Deer hunting in 500 words

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  • inchrisin

    Plinker
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Sep 8, 2015
    114
    18
    Indianapolis
    My buddy took me out to go deer hunting on Wednesday. It was my first time ever. We had a good hike, didn't shoot at anything, and I'm starting to think that I don't know what a deer looks like anymore. I didn't ask a lot of questions and would like more info on how I should hunt deer in IN. My buddy is a little tight-lipped about all of this. Can you help break it down for me? I'd like to take a 12 gauge, an AK, or maybe black powder into a state park to take down a deer. I know I need a license. Take me from there, because the DNR page is confusing. Broad strokes are needed. Thanks.
     

    Lt Scott 14

    Plinker
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Mar 18, 2018
    139
    16
    Porter County
    Hello and congrats for your decision to get outside and hunt. Do the license of course, and grab a booklet of laws for hunting. Yes some things are confusing. State land can be overrun with hunters.

    If you can access a shotgun with slugs, might be easiest for a newbie. Go to the outdoor range and fire it, and learn how to handle it safely. Hunter Orange is for your safety; hats, vests, jackets can save your life, if in woods, use vigilance. Know other hunters around, and if you walk into their range, can spoil both of your day hunt

    Go with a seaoned hunter a few times to learn the ropes, and always tell someone your time to return. If you are overdue, have DNR, or Police numbers handy for a friend to call to find you. Cells work sometimes, other times not.

    Learn a few survival things and carry a first aid kit. Rain poncho, water, compass and map of hunting area. Knife/whistle.

    I got turned around once and ended up 3 miles from my parked truck. Map is really important. Don't panic. have a headlight, or mini light to guide you to pavement.
     

    Amishman44

    Master
    Rating - 98%
    48   1   0
    Dec 30, 2009
    3,678
    113
    Woodburn
    Hello and congrats for your decision to get outside and hunt. Do the license of course, and grab a booklet of laws for hunting. Yes some things are confusing. State land can be overrun with hunters.
    If you can access a shotgun with slugs, might be easiest for a newbie. Go to the outdoor range and fire it, and learn how to handle it safely. Hunter Orange is for your safety; hats, vests, jackets can save your life, if in woods, use vigilance. Know other hunters around, and if you walk into their range, can spoil both of your day hunt
    Go with a seasoned hunter a few times to learn the ropes, and always tell someone your time to return. If you are overdue, have DNR, or Police numbers handy for a friend to call to find you. Cells work sometimes, other times not.
    Learn a few survival things and carry a first aid kit. Rain poncho, water, compass and map of hunting area. Knife/whistle.
    I got turned around once and ended up 3 miles from my parked truck. Map is really important. Don't panic. have a headlight, or mini light to guide you to pavement.

    Some good points here...and I'll add you don't have to have a 'tank' to go deer hunting with...keep it simple in getting started.
    I've stayed with 20 GA all these years and have never had a deer run after shooting it with either a lead slug or a Sabot round.
    I know several individuals who hunt deer with rifles using pistols cartridges (.357 magnum and .44 magnum) and have had great success.
    Learn as much as you can about deer hunting via reading up on it, licensing requirements, watching a few videos, etc...it all helps.
    Deer hunting is knowledge + skills + a little luck...and the first two can be acquired over time!
     

    inchrisin

    Plinker
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Sep 8, 2015
    114
    18
    Indianapolis
    Thanks for the tips so far. I hit most of those tips, I think. I went with the 12 gauge and loaded 00 buck shot. I'll be honest. I can shoot alright, but I'd like to make sure I get 4 or 5 pellets behind the front shoulder. Is a slug the way to go with a mediocre shooter and a bead dot sight? I knew I wasn't taking a shot past 50 yards and was in and out of wooded areas.
     

    jagee

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    24   0   0
    Jan 19, 2013
    44,415
    113
    New Palestine
    Thanks for the tips so far. I hit most of those tips, I think. I went with the 12 gauge and loaded 00 buck shot. I'll be honest. I can shoot alright, but I'd like to make sure I get 4 or 5 pellets behind the front shoulder. Is a slug the way to go with a mediocre shooter and a bead dot sight? I knew I wasn't taking a shot past 50 yards and was in and out of wooded areas.

    You want a slug. I hunted for years with a 20g slug and did jist fine with rifle sights. You will want something other than just a bead sight. Rifle sights at least, or an optic.
     

    dak109

    Expert
    Rating - 100%
    5   0   0
    Jun 26, 2009
    1,184
    83
    Brown County
    Buckshot is not legal deer fodder in Indiana. Use slugs. I have taken many deer with a 44 mag Marlin. Ranges varied from 15-120 yards.
    The first deer I killed was with a 20 gage single shot, bead sight. I wouldn't recommend that setup without lots of practice.
     

    patience0830

    .22 magician
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 96.6%
    28   1   0
    Nov 3, 2008
    17,593
    149
    Not far from the tree
    Buckshot is not legal deer fodder in Indiana. Use slugs. I have taken many deer with a 44 mag Marlin. Ranges varied from 15-120 yards.
    The first deer I killed was with a 20 gage single shot, bead sight. I wouldn't recommend that setup without lots of practice.

    Yup. In IN, "buckshot" is not legal for bucks. Or does for that matter.

    Hitting where you aim is the first order of business. In order to be sure you can do that, you must spend some time and money on practice and testing. Shotguns are a lot like .22 rifles. They will shoot one particular loading better than the rest. Testing different slugs and sabots will let you determine which ones give acceptable accuracy. Practice at different distances will show you where you and your sighting system become the limiting factor. Learn to estimate distance or buy a rangefinder to help avoid unethical shots and wasted ammunition. If you can hit a softball at the 100 yds with the first shot out of a cold barrel every time, you're well prepared. My rifled 20ga single shot with a fixed 6x Leupold scope will put the first two Remington 2 3/4" Buckhammer (cheap foster style lead) slugs touching at 100. You need accuracy like that you can trust .
     

    patience0830

    .22 magician
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 96.6%
    28   1   0
    Nov 3, 2008
    17,593
    149
    Not far from the tree
    Different weapons are legal different places. State park hunt will usually be a drawn permit style hunt and weapons will be specified in the regulations for the drawing. Public ground will be shotgun, a limited number of pistol calibers in a rifle and legal pistols, as well as muzzle loaders generally. Private ground hunt allows you to use centerfire rifle as well, with some calibers still excluded IIRC. I have not read all the regs this year, but you should be sure your chosen combination is legal where you plan to hunt. No more than 10 rds of ammo in your possesion with the centerfire on private ground.
     

    ccha8778

    Plinker
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Oct 23, 2019
    56
    6
    The Region
    Glad you like it! I'm a new hunter myself, this is my first year. I'm hunting with a .308 rifle and I've shot 2 does thus far. Few tips from a fellow newbie:

    1. Stay warm - I bought a 1 piece camo that I put over my jeans and shirts, that works well. My first time my hands and feet were freezing. I wore more socks and bought some feet warmers (like hand warmers for feet) and I also bought a hand warmer pouch that I tie around my waste.
    2. Definitely wear orange, I wear a vest and a hat.
    3. Lights - I have a head lamp and a separate light I can hold. This is needed for walking to your spot in the am and one of the doe I shot at 4:30, so it was dark by the time I got the deer out.
    4. Good knife - I use my uncles knife that is a 3 in 1 (knife to cut, special knife to split the belly so you don't hit the gut sack, and a saw to get through the sternum).
    5. I ground hunt, if you do that kick all of the sticks and leaves out from around your spot so you can stand up or move without giving yourself away.
    6. Bring water and a snack - I used a bucket with a swivel pad on top to sit on, so I put everything in my bucket I'll need before I walk out.

    Hope all that helps. Hunting has become addicting to me, I hope you enjoy it and stick with it!
     

    dak109

    Expert
    Rating - 100%
    5   0   0
    Jun 26, 2009
    1,184
    83
    Brown County
    Yup. In IN, "buckshot" is not legal for bucks. Or does for that matter.

    Hitting where you aim is the first order of business. In order to be sure you can do that, you must spend some time and money on practice and testing. Shotguns are a lot like .22 rifles. They will shoot one particular loading better than the rest. Testing different slugs and sabots will let you determine which ones give acceptable accuracy. Practice at different distances will show you where you and your sighting system become the limiting factor. Learn to estimate distance or buy a rangefinder to help avoid unethical shots and wasted ammunition. If you can hit a softball at the 100 yds with the first shot out of a cold barrel every time, you're well prepared. My rifled 20ga single shot with a fixed 6x Leupold scope will put the first two Remington 2 3/4" Buckhammer (cheap foster style lead) slugs touching at 100. You need accuracy like that you can trust .
    Savage bolt gun? Always kind of wanted one of those prior to pistol caliber becoming legal.
     

    amboy49

    Master
    Rating - 83.3%
    5   1   0
    Feb 1, 2013
    2,293
    83
    central indiana
    Yup. In IN, "buckshot" is not legal for bucks. Or does for that matter.

    Hitting where you aim is the first order of business. In order to be sure you can do that, you must spend some time and money on practice and testing. Shotguns are a lot like .22 rifles. They will shoot one particular loading better than the rest. Testing different slugs and sabots will let you determine which ones give acceptable accuracy. Practice at different distances will show you where you and your sighting system become the limiting factor. Learn to estimate distance or buy a rangefinder to help avoid unethical shots and wasted ammunition. If you can hit a softball at the 100 yds with the first shot out of a cold barrel every time, you're well prepared. My rifled 20ga single shot with a fixed 6x Leupold scope will put the first two Remington 2 3/4" Buckhammer (cheap foster style lead) slugs touching at 100. You need accuracy like that you can trust .


    Your definition of required accuracy as “hitting a softball sized target at 100 yards out of a cold barrel every time”with a slugged/saboted round is laudable, but I’d be willing to bet you couldn’t find 10 guys out of a hundred that can do that with their shotgun setup. I have a vintage Remington Wingmaster 870 with a Hastings rifled barrel and a 3x9 variable Leopold scope. I have done relatively extensive testing from the bench over a sandbag rest trying to find the best ammunition combination. I finally settled on a specific premium brand of Remington sabot slugs that produced the best degree of accuracy - and stocked up on several boxes in case Remington stops producing that ammunition. I bet I’m among the 5-10% of the hunters that go to that extent.

    From a solid bench rest my gun will shoot 3” MOA all day even with a so so trigger if I do my job. First shot EVERY TIME at a softball sized target at 100 yards under field conditions would be extremely difficult if not impossible to achieve. Many hunters take rushed shots without using a rest and I would wager there are a lot of hunters who will buy just any on sale brand of ammo, never pattern it and barely sight it in, and head for the woods. Shotgun slugs come five to a pack and are relatively expensive resulting in a lot of folks not wanting to “waste ammo” testing different brands and knowing the actual ballistic bullet drop coefficient. My scope even has a BDC reticle specifically designed for shotgun slugs - and I’m pretty sure I couldn’t pass the 3” 100 yard test in the field. Not to say that shouldn’t be a goal - but I don’t think it’s a realistic goal to attain and most hunters won’t strive for it out of laziness or an incapable firearm combination. I think your best advice was “know your limitations.”

    If the Op takes all of the advice offered he’ll be far ahead of most of his peers. My opinion is based on the ONE TIME I did a Camp Atteberry public hunt. Rounds started whizzing through the air well before legal shooting light - I got down behind a log until full daylight and then got up and walked out to my truck and went home.
     

    inchrisin

    Plinker
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Sep 8, 2015
    114
    18
    Indianapolis
    Buckshot is not legal deer fodder in Indiana. Use slugs. I have taken many deer with a 44 mag Marlin. Ranges varied from 15-120 yards.
    The first deer I killed was with a 20 gage single shot, bead sight. I wouldn't recommend that setup without lots of practice.


    I'm worse at this than I thought. :) Thanks for the tips.
     

    two70

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    19   0   0
    Feb 5, 2016
    3,725
    113
    Johnson
    I admire your enthusiasm and desire to jump in with both feet. I don't want to dampen that at all but based on your comments, you have a long way to go before you are ready to hunt deer on your own. First thing I would suggest is taking a hunter ed course, preferably in person, whether you are legally required to or not. I would also suggest you attend one or more of the basic deer hunting classes that the DNR puts on from time to time.

    Beyond that, the hunting regulations can be a little confusing but you will get a lot more helpful answers if you study them thoroughly and ask specific questions about specific parts that you are confused about than if you ask to have them generally explained to you. Next, the goal is not to "shoot at something", the goal is to make a single, well placed shot that kills, quickly and humanely. That is the very least you owe the animals you are hunting.

    As for weapons, the shotgun and the AK are not the best options to start out with. Both are capable but add difficulty that you really don't need at your starting point. If you have experience with blackpowder, that might be a good way to start since you will have the opportunity to hunt two seasons. If not, a public land legal rifle with good sights or preferably a scope, would be a better starting point. Lever actions and single shots are available in .357, .41 and .44 mag or you can find reasonably priced bolt actions in .350 Legend.

    Spend as much time as possible learning about deer and deer hunting between now and next season. There are lots of of free resources available on the web, I suggest checking out growingdeer.tv first and then Midwest Whitetails when you have a grasp of the basics and are ready to tackle some of the higher level principles. There are plenty of other resources out there as well. Spend time learning how to properly handle a deer once you get one.
     
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