Crunching Some Deer Numbers

A post on http://www.indianasportsman.com/ inspired me to look up the 2009 Indiana deer harvest statistics. More than anything, I did this out of interest from my earlier article Indiana Bucks vs. The Rest of the Midwest.

In that article I wrote about Indiana's trophy bucks and how they stacked up to the rest of the Midwest. The general idea was that Indiana was behind those other states. I brought up several different issues included in this. Two key issues that worked together were the buck to doe ratio and the proposed shortened firearm season.

In the short research I did today, I found that the total deer harvest beat the previous record by 3,000. The total number of deer harvested was 132,752. That number was not surprising.

Another number I found was that 60% of those that were harvested were does. That is a huge positive. In most of Indiana the estimated doe to buck ratio is around 2:1. A near 1:1 ratio is desired. Harvesting more does than bucks is a step in the right direction.

The other number that I found interesting was that 64 percent of the bucks taken were 2.5 years old or older. That is another good step. I wonder what percentage were 3.5 or older, though. I would venture to say that the percentage would drop significantly to around 30 percent. (Just a guess.)

My thing about Indiana is that I think too many hunters harvest bucks that are not yet mature (3.5 years or older).

I've said before that I am an advocate of moving gun season back into Thanksgiving week and the week after. For now, though, that's not the train I'm on.

Personally, I think antler restrictions would be a good step in the right direction for Indiana. The easiest to enforce would be a minimum number of points. I would suggest six. There are some mature deer that never get past six. This would allow most 1.5 year old bucks to walk and some 2.5 year olds to walk. Spread restrictions may also be an option, but that seems hard for the hunter to judge on the hoof.

Some people would argue that such restrictions would take out those bucks with superior genetics that get them to 6+ points at 1.5 or 2.5 years old while leaving those with inferior genetics to breed. I would say, however, that genetics play a small part in the making of big bucks compared to age and nutrition.

I'm not sure that these are the right answers, but I'm trying to get a feel for what the legislators and DNR are dealing with in these issues. Feel free to weigh in at http://www.indianasportsman.com/.

Hunt Report November 22nd and 23rd

I was excited to get to hunt a lot this week. I hunted yesterday until early afternoon and until about noon this morning. Dad's hunted with me. We've seen a total of 3 deer while on stand. Those were all seen by Dad yesterday morning.

These have been probably the two worst consecutive hunting days in 5+ years for me. Monday was explained away by 70 degree temps. It was so warm that I saw a snake! Today should have been perfect. Hard to explain.

Back at it in the morning.

Where did the rut go?

Some Trail Camera Shots

These are nothing fantastic. I had no pictures of any shooters. This 10 pointer, however, has some great potential. It's pretty hard to judge age at the angles these shots give, but I'm guessing him at 2 1/2 and certainly no older than 3 1/2.

Well, I Promised a Good Story, Here It Goes

 I've experienced all kinds of emotions in the woods. There have been moments doubt and moments of hope, moments of pride and moments of humility, moments of fulfillment and moments of failure. I've been good, lucky, patient and persistent. I've been bad, busted, sniffed out and spotted. I've experienced my fair share of joyful success. But I'm certainly no stranger to demoralizing defeat. Sadly, today's story may be one of my most demoralizing defeat yet.

As I mentioned yesterday, today's plan was for an all day hunt. I have come to love all day hunts, especially in the rut. The ruts in full swing right now, so suffice to say that I had high expectations.

Considering the inch of rain we received up until the wee hours of the morning, I decided it would be best to walk in just as light began to take over. I would still hunt on my way to the stand (much like my successful Halloween hunt last year) and quietly climb into the stand whenever the deer allowed me to get there. I had a short run-in with a small 8 pointer as I neared my stand. He walked around me rather oblivious to my presence.

I reached "the pylon" (the sight of my 2009 buck kill) at least 20 minutes before sunrise. The wind was from the southwest, making this stand on the northeast corner of a thicket a perfect ambush point for cruising bucks. I quietly settled in and watched a beautiful November morning begin. Within 15 minutes I had does to the north of me.

A short time later, I heard some brush crashing to the south. Another decent 8 pointer emerged. I readied my bow, but as he walked under my stand it was obvious that he needed at least one more year. He proceeded to chase the does into the native grass field to the east.

After only a few short moments of calm, another buck came trotting up the east edge of the thicket. Again it passed directly underneath me. He was an interesting, but not the least bit tempting, 9 pointer. He proceeded out to the field with the other buck and does.

By this time the edge to the south of me had my attention. Just ten minutes later another buck emerged from the thicket and started toward my stand. I got one good look at him at about 25 yards and knew he was a shooter. He proceeded to about twelve yards. I drew and gave a mouth grunt to stop him. He stopped and turned toward me, covering part of his vitals with his shoulder. I settled my top pin behind the shoulder and released. The sound was a thumph. The shot was a clear pass through and felt good. (It better feel good at 12 yards!) The big 11 pointer buckled for split second, bolted ten yards only to stop and look back. From that point on, he walked calmly out of sight.

I called Dad to tell the story. He packed up and started on the two and a half hour drive north to lend a hand.

I got down to check the arrow. Saturated! That's a great sign. I waited for about 30 minutes and then began tracking. The blood trail was pretty good for the first 80 yards. Then it led into a field of native grasses where I lost it about 40 yards in. The search for the next spot of blood or the buck himself lasted six hours, covered almost the entire property and ultimately failed.

In the end, Dad and I surmised that the shot was a little bit back. Instead of hitting the ideal vitals such as the heart and lungs, it hit the liver. While a liver shot is a sure kill, the wound is often plugged by the gut which stops the blood trail. Dad said that his experience is that a deer hit in the liver will rarely go further than 100 to 150 yards, but we all know that deer can be inredibly resilient animals.

The day left one of those helpless knots in my stomach. I have been busted by big bucks, missed big bucks, wounded big bucks, and made just about any other sort of mistake you can make. All of those were demoralizing, but nothing touches today. Today was the most demoralizing moment of my hunting career, because  I don't have that buck in my hands, but he is almost surely dead. Hunting is a chess match, me versus the deer. Sometimes I win. Most of the time, they win. I'm okay with that. Today we both lost. That hurts.

I know we need the rain, but...

I really hate getting soaked in the tree stand. I know that deer movement is hardly affected by these steady November rains, but it can be awfully hard to get motivated to get out in it at 5 A.M. This morning I woke up at five and saw the weather report of rain, rain, and more rain. It didn't take much to keep me in bed. I knew that if I hunted this morning, then I would not hunt Thursday morning (gas is too much), so I opted to wait until Thursday. Now it is suppose to rain Thursday morning.

I have a day off of classes tomorrow, so I will be on stand all day. I love all day hunts. If the deer aren't moving, they can be grueling. But even then the big bucks like to move in the middle of the day. I find this especially true during firearms season when the hunting pressure has picked up. That being said, I expect to have a story at the very least tomorrow.

November 12th Hunt Report

I was back in the Crawford/Orange county area this morning. I hunted behind my grandparents house which is an overgrown jungle of what used to be fields on top of a ridge. Most of the stuff just looks like big bucks should roam through it. I had not hunted in that area for more than 5 years, so this morning I did some walking.

I've gotten still hunting down to an art over the years. I'm not great at it, but I am organized. My goal is not to be entirely quiet. (That would be impossible with this dry weather.) My goal is to sound like a deer. No more than 8 or 10 steps at a time, stop for long periods of time (sometimes up to 20 minutes.) It was a successful method this morning as I learned about the lay of the land again.

At about 8:30 I was walking through some really thick stuff (what used to be a field). It was the kind of stuff that it's almost impossible to shoot a bow through. As soon as I stopped towards the middle of it, I heard some crashing brush and it was getting closer. Seconds later a doe jumped out and came straight towards me. She ran within 7 yards of me while another doe ran off to my right. I figured a buck was chasing them. It turned out that 3 bucks were chasing them. The first one was weird looking but I only got a glimpse. The second one came in grunting continuously. I watching  pass in and out of sight with his head down. Then he lifted his head in a small opening and showed what may very well be the most impressive rack I have ever seen while hunting. He circled me at about 15 to 20 yards (too thick for a shot) and disappeared. The third buck was a cautious, but not overly smart 6 point. He walked within 4 yards of me. It's crazy to be that close to any deer!

You just can't beat this time of year!

November 11th Hunt Report-- Wow! The rut is really happening!

I hunted my climber on the south end this morning. I could barely get into my stand before I started hearing and seeing bucks chasing does. It was non stop action for about the first two hours of daylight. I saw five different bucks, a 4 point, three 8 points, and one that I think is a main frame ten with a sticker on one of his G-2s. (That one is a shooter.) It was one of those mornings that makes guys take all of there vacation in November. Gotta love the rut!

November 9th Hunt Report- Success With Agressive Tactics

This morning I hunted the pylon on which I shot my buck last year. As I said last night, I took to he stand with rattling in mind this morning. I almost never rattle, but I was feeling it this week. The rattling was a success. I rattled in a small 8 point at about 8:30, and then a bigger 8 point at about 9:30. I had a chance to shoot the bigger one and held off. He looked to be a 2 1/2 year old, which is generally off limits for me.

Warm Weather, Aggressive Tactics Tomorrow

Last week gave us some pretty cold weather. I wasn't able to hunt over the weekend due to some ministry duties, but I did see some chasing in the fields at night. This week may not be so entertaining. Temperatures are predicted around 70 degrees all week. The nights will still be right around 40 and still dropping to 36 tonight, so the mornings should still offer a good amount of deer and rut movement. But, as I've said all season, this has the potential to be a very inconsistent rut. I would expect this to be a downswing until we get temperatures back down around freezing at night and 50s during the day.

On that note, I'm going to do something tomorrow morning that I very rarely do. With this warm front moving in, the wind is out of the South which leaves me with no stand options. Considering, I am going to sit on the North side of the property and rattle. I almost never rattle, because my success in doing so has never been that great. But tomorrow I'm going to give it another shot. Stay tuned and I'll let you know what happens.

Pick up a Bow

Some discussions that have stemmed from the article below have prompted me to wonder one basic thing about gun hunters.

For those who are so bent on having more time to hunt because they have to work and Thanksgiving travel takes time away from their short firearm season, why not pick up a bow?

Bowhunting allows for a 90 day season. The early season and pre-rut can be a fantastic time to hunt. Hunting in December can also be a blast. Bowhunting is more challenging, but also more up close with the deer, which means more exciting. You rarely shoot a deer before it gets within 30 yards. And it is not that expensive.

You want to gun hunt for 9 days in November... That's great! But give bowhunting a chance. It's addicting.

Indiana Bucks vs. The Rest of the Midwest

It is well known that states like Illinois, Iowa, Ohio and Kansas sit atop the Midwest as far as trophy whitetail hunting is concerned. Indiana, though, has always seemed to be just a step below all of those states. That's not to say that Indiana doesn't have great bucks. There are some true monsters killed in Indiana every year. The numbers and average sizes just don't seem to match up with most other Midwestern states.

So what's the problem?

The first problem, as I see it, is the population. The deer population numbers in most of Indiana's counties have at least 25 deer per square mile. On the other hand, most counties in the other Midwestern states listed above fall below the 15 deer per square mile mark.

With the high population comes a couple of different issues. The first is insufficient amounts of food. It takes more corn, wheat, acorns, etc. to feed 25 deer than it does 15. With less food, the deer have less nutrients to grow record book antlers. The second is a poor buck/doe ratio. This doesn't make bucks any smaller, but it does make them harder to hunt. When does are in abundance, the bucks don't need to move during the day as much to find a hot doe.

The second thing that I believe is a problem is a lack of patience from Indiana hunters. As I talk to hunters in Illinois and Iowa, I find that they are more willing to hold off on a good looking two or three year old buck. Obviously the know that there are bigger bucks around. If all Indiana hunters would hold off like this, maybe Indiana hunters could enjoy the same luxury.

The last issue is the timing and length of the firearm seasons. Indiana currently has a 15 day season that generally starts in the second or third weekend of November. That's 15 days of firearms during the rut. Then there is a late muzzleloader in which it does not seem a lot of damage is done.

What can be done?

The "One Buck Rule" that has been in effect for several years now in Indiana has been a great step in the right direction for trophy whitetails. However, I think there are still a few measures that legislation should consider.

The easiest issue is probably the population (especially the doe population). There are a couple of things that could be done here. First, doe permit fees could be lowered encouraging more people to by and fill doe permits. Second, it may be beneficial to put in a temporary law (2-5 years) that forces hunters to take a doe before shooting a buck.

The size of bucks shot is a tougher issue to tackle. Some states have imposed antler restrictions. That may be a positive course of action. The proposed "doe first" rule may also help a bit.

The greatest help, though, may come with some firearm season reform. The Indiana DNR proposed some changes to the firearm seasons in July. Most noteably, they proposed moving opening day of shotgun season to the last Saturday before Thanksgiving and shortening the season to 8 days. They had similar proposals for the muzzleloader season. They also proposed 3 days of antlerless only firearms in October and 6 in late December. All of those proposals would go a long way in putting Indiana in the same category as Illinois and Ohio.

So what do you think should be done? Leave your comments below. (You do NOT need an account to comment.)

November 3rd Hunt Report

I got into my stand at about 4 this evening. It was a bit warmer today than it has been the last few days. I did, however, see a doe very early on.

The rest of the evening was dead until I was climbing down my climber. When I got about two strides down a doe came running out of the woods to the East. She was followed by a buck I've named "Lefty." Lefty ran directly underneath me. As I said, I was getting down, so my bow was on the ground and it was too dark to shoot anyway. It was encouraging to see him running does in that area though.

                                         Lefty has appeared only once on my trail cameras 15 days ago.

                                         His name obviously comes from his lopsided rack.

November 2nd Hunt Report, Rut Picking Up!

I made a trip to "The Sanctuary" this evening. I got settled into my climbing stand on the Southeast end at about 4 P.M. The first hour was uneventful, but things picked up quickly about 5:20. Leaves and brush crashed loudly to the East. I listened to what I knew was a buck chasing a doe for the next 30 minutes without seeing either of them. Then they both made quick appearances just before 6. He was a six point. I had never seen him and have no pictures of him. The last hour of daylight was filled with chasing. Those two were around constantly. A good 2 1/2 year old 8 point came from the thicket to the West of me and chased a few does out (I actually heard him grunt before I heard or saw anything else of him.)

The night ended with something that I thought was kind of cool. I could hear two bucks fighting to the East. I couldn't see them, but the sounds were unmistakable. I've seen bucks fight before, but I don't think I've ever just heard it happening without seeing it.

NOVEMBER!!!

It's the best month of the year to be a bow hunter. The days are getting cold, so the deer are moving. Does will come into estrus. Bucks will run around amped up on testosterone. And many giants will fall.

Surprisingly, though, I'm not sure a whole lot is happening in Southern Indiana right now. I have spent a considerable amount of time in the woods over the last week, and buck sign has been scarce. I have found no more than 4 or 5 scrapes in the last week. Why that is, I have no idea. It may be that I'm not looking in the right spots. But I find that hard to believe with the consistancy of many of these areas over the last five to ten years. It has to happen soon, though, and it's best to be in the woods when it does.