The temperatures have dropped, the leaves have fallen, the moon is full, and the rut is on its way to being in full swing. It's October and that means it's hunting season. The Indiana Archery season came in on October 1st, for the Willowpine crew, we've had some ups and downs. One staff member shot a management buck, but he was not found. Another staffer's arrow caught a limb leaving a doe with a sore belly. Not a single whitetail has yet to be harvested, but sometimes it goes that way. I'm hoping the deer wounded will live another year, and hoping that a bruiser will find his way into my freezer. With the November firearm season ahead of us, we know we only have a couple short weeks before the deer start to get very nocturnal. I also know that come November, I'm going to have to make some hard decisions between a duck blind and deer stand. We hope you, your family, and your friends have the most successful season on the books!
October Newswire Contents
1. 5 Tips to Hunting the Rut
2. Indiana Duck Season Dates
3. A Promise Kept - A Story by Mark Fink
4. Our 5 Picks for Places to Duck Hunt in Indiana
5. Bucks Pro Mount Taxidermy
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When you’re walking in or out of the woods, take extra precaution to remain unnoticed. The last thing you need is for the deer to feel pressured around your stand. Here are a few things we suggest you do to take this extra precaution.
- Make sure your boots are scent free and don’t wear them until you’re in the field. Spray them with Dead Down Wind or whatever scent eliminator you use when you put them on.
- Don’t use the trail you expect deer to come on. No need in taking any chance of leaving scent.
- Rake areas you’re going to walk in on prior to hunting season and right after the leaves fall.
- Never spit, urinate, leave cigarette butts, or any other things that may have unnatural scent. Why take the chance? Big deer are smart for a reason, and even though you shot deer with tobacco spit under you before, chances are that the dominate buck will avoid an unidentifiable odor. If you have to pee, use a milk jug, bottle, or creek.
- Make sure your stand doesn't make any unwanted noise.
- Walk slowly and lightly. Use a flashlight only when necessary. If you enter a field and can see by moonlight, then turn that bad boy off.
- Make sure you get a grunt, weeze, and snort in there.
- Get into it... If you're doing it right you'll feel like you actually just fought the biggest deer in the woods.
- If you're worried that you spilled a little gas on your boot, or that the wind just isn't in your favor, then NEVER rattle. A big deer will almost ALWAYS wind a set of fighting bucks. This means he'll come to the fight with the wind in his face. If you're giving off human scent while rattling, then you're hurting your spot more than helping it. There is no such thing as "Eh, what's it going to hurt?" It will hurt your chances if you're not scent free.
- Use the biggest set of antlers you have. If it sounds like two big deer are fighting it will encourage big deer to come and fight the winner. If you're just after a good buck, that's ok too. A medium sized deer will come try to fight the winner also. His chances are better beating a deer that just got done fighting, compared to being the first opponent.
A lot of guys will put doe and buck urine out as soon as they get to the stand. This can definitely work, but why not when you leave, too? I've found that when I throw scent out when I get in the stand, the buck will come in very nervously. If I'm unknowingly giving off human scent, then that's blowing down wind also. Not only is the buck smelling doe urine, but also my human scent. So sometimes (especially before rut), I'll toss out some dominant buck urine when I leave the stand. My theory is that this represents that a buck has been in the area right around sunset. If the buck is territorial he'll eventually start showing up right before dark to see if his ghostly friend shows up again. The best part is since I've left the stand, the scent is blown downwind without any chance of an added human scent. Since I started doing this in the 2011 season, I've had shooter bucks under my stand 6 out the 10 times, one day after I've thrown out scent when leaving. Maybe a coincidence, or maybe a trend. So far I've been pleased with my results.
Pay attention to the changes in weather and temperatures. When hunting the rut, the weather can make a huge difference. I love to hunt the rut on a cold, low wind, blue sky evening. I like a morning with a similar lineup, but add a little frost to make the leaves crunch as they walk into my shooting lane. Pay attention to the weatherman cause he may change your mind to hunt a day you didn't plan to.
- There is a storm coming tomorrow, and you should be on the edge of your corn field. Studies have shown that deer react to barometric pressure. They know when there is a storm coming, and they want to get food in their bellies before it gets there. When the does are in a cut corn field eating, there is sure to be a buck nearby ready to check them. These studies show that deer begin feeding when the barometric pressures are between 29.80 and 30.29. You can get the barometric pressure for your area at WeatherChannel.com.
- When it's windy or if there is a slight drizzle, I'd be in a bottom or field edge. If you're hunting around standing corn, you have to put yourself in the deer's shoes. I know when I've been in standing corn, and I can't hear a thing with all those dried leaves scratching each other. The deer feel the same way. This can be true in the woods also. The trees and leaves make a lot of noise when it's windy. Hunt a place where deer can hear, and can see their surroundings. Grass fields, crop fields, and open bottoms have always been a good bet for me.
- Some guys stay home when there is a warm trend in the weather. Not me, I'm in a tree. Sure you have to go slow as not to get all sweaty, but the deer still need to move. I've had great luck hunting bottoms, water holes, and shady areas when we get the early November warm up. I almost always notice a 60-70 degree day in late October or early November.
- Near the end of October, we always get a full moon. Every year I've deer hunted, I've noticed that the full moon causes the October deer slump. You'll see lots of deer for a week, then the moon starts getting full, and you sit there for 4 hours watching squirrels. Yet there is new sign around my stand, what's going on? They're moving at night, and there's nothing you can do. You may catch one right before dark, or headed for beds at daylight, but chances are that things will be slow. If you have a family project to do... do it during the full moon days. Many will debate this, but I'm only going off my own experience.
When you're hunting the rut, you have to remember that half the equation is the does. You need to be where the does travel, where they bed, or where they eat. If you pattern the does, then you're sure to find a buck.
- Bucks will abandon their normal travel routes, and will begin using the doe travel routes. Sometimes you'll see a smaller and less used trail going along a more heavily used trail. This can almost certainly be a buck trail. It'll usually go through thicker cover, but it will end up at the same place.
- Bucks will make fewer rubs and scrapes. They'll also do a whole lot less checking and updating of their rubs/scrapes. Pre-Rut can be killer hunting around a bunch of rubs and scrapes. When the rut gets in full swing, it may be beneficial to focus less on these areas and more on doe areas.
Hopefully this article was helpful in some ways. You can get opinions from thousands of hunters in hundreds of hunting magazines. They all have an issue out right now with tips for hunting the rut. I've listed the ones I find to be the most important. They're also the things that have helped me the most over the past decade. Use your own judgement and knowledge, and you'll surely be on a nice buck this year!
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Get up-to-date Indiana public FWA hunting location bird harvest counts. The IDNR seperates the FWA locations by zone. To see these counts Click Here
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A couple of weeks ago on a Friday afternoon I drove over to the family farm in Illinois that I hunt, to meet up with our “hunt club” members to put up some stands, set out some cameras, and just have a good time talking hunting. Dad had gone over earlier in the day to drop off his camper, and I stayed in it that night. The plan was to meet up early on Saturday AM in town to have some breakfast and put a plan of action together.
Saturday I awoke early, anxious to get a start to the day so I made a cup of coffee, got dressed and slipped into my truck to take a drive around the area to see what might be moving around at first light. The previous evening I did the same drive at last light and counted 50 antlerless and 2 small bucks in an hour’s time. Ten minutes into my drive as I was getting past a finger of woods to reveal the next cut bean field I spied a nice eight-pointer standing in a waterway. At the very same time he decided it was too close for comfort and he ran a hundred yards or so to the back edge of the field and stopped to look at me. After glassing him a few seconds I rolled down the window and stuck my “hand” gun out the window and with a couple snaps of the thumb I said, “Bang, Bang! If you keep hanging around during the daytime I’m going to get you!” The buck seemed to dismiss me as he stood there and then he melted into the wooded edge of the field.After breakfast we loaded up some stands and ladder sticks and off we went. The first place we hung a stand was in a place I call the Hub and have wanted to put a stand there since the first time I laid eyes on it. It’s located in a 30 yard wide strip of woods and briars that runs north and south and splits a corn and bean field. On the North end of the strip about 300 yards there is a 40 acre CRP field and about a 60 acre woodlot loaded with White Oak trees. On the south end of the Hub are more strips of woods and briars going in three different directions with a creek in the East to West running strip. All of these strips are connecting AG fields and other woodlots so IMO, it should be a deer highway. We managed to get a few more stands up by 2PM when someone in our group suggested that we call it a day and take advantage of the somewhat cool calm weather and hunt the evening. I had not really planned to hunt but I did bring my hunting gear and bought my archery license the night before, so I was good to go for a hunt. I was pretty tired but getting in a tree for the first time this year sounded pretty good! Someone asked where I wanted to sit and I said I would like to go to the Hub stand and wait for that nice 8 I saw that morning to come through so I could kill him. The Hub stand is located about 500 to 600 yards NW of where I spotted that buck earlier that day.
One hour later I was in my hunting clothes and settled in The Hub Stand for the evening. The wind had been out of the SW all day and I was expecting to see deer come from out of the creek to the South and take to the fields. It was a very uneventful sit until a few minutes before sunset when I looked behind me to the South in time to see two big nannies, each with a young one in tow coming from the creek. Following up right behind them I spotted a small six or eight point buck. The Doe and yearlings came up the main trail through the strip I was sitting in and when they got near my stand, they slowed way down and started smelling everything. They were obviously alerted to all of the scent we had left hanging this stand. They ended up directly below my stand and getting very nervous with each whiff, I just knew I was going to get busted at any moment. I considered shooting one of the big nannies, but decided to hold off for tonight to see what might happen. The two nannies decided that they didn’t care much for what they smelled and walked on to the north at a brisk walk and they never saw me…whew what a relief! |
| Mark Fink with his Buck |
He stopped there for what seemed like a long time and then proceeded to walk up the same main trail that the Doe and Yearlings had just walked. I thought to myself, should I? It’s my first sit and I have a week off planned so I can hunt the rut over here, and I know there are much bigger deer running around. However, I did promise that I would get him if he kept hanging around during the daytime…HMMM, AW what the heck! I grabbed my bow and when I had a tree between us came to full draw, and at about ten yards I let it fly. I’m far from a great bow shot, but the arrow appeared to be true. He ran about 10 yards and stopped to figure out what just happened. About 45 seconds later he got the wobbles and tipped over.
Upon field dressing I discovered a perfect X right through the center of his heart! If I had not had the encounter with him that morning, and made that promise, I most likely would not have taken the shot. The way it all came together I just had to. So now I hunt does and bide my time for the IL firearms season, maybe I can pattern a couple good ones by then.
Here is one of only two photos I have of this buck. Sorry for the poor quality, I was so tired from the day of activities I didn’t have a clear enough mind to get a good photo…all I wanted to do was get him cut up and in the cooler so I could go home. After arriving home and caping the head, I finally got to bed at 3:30AM.
By Mark Fink, Indiana
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The number one question I get when I tell someone I duck hunt is, "Really? In Indiana? Where do you go?" Now I wont give away my secret spots on a public website, but I will help point like minded folks in the right direction. People are very protective of their favorite places, and in some aspects for very good reason. However everything listed is public, and can be found on the IDNR website. Indiana Fish & Game printed a similar list a few years ago, but I do believe they left out a few that should have been listed. Below are the 5 best places I've duck hunted in Indiana.
For maps, dates, directions, rules, and regulations follow the link below each location to visit their spot on the IDNR website.
Goose Pond FWA
Willow Slough
Kankakee FWA
Hovey Lake FWA
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For the last year or so I've had the privilege of doing artwork for Todd Buchanan at Buck's Pro Mount Taxidermy. I enjoy doing the artwork for him because I'm always amazed by the detail living within his mounts. He'll send me a picture to add a background to, and I can spend a half hour just admiring the work. He is truly and artist, and when it comes to your memories within a mount, I'd put my trust in Buck's. BPMT is located in Fairland, IN. You can check out some of his mounts below, and also on the web by clicking the following link. Buck's Pro Mount Taxidermy. Contact information and other details are also on his site.From the Buck's Pro Mount Taxidermy Website:
"Here at Buck's Pro Mount Taxidermy we strive to produce some of the most artistic wildlife art in the industry. Unlike many other studios, we put as much time and effort into studying wildlife and references as we do in producing taxidermy pieces.It is our belief that the study of animals and anatomy go hand in hand when producing quality wildlife art. This alone is what sets us apart from the others and it shows in your trophy. Taxidermy is a form of art and we make every effort to make your once in a lifetime trophy a piece of art to be admired for years to come. Here at Buck's Pro mount Taxidermy your hard earned trophy will receive the highest quality craftsmanship and attention to detail. Why, after the money spent on that once in a lifetime hunt and taking that once in a lifetime trophy would you want to take a chance with sub standard taxidermy work? You want a taxidermist who will best represent your hard work and memories of the hunt. By choosing Buck's Pro Mount Taxidermy you have made a wise decision that you will not regret."
Buck's Pro Mount Taxidermy
9039 Punkinvine Rd.
Fairland, IN 46126
317.861.4783
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We appreciate your taking the time to read Willowpine Outdoors' October Newswire. We also very much appreciate your support in WPO. As mentioned above, we're always looking for people interested in contributing their writing, taking pictures, adding videos, etc. If you think you might like to do this, then please shoot us an email at willowpineoutdoors@gmail.com. If you haven't already, please take a moment to add us as a friend on Facebook. If you like what we're doing, and want to support us, the best way is to tell a friend! Always remember that Nature provides a free lunch, but only if we can control our appetite. - Joey W. Buttram, Willowpine Outdoors
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