2013 total Deer harvest numbers for Indiana. . .

RUT JUNKEY · Mar 14, 2014

Well as I expected, the deer harvest numbers were way down this year here in Indiana. I just didn't see the deer that I normally do. We did ok, and killed some nice bucks, but, the overall deer observed were down for sure. Here are the numbers: 125,635 deer harvested this year. ..down 8% from the 2012 count of 136,248. Bucks harvested in 2013 46,240. . .in 2012 45,936. . .not a huge change there. Doe harvest in 2013 was 79,395 down 12% from the 2012 total of 90,312. This total harvest ranked 6th all time in Indiana,does ranked 5th all time, and buck harvest ranked 16th all time. (we are a one buck per year state. . .but haven't always been). 2013 was the 62nd year for deer hunting here in Indiana. The thing I find odd is that we have very liberal doe permits and seasons and our doe harvest was down this bad. The bonus antlerless program allowed 4 does in my county and 8 does in every county around me. . .this is on top of the regular licenses. Come on turkey season!!!

LCH · Mar 14, 2014

We also had about the worst firearms opener I can remember .. hot and thunderstorms. That probably impacted the numbers as well.

1_pointer · Mar 14, 2014

LCH said:
We also had about the worst firearms opener I can remember .. hot and thunderstorms. That probably impacted the numbers as well.

Agreed! A 'normal' opener would have closed the gap with last years numbers considerably IMO.

dcopas78 · Mar 14, 2014

Ohio deer harvest has been declining over the last few years

2011 - 219,748
2012 - 218,910
2013 - 191,451

But there have been very liberal bag limits with 9 (1 buck, 8 doe) over the last several years. You can blame that on pressure from farmers and insurance companies. Around were I live, hunting has become big money. Land is leasing out for $30 bucks an acre in some cases, because of the quality of bucks being killed in southern Ohio. There were two killed this year, a gross 194 typical and gross 206 typical, in my home county of Adams. Big money hunting is why I am gradually shifting my focus to western game. If I'm going to have to pay to hunt, I would rather pay $600 for an elk tag, plus gas money and equipment, and come out there. Whitetails are cool but not as cool as elk, mulies and lopes!

RUT JUNKEY · Mar 14, 2014

dcopas78 said:
Ohio deer harvest has been declining over the last few years

2011 - 219,748
2012 - 218,910
2013 - 191,451

But there have been very liberal bag limits with 9 (1 buck, 8 doe) over the last several years. You can blame that on pressure from farmers and insurance companies. Around were I live, hunting has become big money. Land is leasing out for $30 bucks an acre in some cases, because of the quality of bucks being killed in southern Ohio. There were two killed this year, a gross 194 typical and gross 206 typical, in my home county of Adams. Big money hunting is why I am gradually shifting my focus to western game. If I'm going to have to pay to hunt, I would rather pay $600 for an elk tag, plus gas money and equipment, and come out there. Whitetails are cool but not as cool as elk, mulies and lopes!

yes, And unfortunatley we have the same issues over here. The farmers are all cashing in, and I really can't blame them. . .but I will not pay to hunt ( cash that is) working around the farm is different. The one buck rule has created some giants here as well.

JDH · Mar 14, 2014

I think the kicker is that there was even an expanded doe season and numbers were still down!

L. I. Yankee · Mar 15, 2014

Hey Jeff...with all those pics of great deer you had you and your boys should have been stacking them up....Lol......

RUT JUNKEY · Mar 16, 2014

L. I. Yankee said:
Hey Jeff...with all those pics of great deer you had you and your boys should have been stacking them up....Lol......

JDH, I know that's what I would have thought too. . .

L.I., we did ok. .killed 3 nice bucks. . .found 2 nice ones dead too though (blue tongue is my guess) Im just use to seeing way more deer when I'm out in the woods. I put in a ton of hours this year and the ROI wasn't great at all. . . I haven't even found my first shed yet this year.

mixedbag · Mar 16, 2014

I'll tell you what happened in Pa when Alt got his way.Everybody was slaughtering the does.Some gamelands are almost non-existant with deer.i go to my butchers every year a couple times to see whats being taken.Guess what half the does are???You got it;button bucks.Taking does is a good thing if your taking older non-producing does off your land;not dumb a$$ fawns.and, its hard to grow big bucks when they are killed as button bucks with doe tags.Pa has lost around 25% of the hunters it had 10 years ago and I think mostly due to the lack of deer on public land.The state land is making a slight comeback in numbers and some very nice bucks.When I was young, there wasn't a day that I went hunting when I didn't see at least one deer.now, you can go a week or more in my area.When you shoot a doe, your basically taking 3 deer off the property for next season.When you consider hunters were taking 20-30 doe off a gameland in one year when Alts plan got started, you can see how the population tanked.A few doe taken makes for a healthy herd,but the Pa mentality was brown and down.Hope that's not where you guys are headed.I love listening to guys complain around me about no deer then shoot the first doe they see;crazy

1_pointer · Mar 17, 2014

IMO, it's not where IN is heading. Sure, the herds been brought down a bit with the more liberal doe seasons, but I personally don't know anyone who's killing more than 2/year. The two I know doing that are only doing it because they hunt in an 'urban' deer zone and have to take a doe before taking a second buck. Secondly, very little of the public land in Indiana, what little there is, allows the filling of bonus doe tags. Many of them don't allow taking any does.

I think IN is doing as well as can be expected with deer management given the small size of most properties in the state. Hard to do much management on 20-60ac parcels. I do feel that the average buck killed today is better than what was being killed 20years ago and I attribute a lot of that to the one buck/year change. Couple that with plenty of opportunity for kids, long seasons, and the chance to take a doe and I'm pretty happy with how things are here.

RUT JUNKEY · Mar 17, 2014

mixedbag, I agrree. I also believe that if you are shooting does, it should be done early in the year, otherwise you are shooting yourself out of a "possible" 3-4 deer if it is later in the year. I'm sure that is why the extended seasons are late in the year. . .to control the herd, but. . .I love the chance it gives the kids to hunt, but, we as the teachers need to be sure we are not allowing them to shoot up all of the buttons, if we are going to complain about not seeing or killing any bucks.
1PT, I agree with you too. I don't think it will get that bad,however, I am concerned with all of the State Park hunts. . .all of those deer are "freebies" so most guys that hunt those are going to pile them up no matter what because its not in their "home" range. My Dads place borders the Shades State Park and the deer herd there has taken a beating. Overall I'm pleased with the way things are though.

dcopas78 · Mar 17, 2014

I agree with mixedbag as well. I'm glad that this coming year, at least in my "zone", the doe tags are cut back to only 2. I rarely shoot a doe unless I need the extra meat, and then I try to be extremely selective. The way I see it, being around farm animals and knowing the value of good genetics and smart mothers, I think the doe is just as important as the buck. It would be a shame to kill a young doe that had the potential of putting out 2-3 boone/crocketts over her lifetime assuming the male genes were in the area. The "I'll shoot every deer I can get a tag for" crowd will shoot anything that walks past.

1_pointer · Mar 17, 2014

RUT JUNKEY said:
mixedbag, I agrree. I also believe that if you are shooting does, it should be done early in the year, otherwise you are shooting yourself out of a "possible" 3-4 deer if it is later in the year. I'm sure that is why the extended seasons are late in the year. . .to control the herd, but. . .I love the chance it gives the kids to hunt, but, we as the teachers need to be sure we are not allowing them to shoot up all of the buttons, if we are going to complain about not seeing or killing any bucks.
1PT, I agree with you too. I don't think it will get that bad,however, I am concerned with all of the State Park hunts. . .all of those deer are "freebies" so most guys that hunt those are going to pile them up no matter what because its not in their "home" range. My Dads place borders the Shades State Park and the deer herd there has taken a beating. Overall I'm pleased with the way things are though.

IME/O on 2 state park hunts, I think you'll start seeing them less frequently. I didn't kill anything either time and saw relatively few deer each time. Being next to Shades wouldn't suck!

RUT JUNKEY · Mar 17, 2014

1_pointer said:
IME/O on 2 state park hunts, I think you'll start seeing them less frequently. I didn't kill anything either time and saw relatively few deer each time. Being next to Shades wouldn't suck!

Lol. .no its darn good habitat for sure. I usually put in for the Shades Hunts just to trophy hunt only and have done well, however, I use to see deer 20 + everytime I would go into the woods. . .now if I see 6 I feel lucky. Do you know if the parks get some sort of "kickback" for having these hunts? I often thought they must, because the deer are not overpopulated. Who knows.

1_pointer · Mar 17, 2014

As far as I am aware they do not. It's my understanding it upon the biologist reccommendation. However, I'm not sure if that's a park biologist or a DNR bio. I do know there's a local group in that part of the state, who generally do some good things, that feel some of the problems with the remaining woodlands is an overabundance of deer. Deer are especially hard on oak recruitment...

LCH · Mar 17, 2014

No Indiana state park that I know of has their own biologist.. I'd guess Chad Stewart (official "deer" biologist for IDNR) is pretty heavily involved in it.

L. I. Yankee · Mar 17, 2014

RUT JUNKEY said:
JDH, I know that's what I would have thought too. . .

L.I., we did ok. .killed 3 nice bucks. . .found 2 nice ones dead too though (blue tongue is my guess) Im just use to seeing way more deer when I'm out in the woods. I put in a ton of hours this year and the ROI wasn't great at all. . . I haven't even found my first shed yet this year.

I put a ton or hrs in as well....filled up the freezer but seen more hunters than decent bucks.....at least in the mid west your in the game for mega deer.....not me......there is always this coming year.....

1_pointer · Mar 18, 2014

LCH said:
No Indiana state park that I know of has their own biologist.. I'd guess Chad Stewart (official "deer" biologist for IDNR) is pretty heavily involved in it.

Thanks for that info!

Now if we could just get the DNR to get Eagle Creek on board! That place is lousy with deer and the woods are in tough shape because of it. I don't even remember New Harmony being that 'high lined' back in the '90s.

RUT JUNKEY · Mar 18, 2014

1_pointer said:
Thanks for that info!

Now if we could just get the DNR to get Eagle Creek on board! That place is lousy with deer and the woods are in tough shape because of it. I don't even remember New Harmony being that 'high lined' back in the '90s.

I would hunt Eagle Creek! I see deer over there everytime I drive to Indy. They have a browse line? I remember in Brown County years ago . .we would take our horses down for the weekend and the deer were in bad shape . .and the browse line was unlike anything Ive ever seen. It was a slaughter those first few years. . the deer were so use to being feed by people they would just walk right up to you. . .not a very sporting hunt I'm sure.

1_pointer · Mar 18, 2014

About as bad a browse line as I have every seen. Beings that it's pretty flat, there's quite a few places one could shoot way over 100yds, from the ground and in the woods! Mind you, much of this is mature timber, some of which may border on being virgin.

2013 total Deer harvest numbers for Indiana. . .

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