Anyone hunt Indiana?

[rickt300]

I have some friends that live in Brown county and they want me to come up to hunt the park there.  They say the deer are big, there are lots of them and it's beautiful country.  I know they want you to use straight sided pistol cartridges in rifles, any cartridge in a handgun or a shotgun. 

[ELMO]

  I live in north central Indiana, near Kokomo. and I've hunted down in Brown county about 7 or 8 years ago. I hunted during a park reduction hunt and took a good sized Doe. The terrain in brown county is really hilly and they do have the deer. The firearms weapons during firearms seaon are slug guns, pistol cartridge rifles and handguns, also muzzleloaders. The pistol cartridge has to be .357 of an inch or larger diameter with minimum case length of 1.16 inches. The maximum case length of 1.625 inches. Here are some legal cartridges for deer hunting... .357 Mag, 38-40 Win., .41 Mag, .44Mag, .44 Special, 44-40 Win., .45 Colt, 454 Casull, 458 SOCOM, 475 Linebaugh, 480 Ruger, 50 Action Express, and 500 S&W... Come hunt Indiana you will love it.......

[rickt300]

I drove thru the park 5 years ago and it sure is hilly.  I must have seen 40 deer just driving around, nice country though this was in winter and there was a lot of snow aon the ground.

[teddy12b]

I'm in northeast Indiana and never hunted brown county, but I might be interested in trying it from what you all have been saying.  You don't have to use a pistol cartridge rifle either, you can still use a shotgun if you want to.  Last season I used my puma 44Mag and I'm a believer!  That 44 mag knocked an 8pt flat on his side and I was amazed.

[squirrellluck]

Unless they changed the rules since I left some rifle cal.s are legal in handguns

[theoldarcher]

Squirrelluck: I believe you are right, and the law still permits.  I grew up in souther IN, just south of Brown County, and still return to hunt annually.  Although our 'base' is farther south--Crawford and Orange Counties.  Deer fall just as flat with a .44 mag; .357 mag; .45 LC; .45-70; along with assorted black powder rifles over the years and slug guns.  My very favorite, though, is still a 62", 60# recurve loaded with 160 gr. Snuffers.   

Rickt300--you will enjoy the topography of the hunt if you decide to make the trip.  I would recommend taking a day or two to see some of the surrounding, if touristy, sites.  Best of luck.

Arch

[rickt300]

I guess I need to find out about lisence fees and more about the park hunt or surrounding public land hunting.  My friends live in Crawfordsville and are always bragging how big the deer are up there.  They say the does can reach near 200 pounds.

[squirrellluck]

The deer I killed up in Parke county fell to either 55# recurve,7-30 waters in tc contender or .410 marlin lever gun

[theoldarcher]

I took a young buck a few years ago in that area the DNR said at the check station was about a year and a half old--now it didn't come off ground that was hard hunted around Lake Monroe, rather it came off a private farm--but it was a 6 pointer with an inside spread of 17 1/2" and a field dressed weight of 187#.  I didn't think that was too bad for a youngster!  So there are some big bodied deer there, and there are some with pretty good racks.  Best of luck.

Arch