By Louie Stout

Deer Prospects Similar for Bow Opener

Deer hunters on both sides of the state line can expect to see deer numbers similar to last year when the archery season opens Oct. 1.

Biologists from Indiana and Michigan said fawn production was good last spring, there have been no indication of disease issues in the area and the mast and apple production has been good.

“We are going in with good numbers,” said Ken Kesson, wildlife biologist at Crane Pond Game Area in Jones, Mich. “It’s been a fairly normal summer and as of right now, we don’t have any concerns in southwest Michigan.”

The disease issue is important in Michiana given the history of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) virus that struck the herd a few years ago and caused a lot of mortality. In addition, the Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) that has appeared in central Michigan has not found its way into Michiana counties.

In Indiana, state deer biologist Joe Caudill said all indicators point to a positive fall season.

“The fawn/doe ratio sightings per hour have been pretty stable since around 2013 and the buck/doe ratio is pretty good,” Caudill said.

Caudill also noted that the number of 2018 bonus antlerless licenses and quotas has dropped in several Hoosier counties.

For example, St. Joseph, LaPorte, Kosciusko and Elkhart dropped from 4 to 3 per hunter while Marshall remained the same (2).

The separately purchased bonus permits are used to help keep the herd size in check but has been a bone of contention among diehard deer hunters who believe antlerless harvest limits have been excessive and limit deer hunting opportunities.

Last season, Indiana deer hunters killed 5 percent fewer deer than they did in 2016. The antlered harvest (45,095) statewide was 12 percent lower while the antlerless harvest (68,500) was .8 percent higher.

During last year’s hunting seasons, nearly 13,000 bucks were taken during the archery season, more than 29,000 during the firearms season and more than 2,000 during the muzzleloader season.

Hoosier hunters used a variety of methods for harvesting deer last year. The bow accounted for 15 percent while shotgun accounted for 18 percent, rifle 40 percent, handgun .3 percent, muzzleloader and crossbow 13 percent.

Interestingly, shotgun hunters’ success was down 32 percent while rifle shooters were down 35 percent. Archery hunters remained about the same while crossbow hunters showed the biggest increase (31 percent), likely due to the growing popularity of the equipment.

The firearms season saw a 23 percent reduction in antlered deer taken compared to 2016. Poor weather conditions on opening weekend of the firearms season produced a 44 percent reduction in statewide deer harvest compared to 2016’s opening weekend’s harvest.

Under normal conditions, most of the firearms season harvest occurs during opening weekend of the two-week gun season.

Locally, Elkhart county hunters too 450 bucks and 782 antlerless deer during all the deer seasons while Kosciusko County hunters shot 752 bucks and 1,218 does. LaPorte hunters took 594 bucks and 1,007 does, Marshall County shot 656 bucks and 954 does and there were 413 bucks and 755 does killed by hunters in St. Joseph.

Scout for success

The wild card for early archers this season is the crop harvest. When crops come out of the fields the deer become easier to locate. However, a wet spring through much of this area delayed planting in some fields and could mean the crops come out later than normal.

Kesson said the deer, especially bucks, are already converting from summer to fall patterns.

“And territories, too,” he added.

Just make sure you check the respective state’s deer regulations before heading into the woods with a bow. There is very little change in the regulations, but it’s worth reviewing to make sure you’re legal.

Nor is it too late to start scouting for bucks if you’re an early season bow hunter. The more you know about the area you will hunt, the more successful you will be when it’s time to climb into the tree stand.