Strategies for Hunting the Hoosier National Forest!





 

 

Five Steps for Hunting the Hoosier National Forest

I slowly paddled the old canoe down the misty darkness of the small muddy river.  Submerged logs drew the camouflage brute like a moth to a flame, and by the time I bumped my way to the shallow rapids where my stand waited, the forested river bottom was aglow in morning light.  I was arriving late, but I had high hopes for the morning hunt – it was mid November and the rut was swinging into high gear.

During two previous hunts here I had spent ten hours on stand, and in that time I saw over twenty bucks.  Sure some of the deer may have been the same ones, but nonetheless a wide assortment of racks had strolled by.  I passed up numerous shots on decent two year old bucks, and though I was tempted to shoot, my trail camera had given me reason to be patient. 

I had several photos of bucks that looked to be three years old or better.  Their racks were tall, wide, and heavy, and I really wanted to get a shot at a big thirteen pointer with an extra main beam that had stepped in front of the camera. 

Both hunts gave me the chance to see battling bucks yards in front of me.  The clashing and crashing sounds of the fights attracted crows, coyotes, and of course other bucks.  Each fight provided great excitement and a learning experience as well. 

On my first hunt, during early October, the river bottom was grown over with a large patch of wood nettle.  Deer beds were scattered throughout the patch, and the deer were devouring the plants.  With a little research, including some reading from an old A.R. Harding book, I learned that nettle is high in protein and minerals as well as vitamins A and C.  “Who needs to spend valuable time and money planting an early season food plot,” I thought, “especially when Mother Nature provides the deer such a nutritious, delicious food source for free?”

On my second hunt the pre-rut was kicking in and even before I settled into my stand bucks began strolling past.  I saw seven bucks cross over the shallow water, or work the scrape line along the river bottom trail.  As the evening settled in, five bucks moved in to the crossing and mulled about -- as if they were waiting for a doe to move through the area.

A half-hour before legal shooting time ended a big ten-pointer sauntered in and chased off three of the small bucks.  A little five pointer who wasn’t intimidated, lowered his rack and went at him, but the big ten thrashed him good as me and a nice eight-pointer watched from the sidelines.  Though the big ten hung around my stand until shooting time ended he refused to give me the right angle for a good clean shot. 

Now, on this November hunt, the tall nettle plants were brown and faded, but the scrape line along the river trail was still active.  Most of the trees were bare of leaves, and I was glad that I had chosen to place my stand in a maple tree growing next to a young branching beech tree.  Beeches typically hold a good amount of leaves deep into the winter and now those leaves helped to break my outline.

By now you may be thinking that I am fortunate enough to have access to private property with limited hunting pressure.  But actually this spot is a high pressured piece of the Hoosier National Forest.  There is easy public access to the west and east, and some of the hunter’s use their ATV’s to get into the area.  Yes, this is a little frustrating, but if you’re going to hunt public land in Indiana you better get used to a noisy machine sometimes moving past or near you – it’s just something that is going to happen.

For twenty-five years I have hunted the Hoosier National Forest and for the last nine years I have lived within its’ boundary.  Every year is a learning experience and most of the time I learn things I have forgotten from years past, but here’s a few pointers that might help you out when hunting the Hoosier National.

1.      Hunt the Middle of the Week

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are the best days of the week to hunt public property.  These days usually have low hunter pressure and if you’re lucky you may be the only hunter in the woods.  Mondays may lack the crowd but the deer haven’t recovered from the weekend pressure and they don’t seem to move as much.  When Friday rolls around there is increased traffic on the county roads.  The sound of wheels on gravel travels for miles and the noise of closing car doors put’s the deer on alert.  They realize it’s time to lay low.  On the weekends many hunters shine at night trying to see what kind of deer are out there, and more and more hunters move into the woods on their scouting trips.  All of these things affect daytime movement of deer.  From my own experience hunting, and commuting on a daily basis through the Hoosier National, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are the days I typically see the most deer during shooting hours.

2.      Hunt in the thick stuff

These are public land bucks and the big ones aren’t stupid.  They know they’re hunted.  I hunt where I think the bucks feel secure enough to move some during daylight.  Sure it’s hard to shoot in heavy cover, and sometimes a buck gets close enough to touch without giving me a shot.  But, I do know that eventually a buck will walk where I need him to be.  If you can find a big thicket, an overgrown field, a recently logged parcel of timber, anyplace where it’s tough to move about and where most hunters won’t hunt -- you’re in the right spot.

3.      Practice Scent Control

My days in the woods are dictated way too strictly for me to plan to hunt only when the wind is perfect.  When I get a chance to hunt – I hunt.  If I were to wait for the perfect wind I would only get to hunt a couple of days a year.  I adjust for this by taking great care to insure that I am as scent free as possible.  Before each hunt every piece of clothing I wear is washed in scent free soap and stored in a plastic bag with either a cedar bough or a witch hazel stem. I also shower with scent free soap before going to the woods.  A bottle of cover scent goes with me on each hunt and I spray myself down every hour or so.  Sure I still get busted, but I’ve had way too many close encounters with an imperfect wind to think these steps don’t help my hunt. 

4.      Sneak in the Backdoor

I try to use water as much as I can.  Whether I float in or wade in to a hunting spot, I know I’m going in a way most hunters don’t.  Look over any maps of the Hoosier National and you will find lakes, rivers, streams, and small drainages that offer ways in to select hunting spots with a stealth like approach.  If I park in a pull off where other hunters frequent, I try to get to my spot with a route that takes me around high traffic areas.  Most of the time these techniques require more time, more work, and less sleep, but sometimes this pays off.  I am able to slip in and out of the woods while making minimum disturbance to my hunting area.

5.      Use Topographic Maps

Buy them at the Forest Service Offices in Bedford or Tell City and you will be assured they are updated with the most recent purchases of Federal Land.  If you have an old map, take it in and they will update the map for you.  If you don’t know how to read them – learn.  They are without a doubt the best tool you can have in your kit when it comes to hunting the Hoosier National.  Find those hidden shelf’s, saddles, and out of the way pinch points as far from the road as you can.  These are the spots those big bucks are going to take a chance at during daylight trying to find a receptive doe, or hide out in when the pressure gets heavy.

Conclusion
If you aren’t lucky enough to own your own piece of hunting paradise and have to hunt with the masses on the Hoosier National just remember there are probably more bucks there than you realize. Plus, don’t give up on a piece of land you like based on one or two seasons of bad experience.  These public land tracts are always evolving.  Some years there may be a crowd and some years you may be the only person hunting within  several hundred acres:  Hunters buy their own land; move to different locations; have to work; quit hunting, and everything else that happens to us year to year.  Don’t give up on a spot.  Cold spots turn hot and hot spots turn cold.  Go with the flow.

     Oh yeah.  On that last bow hunt of the season that big thirteen-pointer decide to pay me a visit.  He snuck out of a big thicket across the river and slowly waded toward me.  His careful, cautious, calculating, approach told me he knew how to survive on public land. 

     Unfortunately in my rush to get to the stand I forgot to leave my paddle in the canoe.  Halfway to the stand I realized I was still carrying it.  Instead of taking the thing back to the canoe I foolishly stashed it in a patch of tall river grass.  The big thirteen-pointer walked straight to the grass like he was pulled there on a string.  The big buck stuck his nose down, did an about face and retraced his steps back into the thicket.  One thing is for sure – those older public land bucks don’t let you make a mistake!