Was there death , doom and mayhem ?

[Flinttim]

Thought the title would gather up some. I've been not paying much attention to the news the last week or so but now that we are one week in on deer season has there been any incidents of hunting accidents involving centerfire rifles ? I saw one or two of the usual falling out of a tree stuff (which by this point in history I really cannot understand ) but nothing yet of someone getting shot in the next county.

 

[DeadeyeChrista'sdad]

Well someone DID get shot by my bloodthirsty old 30 30 Marlin. A Miss Cervid. Miss Doe E. Cervid.

 

[phylodog]

My only concern at this point is that rifles may have set back the quality of the deer herd in Indiana by 20 years. There have been a lot more mature bucks taken this year than in years past. That's going to leave a mark and be disappointing to a lot of people come next year.

If you only hunt for for meat and don't care about nature bucks good for you.

 

[bobjones223]

My only concern at this point is that rifles may have set back the quality of the deer herd in Indiana by 20 years. There have been a lot more mature bucks taken this year than in years past. That's going to leave a mark and be disappointing to a lot of people come next year.

If you only hunt for for meat and don't care about nature bucks good for you.

I am not sure that can be chalked up to the high power rifles....I am chalking it up to the rut hitting at just the perfect time. I have seen more bucks this year than the past seven combined and I think alot of people would say the same thing....just my two cents but that is my thoughts on it.

All of ours came with traditional pistol cartridges in rifles...44mag and 45 Colt. The other ones that have been taken by friends were the same....slug guns and pistol cartridges.

 

[chubbs]

I will be very curious to see how many bucks where taken this year. Yes, I killed a buck. I always want a Indiana deer in the freezer each year and when possible a ohio one too. But if I had not seen multiple bucks on the farm, I would have passed on a antlered for the year and took a doe. Hopefully, rifles won't cause too many people to forget about protecting the herd for the coming years and generations.

 

[Hookeye]

Less bucks seen this yr than in yrs past (for what I think a variety of reasons- HP rifle not one of them).
The tards around our area were running shotguns for the most part.
Heard one guy dump a few from something small, fast........suspect 10mm.
Maybe heard one HP rifle blast.
Cuz used PCR.
First 2 days, maybe heard 30 shots total.
Dunno who bucked out in bow........

 

[Expatriated]

I got a buck on public land but that is still shotgun.

When I took my rifle on private land, I didn't see anything.

So it's still going to be hard to tell until this senseless discrimination and bigotry of rifles on public land ceases

 

[phylodog]

I am not sure that can be chalked up to the high power rifles....I am chalking it up to the rut hitting at just the perfect time. I have seen more bucks this year than the past seven combined and I think alot of people would say the same thing....just my two cents but that is my thoughts on it.

All of ours came with traditional pistol cartridges in rifles...44mag and 45 Colt. The other ones that have been taken by friends were the same....slug guns and pistol cartridges.

My two sources for information are a friend who owns a processing business and the "Bucks of Indiana" Facebook page. Buddy had 400 deer brought in opening weekend and an entire room full of big buck capes. FB has had tons of pics of very large/mature bucks posted over the last ten days. I don't dispute the timing of the rut this year as that undoubtedly contributed but so has being able to reach out to double the distances most were used to prior to this year.

I'm not running around in circles screaming that the sky is falling but I do have my concerns. I watched midwest whitetail hunting with fascination growing up and was always disappointed at how Indiana stacked up to the surrounding states when it came to big bucks. I much enjoy the prospect of taking big/mature bucks right here in IN now, just don't want to go back to being the basket rack state.

 

[djones]

Just general observations, nothing scientific:

A lot more single shots this year. Hopefully leading to more clean harvests and less cripples and unrecovered deer. Which in turn may mean less deer die per filled tag.

I doubt rifles in our hands has a huge effect the size of our buck's antlers.

 

[lstout]

It does seem like everyone I know has killed a healthy buck this year. I know the timing of the rut has to be playing into that. But I agree i think riffles are probably making for cleaner kills and less coyote dinners.

 

[Hookeye]

Never was a basket rack state where I hunted (Cass Co, from the mid 80's).
If anything, more big dudes back in the 80's and 90's there than now.

 

[Hookeye]

Rifles helping accuracy? Yeah whatever. If you suck at shootin', you suck.
Putting the slug on the mark is no big deal.
Finding what will be repeatable is no big deal.
Many are just stupid, lazy and sloppy.
Rifles might have helped them.
Know one guy at work that blasted his bundle tag in one day..............kinda sorta. Dropped a doe, buck comes out, shoots it, and then an other antlerless comes by drops it. Buck was lost. Thinks he pulled the shot and creased outside of shoulder. .30-06
Oh well, 2 for 3 aint bad...................

IMHO folks that take a half arsed approach are gonna be slobs with rifles too.
Sure stuff happens.

Think those that have drama afield will always have drama afield. If rifles make them shoot twice as well as they used to, they will just shoot twice as far and have the same effects as before.

I do know of some guys that flinch once in a while, doesn't matter what they shoot.

 

[Hookeye]

Yeah slugs pound ya. But you can minimize that and not develop a flinch.
Or is older and not as tough, drop to a 20 ga.
IMHO there is no excuse for shooting poorly.
Wonder how many fudds bought Package rifle kits and went hunting, never zeroing in.
Hell, folks mounting scopes and not even bore sighting, going afield...............those stories aint just make believe.
Talk to the guys in the gunshops, working the night before the opener.

Here's a hint................those dudes with the "inspection" sticker still on the scope...........probably.

 

[halfmileharry]

My two sources for information are a friend who owns a processing business and the "Bucks of Indiana" Facebook page. Buddy had 400 deer brought in opening weekend and an entire room full of big buck capes. FB has had tons of pics of very large/mature bucks posted over the last ten days. I don't dispute the timing of the rut this year as that undoubtedly contributed but so has being able to reach out to double the distances most were used to prior to this year.

I'm not running around in circles screaming that the sky is falling but I do have my concerns. I watched midwest whitetail hunting with fascination growing up and was always disappointed at how Indiana stacked up to the surrounding states when it came to big bucks. I much enjoy the prospect of taking big/mature bucks right here in IN now, just don't want to go back to being the basket rack state.

I have concerns as well. Hopefully our DNR takes a very in depth look at the health of the herd the next 3 or 4 years.
I've passed some huge bucks with shotgun and bow because of the range of the shot.
Since rifle world is here I've been thinking of how many would have been on the wall and eaten.
This is something that should be watched closely. I know some are going to not care but I do.

 

[two70]

My only concern at this point is that rifles may have set back the quality of the deer herd in Indiana by 20 years. There have been a lot more mature bucks taken this year than in years past. That's going to leave a mark and be disappointing to a lot of people come next year.

If you only hunt for for meat and don't care about nature bucks good for you.

Seems you either have your concerns backwards or are a bit confused on the goals of quality deer management. Killing more actual mature bucks instead of 1.5, 2.5 or worst of all 3.5 year old bucks is beneficial and is the goal of most management programs trying to improve buck size. It is the constant killing off of large numbers of young bucks that really hurts the quantity and quality of mature bucks.

 

[bobjones223]

My two sources for information are a friend who owns a processing business and the "Bucks of Indiana" Facebook page. Buddy had 400 deer brought in opening weekend and an entire room full of big buck capes. FB has had tons of pics of very large/mature bucks posted over the last ten days. I don't dispute the timing of the rut this year as that undoubtedly contributed but so has being able to reach out to double the distances most were used to prior to this year.

I'm not running around in circles screaming that the sky is falling but I do have my concerns. I watched midwest whitetail hunting with fascination growing up and was always disappointed at how Indiana stacked up to the surrounding states when it came to big bucks. I much enjoy the prospect of taking big/mature bucks right here in IN now, just don't want to go back to being the basket rack state.

I can't profess to checking any other source and am strictly basing this off of what I saw and who I have talked to this year. Looking at my deer cams showed the rut REALLY ramping up the week before gun season started to the point where I had three to four bucks on video to every doe caught. A lot were the same eight bucks I had on cam but they were a LOT more active. For the two weeks before opening day I watched them go from nocturnal roaming to 24/7 roaming.

Granted I will give you that the shot ranges have gone way out with the high power rifles but I also have to believe that people that hunt areas where these kind of shots present themselves had already adjusted for their hunting areas with high power pistols, wildcat rounds, and hot muzzle loaders.

The rest of us that hunt the Indiana woods may have picked up high power rifles for something new but I don't see there being a real change in these areas because you can only see as far as you can see.

Just my two cents. I think there may have been a small uptick due to the rifles but I am not sure it is enough to be concerned with yet. I still feel the bulk of it was due to the moon phases, the rut timing, and the weather. #buckstorm2016

 

[phylodog]

Seems you either have your concerns backwards or are a bit confused on the goals of quality deer management. Killing more actual mature bucks instead of 1.5, 2.5 or worst of all 3.5 year old bucks is beneficial and is the goal of most management programs trying to improve buck size. It is the constant killing off of large numbers of young bucks that really hurts the quantity and quality of mature bucks.

If a significant percentage of the big bucks are killed off this year, what do you think people are going to shoot next year? For many, a small buck is better than no buck at all.

 

[phylodog]

I can't profess to checking any other source and am strictly basing this off of what I saw and who I have talked to this year. Looking at my deer cams showed the rut REALLY ramping up the week before gun season started to the point where I had three to four bucks on video to every doe caught. A lot were the same eight bucks I had on cam but they were a LOT more active. For the two weeks before opening day I watched them go from nocturnal roaming to 24/7 roaming.

Granted I will give you that the shot ranges have gone way out with the high power rifles but I also have to believe that people that hunt areas where these kind of shots present themselves had already adjusted for their hunting areas with high power pistols, wildcat rounds, and hot muzzle loaders.

The rest of us that hunt the Indiana woods may have picked up high power rifles for something new but I don't see there being a real change in these areas because you can only see as far as you can see.

Just my two cents. I think there may have been a small uptick due to the rifles but I am not sure it is enough to be concerned with yet. I still feel the bulk of it was due to the moon phases, the rut timing, and the weather. #buckstorm2016

Could be, I hope you're right. My post was about my concern based off of the information I have available. Won't bother me to be wrong.

 

[chubbs]

Dnr is investigating a barn hit with a 30 caliber round. Its on DNR district 1's facebook

 

[Flinttim]

The question was one of any incidents. Not to turn it into another debate "centerfire or not". For the two or three who answered, thank you. From that short sampling I would deduce that at this point incidents are minimal if not zero. Geez Louise.