RE: Indiana Hunters
 

Anyone seeing any scraping or rubbing yet? I haven't seen anything everybody is still on a food pattern.

RE: Indiana Hunters
 

Rubs are just now showing up in decent numbers, but we've had great scrape activity for several weeks now. From one of our stands, within 50 yards there are easily a dozen scrapes. I've witnessed a spike, 4, two 6's, and a couple 8's freshening them up in the mornings. There's still standing corn up around ½ of our woods though. When that gets off we'll see even more activity.

RE: Indiana Hunters
 

I have noticed many scrapes along in the usuall areas and the acorn crop is a bumper this year.....

RE: Indiana Hunters
 

50 MPH wind gusts for Sunday. Think i will pass on that. Looks like 30 mph gusts on Monday too. Was at the bar last night, ran into this kid my brother graduated with who's dad just so happens to own 1300 acres about 5 minutes from where i currently hunt. They are huge farmers. He gave me and my brother permission to hunt it. Said some people already hunt there but said there were a few woodlots that he didn't think anyone was in. Might go check that out here in a bit.

RE: Indiana Hunters
 

I'm hunting public land and I'm not seeing any rubs or scrapes anywhere. Interesting.....

RE: Indiana Hunters
 

Yeah, my family farms up over 1600 acres total. Every fence row, woodlot, water source, etc....is hunted by at least everyone and his brother..lol. We've saved a small section....of course one of the better spots...for myself and my friends.


I'm going out in the morning...mainly just to get out of the house. Plus, I have to move a stand.

RE: Indiana Hunters
 

Hey guys, i'm from Daleville, near Muncie, and i hunt quite a bit even though im 14. This year i tagged my first deer during the youth season (a yearling) mainly to eat. I'll probably be talking on here an awful lot now, well anways, like bigbuck00 said i saw the forecast so i didn't go this morning but when i got up it didn't seem too windy, if its still calm this evening i'll be out there, good luck

RE: Indiana Hunters
 

Yeah so much for that forecast. It's 10:45 and it still is not windy here.[:@] They are still calling for high winds though until about 9 tonight. Probably wont hunt tonight, going to try to catch some walleye instead. Brother went yesterday with some friends here in the Eel river and caught 6.

RE: Indiana Hunters
 

What part of the Eel river??????;)

RE: Indiana Hunters
 

i cant hunt tonight either because we are going to buy our new ram

RE: Indiana Hunters
 

Logansport, just up from where the 2 rivers meet. My brother has a buddy who's grandparents own a house along the river and there is a nice eddy behind that house. They also caught some big smallies. We just got back, didnt do any good today. Winds have finally picked up, made it kinda tough.

RE: Indiana Hunters
 

I braved the winds this morning. My buddy had a couple does walk by him in the dark...said they headed my way....never saw them though.

RE: Indiana Hunters
 

I live about 15 minutes form where the Eel river dumps into the West Fork White River. I have seen Walleyes caught in the West Fork but not very often.

RE: Indiana Hunters
 

The forecast up in NE Indiana looks great from Wednesday on. I can't wait to get out there!

RE: Indiana Hunters
 

Went out tonight. Seen 3 does about 60 yards off. Seen 3 on the way back to the truck as well. Was pretty windy, but it laid down a bit toward dark.

RE: Indiana Hunters
 

Was out tonight and ended up seeing 4 bucks and 3 does.....the does were at 25 yds and about to get an arrow when I spoted the 4rd buck of the night.....the does didn't hang once they saw him either

RE: Indiana Hunters
 

I plan on hunting Wed-Sun now that this evil weather is about to break. Tomorrow is my 27th bday...hope to finally get a bday buck. Could have last year on a wide 6....but I couldn't do it.

RE: Indiana Hunters
 

Good Luck on your B-day:)

RE: Indiana Hunters
 

Went out tonight again and i didn't see a thing except for squirrels. I knew i should have stayed home with the wind like it was. I think it was worse tonight then it was last night. I'll probably be back at it on Saturday, the first day of November and the beginning of some prime hunting time. Think im heading back after those walleye tomorrow.

RE: Indiana Hunters
 

So I went up to Gander Mountain this evening...needed to buy a few things. Looked at new shotgun slugs, specifically the new Remington AccuTip's which are supposedly amazing. As it turns out....they better be amazing for $28 per box of 5 shots!! WTF!?!? I have used LightFields for years now with great success (although I use my muzzleloader 90% of the time)...and they cost roughly $12 per box of 5. I just couldn't believe those AccuTips were $28 freakin' dollars!

RE: Indiana Hunters
 

I've renamed Big Oaks to Big Jokes. Me and my buddy spent a total of 38 hours (combined) and saw just 1 deer, a little spike buck. On Saturday, we hunted area 13. We hung around until about 2am.

I have never, ever, ever hunted an area of woods as dead as this area. I saw no birds, no squirrels, no nothing.....not a single, living, air-breathing creature. On the way out we saw a guy sitting beside his truck and he had bagged a decent 10pt at 9am and was done for the day. He was just waiting on his buddy to finish his hunting. That was at area 58.

When we checked out on Saturday, we got moved to area 58 because he had told us some other guys that were hunting there were not coming back the next day.

We were in the woods from 7am to 7pm and saw just one deer, I had the spike run by me around 8:20 am. When we checked out Saturday at 7:45pm, they had 5 deer check in the entire day.

I know there are deer there and have heard about some monsters but I will not be applying there in the future.

RE: Indiana Hunters
 

Sorry to hear that, the place can be tough to hunt. My cousin reported the same thing you did, nothing seen basically. He is going on the youth hunt this weekend with his son. Big Oaks is a great place to hunt if you could actually scout it and didnt have to jump thru hoops to get in there and get an area. Area 58 is a good area, I've killed 2 respectable 8's in there and thats where my cousin killed his big one that is now ranked 8th in the state non-typical.
On a side note, word is there is a big deer running around in there somewhere and the DNR is keeping an eye on it to make sure he isnt poached. I dont know what area he has been seen in though. I dont doubt there are some monsters in there with the lack of hunting in there from what it used to be and those deer know where to run to, the impact areas to stay safe.

RE: Indiana Hunters
 

I shot my birthday buck this morning.

Got in stand about 645am, had deer all over by 715am or so. What I thought was a hunter acrossed the field in a swamp thicket using a grunt call...turned out to be a small buck chasing a doe. They came in to the woods by me around 730am. The buck went busting over by a row of rubs and scrapes...never saw him again. The doe smelled all around the tree I was in..as I had sprayed doe estrous everywhere. She even smelled the ladder sections at the base of the tree..and them directly up at me. She walked into a corn field a few minutes before I could see my pins.

745am...had 3 does come by. I took aim at one broadside @ 10 yards...and blew it. She took off...but the other two hung around out of range.

8am...I heard what I thought was the first small buck that came in grunting...making a bunch of racket 100 yards in front of me. I grunted 3 times, turned the can over twice. Then I saw movement...and grunting. I looked at the deer with my binoc's...and knew he was a shooter. He came in to what would have been a 20 yard shot to my left...which is my bread and butter. He then (maybe?) got a whiff of the estrous I sprayed...or one of those does that came through there. So instead of a broadside shot to my left, he gave me a perfect broadside shot directly in front of me. Double lung shot..ran 70 yards...and ended.


What was great, is that when he was walking towards me from 100 yards out...he was grunting..and his hair on his neck and back was sticking straight up! I've only seen them do that in video's. Also, the signs of him just doing his business with a doe were all over him. Both visually, and by the fact that you could smell an estrous doe all over his weiner area. lol



http://i418.photobucket.com/albums/pp270/studpat/bdaybuck.jpg


http://i418.photobucket.com/albums/pp270/studpat/ethanbuck.jpg



He's a 12pt...and will probably go 130's or so.

RE: Indiana Hunters
 

Heck of a buck Pat. I'd be thrilled with a deer like that. He's a beauty. Congrats, and happy birthday too.

RE: Indiana Hunters
 

Congrats on an amazing buck! It sure is nice when things come together like that. He sure does have a lot of character. I can't wait to get in the woods for shotgun opener. I am already starting to go through my clothes, making sure I have everything ready to go.

So what kind of rut activity has everyone been seeing? Also what kind of activity do you think we will see come Nov. 15th?

RE: Indiana Hunters
 

WOW nice buck! especially on your birthday, congradulations!

RE: Indiana Hunters
 

Congrats again Pat!!! Here is the buck my BIL took sunday off the farm I hunt when I make it down there.... http://www.huntingnet.com/forum/tm.aspx?m=3134447

RE: Indiana Hunters
 

Congrats Pat, awesome buck, great story. Happy belated b-day.

RE: Indiana Hunters
 

Pat real nice buck and couldnt have had it happen on a better day! Congrats!

Carpmaster, Nice buck your BIL got there, was this in indiana or michigan? Tell you BIL congrats!

RE: Indiana Hunters
 

Thanks again all!



Went out this morning with my brother in-law. He sat in the same stand that I shot my buck out of yesterday...didn't see anything. I sat in a stand over looking the corner of our woods, and where two standing corn fields meet. Had a 6pt chasing a doe in the corn....they eventually came right under me...but she wouldn't stop.

I grunted a while later..then tipped my can call over. That has been magical for me lately! As it turns out, a different 6pt came in acting tough. Made a scrape..freshened another one up...and went off into the corn. I'll try to upload the pic of him from my phone....

Later, a nice doe and a (still!) spotted button buck showed up. They passed in front of me...but I couldn't move b/c she was so skiddish. They got to about the area that I field dressed my deer at...then she freaked out and they ran back into the corn.

20 minutes later, a HUGE doe comes out where the two fields meet...with two button bucks. One had a huge body...the other guy was tiny. They all checked the scrapes I'm over looking....and then got close to the area I field dressed the buck. Like clockwork, all 3 busted out of there. BAH!


I've never seen deer act so skiddish. Maybe it was all of the scent? Or they could smell the guts that I tossed into a weedy thicket? Maybe coyote's came and ate some..left some scent...and they smelled that? I have zero clue...but it's worry-some.



I'm sorry for such a terrible pic....but pics are fun to look at regardless! lol If you look close, you can see the 6pt with his nose on the ground...probably smelling the estrous I sprayed on the grassy path along the edge of the field. I'm suprised my camera-phone still works after sitting in a rain puddle for 20 minutes this past spring.

RE: Indiana Hunters
 

Indiana

RE: Indiana Hunters
 

I saw a doe checked in tonight at the local check in station. The guy hit her broadside with a 2-blade Rage. The exit hole was a HUGE gash! I wish I had a pic of her!!


This made me do some thinking. I hit my buck the other day perfectly broadside..hit both lungs perfectly...yet the exit hole wasn't all thatbig. I use Spitfire XP's...an amazing flying expandable in terms of accuracy...and have had great luck with them for several years now. I'm thinking I may end up switching next year.


What do you guys use? I used to be a Muzzy fan up until 2004 or so...when my buddy showed me the light in terms of expandables. I tried the original Tekkan's..the sucked! I used another before the Spitfire's...but have never had any accuracy issues or problems with the blade deploying...so I stuck with the XP's.

RE: Indiana Hunters
 

I use the rocket steelhead 100 grains. No complaints with em so far. I thought about switching to rage before the season but i have confidence in the rockets so decided against it.

I went out this morning, it was dead. Finally at about 9:30 i seen 2 deer. One came in under my stand, the other walked along the property line and went out of sight. The deer that came in to me was actually a button buck. He fed on shrubs for at least 45 minutes at no more then 10 yards from my stand. Other then that it was real slow. I think the warmer temps had something to do with it. It's 56 degress here already at 11 am. Supposed to be warm all week and then cool down again next weekend. I will be able hunt next saturday through next wednesday so hopefully it stays cold.

RE: Indiana Hunters
 

i'm going to try a new blind tomorrow morning:)

RE: Indiana Hunters
 

Anyone go out this morning? I slept in after having too many PBR's last night. A couple friends said the fields were full of deer before the sun came up. When it did...they walked back into the standing corn fields.


It's supposed to be around 70º here in a couple days. Hopefully the bucks are rutting so much they'll forget the temps and push does all day. And hopefully they push one past me.

RE: Indiana Hunters
 

i went out this morning only to find my blind collapsed and blown halfway across the field. I set it back up even though it got light out and i saw a doe but she never gave me a good shot. i watched for a long while to see if any bucks were trailing her, but none showed up. anyways, im going back to there this evening

RE: Indiana Hunters
 

Been there before. Any more these days, I can't bring myself to hunt from anywhere other than high in a tree.

RE: Indiana Hunters
 

Could not go today. Wife at work all day so i had to watch my 2 boys. Might be able to go tomorrow and wednesday. It's supposed to be pretty warm though. I'll be in a tree for sure though from the 8th through 12th and then back at it again during firearms. I have seen 5 deer in 3 sits so far, i hope it gets better.

RE: Indiana Hunters
 

You should've taken the boys with you!:D this evening i saw that same doe, haha, then the coyotes started howling and she took off farther away from the woods out into the bean field

RE: Indiana Hunters
 

Anyone seen any chasing? I've been seeing mostly doe's......saw a nice 8pt Saturday evening following a group of 5 doe's.