I feel like a long season vs. a short one doesn't mean much, it's rather rifle season covers the rut, or both ruts.
Although maybe I'm wrong, and guys just hunt until they can't anymore, ie give a resident a week, and he'll hunt a week, give him 6 weeks, and he'll hunt 6 weeks.
I bow hunt and have over 3 months to hunt, I don't hunt 3 months....maybe 2 weeks total in general.
I believe IA gun season misses the rut, not sure about KS, but know both IA and KS do some great managing.
IL and IA also are slug states which I heard lends to growing bigger bucks as guys aren't taking 500yd shots on deer. Not sure what the IN rifle regs are etc...? pistol cartridge only?
Also a state I feel can only do so much, unless they really got specific on regs, even then a state can only do so much. You'll always have poachers, etc...or guys not caring about antler size, or just guys cheating the system, sharing tags, etc...doing some shady stuff maybe not full on poaching but alot goes on out there.
I feel like big bucks come when enough land is locked up by quality land owners and they get a system going. A small landowner can only do so much.
But nice to see IN sounds like it's trying to improve the quality of it's heard!