Last Day Success!

Kevin has a knack for coming through in a pinch.  This year was no exception -- if it wasn't for him there would be no venison in my freezer -- cuts from this one and a button buck he shot the week before.

 

It was the last day of muzzleloader and the plan was simple:  Find the most inaccessible piece of public land we could find and simply try to kill a deer for the freezer.  And thanks to the good will of Kevins' brother Jay we got access to just a spot.  Jay knew a farmer who let him cross his property to hunt an isolated piece of public land that is about as good as it gets for a public land hunter in Indiana (the year before Jay pulled a heavy-beamed ten-pointer out of there that pushed 200 pounds) and Jay secured permission for us.

 

At the split in the logging road Kevin went one way and I went the other and we both had the uncanny sense a third party would be accompanying us on our way back to the truck -- if not a fourth party as well.  Yeah, it was just that kind of feeling on the last day of the season.  And if it wasn't for an error on my part while loading my muzzleloader we would have been dragging deer all day but, that is something I will talk about later.

 

Kevin posted up at a well used creek crossing where he had seen quite a few deer in the weeks prior and waited for something to move through.  This buck saw him about the same time he saw the buck and the buck tried to make a quick escape across the creek.  But, with the creek still swollen from the heavy rains the week before he decided it was too risky to get wet and he came back towards Kevin on a flat out run to beat all.  Kevin got him in the scope at seventy-yards with a sense of urgency that it was going to be now or never, followed him for a few moments and squeezed off the shot.

 

I was off across the thicket a way when I heard the loud boom and I had no doubt we had a little work ahead of us.

When it comes to true trophies this may be as good as it gets.  When I think about the lost sleep, the miles spent on the road and on the foot, the monotony of going to work every day all year long so time can be taken during the season, the effort, the money  . . . , I think you know what I mean -- and for it all to boil down to the last few minutes of three months of time spent, hard work, and hope -- and then everything comes together in just a few moments, well -- everything suddenly becomes worth it and this deer is the culmination of all of that.  And now all we can hope for is that next season is going to be just as good as last.
 

The Creek Crossing

I secured this camera on a log this September at The Creek Crossing hoping to get a few pictures of shedding bucks and maybe an otter, but I had no luck with either one.

Deer season is over now and if it wasn't for the persistence and patience of Kevin there would be no venison in the freezer, but thanks to him there will be deer steaks on the grill in July. 

This Barred Owl is a first for me.  When I zoom in on the picture it looks as if he is eating a big crawdad.  The largest crawdad I've ever seen was in this creek -- it was big enough to pass for a lobster and it could have really put a hurting on a careless finger or thumb.

Autumn Pictures




A Small Eight-Pointer Moves Across the River Crossing.



A Procession of Does in Step on the Old Logging Road.

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!

Patoka River



The Patoka River is classified as a state navigable waterway for 146 miles of it's corridor, and beginning at that point where the river flows under Highway 37 in Orange County to where it empties into the Wabash River it is a navigable body of water open to public use.  That doesn't mean the entire river bottom is open to the public, most of this land falls under private domain and is off limits without granted permission.  But, for the public land water way hunter willing to put forth a little effort, the river provides access to a number of state and federally controlled lands along its' winding path.

Beginning in Orange County the river flows along several remote sections of Hoosier National Forest before it widens out into the Patoka Lake Reservoir.  The Patoka Lake Corridor is controlled by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and this area provides over 17,000 acres of huntable public land.  Last year, during the fall hunting season, the Corps of Engineers held the lake at a low level and the open shoreline would have made a perfect path for a stalking hunting to move slowly along and hunt the wooded hillsides.  This was something I planned to do, but never got around to.  This year not as much of the shore is exposed, but there is still enough for a hunter to work the wooded edge.  Along several sections of the property the Indiana DNR plants crops and grasses, and I have seen an above average number of deer this year in the areas I regularly drive through. 



Moving downriver from Patoka Lake the river winds through several other sections of state and federal properties.  Parts of Pike State Forest (3,089 acres) border the river bottom and the river flows through several sections of the Sugar Ridge Fish and Wildlife Area (8,109 acres). But, possibly the hidden jewel among all of these is the Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge (5,828 acres).  This is a place where I have wanted to hunt and explore since it was dedicated, but am yet to do so.

A Nice Patoka River Ten Pointer on a River Bottom Trail!

Deer numbers have been strong for the past several years in this region of Southern Indiana.  Last year the antlered harvest was up in several counties the Patoka River flows through.  Hunters killed 797 bucks in Orange County, 771 in Crawford County, 698 in Dubois County, and 696 in Pike County.  All of these counties increased their antlered harvest from the year before and if the amount of deer I'm seeing in Southern Indiana this year is any indication of the coming deer season, I'm willing to bet the kill ratio increases again this hunting season.

If you're tired of hunting the crowded roadways of Indiana's public lands get yourself a cheap canoe and discover for yourself just how good these out of the way public lands can be.

The Hillside Thicket!

 



If you have been following this blog you are probably familiar with "The Hillside Thicket."  Several years ago Kevin pulled a nice Hoosier National nine-pointer out of the place and it has become a go to spot for us ever since.  When the hunting gets tough and we want to see some deer -- this is the spot we go.

 

Last year, however, the place just didn't work out for us.  Throughout the months of October, November, and December someone would move into the thicket and sit a spell.  Upon return to the camp the conversation would go something like this:

"Man the place looks smokin' hot -- the deer trails crisscrossing across the flat look like deer highways, and there are fresh scrapes and rubs scattered out in front of the stand, and the deer droppings are so thick I can smell em' from twenty feet up, and . . ."

"Well, how many deer did ya' see?"

"I had a fat fox squirrel climb down the cedar tree and nearly sit on my head, then two coyotes worked up out of the bottom and I could've shot either one, but I just knew a buck was going to work down off the hill so I didn't shoot."

"Well, come on now -- out with it -- how many deer did ya' see?

"I can't believe it, but I didn't see a single deer, not even a doe!"

And that's the way it was all season for the hillside thicket.  Maybe it was a case of being in the right spot at the wrong time, or maybe the deer have caught on to us in that spot.  Maybe I went in one too many times with the trail cameras and deer being no fools they just aren't going to let us by with it.

So this year no cameras are going in and the place won't be disturbed until it's time to hunt and maybe this year there will a different story to tell about the hunts at "The Hillside Thicket."

The Unicorn Buck!

 

The Buck and the Full Moon

 

I have been in the woods off and on all month squirrel hunting and placing and checking trail cams.  The worry is over about the negative effects from the late season frosts and summer drought.  There is plenty of mast in the trees and on the ground.  White oaks, red oaks, chestnut oaks, black oaks and every other oak in between are dropping acorns. 

 

If you know where a good persimmon stand is and the trees hold their fruit for another couple of weeks you just may have a prime time location on your hands for the bow season opener.  Several evenings this week I have watched deer move under the persimmon tree in my back yard cleaning up the fruit that fell during the day.  Several days ago I watched a small four-pointer and a young gray fox chase each other around under the tree trying to get the fruit.  Finally, the buck grew tired of the games and chased the fox off into the woods.  After securing the persimmons the buck triumphantly strolled over to my little cherry tree and went to work on it with his antlers.

 

Rubs, scrapes, and licking posts are all popping up in the woods as the deer transition into the pre-rut.

 

If you're not taking the time to do a little squirrel hunting you're missing a prime opportunity to prep yourself for deer season.  This is a wonderful way to perfect your woods stealth again and tune your senses to the sights, sounds, and smells of the field.  Not to mention the benefit you get from pulling the trigger on actual game instead of a paper target.