Indiana Gun Opener!!!
 

I'm READY! Anyone else chompin' at the bit? I'm so excited, it's like Christmas morning, it's magical. I can't wait, probably going tonight or tomorrow to buy a blind, a hitch and haul for my Trailblazer (Ill need it to get that monster 10home after I shoot it ;)), shooting sticks, and possibly a muzzleloader for hubby, but that will be a surprise that he isn't expecting whatsoever... just depends on my commission check tomorrow and how much it is. :) I tell ya what, I haven't been this excited about anything for a long time... I can't wait! What's everyone else been doing this week to gear up for Saturday?

RE: Indiana Gun Opener!!!
 

well im ready, got the muzzy shooting good, got the stand picked,just hope nobody messes around in the area before saturday!
good luck to you all this weekend..

RE: Indiana Gun Opener!!!
 

I am ready. But no more excited about Sat. than other days of hunting. Since it is the only week end you can donate deer. We are going to thin the herd. Part of the land is in Jefferson part in Switerland. So we are hoping to take 20 does out. Should not be to hard there are 3 2 acre fields of alfalfa and each night there are from 14-20 deer in each field. Last year opening day between 7 and 11 I counted 375 shots. That is about the average every year.

RE: Indiana Gun Opener!!!
 

I will be headed down on friday afternoon!!!! Cant wait!!! Especially after getting my slug gun sigted in(ouch!!!) after having to try 5 kinds of slugs!!!! Big Farm bucks here I come!!!

RE: Indiana Gun Opener!!!
 

Im ready. I have put the bow away, this weather the last 2 weeks has been terrible so i decided id spend this week getting ready for gun instead of sitting in 20-30 mph winds. I made sure my 12 ga was still ready to go on Monday, bought my license online last night and picked up the bonus tag as well. Right now im just waiting for my uncle to give me a call so we can go put me up a stand in a new property im hunting this year, just got permission last evening.

RE: Indiana Gun Opener!!!
 

I'm leaving Friday morning. I'll be in Indiana before noon so I have time to get the lay of the land before Sat.

RE: Indiana Gun Opener!!!
 

I use my muzzleloader for firearms season...shoots almost like a rifle. A friend is using my 12ga. I'm going to be very picky...and probably just nature watching since my freezer's full.

RE: Indiana Gun Opener!!!
 

I use a muzzy too... first year was a shotgun, second year perfect hit with a muzzleloader, I'm sold on it. Anyway, I had absolutely NO opportunity to take my muzzleloader and shoot it, so I'm kinda nervous about that, the closest range is nearly 50minutes away and it closes down at 4:30. Seeing as how I have had my kids and have been working until 6pm every night, it's been virtually impossible. I'm just hoping the scope hasn't been knocked around in the past year, it was dead on last year. I'm gonna kick myself if it's shooting off and I miss something big...

Just bought the Ameristep Brickhouse blind tonight at Dicks... it was on sale for $129, but here's the best part, it was on a shelf (5 of them sitting there) marked 79.99, so that's what they sold it to me for, take into account that if you buy your license at Dicks, like I did today, they take an extra $10 off of a $50 or more purchase, so I just got a $160 blind for $70! WOOHOO! Hubby is out setting it up right now. I am soooo ready, and I even have tomorrow off of work so life outta be flying bytomorrow, in no time It'll be Saturday morning. Can't WAIT!

RE: Indiana Gun Opener!!!
 

Heck, my buddy Jesse and I have several high dollar blinds that we never use...woulda sold one to ya for next to nothing if I knew you were in the market.

BTW, what kind of muzzleloader do you shoot, BHG? I have a Knight Revolution...it hits dead nuts @ 20 yards..and again @ 135 yards. 3" high @ 75 yards, 5" low @ 200 yards with 100gr pyrodex with a 260gr Knight Sabot slug. I could use 150gr pyrodex and get a faster/flatter trajectory...but that stuff is expensive...and 100gr has done me very well in the past.

RE: Indiana Gun Opener!!!
 

Oh, took this 7pt last year with my muzzleloader...2nd weekend of firearm season. Ran across the field I walked in on..following the scent trail I put down. Had a THICK neck and body...but smallish rack.

RE: Indiana Gun Opener!!!
 

THICK neck on that boy...and a perfect shot, I might add. Blew out the heart completely! The exit is just behind his left front leg.

I can't wait until Saturday!

RE: Indiana Gun Opener!!!
 

I just got back in from putting up a stand in a new property, the one my uncle used to hunt, he was nice enough to get me permission to go in there without him. Pretty nice place, it has a cut bean field up front, there is a big creek that runs all through the property, the creek is along a wooded tree line which is where i put my stand. The other side of the creek is woods and a ton of thickets/brush and smaller trees. The guy only owns about 40 yards on the other side of the creek, but where his property ends a local County Park begins and they allow no hunting, there are 2 big fields back there that consist of nothing but tall weeds and pine trees. According to my uncle this is where they all come from. I saw one doe hauling balls across the field while i was putting the stand up. Must have came across highway 24, i heard someone honk at it, lucky it didnt get splattered.

RE: Indiana Gun Opener!!!
 

Sounds like a geat spot...I'm expecting pics Saturday night. ;)

RE: Indiana Gun Opener!!!
 

Think i will hunt this spot saturday night pat. Little unclear on just who all is allowed to hunt this and with me just now getting permission i dont want to go in there at dark in the morning and PO somebody. According to my uncle, only the farmer of the field and his boy can hunt besides me, and he says they dont hunt very much. Last year though there were guys from New York hunting in there. I dont know if they will be there this year or not. I did see a stand though only about 40 yards directly behind mine across the creek, didnt see it until mine was up. Were going out there in the morning so my uncle can check it out and see if he knows whose it may be. The thing only looked 8 feet high at the most and was facing the neighboring property right on the fence. I think i will hunt opening morning in the woods i always bow hunt in, only im going to sit in a different area out there. I picked up a doe tag this year too, wife is wanting some deer meat. Not sure if i will take one this weekend or not, guess it depends on how everything goes. Opening weekend is a great time to take a nice buck though.

RE: Indiana Gun Opener!!!
 

Less then 24 hours we will hear the annual. Bang Bang Bang Bang............. at first light. You think to yourself those type of people shouldnt be in the woods.

RE: Indiana Gun Opener!!!
 

I'm still sooo excited!I have butterflies! I swear it's better than Christmas morning... :)

I shoot a CVA Hunterbolt .45 cal.

You're 7 pt looks a lot like MY 7 pt from last year! LOL I will try to get a pic up. I shot him at about 35 yards pefect shot! :D

RE: Indiana Gun Opener!!!
 

Here's a good pic from in the woods...

RE: Indiana Gun Opener!!!
 

Ill be up in noble or steuben county of this weekend. Its been a hard bow season but watch out the Black diamond is ready to bark. Might take the 500 out for a nice change. Im a tree climber but love to hunt on the ground 2. Just something about being at eye level with a IN whitetail.

RE: Indiana Gun Opener!!!
 

We went out real early this morning to check out the stand i had found yesterday. Thankfully my uncle says its been there for years and isnt used. We had a hard freeze overnight, thats only like the 3rd one we have had so far. We seen a doe while we were there but i didnt see as many deer out in the fields as i figured i would. The weather isnt going to be great this weekend, warm and windy. Same ol story. Middle of next week looks real good though temp wise. At least i can rely on the other hunters moving the deer for me this weekend.

RE: Indiana Gun Opener!!!
 

I think that I am going to revert back to what I did years ago and not hunt opening morning. Will hit the farm around 1-2 pm and take the lone wolf climber and go to one of the fingers of wooded area instead of to my ladder in the middle of a section. Figure on a deer trying to slip back in after being spooked out by one of the several hunters that the farmer has let in. Then Sunday start doing the morning, evening thing as the weekend hunters go back to work. Course it will thin out as the season goes as always and the weather turns colder. Maybe the Knight will see something to smoke about.

As for what I shoot. 150 grms pyrodex pellet, 300 horaday xpxtp sabot.
blows thru both sides and destroys everything in between. tracking is usually minimal.

RE: Indiana Gun Opener!!!
 

Hang on tight to your tree boys and girls, gusts up to 30 mph for the opener[:@]. I have almost forgot what it's like to have 2 consecutive days where the winds are less then 20mph. The wind and hunters ought to have the deer real spooked.

RE: Indiana Gun Opener!!!
 

Saw 10 this morning, 9 doe and a tiny 4 point. Decided to pass on the does for now. Gonna try the new property tonight unless somebody is there. How did everyone else do this morning?

RE: Indiana Gun Opener!!!
 

saw 6 does 1 small buck and atleast 25 turkeys.. the turkeys kept spookin the deer really bad

RE: Indiana Gun Opener!!!
 

Didnt get to hunt the new place tonight, someone was already there. I got there at 1 so they must have been sitting all day. Not knowing where they were sitting i didnt want to disturb their hunt so i had go back to my regular spot. Only seen 1 deer out in the bean field, i knew i probably wouldnt see much there so i wasnt too dissapointed. Didnt hear many shots today, dont know if im going tomorrow or not, winds are supposed to be worse then today, 40 mph gusts. I may just skip class monday morning and go then. This week looks great weather wise.

RE: Indiana Gun Opener!!!
 

Got a small 8 point this morning, saw 1 other buck. Both had their noses to the ground in search of love!!;)

RE: Indiana Gun Opener!!!
 

where do u hunt? dude?

RE: Indiana Gun Opener!!!
 

Saw TONS of deer...plus 4 bucks. The first one ran up on my at like 650am...still dark. I grabbed the camera..and took a pic.
The auto-flash went off...so it's hard to see the deer. You can't see it sized down to forum regs...but he's a very tall 8pt..with a skinny body. I took the picture less than 10 yards from him. Took another pic of a 4 pointer who's been walking around like a big dog or something...neat to see a little guy strut like he does.

In the end, I held myself back from shooting one of the many deer I saw today. DNR at "The Angler" (just north on hw327/hw4 Junction) said a few whoppers got checked in today..shot in Steuben County.

I'll post some pics when I get time. It's about 11pm..and I gotta get up at 330am...so I'm out.

RE: Indiana Gun Opener!!!
 

Saw two does and button buck. Does where way to far away. Didnt hear many shots. I am going out this morning probably get blown away. I dont get to hunt much see what happens.

RE: Indiana Gun Opener!!!
 

we went out this morning too... waste of time. Sat in the stand until 8:30 when we decided we had better get down before our tree blows down! [:-]

Didn't see one deer, however, the guy in the woods next to us shot one at about 7:15, about 45 minutes later he came out and got his truck, had his young boy with him. He also shot one yesterday... lucky sucker.

We saw about 20 deer yesterday morning, only 4 last night, and they were spooked running 100 yards out from us. We had a shot at a doe, but we chose not to take it because it was early and we were seeing sooo many deer/bucks out in the field (out of range and off of our property), I guess we were hoping one of the bucks would come in. I saw a tall 6, this made the 3rd time I've seen him this year, he'll be a nice shooter next year.

Today sucks... winds haven't died down whatsoever, so there's no point in going back out tonight. I'm totally bummed, this is NOT what I expected for season opener. :(

RE: Indiana Gun Opener!!!
 

Didnt go at all today, didnt feel like fighting the wind. So i stayed in and watched the Colts. Decided to wait until tomorrow evening and then i will hunt hard all week. Temps are supposed to drop and it may even snow. The weather this weekend sucked, there were still deer killed but i bet there werent as many big ones as usual. I bet bigger deer are killed this week then were killed this weekend. Dont get frustrated becuase it can only get better.

RE: Indiana Gun Opener!!!
 

JBerry, I`m in southern Indiana, about 20 miles north of Louisville.

RE: Indiana Gun Opener!!!
 

aah ic.. im hunting south west indiana ur huntin south east

RE: Indiana Gun Opener!!!
 

Went out this morning..about died multiple times from the gail force winds. It paid off when a stumpy FAT doe walked in front of me. Smallish doe..but field dressed 114lbs! Had a LOT of fat on her.

Anywho..I shot her just to tag out for the year...now I can sleep in and participate more in the planning of the wedding. I might go out to take some pics..but that would be about it.

RE: Indiana Gun Opener!!!
 

Hard to see, but I passed on a really nice buck (pictured in the center walking away) Friday with my bow..and again on Saturday. Mainly b/c I don't have a buck tag.

The pics originally are 2048 x 1546..but this 100kb size restriction makes me reduce resolution to near impossible to view sizes.

RE: Indiana Gun Opener!!!
 

Just a cool pic of the sky to the east Friday afternoon..

RE: Indiana Gun Opener!!!
 

Saw an big racked 8 pointer freshening up this rub Saturday morning. He'll be a monster next year, b/c his body was thin..but antler mass was thick! I got a picture of him before he went and freshened up the scrape..but it's hard to see. I'll still post a sized down pic of it next.

RE: Indiana Gun Opener!!!
 

Here it is....this pic really doesn't serve it justice to how big the rack was. If you get an inch away from your moniter..you can see it a little. POS auto flash...although it was at 640 in the morning or so...still very dark out.

RE: Indiana Gun Opener!!!
 

sorry Pat, can't see anything on that last pic! LOL I stopped at Hunter's Den on the way home this morning cuz they had one hangin', said they had a 225 lb 10 pointer come in that a gal shot in Corunna yesterday morning. Said they had 130 deer checked in yesterday, by 9am this morning they had yet to see one come in.

Hubby and I already decided we are taking sick days on Thursday to hunt. :)

RE: Indiana Gun Opener!!!
 

I'll make a drawing outlining the deer and antlers tomorrow. It is hard to see..but for reference....it's right eye is glowing in the flash...it's left eye a little...just below center of pic. It's ears are sticking up behind it's head...while it's sniffing an estrous waffer on the ground. It's rack goes a good 6" or 8" beyonds his ears...then curls up and scrapes the ground as it was sniffing.

We're calling it a "Texas deer." All antlers..no body.

At 8am at "The Angler"...had about 15 deer brought in...I had to wait in line. Yesterday, they had trucks lined up on the road waiting to check in deer. It must have been hit or miss this morning.

RE: Indiana Gun Opener!!!
 

It's probably just my computer screen resolution or something, because the entire pic is black except for a few spots in the bottom corners...

I've been to the Angler, I usually stop there on my way up to Pigeon River to fish. Nice people in there. My hubby said that any shots at deer would be taken at the crack of dawn, because he figured they would all lay low early because of the wind. He was right in our area, four shots before 7:15, not a single one after that...

I'm chompin at the bit for Thursday, it ought to be a good day with the rain/snow we are gonna get tomorrow and Wednesday, predicted again for Friday. I'm hopin' anyway, I figure I have 4 sick days to use before January 1st, so I am going to have a "doctor's" appt. on Thursday. :D:);) Yeah... an appt. with doctor death I hope!