Originally Posted by
BirdDog Mike
On a public land note, the Hoosier National is extremely overhunted & quite frankly, a dangerous place to be on the opening morning of gun season. I'd recommend the Harrison-Crawford State forest if you are stuck to public ground. It has lots of room & there are many "side" tracts of 50-300+ acres not directly connected to the main forestry area. Alot of hunters, including locals, have no idea about these smaller areas & often think it is unaccessible private ground. I hunt a select few of these pieces of ground & rarely see another soul. Alot of the ground is less than ideal habitat with sheer cliffs & rough terrain, but I have seen & killed more than a few 130+ class bruisers cruising there.
The
edges of the HNF are indeed overhunted, and can be somewhat risky, but a hunter who goes deeper than the nearest parking lot or highway edge will do well, that's why I suggested a boat. You're right about the terrain though, it's mountain goat land much of the time with all those ridges and hollows. The larger tracts of Harrison-Crawford aren't too crowded if you go deep, but but bring a deer cart. Any parcels with horse or hiking trails are a waste of time IMO, easy access always kills a prime spot.