RE: INDIANA Bound and never been hunting outta state.... I need a little help.
What to expect in mid November on public ground is more hunters than you can count. Nov 18th (I'm pretty sure) is our opening day of firearms season and probably the busiest day in the IN woods. Hopefully you are coming to hunt with a friend that has some experience with it and can point you in the right direction. Don't get me wrong, a guy can kill a 120" deer on public ground, but only if he has some experience with it or is very lucky.
If you hunt with a bow I would strongly suggest coming before the 18th. There are much larger tracts of public ground in Southern IN as opposed to northern IN. Thats a long way to drive to hunt public ground. Good luck.