Snow!

Yesterday the weatherman here said that the windchill was 12 degrees above zero. He wasn't kidding. It was cold- the kind of cold that cuts right through to your core and makes you wish you were at home on the couch. But it was the opening weekend of muzzleloader season and we had fresh snow. There would be no way I could pass up such an opportunity. I started the day with the first morning light as I watched a coyote work his way across an open corn field. He had a bit of urgency in his stride and I knew that he thought it was uncomfortably cold too. I ended up seeing several deer in the morning but none presented me with a shot. I thoroughly enjoyed being out there though; the fresh blanket of snow adds a whole new element of serenity to the woods. I didn't end up tagging a deer yesterday but don't worry, there's still lots of season left!

Prophetstown State Park Reduction Hunt

Last week my brother and I participated in one of the Indiana DNR state park reduction hunts at Prophetstown State Park. The 2000 acre Prophetstown sits at the confluence of the Wabash and Tippecanoe rivers and offers a glimpse of the prairies that once covered a good portion of west central Indiana.

The hunt was divided into two dates, one on November 15th and 16th and the second (our hunt) on November 29th and 30th. I'd estimate that for our hunt there were somewhere near 50 hunters in the park however the woods were relatively silent for most of the first morning. As we found out early on, once the deer became pressured, they took to the tall prairie grasses that make up most of the park and quite easily disappeared.

My brother and I both ended up taking one deer apiece, myself a doe and Matt a small 5 point buck. My deer was taken purely by luck as I was working along the top of a ridge line at the edge of the park. From my vantage point I was able to watch her flee from one surprised hunter, get redirected after spotting my brother and end up nearly running me over as she sped up my hill. Luckily I watched it all unfold and was waiting with the hammer cocked back.

53 total deer were harvested from the two hunts this year, well short of the 100 harvested in 2009. I am quite sure most of those were taken by hunters who resorted to walking the head high prairie grass to produce a chance at a snap shot as the deer bounded away.

All in all, we had a good time and the staff at Prophetstown was very pleasant and accommodating. The hunting was difficult and its hard to say if I would choose to go back to Prophetstown again. I think I'll probably stick to the woods though.