temps for the weekend will get things really going
Can anyone help JD Page post a pic of his buck?
I would if I knew how.
Congrats JD
JD send them to nyazel@msn.com and I will get them posted for you tomorrow.
Saw zero deer this morning way back in the timber.
This evening I hunted over a cut cornfield and watched two bucks chase a lone doe. Too far away to tell how big they were.
Glad the cold will be here this weekend
Saw 5 deer tonight. 3 does and 2 bucks. One buck was nice 8 but worked thru the valley out of my range. The bucks were following behind the does and bumped them but then went off another way. I heard one extremely loud grunt south of me up on the ridge. They were moving but not what I call hard chasing at all. I will be out in morning to try again. I am hunting in Jennings County.
Congrats JD on the buck! Look forward to seeing the pics.
Yes, I'm ready for the cooler weather. Should get the big boys up and moving a bit more.
Meathead / Nathan, Thanks in advance for posting the photos. I just got home and saw your post above and sent them off. Temps are going down this weekend guys I hope you all kill monsters! Thanks Boxbow, good luck bud.
Appreciate the help Skychief!
I am in ohio hunting til tomorrow but will get them up when I get back home. Nice deer by the way. Nice tip too. I have one almost identical.
I did the easy part JD. Thanks meathead!
(http://i426.photobucket.com/albums/pp343/nyazel/008_zpskrmlazys.jpg) (http://s426.photobucket.com/user/nyazel/media/008_zpskrmlazys.jpg.html)
(http://i426.photobucket.com/albums/pp343/nyazel/007_zpsrqrfoqi4.jpg) (http://s426.photobucket.com/user/nyazel/media/007_zpsrqrfoqi4.jpg.html)
Here are the pics of John's deer. Beautiful deer. Congrat's.
Very nice buck, Mr. Page! :thumbsup:
Good shooting to all!
Thanks Frank! 4 yard shot 100 yard recovery. Came in on a small estrus bleat can. First deer that walked past my stand after a month of hunting!
That's a beautiful buck right there John! I've past up a couple small bucks, a fork horn and a small spike. The last two nights in the woods I haven't seen a single deer. I did find a scrape line that looked to be a couple days old. Hadn't been freshened up after the the rain anyway. I'm gonna hit it again tomorrow and I have Veterans Day off. Looks like that'll be it for me, once the guns get in the woods, I'm pretty well done. Good luck on the rest of the early bow season.
It's time to be in the woods. Bucks were cruising and pushing does. Get out and stay in the stand as long as you can. Good luck to all this week!
Absolutely one beautiful buck, JD.
Congratulations, Skychief
Thanks guys! Good luck to everyone especially my fellow Hoosiers!
Very nice buck !
I am coughing too much to be on stand right now. I did a walk around and found multiple small scrapes in 2 different properties. And a small, smelly, half eaten yearing doe in a creek bed, vultures were saying, "Most folks don't know this is edible."
Had 4 does walk by me yesterday, no shots. Brother had 9 does and 2 bucks nearby also. No shots.
Each of us had does bust us this morning.
Little evidence of the rut with the deer we saw.
Saw 3 does while on stand yesterday with no shot opportunities. My friend on the same property saw a doe and then two small bucks running together. This evening I called in a small 8 point. Over the course of the evening I saw 5 does. No real sign of rutting activity.
There were several new scrapes opened up this weekend and the little bucks are definitely looking so I'd say we're getting close.
I am off on Veteran's Day and hope to get some time on stand...good luck to all!
A doe came trotting thru about 5:10. All business, quick trot. 5:50 +/- a 2.5 year-old with tall, white G2s came on the same trail, nose down. A grunt turned him, but he never got closer that 25 yds.
Saw plenty of deer this weekend and the first chase of the season for me. Too many of them were down wind of me though (arrgh). Closet I had to a shot was a doe at about 27yds. Just a little too far for me.
I have been hunting Johnson county and I have only seen 3 does since Oct 1st. I may hunt Morgan county later this week.
Had a brute of a thirteen pointer that I have been watching come through with his nose on the ground at 9 this morning. Too far for a good shot, but, I was on high alert for the next few hours!
First old buck that I've seen acting rutty.
I hunted all last weekend without a single siting. Took of work a little early today to get in the woods...nothing! Gonna try it again tomorrow, then I'm gonna give it to the gun hunters for a couple weeks. I know we should all stick together, but I hate gun season! I don't know though, maybe I should let all them orange fellers run em to me! :0)
Good luck fellas
Had a nice hunt last weekend. Saw a lot of smaller bucks and a few does. Seems that the cooler weather finally made them a little more active. Nothing I wanted to waste my buck tag yet on, but I will take a friend's son on the stand for gun season next weekend. Should be good, at least when we look at the weather forecast. Gun season won't be too bad after the first weekend and I hunt a good chunk of private land, so there is very limited gun activity (sons of the owners and me and the owner as a back up in the mornings). I take my flinter for that.... but will also take my bow in case it will be close and I want to remain silent.
Saw 3 bucks this am, two small 6 pts and a gnarly 8pt thst i rattled in
dble post, sorry
Spent opening day of gun season perched in a poplar with my recurve. I have always had good success and usually the most deer sightings on the gun opener. I heard less than 30 shots from first light until noon. In years past, 100+ gunshots in the first 4 hours has been the norm, but that number has been decreasing steadily for the past 3-5 years.
Where I am, the number of does seems to be way down. I have actually seen more small bucks this season than I have seen does. Anyone else seeing fewer deer...does in particular?
I plan to hit it hard on Thanksgiving weekend! Good luck to all for the remainder of the season!
Not seeing near as many does as I used to, there is still does but 3-4 yrs ago it was nothing to go sit and see 5-10 every time I went, now might see a couple if lucky.
I own an 80 acre farm and used to have a lot of deer on my property. I think the liberal antlerless tags have taken there toll on our herd.
Saturday evening from 3:30 to dark I heard two shots. My son and I couldn't believe it. Years past, seems like it would be boom'n all day. There difinitely seem to be lower deer numbers these days. But I will say, kinda enjoyed the quiet!
After 4 years of trying I killed my first deer with a recurve. It was a great hunt. I saw several bucks that morning (November 9).
(http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y422/fowlff59/EE9168E1-1657-4C3A-92DC-EFF52E639E4A_zpshakez2mt.png) (http://s1274.photobucket.com/user/fowlff59/media/EE9168E1-1657-4C3A-92DC-EFF52E639E4A_zpshakez2mt.png.html)
Cool! :thumbsup:
I haven't been seeing as many does this year either. I did shoot a 126# doe on Oct 22 but it has been a very slow season. I've sat in a stand 32 times this year and have only seen 9 deer. I might just need to try a new area. They should do away with the bonus antler less for awhile. It put a real hurtin on them.
I'm not sure if you guys have seen that DNR has a rolling tally of deer checked in: http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/8367.htm
72,455 as of right now.
There still seem to be plenty of deer in Monroe County where I hunted a lot during bow season. Lots of coyotes too.
Parke County seems about the same too.
Indiana wouldn't know deer management if it bit them on the a--. We could be just as great as our bordering states if not for the big insurance and farmer influence in handing out all those kill permits. This is getting way past disgusting!
I'd like to see the gun season moved to late November or 1st week of December. That's just me being selfish because I prefer the peace and quiet of bow season. I'd be in favor of doing what IL did and only have a handful of days to gun hunt and they're staggered. I think this weekend is their 1st gun season and it only lasts 3 days. I like that idea.
Will never happen. Firearms is the money maker during deer season for the DNR.