April 25th, 2010

It is no secret Indiana is considered a sleeper state for deer hunting. Every deer hunting magazine has mentioned Indiana as an overlooked big buck hotspot. The QDMA website says this about Indiana: "I believe Indiana is one of the most overlooked states . . . , the southern half of Indiana is terrific, consistently producing some great bucks." The good news for Indiana hunters is things are only going to get better -- especially for public land hunters.

The Indiana DNR is serious about improving wildlife habitat. For years many of the fields on public property were left idle, and maybe cut once every five years. The state is doing a lot of hard work to improve these lands for the sportsman. Controlled burns, strip mowing, and plantings are taking place on just about every piece of state controlled property that I know of. The DNR is also conducting surveys about hunting seasons and harvest changes as well.

The DNR 2009 Biological Deer Report shows good numbers. In 2001 56% of the bucks killed were 1.5 year old bucks. Over this decade that number has steadily fallen to last years harvest where 36% of the bucks killed were 1.5 years old. In 2001 14% of the bucks killed were 3.5 years old or better. Over this decade that number has steadily risen to last years harvest where 24% of the bucks killed were 3.5 years old or better. Hunters are opting to pass on smaller bucks, and as a result there are more bigger bucks. Last year's harvest had fewer young bucks killed than any year this decade. Hopefully, this means more bigger bucks will be roaming Indiana this year.

The pictures on this post are deer killed on public land. The first four pictures are of a buck I killed several years ago. I have let plenty of bigger deer walk past me, but this buck is one I will remember for a long time. I stalked him for over an hour as I waded through a marsh and killed him at ten yards. The drag involved half a day of field work for me, my brother, and hunting buddies. I could fill up two pages telling you how we got him out of the woods. The other picture is a big buck my buddy Kevin killed several years ago in the Hoosier National Forest. This buck has a story as well. Both bucks will be talked about for many deer seasons to come.