Traveling the Midwest for deer hunting is easier than one might think.
Submitted photo
It’s easy to get lost in the wonderment of white-tailed deer during the fall in the Midwest. Few scenes are more exciting than a heavy horned buck bird-dogging a doe across a field of corn stubble at dawn. When he stops for a moment and you see his warm breath penetrating the frosty morning air, you’re reminded why you crawled from under the covers of your cozy bed to sit motionless for hours on end in the outdoors.
The only problem with deer season is that it rarely lasts long enough. As many states limit the numbers of bucks one can take to one or two, some hunters aren’t ready to be done after punching that tag. Thankfully, there are many options for deer hunting in the Midwest states with over-the-counter licenses and plenty of public lands. Here are five hunts worth considering:
Indiana: Hoosier National Forest
Northern Indiana has little public land but is home to the majority of the state’s population. The southern half of the state, however, is flush with state forests, and the 202,814-acre Hoosier National Forest, which is home to some giant whitetails.
“Since Indiana instituted the one-buck rule back in 2002, our state has been producing more and more world-class whitetails. You hear a lot about the big cornfield bucks up north, but I hunt exclusively in the hardwoods of southern Indiana, and come November, there is nowhere I would rather be in pursuit of a big buck,” longtime Hoosier deer hunter David Ray said.
Indiana’s 2022 firearms season runs Nov. 12-27. Don’t use the excuse there’s nowhere to hunt in Indiana. The Hoosier National Forest makes that statement untrue.
Missouri: Archery hunting
Archery hunting whitetails takes a drastic turn in October as bucks come into rut. Mature bucks — and Missouri is home to some giants — lose their minds towards the end of the month and start showing up in daylight hours. Position yourself in the right draw or patch of timber, and you never know if a giant is going to walk by. Archery season kicked off Sept. 15 and runs until Nov. 11. Firearms season is Nov. 12-22, then archery hunting returns Nov. 23 through Jan. 15. Missouri has close to 3 million acres of public ground and non-resident, over-the-counter tags are only $265.
Michigan: Upper Peninsula
Break out your red and black wool jacket and head to the vast public lands of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to experience one of North America’s greatest traditional deer hunting destinations. The Ottawa and Hiawatha National Forests combine to offers nearly 2 million acres of public land for deer hunting in the Upper Peninsula. The U.P. is also home to abundant state forests and state game and wildlife areas that offer deer hunting opportunities. Still hunting old logging roads or setting up a blind on a well-worn trail are top tactics to tag a deep woods buck. Firearms season is Nov. 15-30.
Kentucky: Early muzzleloader whitetails
The idea of Daniel Boone making his way across Kentucky with his muzzleloader in hand inspires a sense of nostalgia, and a longing to try your luck at taking a buck under the same limitations centuries later. If buckskins and flintlocks are aren’t your bag, you can skill pursue whitetails with modern smoke poles in Kentucky during the early muzzleloader season Oct. 15 and 16. Hunters may harvest a deer of either sex in Zones 1, 2 and 3 but may only harvest antlered deer in Zone 4.
Ohio: Firearms deer
Arguments rage around the Midwest about whether or not to have a firearms deer season during the rut. Ohio doesn’t, which undoubtedly allows bucks the opportunity to grow old and large. The Boone & Crockett Club ranks Ohio as the fifth best trophy buck state in the nation with 1,049 total entries. Warren and Stark Counties are big buck producing hotspots. The gun season is split, running Nov. 28 through Dec. 4, and Dec. 17-18. Licenses are over the counter.
See you down the trail …
Brandon Butler writes a weekly outdoors column for the Daily Journal. For more Driftwood Outdoors, check out the podcast on www.driftwoodoutdoors.com or anywhere podcasts are streamed. Send comments to [email protected].
