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Post by thebellcompany on Feb 21, 2019 11:03:54 GMT -5
I live in flat farm country. Lots of Amish. mostly corn fields, hardly any woods. not much opportunity for deer to grow old. The deer move from field to field at night or use drainage ditches and creeks to move between properties. they bed in young brush areas that are grassy and thick. most deer groups i see are small 2-4 at most. I'd bet the average lead doe i see would be 2 years old tops. fawning seems to be ok, usually 2 fawns per doe. coyotes are a problem, most years i notice does with 2 fawns have 1 left come hunting season. i would consider farm land in northern indiana to be very boring hunting. not as predictable as you'd think as the deer travel far. there's no terrain features to hold the deer to an area. maybe that's why the deer we do see are the young and dumb. Amish do their hunting differently too. if it has a furry white tail it's fair game. by the way if you'd rather read hunting stories than check facebook raise your hand. me too. in northern indiana i look for water to tell me where the deer are. is there a creek, a swamp, a pond in a secluded area. is there a wetland not suitable for growing crops? I notice where there is water, it is usually a low point in elevation and gives deer a place to hide. also where there's water there are willows and tall grasses. find a good stream and scout the entire thing till you find the heavily used crossing point. that's where you want to hunt. you'll mostly find does, but come November big boy will come through looking for does. so don't shoot your does if you want to see a buck. keep momma happy. i guess all the corn and beans keeps deer around. deer management for me is watching my "herd" grow from 2 to 4 every year then back to 2 🐱 gotta watch out for mountain lions and panthers i keep hearing about. we see them on trail cams. my dad swears it's the problem. look like tiny house cats to me.   |
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Post by jman46151 on Feb 21, 2019 11:27:46 GMT -5
There's other places in the state that are very similar. I could use your description for an area I used to hunt-minus the Amish. The area is low and flat due to the river shifting. My in-laws grew up in the area and would always tell me when they saw a deer in a certain they would hunt it right away because the deer could be gone in 2 days. There was a strip of woods across the road from their house where they would always see deer the last week of bow and first week of gun. By the second weekend they were gone. My FIL told many stories about how they would sneak up ditches trying to kick a deer out of them. The only somewhat consistent sightings were in an old river slough with a swampy area that connected to the river bottoms. We quit shooting does in the area around 2014-2015 because sightings went down.
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Post by chewbacca on Feb 21, 2019 12:30:09 GMT -5
Bell, it sounds like you are hunting the same property as me in NE Marshall county.
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Post by jbird on Feb 21, 2019 13:40:48 GMT -5
My area is very similar. Maybe not quite as flat, but still flat enough that small feature changes can make a big impact. When the crops are out it's not uncommon here to be able to see a mile or more away and we can do that square mile after square mile. I agree that in heavy ag areas places where it's too wet or too steep is where you will find the deer. Those areas intend to be around creeks and streams. There also may not be many deer, so you have to monitor what you are harvesting. My entire county struggles to kill 800 deer a year. The ag crops certainly keep the deer feed thru parts of the year, but the overall lack of habitat keep the overall numbers down. Twin fawns are common because of the food that is here and the general health of the deer, but if you want a hunt where on average you see a deer every hunt....you ain't hunting in my area. My area is literally 70% or more corn or soybean field. That's great for making some money....not so good for growing a lot of deer.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2019 13:50:56 GMT -5
When I lived on the north side of Fort Wayne I had to throughout what I learnd in Switzerland county. Deer stayed in the fields and knew where you went. I always had to crawl to location and stay on the ground. Hunt trails in fields from little woods patch to patch.
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Post by tynimiller on Feb 21, 2019 21:58:11 GMT -5
Large ag fields are deer deserts outside of the time frame they provide food...anyone that isn't them will always be better deer habitat.
Northern extreme Indiana hunter here as well
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Post by greghopper on Feb 21, 2019 22:11:57 GMT -5
Indiana largest hunter killed deer came north of Indy in the flat lands 300".... largest sheds find came north of Indy also!
Just saying ...
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Post by deadeer on Feb 22, 2019 2:09:05 GMT -5
NW corner here. There are some biggun's and ones with big racks up here. Big deer here too, lol.
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Post by jbird on Feb 22, 2019 9:37:19 GMT -5
Deer is a deer is a deer. Nutrition and age is what is needed. Ag country tends to be high on nutrition and low on age (fewer places to hide) and more wooded areas tend to higher on the age (more places to hide) and lower on the nutritional aspect. You simply need both. I try to hunt the limited resource of the given area as this tends to narrow down where the deer will be. In ag country I prefer to hunt cover and in more wooded areas I prefer to hunt the food sources.
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Post by steiny on Feb 22, 2019 9:44:13 GMT -5
I hear you. And what few pieces of cover there are, usually have a hunter or two in them. All the management and habitat work in the world isn't going to make an area like that a deer mecca. Best cure I've found is to take road trips to other hunting destinations.
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Post by tynimiller on Feb 25, 2019 23:52:54 GMT -5
I hear you. And what few pieces of cover there are, usually have a hunter or two in them. All the management and habitat work in the world isn't going to make an area like that a deer mecca. Best cure I've found is to take road trips to other hunting destinations. I'd strongly argue against that, is it a guarantee no, but give me 40 solid acres withing large ag areas and I'll make a sanctuary most bucks won't leave unless a seriously hot doe pulls them during hunting season. Folks strongly under-estimate that power of a true daytime sanctuary one can make, but few are willing to do...it won't be a guaranteed thing, but I have zero doubt someone truly commits 40 or more acres (shoot I've done it with just 22 acres) they can greatly increase their big buck potential. |
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Post by steiny on Feb 26, 2019 10:36:14 GMT -5
I'd strongly argue against that, is it a guarantee no, but give me 40 solid acres withing large ag areas and I'll make a sanctuary most bucks won't leave unless a seriously hot doe pulls them during hunting season. Folks strongly under-estimate that power of a true daytime sanctuary one can make, but few are willing to do...it won't be a guaranteed thing, but I have zero doubt someone truly commits 40 or more acres (shoot I've done it with just 22 acres) they can greatly increase their big buck potential. Really depends on the local hunting pressure. If you've got the only block of cover in the section and it's great habitat surrounded by wide open field where nobody will hunt, then maybe your approach could grow a 5.5 year old or older buck. When you have neighbors with little strips of cover and woodlots that butt up against you and they all hunt, then your odds go down dramatically of getting a deer past 3.5 years old. I've been working a sizable acreage for 20+ years developing and improving pretty awesome habitat, planting food plots, running trail cams, passing up the little guys, etc. and 3.5 year old 130" range deer is about as good as I can produce. Anything much bigger just doesn't exist or I'd see them or get an occasional cam pic. I'm convinced it's all hunting pressure related. Meanwhile, I can hunt our place in southern IL where there is much more available habitat and a whole lot less hunters around and can expect to see 150-160" deer every season. |
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Post by tynimiller on Feb 26, 2019 15:49:26 GMT -5
I'd strongly argue against that, is it a guarantee no, but give me 40 solid acres withing large ag areas and I'll make a sanctuary most bucks won't leave unless a seriously hot doe pulls them during hunting season. Folks strongly under-estimate that power of a true daytime sanctuary one can make, but few are willing to do...it won't be a guaranteed thing, but I have zero doubt someone truly commits 40 or more acres (shoot I've done it with just 22 acres) they can greatly increase their big buck potential. Really depends on the local hunting pressure. If you've got the only block of cover in the section and it's great habitat surrounded by wide open field where nobody will hunt, then maybe your approach could grow a 5.5 year old or older buck. When you have neighbors with little strips of cover and woodlots that butt up against you and they all hunt, then your odds go down dramatically of getting a deer past 3.5 years old. I've been working a sizable acreage for 20+ years developing and improving pretty awesome habitat, planting food plots, running trail cams, passing up the little guys, etc. and 3.5 year old 130" range deer is about as good as I can produce. Anything much bigger just doesn't exist or I'd see them or get an occasional cam pic. I'm convinced it's all hunting pressure related. Meanwhile, I can hunt our place in southern IL where there is much more available habitat and a whole lot less hunters around and can expect to see 150-160" deer every season. I didnt say it guarantees (very strong term) a 5.5 year old boomer or a even a 160 inch...nothing is a surefire thing unless you have a thousand acres or more honestly. Far too many however are willing to admit IF you have full ability through lease agreement or ownership of the land you can increase its potential beyond the rather hopeless mindset many have about it. However, I truly believe if one goes full throttle commitment to creating security for the deer in what I describe as the crucial 3 H's; habitat, hunting and hygiene...one truly can put themselves in a position to kill what many would consider the top 10% if not top 5% of the bucks in their areas. |
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Post by jbird on Feb 26, 2019 19:02:10 GMT -5
These view points demonstrate how and why every property is different. Each property has it's own challenges and to make things worse each property is owned by an individual who has different goals, expectations and resources. There is no "one" answer. Some folks would see 40 acres as a small property, while others see 40 acres as more than they can handle. Some see 40 acres and want to see crops growing on it, while others see that same 40 as a clean slate to create a deer habitat on, yet a third may see some sort of ATV track. Neither is "right" or "wrong"...they just have different goals. They all 3 may have different limitations themselves on how they plan to achieve those goals as well or what the property will allow them to do for whatever the reason.
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Post by tynimiller on Feb 26, 2019 22:18:37 GMT -5
These view points demonstrate how and why every property is different. Each property has it's own challenges and to make things worse each property is owned by an individual who has different goals, expectations and resources. There is no "one" answer. Some folks would see 40 acres as a small property, while others see 40 acres as more than they can handle. Some see 40 acres and want to see crops growing on it, while others see that same 40 as a clean slate to create a deer habitat on, yet a third may see some sort of ATV track. Neither is "right" or "wrong"...they just have different goals. They all 3 may have different limitations themselves on how they plan to achieve those goals as well or what the property will allow them to do for whatever the reason. AMEN! First question I always ask clients is can they be 100% honest to the second question which is; what is it precisely you want to do with the property? That answer dictates how much, how far and what direction the attack plan for their property must be, for if they are not comfortable with it they'll have zero motivation...however that answer also directly correlates with expectations one should hold for their long term expectations! You nailed it wonderfully Jbird, as you do often! Also I would LOVE 30, let alone 40 acres!  |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2019 9:19:05 GMT -5
A lot of hunters don't realize that hunting large flat farm land with sparse little woods is the same as hunting hilly rolling farms. Deer behavior is extremely different between the two types of farms. The deer definitely know which large flat farms are not hunted and to get them off that parcel during the daylight hours is almost impossible. Even during the rut. I definitely don't miss the days I hunt up near Kendaville. I have 100% respect for our northern hunters.
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Post by steiny on Feb 27, 2019 10:20:24 GMT -5
Just finished up 2-3 acres of hinge cut area yesterday.
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Post by subzero350 on Feb 27, 2019 11:15:06 GMT -5
I live in NW DeKalb Co. (just north of US 6) not far from Kendallville. But where I'm at, there are quite a few fields that have been "abandoned" by farmers and left to become overgrown with tall grass and brush. There are also still quite a few patches of woods and rolling hills around here as well and a lot of ponds. But there are quite a few planted fields, so there is plenty of food for the deer. I feel like it has the right mix of water, food, and cover. And that assumption is reinforced by the relatively high numbers of deer I regularly see here in the area around my house (as well as those I've captured on my security cams coming up to my front door).
Just south of US 6, it is a different story. Many plowed fields, few water sources, and little woods still standing. It is amazing how the terrain differs from just jumping in the car and driving 10 minutes. But it makes all the difference in the world when it comes to suitable deer habitat.
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Post by thebellcompany on Mar 3, 2019 22:46:05 GMT -5
I hear you. And what few pieces of cover there are, usually have a hunter or two in them. All the management and habitat work in the world isn't going to make an area like that a deer mecca. Best cure I've found is to take road trips to other hunting destinations. A big thing for me last year was STAYING OFF my parcel so the deer wouldn't be spooked off. know how many times I hunted that property? 2 times. Once opening day of bow and then again the day before thanksgiving. Results? I took a nice maybe 4 year old 10 point and a 2 year old doe. I spent the rest of my time doing hang and hunts always in different spots on public land |
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