Southern Indiana Public Land

[rochester coops]

I have relatives that live in Petersburg and have spent some time exploring Sugar Ridge and the Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge. This is pretty different than where I hunt in western NY. Your large ag fields become like huge (food) deserts after harvest and I've had some trouble finding deer and what they are feeding on later on. Anyway, any fellow beasts out there willing to help a guy out and just get me looking/thinking in the right direction would be greatly appreciated!

[mheichelbech]

Check for natural browse, especially if you find any clover...also farmers may over plant with winter wheat or rye for the winter, probably no white oak acorns left but if you can find a stand of oaks there may be acorns left over, especially red oaks. Most red oaks have the sharp pointy leaves and white tend to have the smoother, rounded edges. Check leaves on the ground.

Also if within a mile or so of any neighborhoods, good chance they’ll be hitting bird feeders and what not in peoples’ back yards.

May be beans still standing in some areas.

Might ride around your areas in the evenings and do some glassing. Really hit and miss where I live. Some nights they are out before dark but most nights not right now. Why is check acorns or any good browse inside the woods.

[jkelley1487]

I have and do hunt Sugar Ridge, Patoka FWA, and Pike State Forest. If you are scouting after firearms season, it will be a completely different game. Those areas get hammered during our gun season. There are some good quality bucks on those properties but the hunting isn’t easy. Sugar Ridge will be reclaimed mining ground with spoil banks throughout. Patoka will be a lot of mature timber and low land areas.

I would look for the nastiest, thickest cover that you can find on those properties. The deer will eat natural brows during the day and then move to the crop fields after dark. The crop fields on public might not have much sign once the season is in because of the human intrusion. A lot of the better bucks will hit the private land ag fields after dark that are adjacent to public.

Our DNR will plant different food sources on some of those properties but I wouldn’t waste my time hunting those. I would back track to some thick cover and hunt the bedding. EHD hit that area hard about 8 to 10 years ago and the deer population seems lower than other areas in southern Indiana.

[mheichelbech]

I have and do hunt Sugar Ridge, Patoka FWA, and Pike State Forest. If you are scouting after firearms season, it will be a completely different game. Those areas get hammered during our gun season. There are some good quality bucks on those properties but the hunting isn’t easy. Sugar Ridge will be reclaimed mining ground with spoil banks throughout. Patoka will be a lot of mature timber and low land areas.

I would look for the nastiest, thickest cover that you can find on those properties. The deer will eat natural brows during the day and then move to the crop fields after dark. The crop fields on public might not have much sign once the season is in because of the human intrusion. A lot of the better bucks will hit the private land ag fields after dark that are adjacent to public.

Our DNR will plant different food sources on some of those properties but I wouldn’t waste my time hunting those. I would back track to some thick cover and hunt the bedding. EHD hit that area hard about 8 to 10 years ago and the deer population seems lower than other areas in southern Indiana.

Clark County got hit hard with EHD this year. Been the toughest year I’ve had in a long time.

[rochester coops]

Thanks guys. I will be back down that way in a little over a week and wanted to do some more scouting. Good to know about the EHD. Guess that explains some things. I didn't find a lot of sign last time there a few years ago. Over Thanksgiving weekend I covered A LOT of the Patoka River FWA. I didn't run into many deer hunters but did see a lot of duck hunters. I just don't know that deer stick around all winter in an area without crops? Do deer in southern Indiana yard up and migrate a few miles to better food like they do here? I'm hoping to find decent sign that might show its worth hunting in the late season next year, but my past observation makes me wonder if the deer have moved on from these places when the crops are gone?

[jkelley1487]

Deer definitely yard up here in the late season.

I agree that a lot of the deer get pushed off the public after gun season in those areas. I’m sure there still some good ones around but have to cover a lot of ground to find them. Pike county is one of the most sought after buck hunting counties in the state. There are some big time leasing properties all around the public up there. Many of those properties have large food plots and I’m sure that pulls a lot of the deer in. There are some giants that get killed off the private in Pike co that would rival anywhere in the Midwest (except Iowa).

If you’re not seeing much in the area you’ve been scouting, I’d check out Pike state forest or sugar ridge property. It’s higher ground and you’ll avoid the duck hunters for the most part but will see an increase in the deer hunters. Personally, if I was hunting the late season, I would drive to Hoosier National Forest. You can get in deep there and away from a lot of the pressure.

[Cutter]

I know patoka gets slammed during gun season. Your best shot would be to try Hoosier National. My suspicion is that a large majority of it doesn't even get hunted or pressured because of how big it is. It would be easy to find a private ag field that backs up to the public. I also noticed today when I went out left over acorns were still getting hit. As for thick cover I would key in on clear cuts on your topo map.

[Cutter]

I have and do hunt Sugar Ridge, Patoka FWA, and Pike State Forest. If you are scouting after firearms season, it will be a completely different game. Those areas get hammered during our gun season. There are some good quality bucks on those properties but the hunting isn’t easy. Sugar Ridge will be reclaimed mining ground with spoil banks throughout. Patoka will be a lot of mature timber and low land areas.

I would look for the nastiest, thickest cover that you can find on those properties. The deer will eat natural brows during the day and then move to the crop fields after dark. The crop fields on public might not have much sign once the season is in because of the human intrusion. A lot of the better bucks will hit the private land ag fields after dark that are adjacent to public.

Our DNR will plant different food sources on some of those properties but I wouldn’t waste my time hunting those. I would back track to some thick cover and hunt the bedding. EHD hit that area hard about 8 to 10 years ago and the deer population seems lower than other areas in southern Indiana.

Clark County got hit hard with EHD this year. Been the toughest year I’ve had in a long time.

I heard the DNR had dumpsters full of dead deer.

[mheichelbech]

I have and do hunt Sugar Ridge, Patoka FWA, and Pike State Forest. If you are scouting after firearms season, it will be a completely different game. Those areas get hammered during our gun season. There are some good quality bucks on those properties but the hunting isn’t easy. Sugar Ridge will be reclaimed mining ground with spoil banks throughout. Patoka will be a lot of mature timber and low land areas.

I would look for the nastiest, thickest cover that you can find on those properties. The deer will eat natural brows during the day and then move to the crop fields after dark. The crop fields on public might not have much sign once the season is in because of the human intrusion. A lot of the better bucks will hit the private land ag fields after dark that are adjacent to public.

Our DNR will plant different food sources on some of those properties but I wouldn’t waste my time hunting those. I would back track to some thick cover and hunt the bedding. EHD hit that area hard about 8 to 10 years ago and the deer population seems lower than other areas in southern Indiana.

Clark County got hit hard with EHD this year. Been the toughest year I’ve had in a long time.

I heard the DNR had dumpsters full of dead deer.

Yea at Charlestown State Park, 3 large dumpsters.

[rochester coops]

Awesome, great advice guys. This is what I was looking for. Looks like I should check out Hoosier National Forest!

[adamwagner787]

If I was at Petersburg I would put my time into Glendale FWA before I drove an hour to the Hoosier. It's just the opposite for me... Hoosier is 20 minutes away and Glendale is 45 so I hit the Hoosier.