Now fellas,
Indiana may not be as good OVERALL as Iowa. But I PROMISE you, that if you OWN land and are selective or have a dandy lease you will have plenty of opportunities to kill a big buck. This is why NR Tags are up 6000. Deer hunters with money have figured out that not only are Indiana NR tags cheaper than a dozen arrows, but there is no "quota" like Iowa. You think those 6000 extra tags were guys coming across from Illinois and Ohio to hunt HNF? Uh, No. Indiana is pumping out some huge bucks and everybody knows it. We are GIVING our licenses away and creating a great amount of competition for leases with guys from other states. No quota and $155 NR tag is in my opinion the DUMBEST thing our deer managers are doing. It's the FIRST thing i would fix if I was in charge.
Is the overall herd getting better? Probably not. But if you have money to lease in several states, and you've already taken a buck in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas or maybe you didn't draw a tag in all those states this season, why not come to Indiana for $155 and enjoy a 2 week gun season? It's a no-brainer. We might be able to charge as much or more than the other states given the amount of days to hunt AND throw in the opportunity to kill a second buck and CALL it and "Urban" deer. If you aren't discussing these things around the campfire at deer camp you're falling behind fellas.